Until Forever (Changing Hearts Book 4)

by Yesenia Vargas

  Eleven

  Ryan

  We pull up to the parking lot of my old high school.

  Where I barely graduated from.

  I follow incoming traffic towards the gym and find a parking spot.

  I look at Krista. “Well, this is it. This is where I went to high school."

  She's looking around, taking it all in. There are a few people still walking inside, so I hope we’re not too late.

  I look back at Miles, who fell asleep in his car seat on the way here. He said he was hungry so I'm sure he'll be up again as soon as we walk in and he hears all the noise.

  "So this is where you spent your years as an angst-ridden teenager, huh?” Krista teases.

  I give her a small laugh. "Yeah, you could probably say that."

  It's really weird being here again. After I graduated high school, I went to the local community college for welding a couple years and then I found a job a few towns over.

  And I hadn't been back since. I went to Jimmy's first college basketball game.

  But then we both had gotten pretty busy after that. And I hadn't gone to any of his other games.

  I haven't even talked to him in years or seen him other than on Facebook or in the news.

  I kinda told myself I would never come back here. Too many bad memories of my parents, but here I am. I guess I can't stay away for too long. Not when so many important people from my past are still here.

  Like Jimmy and his parents, his sister. The people who were always kind to me and basically took me in.

  “His mom would always offer me dinner,” I tell Krista as I grab Miles out of the car. “We used to play basketball or video games at his house for hours, and then they'd invite me to stay and eat."

  She already knows a lot about my home life and what it was like growing up for me. How most nights I didn't really have much to eat because my parents were always broke, spending whatever money they could get their hands on on drugs.

  The truth is Jimmy meant the world to me at that time, and he and his family probably saved my life, to be honest.

  I was in a pretty dark place for a while during senior year of high school. I’d even dropped out of the basketball team, not to mention school.

  Basketball is life for Jimmy. That much was always clear. And it was important for me too. It was one of the only ways I had fun back then, and it was how I met him.

  Then for a while there I rejected everything. I hated my entire life. I wanted to run away from it all. And I did, but I found some sense, dropped back into high school, and graduated with the minimum requirements.

  But I did graduate. And then Jimmy’s parents paid for my first year of college while I got on my feet, found a part-time job, and saved up some money for my next year's tuition.

  They gave me the help my parents never gave me. They cared about me in a million ways my parents never did. And I’ll always be thankful for that.

  I think tonight might be the time for me to finally say thank you to all of them. And it would also mean the world to me for Krista to meet them.

  To meet Jimmy, my best friend, and Mayra, his girlfriend. I wonder if they're still together. Plus Ariana, his older sister, and their parents.

  “I really miss his mom's cooking,” I say as we walk in. “She makes the best Mexican food.”

  She smiles. “Is that why Mexican food is your favorite?" She brushes Miles’ hair out of his face, but he’s still snoring softly in my arms.

  I nod and smile. I look at Krista again. I can't help but stare into her green eyes.

  "Well, should we go in there or what?" she says. We’re standing in front of the double doors. As if on queue, Miles wakes up and insists on walking by himself. So he holds each of our hands, and we walk inside.

  It's pretty packed in here. There are tons of people milling about, and I see a news crew over in one corner looking like they're getting ready to do something. There are several tables over to one side, and I realize that's Jimmy's picture on the posters on the wall behind them.

  Wow, he’s buffed up since I last saw him. He was always tall and lanky, but I can tell he's been training hard for the past several years. I wonder how different I look from back then. I nod towards the poster and look at Krista.

  "That's him? Wow. I had no idea you knew someone famous,” Krista says with a laugh.

  "Yeah, I had no idea he would ever make it all the way to the NBA. I mean he was always good, the best. Basketball was always so important to him, but I never thought my best friend from high school would actually make it to the NBA, you know? Must be pretty cool."

  For a moment, I feel a little bit of resentment, maybe because I wish I had finished out my senior year on the basketball team. That's probably my biggest regret up until now. But I left the team even after Jimmy begged me to come back.

  So I can never be truly jealous of Jimmy. He’s the type of guy that's always nice to you, no matter what.

  I look around to see if he's here. “I guess he’s not here yet,” I say.

  "Is that your brother?" Miles asks, pointing at the life-size poster of Jimmy. He looks really funny next to it. Jimmy’s like a skyscraper next to Miles.

  "Nope. He’s my best friend. We went to school together." I kneel down next to him to see what he thinks of that.

  "He's tall. Is he a T-Rex?" he asks in the most serious way.

  I can't help but laugh really hard at that comment, and he looks at me, confused.

  "Nope. He's actually a professional basketball player. What do you think? Do you think we should get an autograph from him?"

  "Yeah, yeah!" He starts running around like he's riding a horse. Then he comes and stops in front of me again. "What's an arrow-graft?”

  I stand back up. Krista and I smile at each other. Miles always cracks me up.

  We walk around, and I think I recognize a few teachers, but I don't talk to anybody. We just stick together and take everything in.

  There are lots of posters on the walls about drunk driving and how to prevent it. It looks like that's what tonight is about. I guess Jimmy's here to talk about it and maybe sign a few things.

  That should be pretty cool. I can't wait to see him. I wonder how he’ll react after not seeing me in so long.

  I look at the time. My stomach is growling, and I'm sure Krista and Miles are getting hungrier by the minute.

  "I want pizza,” Miles says, tugging at my shirt. I can tell Krista is thinking the same thing, so we sit down at a table and grab some pizza.

  I'm still looking around for Jimmy when I see him come in. I know because the camera crew that's been in the corner all this time turns on several lights and the news reporter, some lady, pulls up a giant microphone to her face and starts talking into the camera.

  They head over to a small stage area that's been set up, and a few photographers pull out their cameras too.

  Pretty soon, a huge crowd of people gathers around the stage, and a teacher or principal walks onto the stage with a microphone of her own.

  She quickly makes an announcement welcoming everybody to the event, and then she talks about some other stuff. My ears perk up when she mentions Jimmy's name and how he's waiting to meet everybody. And how he’s going to be giving away tons of stuff and signing things for the crowd. A bunch of teenagers have their phones out, and they’re screaming and jumping, recording everything that’s going on.

  Finally, the teacher stops talking, and she motions to the side of the stage.

  He walks out. There he is. My best friend.

  I put down my slice of pizza and smile. I take Miles by the hand, and I walk up to the stage, off to one side.

  Thankfully, there aren’t too many people on this side so I can get a pretty good look at him.

  Jimmy’s already talking, being funny. Being Jimmy. He always had a way with people. He’s naturally charming like that.

  Even at games, when he was playing, the crowd couldn't help but go crazy for him. Especially if he did o
ne of his dunks.

  Finally, he turns this way, and I think he notices me. I catch his eye, and a smile slowly forms on Jimmy’s face, and he stops talking for a second.

  Then he speaks into the microphone. “Wait a minute. Is that who I think it is?"

  And everyone turns and looks at me.

  Twelve

  Ariana

  I look at my phone. Damn. I’m late. Jimmy’s gonna kill me if I miss this.

  It’s the one thing in his life he’s been working towards, and now he’s there, and he gets to be in the news at our old high school.

  He made me promise I’d be there.

  I step on it and check the time on my phone again once I find a parking space. At the very back, of course. Looks like this place is packed.

  I’m almost half an hour late, but this thing is supposed to last a couple hours, I think, so it should be fine.

  I grab my purse and head to the gym. I’m pretty sure it’s been remodeled. I admire it for a quick second as I walk in.

  It immediately brings back old memories.

  Of walking down the hallways holding hands with Lucas.

  Of Carlos too.

  I shake my head slightly as I walk in and immediately look for Mayra or Jimmy. Or Lucas. I think he said he would be here tonight too. But I don’t see him.

  I don’t see any of them. It’s way too crowded in here, and I’m too short to get a good view over people’s heads.

  The heels help but only so much.

  There are some teens selling pizza at one side of the gym. I see a young mother chasing her blonde toddler as he runs off with a poster of my brother.

  I try to get a good look at it, but I can’t. I definitely need to get a couple of those and get Jimmy to sign them.

  How cool is that? I could even sell one off in a few years when Lucas and I finally get married and go on our honeymoon.

  For our honeymoon fund. Hehe.

  And maybe another one for our first home deposit.

  Yeah, I need some of those posters. I start looking for those instead.

  They’re not too far from the pizza, and my stomach growls, reminding me that I haven’t had anything to eat since lunch. And that was like five hours ago now.

  I head for the pizza after all, searching in my purse for some cash.

  I could really go for a cold soda right now too. Must be that time of month or something because the sound of pizza has my mouth watering right now.

  I get in line, and I’m at the front in no time. But I get there, and the smell of the pepperoni and cheese has another wave of nausea rising in my throat.

  I clench my mouth shut, but the two teen girls are waiting for my order, and a couple more people just joined the line behind me.

  I step away, motioning and saying a quick sorry as I look for the bathroom.

  I’m speed-walking to the other side of the gym. If I remember correctly, that’s where the bathrooms and locker rooms are.

  This sucks. I was starving a minute ago, but now I feel like throwing up. It must be this stupid stomach bug. I realize I forgot to take the medication I bought at the convenience store before I came in here.

  As I walk into the bathroom, I feel for it in my bag and pull it out.

  Well, the bathrooms are a bit nicer, but still kinda dingy. That’s high school public bathrooms, I guess.

  I take out the flu meds and realize I took out the pregnancy test by mistake.

  Oh yeah…

  I feel the urge to pee.

  Might as well, right? I’ve been so busy lately that I can’t remember when my last period was, but I’m pretty sure it was just a month ago. In fact, I’ll probably get it sometime this week. Along with this bug and my new promotion at work.

  Figures I would get that much bad luck right now.

  I stare at the package with the pregnancy test for a second before I grab my purse and head into the nearest stall.

  I read the directions like three times before I think I got the hang of it, but I’m repeating them inside my head anyway.

  This test is going to come out negative, and it will have been a waste of ten dollars.

  I do my business, put the lid back on the test, and come out of the stall. I wash my hands as I wait the two minutes for the results to come back.

  I’m just beyond stressed out right now. That’s why I feel like crap and my body is getting sick.

  I need to take this weekend off and recharge before starting my new job.

  I stare at myself in the mirror, tucking my hair behind my ear. I look a little pale. Yep, it must be that stomach bug. But maybe it’s the perfect excuse to head home early.

  I’ll just find Jimmy and everyone else, and I’ll explain that I’m just not feeling well today. He’ll understand.

  And maybe I can finally get into bed early after a hot shower. Lucas will probably be up late lesson planning anyway, looking for art documentaries for his students or something.

  I glance at the test to see if it’s ready, and my mouth falls open before I even fully register what’s in front of me.

  The test.

  It’s positive.

  Thirteen

  Ryan

  “Is that really you?" Jimmy asks, after pretty much calling me out in front of the entire school.

  Jimmy had finished up his speech and come right over, hopping off the stage. Someone else walks over now and lets him know it’s almost time to go sign stuff.

  “Yeah, I’ll be right there. I just have to say hi to an old friend first,” he says, and the guy walks off. He turns back to me.

  He’s just like I remember, even if he looks different. Making sure I'm not forgotten by the wayside. The fame hasn’t gone to his head at all. He’s still just the same old Jimmy, talking to his best friend.

  I'm talking to my best friend from high school, and I'm introducing him to my new family.

  “Jimmy, this is my girlfriend, Krista.” I turn around and put my arm around her.

  “Nice to meet you,” Jimmy says. He shakes her hand.

  “Nice to meet you too,” she says, blushing. It reminds me of the night we met and how she refused to meet my eyes. And how I refused to meet hers.

  “And who is this little guy?" Jimmy bends down to look at Miles. "You must be Ryan’s son, am I right?”

  I can tell he's totally just trying to be nice to Miles. But I see the look come over Krista's face because neither of us knows how Miles is going to answer that question. Like I said, it's something we haven't talked to him about. It's not even something me and her have really talked about yet.

  "Ryan is my new dad," Miles says. And my heart stops right when he says that. Krista's mouth falls open, and her hands immediately come up to her face to cover her mouth.

  The way he just said that so matter-of-factly.

  It surprised me and caught me off guard. But it feels damn great to be called a dad. For Miles to consider me his dad.

  I always just kinda thought maybe he considered me a best friend or something. I think Jimmy notices the looks on our faces because he stands up and he looks awkward as hell, like he just said the completely wrong thing.

  "Honey, why don’t we come over here and look at these posters? Maybe we can buy one for Ryan's friend to sign."

  Miles is already running away to pick a poster.

  Jimmy straightens up and looks at me. "Sorry, is he not—I just assumed—” he starts, but I hold up my hand. "No, don't worry about it. You didn't know."

  I look over at Krista and Miles. She's kneeling down with him, and they’re looking at those posters like this is the most important decision in the world. And of course, because it's Miles, it is.

  "We just moved in together, actually. I met her like three months ago now?" I look at Jimmy, and he looks back at me.

  He nods. "They’re beautiful, man. Are you happy?” he asks.

  And for the first time in a long time, I can answer yes to that question. “Never been happier,” I reply.


  And I think he can see on my face that I'm being 100% real with him right now. “They both mean the world to me. I know it's kind of fast, but—”

  “They make you happy. There's no such thing as going too fast if you found the right person." He looks down for a millisecond when he says that.

  "What about you?" I ask. "Are you and Mayra still together?"

  "Barely," he says with a shrug of his shoulders. "I guess we’re going through a rough patch, you could say."

  I look around at the news reporter waiting to talk to him and jotting some notes down while she looks at us. Several people stare at Jimmy from a distance.

  I can't believe his life is anything but perfect. To me, he always had the perfect life, the perfect family. He worked hard, got the girl, and finally reached the pro baller level.

  "I guess maybe you can’t have it all,” he says, reading my mind, and I have to say it's maybe the second time in the history of our friendship that I’ve seen him actually look kind of sad.

  "That bad, huh?” I ask quietly.

  "I don't know—” He shakes his head. “I don't know what we’re doing. I always thought that once I finally got her to go out with me that things would be easy, that it’d be happily ever after, you know? Like in the movies. But it's not that easy, man. Let me tell you. Most of the time, I have no idea what I'm doing." He shrugs again. "Maybe I don’t know how to make her happy anymore.”

  I pat his shoulder. I feel for him, but I’m also glad that talking to Jimmy is like old times again, only better.

  We’re both grown up now, with families, even if Jimmy doesn't have kids yet.

  Even if neither of us has kids yet.

  We’re in a completely different stage of our lives now. But it's pretty cool how we can just fall back into being best friends again. Effortless.

  Kinda like Krista and me after we first met and started going out. It was like we’d known each other our whole lives.

  "What about you?” Jimmy asks. “So you’re gonna marry her?"