It All Started With A Piñata

Chapter 7 - The Dance

Gosh is it ever good to be clean again. I step out of the piping hot shower with no dirt on my face or foul smell clinging to my body. Somehow, Here Comes The Sun by The Beatles plays on the radio and I can manage a smile, even though I can see my purple, scratched up face in the foggy mirror. 

I brush my teeth, comb my hair, and put on my suit. I feel refreshed. I feel like myself once more.

~

After the Rodriguez family came back from mass, the villa was a buzz of colour. Ladies walked in all shades of glittery dresses and men came in pressed tuxedoes. Streamers hung from the ceiling, and everything was decked out in rainbow. 

I love how wonderful everything looks. I see Esperanza and I give her a little wave. 

"Happy birthday!" I say, trying to muster up some excitement for her.

"Thank you, Sterling. I appreciate you being here, despite... well, you know..." 

I laugh. "It's okay. I'm glad to be here to celebrate. You look really nice, by the way," I say politely. 

Wow, I am impressed with myself. Look at me acting like a gentleman. 

"Thank you!" Esperanza smiles, her cheeks flushing with a tinge of red. "I am a little nervous to waltz in such a big dress."

"You're going to be great!" I say enthusiastically, although I have no idea how anyone could dance in such a ginormous gown. 

"Well, I definitely need some more practice... Actually... can I ask you a favour?"

"Sure."

Fuck. I know where this is heading.

"Your dad told me you took waltz lessons, and he said that you were really good! Would you be able to practice with me for a bit?"

I knew it. My dad's big mouth just had to tell everyone that I love to waltz. No wonder I was bullied when I was still in school. 

Esperanza leads me to an empty room, with blue and cream tiles. 

I put my right hand on her waist and my left in her hand. 

As the music starts, I feel like I am truly free from my pain. I feel like a bird flying for the first time. 

But this feeling is abruptly shattered by Esperanza's shoe clobbering my baby toe.

"Ow!"

"Sorry!"

"No! To the right, not the left!"

"Sorry!"

Patiently, I guide her through everything I know. We laugh and talk, and before I know it, I'm actually enjoying myself. 

When she's finally got all the moves down, we check my baby toe and it's as purple as the bruises on my face.

"Hahahaha! I'm so sorry!" she laughs. "I didn't mean to beat you up some more!"

"It's okay. I had a lot of fun!"

"Well, thank you so much for your help. I'll see you at the dance!"

I smile as she walks away, disappearing into the colourful crowd of the party. Well, that was fun. I guess. But now all I want to do is find a little corner to hole up and play video games. I want to be alone where I will not be scolded by my parents or dragged along to meet a bunch of people I will never see again. Sigh. Just me and my iPad for some peace, quiet, and comfort. 

But as soon as I step out of the room to venture for an isolated space, someone grabs my collar and pins me to the wall in the corridor. 

"Ow! The fuck is wrong with you!" I yell blindly, although my mouth is muffled by a giant, rough hand.

It's Romayo. His muscles are flexed, his chiselled features tense and angry. 

"What do you want with my sister!" he whispers aggressively. He keeps me flat against the wall, even though I am struggling like a fish out of water. 

I can see the vein popping in his forehead. I am walking on thin ice.

"I don't want anything! She just asked me to practice dancing with her, I swear!"

"So you're playing with her feelings? You sick motherfucker!" 

He puts his hand on my chest and slams me hard into the wall. Ow. 

"No, that's not what I meant! Can you unpin me from the wall so I can breathe?"

Romayo glares at me. Reluctantly, he lets me move away from the wall, although he still holds me by the tie. 

"Tell a lie and I'll choke you."

Okay, I will definitely not be lying.

He towers over me, his brown hair veiling his dark, glaring eyes. 

"I see her as a friend, that's it. My dad told her I was good at waltzing and she asked me to help her. She doesn't like me like that either. She just needed someone to practice with."

For some reason, I'm nervous even though I'm telling the truth. I feel like I'm at the top of a rollercoaster, about to free fall and hold on for dear life.

"You better not be making moves on my sister. If you hurt her feelings, you're dead meat. You can count on it."

He gives me a shove in the chest, and I stagger backwards into the wall again. 

Romayo smirks. 

"Just be a good little piñata and you'll be fine." 

Then he stalks off, seemingly pleased with himself. 

What a dick. If there is anyone that I hate, it is Romayo Rodriguez.