Thinking About You - Joel Pimentel

Chapter 7

"Yadira!" I heard Linda shout as I passed through the front doors of the school. I continue walking towards my lockers completely ignoring her. "Wait up!" I closed my eyes tight in hope that she'll leave me alone but knowing how clingy she is, she's not. I got to my locker and opened it. Linda stood on my left trying to catch her breath.

"Look, I'm sorry for everything. You were right. I'm selfish." I looked at her blinking not believing what came out of her mouth. She half smiled and said. "I've been a terrible friend. When you needed me the most and I wasn't there. I'm truly sorry."

I stood in my spot frozen. Not knowing what to say. Her bright blue eyes stare into my brown ones in hope. In hope that'll forgive her. "Thank you." Was all I managed to say. I closed my locker since I didn't need anything.

"So can we start over?" She asked me nervously. I nodded and faked smiled. She grin and hugged me. "You mean a lot to me." She whispered before she pulled back.

"Linda, let's go!" I heard a feminine voice say behind me. She looked over my shoulder then back at me.

"I'll skip today's lap. I'll go after school." She answered. I turn around and found the cheer leaders staring shocked. They sighed and walked away. "So how you been?"

I know I should not be creeped out but when you fight with your friend and out of nowhere they decide to stop being selfish and be part of you life, you can't help but feel like there's a trap. Furrowing my eyebrows uneasy I stared at her. She laughed and crossed her legs.

"You think there's something up, don't you?" Linda asked. "Look, I know I took you off guard but these past days made me realized how selfish and stupid I was. I want to change, Yadira. I'm tired of being the same Linda. I was never liked that. I want to go back to the Linda you met in middle school."

"Yeah. I want that Linda back too." I said not showing no emotion. She chuckled and looked down not knowing what else to say. "I forgive you but you need to gain my trust again." I added and she looked up crushed but nodded.

"And I'll do anything to gain my best friend's trust."

Before we could say anything else, the bell rung and we parted ways. I walked slowly to first period not wanting to go but I need to graduate.

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"Mom I'm home!" I shouted as I closed the door. The smell of burnt tortillas filled my nose. "Oh my god mom! Do you not know how to flip?" I said walking towards the kitchen to see Mario with a fork trying to flip the now black tortillas. My eyes widen and I grabbed them and threw them away.

"What are you doing here? Where's my mom?" I said looking around. Mario turned the stove off and put the fork down.

"She went to buy some groceries and let me in charge of the food. I'm fine with that but the tortillas....well you saw." He said scratching the back of his head. I lightly shoved him aside and checked on the food. I sighed in relief and glared at Mario.

"You almost burn my house down." I exaggerated. He furrowed his eyebrows at me as I tried to take off the burnt tortillas parts from the comal.

"No I didn't. I just burned the tortillas." He defended himself. "You know I can't cook."

"You don't say." I whispered but he still heard me earning a soft punch from him.

"Your mom is so nice and sweet I couldn't say no to her. I felt like I was going to hurt her feelings." He said sitting on the island from the kitchen.

I laughed and looked at him. "You should've told her. She wouldn't be upset. She'll be upset at herself for knowing that she let a boy, who can't cook, be in charge of food."

He half smiled and looked down at the white tiles not knowing what else to say. I turn back around and continue to scrape.

Soon, my brother Nathan and mom walked in holding groceries. Mario hopped off and went towards my mother and helped her. "Thank you, sweetie." She said.

She walked into the kitchen, stopping mid track to stare at me as Nathan and Mario put the groceries down on the table. I smiled cheekily and continued to scrape.

"What are you doing?" She asked taking her sunglasses off. I looked up and stare at Mario whose cheek turn pink.

"Someone burned the tortillas." I said earning a chuckle from my brother who smirked. I continue scraping as my mother's face had guilt written on her face.

"Oh I'm so sorry I put this weight on you, Mario." She said hugging Mario. I rolled my eyes since it wasn't a big deal at all. It happened to me too when I started to flip tortillas but she didn't react like this.

"Well Mario, I'd let you know that in this house, no matter your gender, you learn to cook. So tonight, you're staying for dinner and Yadira's going to help you flip tortillas." Nathan spoke as my mother pulled back from the hug.

I shot up. "No I'm not." I defended myself. I'm not trying to be part of the reason why my house burns down. "You help him. Since it's your idea."

"How about the both of you help me?" Mario asked raising an eyebrow. Nathan and I stopped arguing and glared at Mario. Mario and my mother laughed as they took the bags and began to put everything away.

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"How you been?" Mario asked as he plopped himself on my light blue bean bag. I cleaned up around my room making it seem like it wasn't as messy.

"Great. School sucked." I said although we knew that. He nodded and played with my rubix cube.

"Did you never tried to figure this out?" He asked as he played with it. I shook my head and sat down on the edge of my bed.

"I tried not to use his stuff." I simply said and bit down my lower lip. Mario stopped playing with it and looked up.

"It's Joel's?" He asked. I nodded and he threw it aside as if it was infected. I laughed at his childish acts. "Why do you have his things?"

"Well, he use to sleep over. That drawer," I said pointing to the second one. "Is his. It has some of his clothes still." Mario stared at it and then looked back at me.

"Why don't I have one?" He says crossing his arms in front of his chest. I rolled my eyes and walked towards my drawers.

"You can share Joel's." I said opening it and looking at him.

He furrowed his eyebrows and shook his head. "No. Because if one day your mom's cleaning and opens that drawer and sees one of Joel's condoms, he's going to think its mine."

"Cochino!" I said throwing one of Joel's shirt at him making him laugh. He took it off his head and threw it back at me. I stared at the shirt in front of me and my smiled faded.

It was an Ed Sheeran shirt. The shirt I got him at his concert. He couldn't go because he was really sick so I bought him one from the merch table.

I felt my eyes get watery as I folded the shirt neatly and shoved it in the drawer. I wiped my tears and looked at Mario who sat there with a sympathetic smile.

"I haven't thought about him or cried because of him until right now." I spoke. "New record?" Mario chuckled and got up to embrace me into a hug.

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Published: May 28, 2017

Word count: 1333