KALEIDOSCOPE ━ WADE WILSON

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

PLAYLIST;
i. motion sickness - phoebe bridgers
ii. doomsday - lizzy mcalpine
iii. two slow dancers - mitski
iv. things i wish you said - sabrina carpenter
v. heartbreak girl - 5sos
vi. sour candy - melt

—

Ainoa moved around the small bedroom methodically, pulling clothes from drawers and folding them into a worn duffel bag. Her movements were mechanical, her mind stuck on her argument with Wade as she packed.

Lucia leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, watching her sister with concern. "Are you sure about this, Ainoa? Leaving now?"

Ainoa paused, a t-shirt half-folded in her hands. She took a deep breath before responding. "We don't have a choice, Lucia. Things are really complicated now. It's affecting everything we're working towards."

Deep down, Ainoa was aware that she wasn't thinking rationally. She was too in her head, acting out of hurt for what had happened with Wade. But was her pride going to allow her to admit it? Absolutely not.

"And where exactly are we supposed to go?" Lucia pressed. "It's not like we can check into a hotel with Santiago in his condition. We need somewhere secure, somewhere we can continue our work against Juan."

As Ainoa was about to respond to Lucia, a soft knock on the open door caught their attention. Blind Al stood there, her hand on the door.

"You girls throwing a slumber party I wasn't invited to? I hear a lot of rustling in here," Al said, her tone light but laced with worry.

Ainoa sighed, setting down the shirt she was folding. "Al... we're leaving."

"Leaving?" Al's eyebrows shot up. "Why on earth would you be doing that?"

Ainoa began to explain, "Things with Wade are complicated. We had a fight, and I think it's best if we-"

She was cut off by the sound of the front door slamming open. Heavy footsteps approached, and suddenly Wade was there, filling the doorway behind Al.

"So, this is how it's gonna be, huh?" Wade's voice was cold. "Sneaking out in the middle of the night like some kind of... I don't know, something that sneaks out in the middle of the night. My metaphors are failing me due to rage."

Ainoa straightened her spine, facing Wade. "We're not sneaking out, Wade. I told you, we should separate. It's for the best."

Wade laughed bitterly. "Best for everyone? Or best for you and your ex-boyfriend over there?"

"That's not fair," Ainoa shot back. "You know it's for the mission, it's important."

"Oh, the mission." Wade scoffed. Wade took a step forward, taking off his mask. "And you think you can do that without me? Good luck, sweetheart."

Before Ainoa could respond, Santiago appeared behind Wade, his face pale but determined. "Back off, man. You don't get to talk to her like that."

Wade whirled around, his body tensing. "Oh, look who decided to join the party. Franken-fucking-neck himself. You got something to say, pal?"

Santiago stood his ground, though he swayed slightly. "Yeah, I do. Ainoa's trying to do the right thing here. If you can't see that, maybe it's better if we do leave."

Wade guffawed, "Ha! Oh, really? Because from where I'm standing, everything went to shit the moment you showed up."

The tension in the room skyrocketed. Wade's hands clenched into fists, and for a moment, Ainoa feared he might actually take a swing at Santiago.

"Enough!" Blind Al's voice cut through the tension like a knife. "All of you, stop it right now. Wade, back off. Ainoa, Santiago, sit down before one of you falls down. Lucia, be a dear and get me a drink. I'm too old for this soap opera bullshit."