Borderline

Chapter 2 - Hermana

Okay, so the whole outline on this chapter is really messed up, but it's because I typed it up on my iPod last night and for some reason it's now being stupid. But here ya go. =)

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Borderline - Ch. 2

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"She can't be that bad," Gill said, his hands on the steering wheel but his eyes on me.

"She can, and she is." For some reason, Blanca just got completely under my skin. Her smile was just so... Photoshopped that it was ridiculous to even look at, let alone stare into like Miguel always did. "And the worst part is that she has, like, taken over the entire house. Remember that cuckoo clock my parents got on their tenth anniversary?" 

"The one that always sent you screaming into your room because it was so 'terrifying?' Yeah. I remember." 

"She trashed it. And by trashed I mean threw it in the garbage truck as it drove away." 

Gill's lips turned up into a smile, but he feigned being upset. "Shucks. I loved that guy. Especially after you took the batteries out and convinced everyone it was just broken." 

I punched his arm, and he swerved across the yellow lines in the road. It wasn't like he was being serious though, because Gill was the beast driver I knew. "That hurt, Ria," he whined, "and might cause permanent damage to my bicep." 

"You mean that mashed potato you injected into your arm? Yeah, I'm sure it'll be damaged... Until it just slides back down into place." 

He made that pouting face that always made me laugh, and pretty soon my feet were up against the dashboard and I was completely relaxed. Eyes closed, I thrummed my fingers on my knees in time with the song on the radio. We still had a while before he dropped me off at home. 

"Have you talked to Julio?" Gill finally asked, breaking my moment of meditation. My fingers stopped moving. 

"No. I'm pretty sure that he's my sworn enemy now. Not mi amigo." 

Gill was used to our intense overuse of Spanglish, and so he knew most of what we would say. Sometimes I had to explain to him, but this one was easy. "I see. What about Liliana?" 

"Sworn off of me in allegiance to her brother. It's kind of like a war." 

"Yeah," was all he said, but his mind didn't even seem to be in the truck with me. 

I wiggled my fingers in front of his face, knowing that he'd still be focused on the road. "Earth to Gilbert. Come in, Gilberto." 

Gill smacked my hand out of his face playfully. "That's not my name." 

"That's not my...name," I responded. This was our usual conversation every time I called him something besides Gill. Because that was the name on his birth certificate: just Gill. It sounded weird though, like a mermaid name or something, so I always pretended Gill was a nickname. 

Suddenly, the kid broke out into a very feminine shoulder shake dance move thing, and I burst into fits of hysteria as he went even further with it. "They call me Stacey..." 

By the time he was done, and my eyes had stopped leaking tears of laughter, he pulled up into my driveway. I groaned. 

"Seriously, Ria, you're kind of a snob." 

I looked over at him in mock shock. He meant it, of course, but not in a hurtful way. It was like when someone told you about a mistake you made just because they love you and want you to improve. "I cannot believe that you said that." 

"It's true." He shifted into park and turned in his seat to face me. "Several months ago, you were bawling your eyes out on my porch because you thought you were going to have to move away, and now you're complaining about the fact that you're stuck here." 

I rolled my eyes at him in a very theatrical fashion, so he'd be sure to see it. "I'm not complaining about the fact that I'm here. I'm complaining about the fact that I'm here with Godzilla and Mrs. Godzilla."

"I don't think there's such a thing as Mrs. Godzilla. Do lizards even mate?" 

The wrinkles in my forehead showed as I gave him the stupidest look ever recorded on my face. "That was a dumb thing to say." 

"Think about it," he whispered at me, and I punched him again just to get him to shut up. 

AJ came running at us then, dressed up in his work attire with a big green cap on his head. It made his hair stick straight out from the edges. His fist pounded against my window and Gill pushed the button to unroll it. "'Sup man?" he said, his chin going up and back down like a gangster goof.

"Nada," my brother replied, knowing full well that Gill didn't speak much Spanish. "Qué paso con tú?" 

Gill's face went a little red for a second, and I took the time to violently fling my door open so that it would ram into my brother. To my surprise, it worked. He almost doubled over in pain. 

"Muchas gracias, hermana," he sputtered out sarcastically. 

"Oh, de nada," Gill replied for me, using a phrase he had heard me use quite frequently. Alejandro gained his composure and leaned back into the window. 

"You might wanna go ahead and get out of here, before Miguel comes over and goes all Hulk on you," he told Gill, and I grimaced at the thought. 

My friend nodded and put the car into reverse, capable of just backing out of my driveway like he was driving straight forward. It was insane. "Uhm, Ria?" he started. "You have to get out of my truck so I can go." 

"Oh, right," I said, sad that he had caught on to me. I really just wanted to leave with him again. AJ opened my door this time, unwilling to risk another hit. My feet slid down onto the dirt ground before the rest of my body could pop out behind it. "See ya later, Gill." 

"Adios, bonita," he replied, because he knew that I loved the way that word sounded. Even if he didn't have the macho accent to go with it. We both waved at each other before he tore out of the farm. 

AJ draped his arm over my shoulders and rubbed his sweat all over my skin. "Qué asco," I squealed at him, because it was disgusting. "What have you been doing today?" 

"Planting, my dear, just like we do every May. Popcorn grows on a time schedule, just like everything else." 

"No duh," I spit back, crossing my eyes and making my voice sound dumb. 

"True story," he told me grimly, as if he were telling someone that the world was going to end. "But you're late. Miguel was looking everywhere for you." 

"I was with Gill. It's not like a big deal." 

"Maybe not to you, or me, or to dad before. But to the new man in town, it's like you're out partying and doing who knows what else." 

"Miguel overreacts," I muttered. 

AJ sighed and turned his head toward the sky. "Maybe. I just wish you guys could start to get along before I leave." 

My eyes grew into complete and utter puppy dog-ness. "Take me with you?" 

"No way. You're on your own at the end of the summer. Use my telefono if you have issues, I guess, but I'm not gunna be there to break up your many fist fights with Miguel." 

"We don't fist fight!" I argued, because we didn't. We just yelled.... Pretty loudly. 

AJ's laugh always made me break a smile, and this time was unfortunately not an exception. He dug my head more into his side as he took his other hand to tickle me until I begged for mercy. We both knew that wouldn't rake long. 

"Maria! You're home! I've been waiting to speak to you!" My brain screamed in protest, not wanting to say a word to Blanca, who was calling me into the house. I would rather have talked to Miguel. 

"I want to ask you something," she said while we sat in the chairs at the kitchen table. I had led her there, hoping the uncomfortable seating would keep her from talking too much. 

"Okay," I managed to say. "Shoot." 

Her fake smile made her whole face look like the moon or something. Only this wasn't pretty like the night sky always was. "Great," she said, and not a teaspoon of enthusiasm had left her voice. "Well, since I've never been to America, don't know anyone here, and all my amigas are back in Mexico City, so I was wondering... Will you be my maid of honor?" 

My mouth flew open. Was she kidding? Me, taking care of all the stupid tedious things that brides never have to deal with? Planning a bachelorette party or something like that? Being trusted with the wedding band when I'd rather toss it into the ocean? No way. There's no chance either of us would survive.

But then I saw Miguel at the back of the room, watching us intently. Exhaling slowly through my slightly open lips, I did the only thing I could do at a moment like this. My mouth opened and I said, "Sure, sounds fun," before I could second-guess myself and end up getting into heaps of trouble.