Valentina lives a lie every day she steps out of her house. She has built her own world, where she can be anything, where every action of her life isn't controlled by her father. A world, where she can be an average teenager! But who is she kidding...
"You know him?" Valentina looks at me. "And what are you smiling at?" she asks narrowing her eyes at me.
"I don't know. All of this seems so funny." I receive three glares, so I shut up. "Yes, I know him."
"Wait, what are you two doing here?" Jacob asks.
"Are you dumb? They are fucking around like we are. What else do people do here?" Alice mutters.
"We are not fucking around," Valentina defends as Alice picks her panties from the ground and stuffs it inside her bag. That means... she is going commando! My eyes widen and Valentina notices it.
"What are you two doing here?" I want to roll my eyes at Valentina's question.
"You saw what they were doing here, babe" I laugh.
"I mean, I thought no one comes here."
"Are you kidding me? This is where people come to have sex!" Jacob says.
"I can't believe you two are... having... dating... I don't know what you two are." Valentina looks like she is in shock. I don't know why all of this is a big deal to her. It isn't to me.
"Get in the line, we don't know that either." Alice sits on one of the stools nearby. Valentina looks at her in disbelief.
"We are just having sex. Jeez, grow up!" Jacob sits beside Alice. I notice something unusual with them. They aren't in their senses. They are high. And they probably don't know what is happening right now. I wipe my finger on the stool in front of them and smell it.
I look at Valentina, "Cocaine," I show her my finger, "They are high,"
"Drugs?" Valentina's eyes widen, " Can someone explain to me what is going on here?" Valentina directs her question at Alice but Jacob speaks before Alice can reply.
"She buys drugs from me and we sometimes have sex. Simple." When he smiles I can see all of his teeth. I giggle and Valentina shoots me a glare.
"What are you doing here with him, Val?" Alice speaks.
"They are here to fuck, babe!" Jacob winks at me.
"Shut up, Jacob." Alice stares at Valentina, waiting for her answer. Valentina looks at me and then at her.
"We are dating. He is my boyfriend." Valentina says and Alice lets out a laugh. "Look I can explain." She further adds.
Alice holds a hand at Valentina, "You don't get to lecture me about what I am doing while you play hide and seek with your boyfriend. When were you even planning to tell me?" Alice gets up and walks away, but not far. Valentina follows her.
I sit beside Jacob, "Drug dealer? Damn bro, I thought you were a nerd." I mutter.
He laughs, "Definitely not a nerd. I'm sorry I hid that from you. But I should tell you, she is sooo... good." He rolls his eyes. We laugh. Val is with Alice, it looks like they are arguing... maybe just talking... it's somewhere in between.
"So... you two are not dating?" I ask Jacob.
He shakes his head, "Just casual sex."
"Cool."
"Since when are you two seeing each other,"
"Since the beginning of this semester."
"Cool. Cool."
Alice and Valentina walk back to us. I look at Valentina, all the tension from her face has been replaced with a beautiful smile.
"If you break her heart, I will not think twice to cut your dick and feed it to you." Alice says when she passes me to sit on Jacobs lap.
"I better not break her heart then," I raise both my hands. Valentina laughs.
***
According to my mom, the right age to fall in love is when I am well settled in my career, I know what to do with my life and have time to give attention to someone other than me. According to my dad, the right time to fall in love is when I can look at a girl and not think about boobs. Because that's how I would know to differentiate between lust and love. And according to Liam, there is no room for love; you just fuck whoever you want.
Have I already fallen in love with Valentina? Or am I in the process? Every time I looked at her smile I wanted to be the reason she smiled. Every time she was upset I wanted to make sure I stayed by her side and made sure she was okay. She was on my mind even when I wasn't with her. My day began and ended with thoughts of her.
And also the obsession to make sure she was okay in that house. Every day when I woke up, I peeked at their house, to pick any warning signs telling me she wasn't okay. And at nightfall before going to bed I stared at her bedroom window to get a peek at her, to make sure he hadn't hurt her.
I walk down the hall towards the cafeteria to see Valentina waiting for me at our table. I greet her and take a seat across from her. She takes her eyes off her book and looks at me. Her eyes lose focus on me for a second.
"Don't look directly," she whispers, "I think one of the girls behind you likes you." Her eyes grow wide when she says that, It makes me chuckle. I pretend to adjust my bag and look at them. They wave at me and I wave them back.
"You are quite a star nowadays," she says.
"Says the person who has more admirers in this room than I have in the entire school"
She rolls her eyes, "It's just make-up," she waves at her face. The winning goal I scored in the last game not only earned me a permanent place in the team but also fame. I was popular. I was no longer the shy, nerdy kid who ate breakfast by himself in the corner.
"You look beautiful," I say and she blushes. Our junior year was coming to end and soon we would be promoted to senior year. Valentina got very serious when it came to her studies. She worked hard even in her junior high so that Harvard won't have any excuse to not take her in. Since it was her only ticket out of her miserable life.
She had no other choice but to get a nice college farthest from her house. I always asked, why not leave him? Run? Or seek help? Why suffer? File a complaint? But it wasn't that easy. Mateo Lopez was the town's chief sheriff. There was no running away from him. He would track her down and make her life even more miserable.
"Caleb, ask your friend to please shut up!" Alice sits beside me while Jacob takes the seat beside Valentina.
Valentina giggles and asks, "What's wrong?"
"He likes me." Alice points an accusing finger at Jacob. All our attention turns toward him.
"And you don't?" I ask her and she nods. "Leave her alone, Jacob. She is mine." Alice hits me with her bag and everyone at the table breaks into laughter.
"Well, I get Valentina then," Jacob snakes his arm around her neck.
"You wish!" I and Alice say in unison.
Everything was different now. We hung out together and had fun together, and the best part was I could be with Valentina the whole day and no one would bat an eye. No one knew we were secretly dating, everyone thought we were friends and that way no word got out to her father. Jacob and Alice continued to do what they did earlier, but I think they both like each other.
I was wrong after all. This school was going to turn out just fine.
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