𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬

Chapter Three.

WHILE HE WAS doing his homework the next day, Romeo looks over when his mom appears in the doorway, knocking gently on the door. "Hey." She says, walking over and sitting at his bed. "Hi." He says quietly. "You know you can trust me with anything, mi amor, so... if the map is true, you can tell me. I won't be mad." She says and he looks down.

"It... might have been. But, like, it was stupid. Okay?" He says and she sighs, nodding softly. "But I thought you hated Spencer. You always complain about him." She says and he looks up, crossing his arms. "That's why it's stupid. I let him get the best of me, and then he..." He paused and looks away, sighing. "Did... did he force himself onto you, baby?" She asked her son, sounding worried now.

"No. I just... I kind of kissed him first. He was getting on my nerves. And then one thing led to another, and... I just feel so embarrassed by it now." He said as he sat up, looking away. "Well... you shouldn't feel embarrassed. He was lucky to have you." She says and he makes a slight grimace at his mom. "Don't say that." The boy tells the woman.

"No, I'm serious. You're a really great kid, Ro, and you're really the most gifted student there, you had straight A's last year, Miss Woods was really impressed." She says and he just rolls his eyes, but was smiling faintly. She was always so proud of him, over every and any accomplishment that he had. He was even head of debate club, for two years straight, third year being this school year.

"He would be lucky to call you his." She says now and he just glanced down, pursing his lips. "Well, yeah, whatever. He said he'd never touch me and sounded pretty disgusted with me." He now says, shrugging softly. "Don't let him or anyone get you down, mi amor. You're Romeo Castillo." She said and he just looks up at his mother with a small grin.

"I suppose you're right..." He then bashfully shrugs and she chuckles softly. "Damn right I'm right." She says. "Thanks for the talk, mama." He says as she stood up. "Te amo, Ro. Now get back to work." She said and he chuckles. "Love you too." He says, turning back around to his desk as she now walks out of his bedroom. From where she stood in the doorway of the bathroom, Enya looks down, sighing as she heads off towards her own bedroom.

"Hey, how's my girl feeling?" Vivianne walks into her niece's bedroom, where she was laying underneath the covers. "Like shit, Vi." She replies, voice still nasally. "You know what could cure your cold, Enya?" Vivianne now sat onto the edge of her bed. "What?" Enya says quietly and the woman smiled big.

"Some fresh air. Let's go for a drive."

Vivianne was right, from where she sat in the passenger side, windows rolled down, Enya could feel herself slowly getting better. When they reached the lookout point, Vivianne parks the car and sighed. "So... you gonna spill the tea or what?" She now asked her niece who just made a face, looking over.

"Who taught your millenial ass that?" She laughs and Vivianne gasped. "I'm offended." She says, but laughed anyway because Enya's laugh was contagious. But then the fifteen year old girl's laughter died down. "I... fucked up, Aunt Vi." She says quietly. "How so, baby girl?" Vivianne asked as she reached over, now rubbing her niece's back.

"I was still with Jack when the stuff with Stevie happened. And now Stevie will be mad at me because Romeo is definitely gonna tell her that I denied any of it." She sighed and put her hands over her face. "What's wrong with me, Aunt Vi?" She asked quietly and Vivianne frowns. "Nothing's wrong with you, Enya. You're a teenage girl going through teenage emotions. It's... a rollercoaster." The woman rolls her eyes, thinking of her own teen years.

"Did you ever mess up this badly when you were my age?" Enya asks, looking over and Vivianne laughed. "When I was a teen, it was the early 2000's. I was a huge fuck up. Especially being the youngest of the family." She says and Enya just pouts, glancing down. "I just... never thought that Stevie felt that way for me. When she kissed me." She says.

"And I know, it was wrong. Because Jack and I, we're still together, and--" "yeah. I get it. Love's hard." Vivianne says, sighing as Enya buries her face into her hands yet again. "I can't even face her. Romeo told me there's this SLTs class happening and I'm gonna be in it, with his year's classmates, and Stevie will be there--" "you'll power through it. I believe you can power through anything. You're so strong, Enya." Vivianne says and she sighs.

"You're right." She says quietly then lifted her head up to look at her aunt, giving the woman a small smile. "What... do I tell Stevie if she tries to talk to me?" She now asked and Vivianne shrugged. "Tell her you didn't mean to put your tongue in her mouth and move on?" She jokes and Enya rolled her eyes, looking away. "And I don't wanna dump Jack either. Things are nice and easy with him, he's so sweet. He doesn't rush me like other boys did." She says, resting her head onto her knees.

"But you felt something for Stevie too, didn't you? To go that far with her?" Vivianne now asked and Enya groans. "Feelings are complicated, Aunt Vi." She says, her hands covering her face yet again. "Yeah. Duh. If God made feelings easy, then everyone would be in relationships." The woman says.

"I can't do that to Romeo either. I can't just take Stevie away from him. She's his best friend and sometimes she's all he has..." Enya hugs her arms around herself, feeling distraught she did what she did with Stevie. "Then do what your heart tells you to do, baby girl." Vivianne said, softly patting her back.

"Let's go pick up ice cream."

At home, Romeo slowly crept down the staircase and walked towards the door, as quietly as he could before reaching for the doorknob. "Where are you going?" His mom's voice stops him so he just slowly spun around. "Stevie's workplace. Then to her place. For a sleepover." He quickly lied to the woman, standing in the hallway leading to the kitchen, she stood there, with her arms crossed.

"Hmm. Okay. But call me if you need anything." She said before disappearing off back down the hall, towards the kitchen. He sighs, walking out the door and getting into his car. The game plan was simple, he picks up Stevie from work, they go and grab (steal) a bottle from her dad's liquor cabinet, leave his car there and walk to the cemetery for the party.

They pregame near the gate leading into the party, doing shots. "Ugh, you just had to take the Fireball, didn't you?" He asked in disgust as he took his third shot. "Well, it's all he had that wasn't full. All his other bottles were just recently restocked." Stevie said as she poured out another shot for herself.

"Hey... what does Enya think of the map?" She now asked and Romeo sighed. "She denied it to my mom. Says she's still with Jack." He shrugged and she scoffs. "The same Jack she was whining about at Dusty's house party? The same Jack that stood her up that night?" Stevie asked, sounding angry and jealous. "Hmm. Yeah, I think it's a different Jack." Romeo pointed at the girl who now flips him off, downing the shot in her hands.

"We look so pathetic, pregaming a couple meters away from the party." He says and she just shrugs. "Rather pregame here than anywhere near my place where my dad could catch us. Don't be silly, Ro-Ro." She said as she then pours out another shot, but this time handing it over to him.

"Do you think Spider's gonna--" "yes, he'll be there. Acting like a douchebag like always." She said, rolling her eyes as Romeo scoffs, downing the shot glass. "I was gonna say, do you think he's gonna wanna talk to me? Because I have a few words to say to him." He says and she just furrows her brows. "Are you drunk? Don't talk to that dickhead." She says.

"Okay, but I need to just ask him--" "no, no, you know what you should do? Get over him, and get under someone else." She says, nodding quickly as she pours another shot. "I hope that's not what your plan is with Enya... I think it'd really work between the two of you." He says and she just rolls her eyes as she downed the shot. "Yeah right. She's too far in the closet to even admit that she and I hooked up." She said and Romeo just sighed.

"Fine. Fuck it. Let's find other people then."

authors note
lmao not them pregaming with fireball. I almost gagged just thinking about fireball i'm ngl bc i hate drinking that shit

+ i'm an hour late behind updating.... but here's the new chapter :)))