It's always you. - Hector Fort

Chapter 5

"Happy birthday!" my mom said.

"Thanks," I smiled warmly at her, playing with my food. She could tell something was off and tried to start a conversation.

"I took the whole afternoon off so you could spend it like always, with Val and Pedri," she said, putting a plate in the dishwasher.

"You didn't have to, they're not coming," I muttered, glancing at my phone. No messages.

"What do you mean? It's your day—or as you always say, your day together. You always spent each birthday, whether it was Val's, yours, or Pedri's, together. What happened?" she sat next to me.

"Yesterday, when I tried to invite them, I found out they had other plans. They're visiting Hector's new girlfriend, Martina," I rolled my eyes.

"So it's about Val and Pedri, but I think there's more," my mom looked at me.

"It's just... when Hector asked for my 'help' to win Martina over, I felt something I hadn't before. But mostly, it's the fact that my cousin and best friend chose a girl they know is trouble over their friend and family." I pushed the plate away. "Sorry, I'm not hungry."

____________

I stepped out of the house to get some fresh air and clear my head. As I walked, I got a message. Strange—Martina?

"Hey, I'm really sorry for everything I did to you. Would you come over today so we can talk and clear the air? I heard it's your birthday, so we can also do something fun :) Martina."

Surprised, but curious, I replied:
"Sure, no problem. Just let me know what time."

And that's how it all started...

_________

8:02 PM. I knocked on Martina's door. She let me in, and we sat down to talk. We cleared the air, though something about her smile felt off. A few minutes later, Val and Pedri arrived, looking shocked to see me. We greeted each other, they wished me a happy birthday, and we started chatting.

"Thanks for giving me a chance," Martina smiled.

"No problem," Val replied casually.

"You have a nice place," I said, looking around. "It's great you have a garden—perfect for this heat."

Just then, Martina walked up to me.

"That's why we're here," she said, and suddenly shoved me into the pool.

I lost my footing, and before I knew it, I was underwater. Panic gripped me. I could swim, but in that moment, I couldn't. I thrashed, trying to get out or at least calm down, but nothing was working.

"Oh my God, what happened?" Hector shouted, and everyone turned to look.

"I tripped and bumped into her—she fell in by accident!" Martina said, pretending to be concerned.

Hector, seeing that I couldn't get out, jumped into the pool. He grabbed me and helped me to the edge.

"You okay?" he asked, his eyes full of worry.

"Other than almost drowning a minute ago, I think I'm fine," I coughed.

"How did you even fall in?" he handed me a towel from nearby.

"I don't know... it felt like Martina pushed me."