stuck between two // Pedri and Gavi

3 - Prologue

Victoria's Perspective

About four months after unexpectedly meeting Pedri and Gavi

3:46 in the afternoon

"Hey, Hernández." I feel a hand on my shoulder, and I jump out of my skin, swiveling around. I used to be touch-starved, and that's why I'd flinch when someone touched me. Now it's the opposite. People are touching me so often, I just expect it to be some other thing to deal with when I feel a hand on my shoulder.

There is a woman standing there with pretty wavy long brown hair, long silver earrings, and nicely done makeup. "You are Señorita Victoria Hernández, right?"

"Oh, yes," I smile, plastering a smile on my face. "And you are...?"

"Oh, honey, that doesn't matter. I'm in your class. You're going to become a teacher." There's no question in her voice.

"Trying to, yes," I nod, hiking up the bag on my shoulder. This young woman has definitely got the idea of 'business casual' down, with her plain black turtle-neck shirt and matching beige work pants and coat. I in no way compare to her, with my plain black t-shirt, grey baggy work pants, and cheap necklace I got online to make myself look at least a bit better for this occasion of today.

She leans on the wall, and she's really business casual. "What would you like to teach? Like, what's your dream?"

My dream?

Wow.

Uh, to have a life.

Thoughts of the previous months with the drama of Pedri, Gavi, and my two friends, Angelina and Olivia, flood into my brain, and for a second I actually think about about to say, 'My dream is to go back to normal. My dream is to be from a dirt poor family and climb my way up the ladder until I have a nice teaching job. My dream is to never be on camera. My dream is to go to the club and see a nice middle-class guy and marry him. My dream is to live in a house with a chocolate lab and behind a white picket fence. My dream is to never see a football game again. That's my dream, señorita, and thanks for asking.

That's not what she meant.

I can't tell her that my dream is that I never met Pedri and Gavi that one night at the club. Because I don't want anyone to know I met them that night at the club.

So I answer what she meant: "Oh, I want to teach littler kids. You know, kindergarten, grade one, and two. Whatever life brings."

"Whatever life brings? That's a good saying."

I wish it was. I nod, shifting my weight to my other foot. I'm getting impatient, and my bag is heavy.

She keeps talking, though, much to my dismay. "I saw your presentation today."

"Oh, did you?" I ask, acting friendly, because I don't have the guts to tell her to f*** off. Plus, she's too kind. She seems a little too perfect to be rude to her. She looks like she could be in a stock photo entitled, 'pretty white woman- business casual'.

She's so business casual.

"Yeah, and I really like your views. Your presenting skills are amazing, too. Just thought I'd... tell you that."

"Oh, thank you so much," I smile, taking her hand in mine, shaking it a few times.

Suddenly, she takes my hand into hers, bring it closer to her face, and I furrow my eyebrows, shifting uncomfortably. Finally she says, "This is a lovely ring. Only the kind a man would get for his girl."