SUNNYVALE

(11) THE ART OF FINDING ONESELF INTO TROUBLE

Christen suddenly feels nauseous.

If somebody would've told her two weeks ago that she was about to make the biggest mistake of her entire life in the follow up of Kelley's 17th birthday, then she wouldn't have gone to the stupid party in the first place. But there she was few hours into the night: drunk, meeting a sexy stranger, acting on her attraction for once, and ending up sleeping with the daughter of a notorious and dangerous drug lord. Sometimes, I wonder how one person can make so many poor life choices, Christen often thinks to herself, rolling her eyes at herself.

As she is currently doing extra hours in her parents' restaurant downtown Westside, the dark-haired with dreamy eyes wondered what she found so attractive to Mapi Leòn that made her put her guards down and do such a reckless thing - she who, by definition, never let her guard down, under any circumstance.

The tiny restaurant held by the Press family - being, Cody and Stacey Press, with the help of their three daughters, including Christen, because Stacey was sick and paying the medical bills was more and more complicated so her husband had to find another job - was one of the last opened restaurant in the Westside. Ever since Andrew Dahlkemper became mayor, even more small businesses have been erased in the West, only to spare money to develop the already big infrastructure in the East - as it always is.

Christen is quite relieved when she sees Kelley and Crystal enter the restaurant - that was only half-full, so in other terms it was a calm day - as the two girls wave at her enthusiastically.

"How is it possible that a restaurant with a smoking hot waitress hasn't got more clients, uh?" Kelley loudly asks, only to make her friend uncomfortable.

"I mean, mama and papa Press sure do know how to make atomically smokin' daughters, am I right?" Crystal adds, laughing her ass off.

From the corner of the counter, Christen's older sister bursts into laughter, before covering her sister's shifts since her friends are there.

Christen rolls her eyes at her friends, before asking:

"Instead of making me uncomfortable, why don't you two dumbasses get out of here so that I can work properly?"

"Sure, Queen Christen" Kelley ironically lets out, doing a royal wave.

"See ya at The Circle later, right?" Crystal asks, pushing Kelley out of the restaurant.

"Sure thing!"

When her friends walk out of the restaurant, Christen suddenly feels relieved: she now can start to work properly. In order to do just that, she informs her sister that, with only two tables left undergoing their last service, she was good to close the restaurant. An hour later, her sister were long gone, and the restaurant's last client was leaving just now - it was around 10:30 PM, and the teenager was exhausted.

Going to the back room in order to change and do the counts for the day, Christen turns the light on, and jumps almost to have a heart attack: someone is sitting in the dark, a wide smile on their face.

"OH MY GOD!" Christen exclaims, out of her mind, "what the fuck are you doing creeping in the back room in the dark, you creep ?"

But soon she realizes it is someone familiar, and her mind is blown, and her body just freezes because she just couldn't function normally anymore.

Mapi was now on her feet, her hands in the air as if she was going to get arrested the following seconds.

She has a charming smile on her lips when she smoothly says:

"Not a creep, just a girl you've been avoiding for weeks in school and who wants to talk to you, that's all."

"Still, you can't just break in and just expect me to-"

"You look gorgeous, Pressy" the Spanish girl insists, winking at her.

Christen would lie if she said her stomach wasn't infested with butterflies at that very moment - nevertheless, she knows she has to say:

"Please, just leave me alone."

With that said, she tries to grab something right next to Mapi, but the blonde intercepts Christen's hand, before softly pushing her against the refrigerator, her flawless body glued to Christen's, and their faces only inches away. Christen cannot help but look down at Mapi's lips, with the memories of the torrid night they shared bursting back into her mind.

Christen energetically fights back, turning her face away from the other girl's.

Mapi therefore proceeds in bringing her lips closer to Christen's ears, before sensually biting them, before whispering inside of them:

"Tell me you don't feel anything right now, and I will leave you alone - but here's the thing: I don't think you're feeling nothing, I think your mind is racing, and your body is calling for mine, because it's what I feel toward you. Tell me the words, and I will leave you alone, Christen Press."

But no words came out of Christen's throat.

Instead, Mapi's content and seductive smile takes over Christen's thoughts, but just as she thought the Spanish girl was going to lean in closer, Mapi does just the opposite, taking a few steps back - which seems to be quite the effort from the looks of it. Smirking, the blonde then shamelessly checks Christen out - Christen who has trouble catching her breath at the moment.

After thirty seconds or so of silence, Mapi states:

"Todavía no entiendo por qué, pero hay una conexión entre nosotros, y no soy el tipo de chica que se rinde cuando ocurre algo tan raro. Me gustas, Pressy, y un día tampoco podrás resistirte." (I don't understand why yet, but there's a connection between us, and I'm not the kind of girl to give up when something so rare happens. I like you, Pressy, and one day you won't be able to resist either.)

When Mapi leaves the room after a last long look in Christen's direction, the dark-haired feels weakness in her knees and heart: but she knows she cannot fall for someone like María León...

***

Tobin closes the file, out of breath.

She could not believe it: Allie Long's body was indeed found two years ago, although the police stated otherwise. It was found in the Black Forest, just like the bathtub with Lindsey's blood few days ago.

Tears rolling down her cheeks, Tobin grabs her phone and calls the only person she knows would help her :

"Yo, Pinoe, I need your help."