My Last Chance

by Vanessa Sueroz

  Hello my dork friend!

  I did you a little surprise. I’ve locked Lena in there so you two could have some time together. This way Lena won’t get jealous to see girls throwing themselves at you. I’ll leave this task to Lu.

  Don’t worry, Lena won’t kill you because it was Lu that locked her in there, not you.

  We’ve locked the door and stole the spare key.

  Enjoy the wonderful time together I’m giving you as a gift.

  Signed: the hottie, Cláudio Perfect Costa.

  – Dork? Me, jealous? He is so full of himself! – Lena complained as soon as she read the note.

  – He has this ridiculous habit of calling me dork. Ignore it! You don’t need to be jealous, sunshine... I’m all yours! – she rolled her eyes. – And in the day Cláudio stops being full of himself, you can put him into a mental institution for he’ll have totally freaked out.

  – And how do we get out of here? – asked Lena changing the subject.

  – Good question. Cláudio didn’t leave any clues – I answered thoughtfully.

  – So let’s try the most unlike things Cláudio would think – she suggested smiling.

  We were looking for something that could help us until I remembered, despite it took a while, that we could go out forcing the door’s hinges.

  She smiled happy and sat by my side when I said what we would do.

  – Good idea! – she approved.

  Have I mentioned she looks even more beautiful this way?

  I’ve tried to unlock the door in many forms (and I admit it took a while) but since I am awesome, I made it.

  Lena was wide-eyed when she heard the sound of the door opening.

  – What was that? – she asked alarmed.

  – The door opened! – I answered happy.

  – It seems Cláudio won’t be satisfied when he figures out we have already left here.

  – Would you give me the honor? – I asked giving her the arm.

  She smiled and nuzzled up against me. I could soon realize Lena was strangely grabbing my arm and I could feel her skin chilling. She was cold, I’m sure.

  I pulled my arm from her, stopped walking and she was soon staring at me confused. I think there wasn’t even time for her to think, since I quickly dressed her with my sweatshirt. Of course it was a little big in her. I closed the zipper and adjusted the sweatshirt that looked like a dress to her. I offered her the arm without saying a word and she smiled gratefully, nuzzling up even more against me so we could go to the student’s residence.

  When we arrived at the entrance door, I thought Lena would move away from me and would handle me the sweatshirt so no one would see us together, but she hold my arm even stronger and pulled me inside the room. I didn’t find it strange when many people started pointing fingers at us both until we got to the people watching TV.

  – I see you guys were able to get out – said Cláudio amused.

  – You’re an attraction around here - Lu joked.

  I smiled without knowing if that was good or bad, passing my hands through my hair.

  – And there comes trouble! – said Daniel suddenly, scaring us.

  I looked back and soon saw what the problem was: three girls were coming towards us.

  I’d never seen those girls around. They should be friends from someone in the residence.

  – I’ll take care of this. – Lu stood up.

  – Don’t interfere, Lu. This belongs to the three of them – said Lena pulling Lu back in the seat.

  – Hi, guys – greeted the girls smiling. – Hi! – they greeted Lena and Lu with not so sympathetic faces.

  – Hi, beauties – Cláudio answered relaxed.

  – To what do we owe the honor? – I asked.

  – Do you have a date to the party, Daniel? – the red haired asked me.

  – I’m sorry but I do – he said smiling kindly.

  – What about you, Cláudio? – asked the blond sitting in his lap.

  Cláudio kept his hands away from the girl and when he opened his mouth to come up with some excuse, Lu was faster:

  – Can’t you see he is going with me? And would you be kind to get off of him? I’ll lose my date because a whale will smash him – Lu attacked, very angry.

  – Would you be quiet?! – I heard Lena fighting with her friend.

  I saw Cláudio surprised. To the best of my knowledge, Lu hadn’t accepted to go with him. I even remembered that she threw orange juice on his head the last time he invited her.

  – Don’t you know where you belong, bitch? – the blond one asked standing up and going after Lu.

  – No violence here, girls! – said Daniel ready to split them in case they’d fight.

  – You don’t need to lower the level. Would you just get out of here, Garcia? – Lena asked with a boring face to the blond girl who still was giving Lu a threatening look.

  – Would you get off of me, Helena? – answered the troublemaker.

  – While you don’t stop snugging with your boyfriends in hallways, I won’t get off of you. – Lena answered angrily.

  The girl panted and backed away; it was then I felt little hands covering my eyes and a warm breath coming closer to my neck. I automatically hold the unknown hands:

  – Who is it? – I asked trying to clear my view.

  – Your date for the party, Igor – said a female and seductive voice on my year, a little before I felt lips touching my neck.

  – To which party? – I heard Lu’s voice.

  – So, Igor... Do you accept it? – asked the voice again in my ear.

  – Now it’s gonna get serious! – I heard Vagner’s warning by my side.

  I couldn’t understand a thing but, moments later, the girl that was trying to seduce me was no longer around and I couldn’t see anything but a black hair by my side.

  When I finally could make my view get used to the light, I noticed everyone was sitting in place.

  Lena was messing with her hair, looking at a small mirror; Daniel was awestruck and wide-eyed; Vagner held a cheese ball with his hand still in the air and awestruck; and Cláudio... What is this naughty face on Cláudio?

  It was when I noticed he was admiring Lu that was crouched by my side and looking to something on the floor with interest.

  After looking well I understood it was not a ‘thing’ but the brunette that was with the other two girls that came talking to Cláudio and Daniel. The girl was there, lying on the floor.

  – What happened? – I asked confused while Lu was standing up.

  – I’m going to bed. Good night! – Lena said goodbye kissing everyone in the face as she always does. But this time she kissed me as well. – See you tomorrow! – she said before moving away and going up to the dorm.

  – I still can’t believe it! – Daniel said with eyes wide open but his mouth was going back to normal.

  – Can someone tell me what happened? – I asked curious.

  – If we tell you that the girl that was hitting on you is now lying on the floor because she was hit by the strongest punch I’ve ever seen from a sunshine, will you believe us? – Lu asked sitting where Lena was.

  What should I say? I started laughing. I would not be so easily deceived. Lena would never be jealous of some girl and punch her (a well done punch for the girl’s eyelid is swallowing).

  – She is serious! – Daniel said looking seriously at me.

  – I won’t buy this story – I answered still laughing.

  – If you want, I can make the brunette confess with some torture – Cláudio suggested.

  I looked again to the brunette on the floor that was now starting to get up.

  – Are you alright? – I asked kindly.

  – Where’s that bitch? – she asked furiously.

  - What bitch? I don’t know any. – Cláudio answered.

  - I’m talking about Helena. – the girl answered seeming very angry.

  – Helena is up in her room. Why? – I answered without
stopping to think about what the boys had said.

  The girl didn’t answer just went up angrily towards the rooms.

  – I think I’ll need help! – Lu said pulling Daniel.

  The two soon vanished from sight. And we went after them, of course.

  But, as it took me a while to believe what was happening, I missed the fight. We arrived there when Lu and Lena were dragging the brunette already unconscious.

  – I am clueless! – I said confused when we went back to the room.

  – Can’t you see the girl wanted revenge because Lena hit her? – asked Cláudio outraged. – And the worst is we missed all the fight – he completed depressed.

  – Deliver ready! – said Lena leaving the girl in the couch in front of mine and Cláudio’s.

  – What did you do to her? – asked Vagner dropping the cheese ball on the floor.

  – Nothing much. I didn’t tell her to invade my dorm and try to hit me with my own lampshade. Now I can’t even go to the bathroom in peace without these crazy girls coming up in my room! – my beloved complained going back to climb the stairs as if nothing had happened.

  – Who volunteers to take the lady to the hospital? – Daniel asked.

  – I wanted to have filmed Lena. It was awesome! – Lu said smiling and, later, followed her friend.

  – Spit it out, Daniel! – asked Cláudio already dying in curiosity.

  – When we got there the crazy one here – he pointed to the unconscious brunette – was running and holding a lampshade, running from Lena that was stalking her with Igor’s sweatshirt on one hand and a telescope leg, that she bought and still hadn’t assembled, on another. Needless to say that Lena hit the girl that ended up hitting the head on the door and dropped the lampshade.

  – How jealous is Helena! – I heard Cláudio saying while I was lost in thoughts again but this time, very happy.

  Chapter III:

  I finished this thought as soon as I closed the shower. The best day of my life ended up in a mess. Of course it had only been the best one because I did well in this whole story, unlike previous days.

  I remember it took me a long time to sleep that night for all that happened and for all that was still at stake. My last chance to have Lena for me would end with the party on the next day, and I was finally confident that it could work out. Sweet illusion.

  As soon as I woke up on Saturday, the party day, I rushed to get dressed and meet everyone in the living room. As expected, Daniel was studying with Lena while Lu was lying down in the couch with a sleepy face. Cláudio was still showering when I came down and threw myself in the chair beside Lu.

  – Good morning! – I greeted happy.

  – Good morning! – Lena and Daniel answered without even moving his eyes from the books.

  – Good morning, Lu! – I said again since she hadn’t answered.

  – Good night! I’ll go back to sleep! – she said sleepy. – I have a party to go and Lena woke me up at nine in the morning! – she complained.

  – We’re all going to the party, Lu but you don’t need to complain because you didn’t have your beauty sleep – she answered rolling her eyes.

  – But you won’t spend so much energy for you won’t have to push away the girls hitting on Igor. After yesterday’s show, no one will want to come close to him again.

  Lena didn’t even answer, as usual; she just looked down and kept on studying.

  Soon, Cláudio and Vagner came down, and they all went to the bakery to have breakfast.

  We were all quiet until Lu broke the silence:

  – Lena, I’ve heard that Carlos is taking his ex-girlfriend to the party.

  – Good! I see he took my advice – answered Lena smiling in satisfaction.

  It was a slow day for me. Lena seemed to have found lots of school work from one day to another. When she wasn’t reading, she was in the university’s library looking for something to read. We would hang out but it was not like the previous day.

  – She is running from you! – Lu explained sitting by my side in the living room’s couch while I watched Lena study.

  – Why do you say so? – I asked.

  – She is not doing school work. She is writing in her diary. You managed to let her feel confuse enough to do so – she answered thoughtful.

  – Do you think I have any chance? – I asked insecure.

  – After what she did to that girl yesterday? I don’t doubt anything else. – I got back to look at Lena writing.

  – Go there and take her from that little world. Make her have fun and forget about finding a way to get rid of your – Lu recommended.

  I didn’t think twice and I was soon sitting by Lena that took a while until she noticed my presence:

  ‘... am I bewitched? It can only be it... I could never be...’ - I could not read what was next for Lena felt agitated:

  – You scared me, Igor! – she complained taking her hand to her chest.

  – I am sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt you but since I already did: Let’s go out for a walk? It´s a beautiful day!

  – Can we do this later? – she asked closing the diary. ‘Helena Menezes C’. What did that ‘C’ stand for in her diary cover?

  – But it´s past two. You’ll soon want to start to get dressed. I know her enough to know she is running away from me.

  She sighed, stared me and said:

  – You have three hours and nothing more. – and she put it all inside her purse.

  – Three hours are more than enough for me – I answered grabbing her purse so she didn’t need to carry weight. – Shall we go?

  – Hold on. I’ll leave my purse in the dorm. – She went out of her way to pick the purse in my hand and rushed upstairs towards the bedroom.

  Lena didn’t take long to get down, and to my amazement, she was bringing the sweatshirt I had lent her last night.

  – I had no time to give it back to you. Thank you! – she thanked kindly, passing me the sweatshirt.

  – You can have it... I’m sure you’ll soon want to wear it – I made a comment while observing the trees move with the wind.

  We walked arm in arm through the crowded streets of the city but soon we went for a stroll in the park, which surprised me for it was nearly deserted.

  – What happened that no one is around here?

  – People are anxious for the party. There must be people getting ready already – she answered softly.

  – And aren’t you anxious for the party? – I asked curious, after all, if she was anxious, it would mean she wanted the party to be over soon so she would get rid of me.

  – Honestly? – She stopped walking and gave me a strange look.

  I just nodded. Of course I wanted to know for this could be a clue about the results of our bet.

  – I am not anxious at all – she confessed smiling. And what a wonderful smile!

  – I’m glad for that – I answered sincerely.

  – Do you think Cláudio and Lu will get along with each other in this ball? – she changed subject.

  – I hope so. – I smiled at the possibility.

  – But depends more on Cláudio controlling his hormones than Lu – joked Lena.

  – With us is the opposite! It depends only on you – I risked.

  She didn’t answer, just kept walking as if I had said nothing. And I must admit Lena is good at doing that.

  – We’d better go back... It’s getting cold – she said after a while walking.

  – Put on the sweatshirt.. We have little time together and I wanna enjoy every minute by your side – I answered being kind.

  She smiled and put my sweatshirt. I sat leaning against a tree and Lena lied down on my lap. I don’t need to add that the feeling of having her there was wonderful!

  I was telling her some of my pranks, and she told me about her life before college while I was playing with her dark wavy hair, which was lying over my legs in this moment.

  It didn’t take too long for me
to notice Lena was too quiet. When I called her to leave, my sunshine was already sleeping in my lap. A moment I will never forget.

  I didn’t want to wake her up, so I carefully took Lena on my lap and took her back to the residence that was a few feet from there, where – unfortunately – she didn’t take long to wake up.

  When I was opening the living room’s door, a freshman went by screaming and running from a girl that came furiously after him. As a consequence, Lena woke up.

  She weirdly stared me with just one eye open and hugged me even stronger, maybe scared of falling; after all it would be quite a fall considering I am taller than 6.23ft.

  – What are we doing here? – her voice was still inebriated with sleep.

  – You’ve fallen asleep and I’m taking you to bed – I said going back to walk with her in my arms.

  – What time is it? – she asked seeing the room was deserted.

  – I think it´s nearly six – I answered remembering that some minutes ago I had seen the clock showing 5:30 PM.

  – Oh, my God! – she exclaimed scared almost making me drop her off.

  – What is it? – I asked holding her firmly again.

  – Put me on the floor. I’m late! – she moved agitated.

  – Late for what? – I asked not understanding a thing.

  – There’s a party to go and I was supposed to be getting dressed or I’ll get late – she explained when I put her on the floor.

  – But there are still two hours for the party! – I laughed of her despair.

  – I have little time to be stunning – Lena said looking back while rushing up the stairs.

  And when she was gone from my sight, I was sure that my few hours by her side would be over unless I did something.

  Chapter IV

  Current days...

  I finished grooming and looked at myself in the mirror. Deep eyes that belonged to someone who hadn’t had time to sleep all night thinking of her; clothes tossed and wrinkled of someone who hadn’t felt like grooming. I had no more reasons. I couldn’t talk to her any longer.

  I took a deep breath and went downstairs. My friends were waiting me for breakfast. Certainly, this Sunday would be the worst of my life.