Breathe (Anthony Trujillo)

42*

I roll over groaning as I hear someone knocking on the door. I squint at Anthony to see if he was going to get up and get it. I sigh realizing there isn't a chance he is going to get up, I wrap the sheet around my bare body and drag my feet to the door, I open the door wincing as the bright light streams into the door. Blinking a few times I finally open my eyes.

"Erika?" I look at her surprised, she rocks back an forth while wringing her hands. "Can we talk?" She asks hesitantly. "Uhh, yeah. Just let me get dressed." I answer, she nods as she walks back down the stairs, I quietly shut the door still holding the sheet around my body.

"Who was that?" Anthony turns over. "You little shit!" I laugh tackling. him "You so ignored that and pretended to sleep just so I would get the door." He laughs rolling us over so he is now sitting on top of me. "So what if I did?" He taunts, "What are you going to do about it?" I cock an eyebrow at him and shrug.

He tilts his head, probably knowing I'm up to something. "Alright, let me up, I got to get dressed." I tap his arm. He leans down pecking me on the lips and rolling over onto the bed. I tighten the sheet around my body and walk to the closet door, I can feel Anthony's eyes roaming my body. I slowly let go of my hold on the sheet and let it drop down my body.

I glance back at him with a smirk on my face before walking into the closet. I hear him groan as I disappear from his sight. I laugh to myself while grabbing clothes.

After I throw on lazy clothes I walk out of the bedroom, Anthony nowhere to be seen, and go downstairs to find Erika. I see her sitting on the porch through the glass doors. I push the door open and slip through the crack of the door and slowly close it behind me. She turns to me with a small smile.

"What's up?" I pull out one of the chairs sitting down and crossing my arms on the table. She sits across from me with a sigh.

"I just wanted to apologize for everything I did. I was extremely cruel and horrible to you. I deserved the ass beating I got from you, everything. You did not deserve any of the stuff I did to you." I nod squinting at her through the bright sun.

"I accept your apology, I just want to know what I did to upset you." I respond. She looks up to the sky, and them back to me.

"To be honest, I was just jealous." She simply states, I shrug my shoulders. "Why though?"

She shrugs, looking everywhere but me. "Erika?" Looking back at me she runs her hands down her face stressfully. "I think at the time, I had a small thing for Anthony, and to see him so easily fall for you, and so quick, kind of upset me." She says as though she had to use every part of her being to get it out. I suck in my bottom lip thinking. She drops her head into her hands.

"Listen, I get it, I mean he is a great guy, but him falling for me was nothing I could control, I couldn't just tell him to stop liking me and he just stops, yah know? I don't think you needed to be as harsh to me as you were, but I was pretty horrible back, not without a reason though," I quickly add.

"But all is forgiven, no need to stress over it anymore." I smile leaning in to give her a hug, she hugs me back.

"Thank you, Tish, and you had every right to do and say what you did to me." She clarifies. I nod into her shoulder. "Well, alright. I have to go edit. Thank you again for understanding." Erika says before standing from her chair and walking back into the house. I sit there for a few minutes thinking some more.

I just don't understand why she would go all that way to do that, just because she had a small thing for Anthony? I don't get it. I run my fingers through my hair, I intertwine my fingers into a fist and rest my chin on my hands.