Ugly Truth (SAMPLE)

Five

WHEN I GET HOME, I immediately smell food cooking. Now this. This right here is a phenomenon. The smell of homemade food permeates the entire house. My day just got a little better. Maybe if I eat enough, I 'll go into a food coma on the way to the show and find some reprieve in sleep until we get there. Forget all my worries, the things that stress me. And the one person in particular that I want to stab repeatedly, of course.

I yell out, "Ma! Are you cooking meat?"

We're Hispanic, we yell. For everything.

"I'm cooking beans. I already made the pork chops. You're smelling the bacon grease I just put in. And the rice is almost done. I just need to make tortillas and then everything will be ready."

She yells all this right back at me from the kitchen. I love her food. It's so good.

"Okay."

Entering my room, I put my purse on the seat of my chair that's currently by my bed instead of in front of my desk. I left my stuff from school in the truck since I knew I wasn't gonna be able to go through them until tomorrow. Keanu hasn't messaged me yet exactly what time I was getting picked up. He just said 'early' back at the cafeteria. I don't even know if he already gave Gabe his new phone yet.

I start taking off my shirt and shorts, throwing them haphazardly across the room towards the other side of my bed where I have a basket for dirty clothes.They don't make it in. Like always.

I didn't put any makeup on this morning when I got up, so I can start with a clean face after I eat. I grab a shirt and shorts that I usually just wear around the house from my dresser. Throwing them on and stepping back out, I make my way to the kitchen. I grab a plate from the cupboard and start putting a lot of everything on my plate. Mom is finishing up the last tortilla on the comal at the moment.

"How'd it go at work?" I say with a tortilla in my mouth. She didn't understand me so she rips it out.

"What?"

"Ma," I whine. "I said, how was work?" I say, giving her a pointed look. She huffs, handing me back my tortilla.

"Here. Don't talk with your mouth full, it's gross." I roll my eyes at her."It went okay. Still getting the hang of things, but I think it'll get better soon."

"That's good." I nod.

She reaches for a plate of her own, "How were your classes today?" I sit in my usual spot at the table and huff.

"Ugh. I really freaking hate math, Mom. I don't know how it just comes so easy to you. It doesn't help that my calculator is too high tech for this school that still teaches with those weird and confusing older ones. Oh my gosh, even the teacher couldn't help me because he only knew how to work the type of calculator he was using. So, now I have to go to the Student Aid Center and see if they can find someone that can help me with my own or check out a calculator that is the version everyone else has. I mean, the whole reason why I have the one I do is because those old ones were too hard for me to understand."

"Well when I was in school, English was my least favorite subject because for me it was hard. I don't understand how it comes so easy to you. I hated it."

She says this in the same tone as me, not having even touched her food yet. Yeah, were talking but she's like on auto pilot, answering me automatically whereas I'm over here turning purple and my food is practically gone. She's too busy texting on her phone.

Okay. Now she's trying to get to the camera app to take a picture of her plate to post it on Facebook. I'm already up and getting seconds when she finally takes the millionth picture. It's gonna take another ten minutes or so for her to get on Facebook, tag me, and type a caption.

"Mom! Put your phone away. The food's getting cold."

"Hold on, I'm trying to figure out what to say on my post." I swear, I hate Facebook. I don't really even get on it anymore. Hell, I don't even have the apps on my phone. I have to go through Chrome if I really feel like making the effort to log in through there. I'm more of an Instagram person.

But since we are on the subject of phones...

"Gabe's phone got broken. I think he should be getting a new one pretty soon."

"Oh crap, what happened?"

"I don't know, I haven't talked to him today because of it."

She finally looks up from her phone to stare at me with a confused look on her face. "Well, then how do you know his phone is broken?"

"Hey Tia! Oooh, you already made food. I could eat." Saved by the bell. Or really, by Gabe walking in like nothing.

"Get some, there's a lot. How did you're phone break?"

"Yeah," I chime in.

"This chick just shows up at the shop in chingas. Like really, she jumped the curb a little and parked all crooked like that. She storms out of her car and heads straight for Keanu and smacks my phone out of his hand and screams in his face. In front of everybody." He fixed his own plate in record time with double servings of everything and stalks over to the table to sit down right next to me.

"Wait, so why did Keanu have your phone?" He shrugs and rubs the back of his neck with his right hand. "He had to make a call and his phone died. But that's why he went to go tell you about the concert tonight. He felt bad so he's getting me a new phone."

Sorry my ass. I've about had it already. It's bad enough that I'm going to be sharing space with him at the venue later. He shows up at my school and ruins my lunch, now he's ruining my dinner at home without even being present. I can't escape him, and he's not even doing anything. Except breathing.

For the second time in all my life, I feel like I'm suffocating. This conversation has got to change focal points, like, yesterday.

I scoff. "And here I thought you were just being a lazy ass." My mom laughs and chastises me at the same time, "Vic!"

"Stupid," Gabe retorts, side-eyeing me with his mouth full.

"Gabe! Close your mouth, that's gross. Finish chewing." Gabe proceeds to finish chewing his food before he speaks again. "Sorry Tia," he then turns to look at me, "Stupid." My mom guffaws. I roll my eyes at them before getting up and placing my plate in the sink.

"I'm gonna go do my face really quick and change. Thanks mom, the food was good."

I book it back to my room and lock the door with force. It's there mainly for privacy. To keep everyone out of my space. This room is mine to do as I wish without prying eyes. My room locked is supposed to mean that it is impenetrable from everything outside.

Somehow, it isn't enough to keep the dreadful thoughts of Keanu at bay.