I was thirteen, awkward and scrawny with braces that made my smile feel too big for my face. The smell of chlorine still lingered in my nose, a sharp reminder of the poolside chaos from earlier.
I sat on the worn patio steps of my parents' backyard, hugging my knees to my chest. The sounds of laughter and splashing echoed behind me as the adults mingled inside, their laughter occasionally bursting through the open windows.
The whole neighborhood had shown up—family friends, neighbors, and of course, Ezra's obnoxious friends, including Matío.
I should've been used to him by now. He'd been coming around since I was little, always trailing behind Ezra like a shadow. But there was something about him today, with his smug smirk and that stupid charm he turned on for everyone but me, that made my blood boil.
At eighteen, Matío was already larger than life to me. Confident, smooth, and annoyingly good at everything he did. He was the kind of guy who walked into a room and sucked all the air out of it, leaving everyone either in awe or irritation. I was firmly in the latter camp.
"You're too young for this anyway, Ahvi," he'd said earlier, his tone dismissive when I'd asked to join their game of pool basketball. "Stick to playing with the little kids."
The words still stung, like a slap across the face. I wasn't some kid. I was thirteen—practically an adult, or so I told myself. But to Matío, I was always just Ezra's little sister, the one who needed to stay out of the way.
That day, I'd been stuck helping my mom in the kitchen, chopping vegetables and fetching plates. The smell of grilled meat drifted through the open windows, "Ahvi, can you take this tray outside?" my mom asked, handing me a plate piled high with burgers.
I grumbled under my breath but took it anyway, pushing open the sliding door with my hip and stepping into the chaos of the backyard.
My brothers and his friends were out of the pool already, just hanging around and rough housing, about to throw each other back in the pool.
"Hey, little sis," Ezra called, ruffling my hair as I passed. I ducked away from him, annoyed.
"Don't touch me," I snapped.
"Easy, kid," Matío said, smirking. He was leaning against the fence, arms crossed, his wet torso glistening in the sun. "She's got claws today."
