Just Coworkers| • Shayne Topp •

Chapter Twenty-Six

Noah's P.O.V.

Puerto Rico is beautiful. We had left the airport and had gone to Enterprise to rent a car out for two days. Rosimar was driving and all I could look at was the beauty. There were palm trees that stood tall. The sun was bright. People had smiles on their faces, and life was great. After a while of driving, we got to an area where the houses didn't look as nice. Some houses were falling apart. Some had collapsed and others were getting taken over by nature. Rosimar parked in front of an old house. One that looked abandoned. Plants had started to grow on it. She got down from the car, and walked into the property. I followed, and she looked lost again. She walked into the house. There were lizards every where. The house was small. There was stuff inside which surprised me. She walked into a very small room. There were cabinets and she looked through them. She found a photo. She looked at it and brought it close to her chest.

"Noah, this is my childhood home. This is my room, and this," She looked at the photo and turned it over to me. "is my mother and father." I looked at the woman. She was a clone of Rosimar. The curly hair. Brown eyes. Her face was just tired looking. Rosimar didn't really look like her father. She got his skin tone. Her mom was darker than she was.

"Do you miss them?" Rosimar looked at me for a split second than looked at the floor. She shook her head. I was shocked.

"How could you not miss your parents, Rosi? They are your parents!" She looked at me and her eyes turned cold. They weren't as warm as before.

"One day I will tell you. Right now, I need to get my little sister." I just walked away into the car. That's fucked up. How could she be so emotionless towards her own parents?

She got in and started to drive. There were stray dogs every where. We got to the front of a house that looked just as abandoned as Rosimar's childhood home. Rosimar looked at two teenagers that were drinking liquor. Rosimar jumped out of the car. I was shocked as I got down as well.

Rosimar's P.O.V.

I see my sister drinking with some other kid. I felt anger bubble up in my gut.

"Reina, what the fuck are you doing?!" She looked at me and for a moment she didn't recognize who I was. The boy scurried away.

"Rosimar! You are here!" Her English was perfect. She ran up to me and hugged me. I hugged back, but pulled away. She was crying.

"Reina, why are you drinking? You know what happened to Papi. Why?" She shook her head.

"It isn't alcohol. It is just juice. Ricardo uses them to put juice." I breathed out in relief.

"Rosimar, please get me out of here. I don't like it here. Please take me with you." She cried.

"What happened, baby?" She pulled her long sleeve shirt up, and there were bruises. I was fucking furious.

"Where the fuck is that son of a bitch?" She pointed inside and I ran for it. I instantly felt two arms hold on to me.

"Rosi, don't. Let's just take her." Noah said.

"Noah, he put a hand on her. I am going to kill that pig!"

Noah's P.O.V.

I turned her around in my arms and held her close. She gripped onto my t-shirt tightly. I kissed her cheek and she started to calm down in my arms.

"Relax." She breathed in deeply and then out.

"Okay, Noah. I am okay. I am good." I set her down.

"Uh. Is that your boyfriend?" Reina asked. Rosi and I chuckled.

"No. We are very close best friends." I said. She looked down at the ground and nodded. She was just as shy as Rosimar when we first met. They looked so similar. It's just Reina had darker skin.

"Reina, this is Noah. Noah, this is Reina." Reina didn't look up. She just waved her hand and got closer to Rosimar. I smiled.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Reina."

Reina's P.O.V.

I finally get to leave this shit hole. Ricardo would hit me if I didn't clean the house. My arms still hurt from this morning. I was just happy to finally see Rosi. She was like a mom to me. I didn't want to be in Puerto Rico anymore. I mean I will miss it, but not the people in it. I kept glancing at Noah. He was adorable. His laugh especially. Rosimar kept nudging me. She knew me far too well.

"Rosi, para." {Rosi, stop} Rosi grinned at me. Noah looked at me and smiled.

"No es mi problema que te estas babeando por mi amigo." {Not my problem that you are drooling for my friend}

"You are the worst. El es lindo." {He's cute}

"It's good you are turning eighteen in five days." She wiggled her eyebrows at me. I huffed and sat back. Rosi got into the front to drive and Noah sat in front with her. Noah turned to look at me.

"Oh your birthday is on June third? That's awesome." I smiled, but looked down at my lap.

"I guess."

"Aren't you excited to be eighteen?" I shrugged.

"Not really."

"Why so?" Noah's voice was low and raspy.

"I didn't have the best childhood. The idea that I am moving onto adulthood is scary to me. I can't imagine how Rosimar feels." I looked up, and Noah had an o-face. He nodded in understanding. Rosimar didn't say a word as she kept driving.

We pulled up to a hotel. Rosi had already booked a room. When we were in the elevator, I hugged her tightly. She chuckled and hugged me back.

"Thank you, Rosi. Thanks for giving up your childhood for me, and being the mother I never had." She hugged me very tightly.

"Don't need to thank me, baby. Everything I do is for you. You will always be my priority. As long as you appreciate what I do for you, you don't need to thank me." I nodded as I pulled away. I turned around and Noah had a smile on his face. I smiled back, and looked down at my feet. Moving to America is going to be weirder than I thought.