Through the Layers (Rumor Has It series Book 4)

by RH Tucker

  “Yeah.” I point to the hallway. “I was just gonna use the bathroom.”

  “All right.” He starts walking then stops. “Hey, last I checked the line was super long. If you want, you can head upstairs.”

  “Are you sure?” I ask. He’s told everyone the only bathroom we can use is the downstairs one.

  “Yeah, for sure. I trust you.”

  “All right, cool. Thanks.”

  Walking upstairs, I reach the bathroom door when I hear whispering inside. Of course, someone would be hooking up when I need to take a leak. I decide to knock, just in case, hoping I’m wrong and they’ll be done soon.

  “Yeah, it’s busy,” a guy’s voice replies.

  “Something’s wrong,” I hear a girl say, but it sounds slurred.

  “No, it’s all good,” the voice continues.

  “No, something … I don’t feel right …”

  My hand stays on the door handle—one part feeling like I shouldn’t be listening, but another part of me telling me something’s off.

  “Shh, just go with it,” the guy says.

  “No, there’s something … Stop, I don’t …”

  Okay, I could be totally wrong, but I’d rather look stupid than turn a blind eye. I shake the door handle. Locked.

  “I said it’s busy,” the guy’s voice calls out.

  “Everything okay in there?” I yell back.

  “Everything’s fine. Find another bathroom,” he slurs.

  “I don’t feel right,” the girl says again, the voice still groggy.

  “Yeah, I don’t think that’s happening,” I call back.

  “Shut up,” the guys hisses at whoever else is in there. I hear footsteps and then the door swings open.

  The guy steps to me, his face a couple inches lower than mine, but that’s pretty much all I know about him. My eyes lock on the girl behind him. Lana. She looks befuddled. Her eyelids heavy. She’s wearing a skirt, but it’s pushed up and bunched around her waist, and I can see her underwear. Her eyes float over to me, and if she recognizes me, she doesn’t show it.

  “I said get lost, man.” He puts a finger in my face, but I push it aside, walking toward Lana.

  “Lana, what the hell are you doing? Are you okay?”

  “Micah?”

  “Hey—” I feel his hand on my shoulder. He spins me around, but I push my shoulder into him, knocking him to the ground. “What the hell?”

  Turning back around, I stand her up, pulling down her skirt. “Lana? Lana, are you okay?”

  Her legs are wobbly, and her hands come up to my shoulders, steadying herself.

  “Micah, I don’t feel good.”

  “Come on.” I drop her arm over my shoulder and walk past the idiot on the floor, who’s struggling to get to his feet.

  “Get back here,” he calls out, but I’m already heading down the stairs.

  We turn a corner and Jen is in the kitchen, laughing at something with Cindy. “Jen! Jen, help me.”

  “What are you— Lana?” She looks at her and scowls. “What the hell is she doing?”

  Before I can answer, the guy from the bathroom stumbles in behind me, pushing me in the back. “What the hell, asshole?”

  “Go to hell!”

  More people are crowding the doorway from the house to the backyard. Matt walks over, pushing his way through. “What the hell is going on?”

  “Ask this scumbag.” I point to the guy.

  “Hillard, you need to door check better.”

  Matt looks at the guy, who he apparently knows, and then eyes me. “What’s going on, Micah?”

  “I’ll tell you what’s going on. This douchebag gets his jollies off date raping girls.”

  “Fuck you, I wasn’t date raping anyone.”

  I look back over at Lana, still droopy-eyed. She’s leaning on Jen, her legs barely holding her up. “No? Then what do you call that?” I point back to her.

  “We’re just having a good time, dumbass.”

  “I said no,” Lana mumbles out, clinging closer to Jen.

  “What the hell, Eric?” Matt yells at his friend.

  “Hillard, we were just messing around. Popped a couple pills, you know how it goes.”

  “Fuck that.” Matt steps to him. “Get the hell out of my house, or I’m calling the cops.”

  Eric lets out a huff. “This is bullshit.” He stands there a moment longer, staring at me. He finally turns to leave, Matt following behind him.

  “Micah,” Jen calls out to me, “she’s getting heavy.”

  They both fall to the ground. Kneeling down, I push Lana’s hair away from her face, lightly slapping her cheek. “Lana! Lana, stay awake. What’d you take?”

  “Micah.” Tears fall from her. She looks like she wants to hold on to me, but there’s no power in her arms.

  “Shit!” I look around and see the concerned expression on Cindy’s face. “I need to take her to hospital. Jen?”

  Jen bites her lip. Between her and Emma, Jen definitely dislikes Lana more for everything she did, so I can only imagine the thoughts running through her head. But she nods, and I pick up Lana, reaching in my pocket, and throwing Jen my keys. “Drive my truck.”

  Jen weaves through the traffic as I hold Lana, remembering why I dated her in the first place but finding none of those reasons as I hold her. She’s always been full of life. Yes, she likes to party, and even if I’ve always been more of the keep-to-myself kind of person, I liked that about her. She would laugh and have fun and meet new people. We’ve always been opposites, but I sort of liked that about us. But I don’t see any of that now.

  I keep yelling at her, trying to keep her to stay awake, because it’s the only thing I know I’m supposed to do. She’ll look up at me, but it’s like she doesn’t recognize me.

  When we finally get to the hospital, the nurses help us along. Thankfully, Jen stays with me, holding my hand. I know she loathed Lana—probably more than I did if that’s even possible—but I can tell she’s worried, too. They start asking her questions, and one of the nurses hands her a cup. Lana takes a sip before spitting it out. They get another cup and the dark liquid leaks out of her mouth. Then she starts gagging before we’re ushered out of the area.

  “Mr. Fernandez?” A nurse comes out later.

  “Yes?”

  “We think your friend’s going to be okay, but we’re going to need to monitor her.”

  “Okay.”

  “We’ll let you stay, but can only allow one of you bedside with her.”

  Jen and I exchange looks before she speaks up. “Go home, Micah. I already sent Emma a text. She’s bringing my car.”

  “Are you sure? Should I … I mean, do you think she’d want me here?”

  “Yeah, she probably would. But this isn’t your problem, Micah.”

  “It’s not yours either. She’s my ex-girlfriend, Jen.”

  “Yes. Ex. It still pisses me off what she did, and neither of us should have to be here right now. I hate to say it that way because it makes me sound like a bitch, but it’s true. But I’ll be here when she wakes up, because … well, I mean she needs someone to tell her whats what and it doesn’t seem like she’s listening to you.”

  She’s right. I know she’s right, but I still feel like I should stay. And at the same time, I know I can’t. If I stay and I’m the first person she sees when she wakes up, then where does that put us, as far as she’s concerned? Will she think I did this because I still love her? Will she beg and plead with me to give her another chance? And how much worse, after all of this, will she take it if I say no again? Because I will say no.

  “Okay.” I finally nod and give Jen a hug. “Thanks, Jen.”

  Leaving the emergency room, I look back at the doors, wondering one more time if I’m doing the right thing. I hope I am. And I hope Lana finally starts getting her life together and moving on. The right way.

  Chapter 20

  Veronica

  “So, tell me more about your boyfrien
d?” My aunt, Marisol, hands me my soda.

  Her, her daughter, Sofia, and my uncle Ramón arrived in Ensenada yesterday, and everyone was already talking her ear off about Micah. By everyone I mean Toto. And by talking her ear off, I mean telling her he doesn’t trust him. Big brothers are really annoying.

  Coming down to Baja is something our family does every year. My grandmother lives down here, and we’ll spend a week visiting her, hanging out on the beach, and having fun. I smile, thinking about Micah, as my uncle rubs suntan lotion over Marisol’s shoulders.

  She’s a heavyset woman, but that’s never seemed to bother her. She’s wearing a two-piece, much skimpier than I’ve ever been comfortable with. I have on a dark blue, one-piece bathing suit, with a jade, lace cover-up that hangs loosely from my shoulders. Regardless of how much she weighs, she exudes confidence. I’ve always been jealous of that.

  “Tomás doesn’t seem impressed,” Ramón says, wiping her shoulders.

  I scoff. “Toto will never be impressed.”

  “Is he nice?” Marisol asks.

  “He’s amazing.” I smile as I scroll through some pictures of him and show her one.

  “Oh, he’s cute.” She leans closer as Ramón lays down on his towel. “But the real question is,” she whispers, “how good of a kisser is he?”

  “I heard that,” Ramón calls out.

  I giggle, blushing, and stare down at the sand.

  “Oh, that good?” she laughs.

  I start to put suntan lotion on my legs, trying hard not to miss Micah. It’s only been five days, and even though he’s texted me every day, I still miss him. I know I’m in love with him, but I didn’t think I would miss him this much. It’s a little unnerving. And at the same time, I can’t wait until he’s holding me again.

  “Well, it seems like he’s been good for you.”

  “What do you mean?”

  She tugs at my cover-up. “I like this. What were you wearing last year, shorts and a shirt?”

  I adjust my straps over my shoulder. “Is it too much?”

  “Mija, you look amazing. You always have, I’m just glad you can see that now.”

  “I don’t know …” I look out over the tide. “He tells me I’m beautiful—”

  “And you are.”

  I smile. “Thank you. I want to believe it, but it’s difficult, you know?”

  “Look at me.” She sits a little taller, adjusting her bikini. “You know your tio loves me. And I love him. But I loved myself first.”

  She lets the words hang there, staring at me. I’ve never thought I never loved myself. But I also never consciously thought that I’m entirely confident either.

  She gives me a loving smile before looking out over the sand. “What’s Sofi doing?”

  I look out and see my cousin standing still, ankle deep in the water. Her back is facing us, but it looks like her arms are crossed.

  “I’ll go check.”

  “Thank you, Vero.”

  Walking over to Sofia, I see a group of kids down the beach. She’s thirteen and in middle school. One more year and she’ll be in high school. As I get closer, her round frame reminds me of myself at her age. Her short, wet hair sways back and forth, her arms still folded.

  “Hey, Sofi. What are you doing?”

  “Nothing.”

  I see her head pop up for a moment, looking over at the kids, and then back down at the water. “Are those your friends?”

  “No.” Her voice sounds harsh. “It’s just a stupid boy.”

  “Oh. Yeah, boys can be really stupid.”

  Glancing over at her, I see her wipe her eyes quickly. “Stupid Diego.”

  “Who’s Diego?”

  “A stupid boy!”

  I remember feeling like her at her age. Liking boys and at the same time, when they didn’t like me back, calling them stupid. I see so much of myself in her right now.

  “Did you want to talk about it?”

  “No,” she answers. I’m about to turn around and go back when she starts up. “He kissed me.”

  “Oh.”

  “When we visited last year. And today’s the first day I saw him, but he was with his friends. I said hi, but he didn’t say anything. I asked him if he wanted to come over and have a soda. And then his friends asked who I was.” She stops and turns away from me. “He said no one.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry, Sofi.”

  “That’s not the worst part. One of his friends said …” Her voice gets lower and I hear her sniffle. “One of them said to leave the whale alone.”

  “Oh, honey.”

  “He didn’t even say anything. He just looked at me and then walked away with them.”

  “I’m so sorry, Sofi.” I wrap an arm around her, giving her a hug. “Don’t you listen to those boys. You’re right, they’re stupid boys.”

  “Yeah,” she says with a whimpering laugh.

  “And you know what, don’t worry about them. One day there’s gonna be a boy who’s going to love you and won’t think you’re a whale but think you’re the prettiest girl in the world. And he’ll be right.”

  Her arms are still folded, but she looks up at me. An eyebrow raised, she stares at me like I just told her unicorns are real. “Whatever.”

  “It’s true.”

  Sighing, she shakes her head. “Veronica, girls like us don’t get cute boys.”

  She looks back at the water. I have to bite my lip to keep from yelling at her. It’s like listening to myself when I was her age.

  “You know, I used to think like you, then I met a hot boy. And guess what?”

  “What?”

  “I get to kiss a hot boy anytime I want.”

  “Psh, yeah right.”

  “Rude.” I bump her with my hip. I pull out my phone from my top and wave it at her. “You don’t believe me?”

  “Boys like Diego don’t like girls like us.”

  “Well, then how do you explain this?” I scroll through some photos of Micah and show her. One of him right after he got home from the gym. There’s another that I took of him when we went out with Cindy and Taylor.

  “That doesn’t prove anything. He could be a friend. Or he couldn’t even be a friend, maybe someone sent those to you.”

  “Okay, Ms. Smarty Pants.” I scroll to another of us together at the barbecue. “What about this one?”

  “Again. Just a friend.”

  I scowl down at her as she gives me a confident smirk. “Fine.” I pull up Micah’s number and call him. “I’m calling him.” She continues to stare at me, unconvinced. I put my phone on speaker and smile confidently at her. “You’ll see.”

  “Hey, gorgeous,” Micah answers.

  “Hey, what are you doing?”

  “I don’t go into work until later, so I’m just laying around thinking about you. Are you free? Maybe we can talk and—”

  “You’re on speaker phone!”

  My face burns as he pauses and Sofia looks up at me, confused. He clears his throat before continuing. “Uh, maybe we can … talk about … video games?”

  “Dumb boy,” I laugh as Sofia still looks confused. “Hey, I’m standing here with my cousin, Sofia.”

  “Oh, okay. What’s up, Sofia?”

  “Hi,” she answer and smiles.

  “So, we were talking about boys—”

  “Boys, huh?”

  “Yes. Cute boys, more specifically.”

  “Hot boys,” Sofia corrects me.

  “Hot boys?” Micah asks. “Sofia, how old are you?”

  “Thirteen.”

  “Well, young lady, I can’t have you talking about hot boys to my girl.”

  She giggles. “Is she really your girl? I don’t believe her.”

  “Rude.” I bump her again.

  Micah laughs. “Yes, she is.”

  “Really?”

  “Yup.”

  “Why?”

  Micah gets quiet, and I finally scowl at her. “Wow, um, okay. Sofia, you don’t like Vero?
”

  “I like her. But …” She bites her bottom lip, I think finally realizing what she’s saying.

  “I guess she’s wondering what you like about me?” I ask, giving her a smile.

  “Oh, that’s easy.” He pauses, and I feel a small pang of nervousness. “She’s incredible. She’s smart and funny, and she’s super nice.”

  “But do you like like her? Like, do you think she’s pretty?”

  I want to be nervous about his answer, even though I have no reason to be, but I’m more annoyed at her repeated disbelief.

  “Yeah, I think she’s pretty. I think Veronica’s beautiful.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes, really.” He laughs. “But I have to correct you, I don’t like Veronica.” Her eyes dart to me, giving me an ‘I told you so’ look. “I love her.”

  I nudge her shoulder and take the phone off speaker. “Hey, it’s just me.”

  “What was that about?”

  “I’ll explain it later. Thank you though. And I love you, too.”

  “Okay. I wasn’t lying earlier,” he laughs. “I am just laying here.”

  “Well, I’m out on the beach, so you might need a cold shower.”

  “Fine. I’ll take a shower, it’s not gonna be cold though.”

  “Gross. I’ll see you in a few days.”

  “Okay, I love you.”

  “Love you, too.”

  I put my phone away and step closer to Sofia. “So, what do you think now? Still think it’s hopeless?”

  She shrugs. “I guess not. He sounds nice.”

  “He is nice.” A grin creeps across her face. “What?”

  “Can you send me that picture of him all sweaty?”

  My jaw drops. “Girl, your mom would kill me if you had that pic.”

  “I’ll hide it, I promise.”

  “In your dreams, Sofi.” I laugh, giving her a hug.

  Chapter 21

  Micah

  One more day until Veronica comes back home. I know a week isn’t a long time, but I feel like we just cemented our relationship before she left. I know there are still more things we can learn about each other, but right before she left I felt like she knew the real me, I knew the real her, and we both were on the same wavelength.