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BREAKFAST AT THE MUÑOZ ABODE was a sacred and unbreakable tradition, set in place years ago by Pilar and her merry band of Musketeers to properly kick off the new school year. And despite the devastating fallout of Marina's murder, the four crowded around Ander's kitchen table. Knicks, scratches, and scrapes adorned the wooden posts and tabletop, and if anyone reached under the beaten, old table, they would find the carved initials of the four best friends.
On Ander's eleventh birthday, they had snuck away from the cake and celebration with Ander's brand new pocketknife and etched their initials into the course wood, declaring their friendship for all eternity. Pilar delicately traced the rough curves of her "P" with her index finger, smiling fondly at the memory of Ander holding her hand steady so she could carve it properly.
But her smile fell when she realized that the only sound echoing throughout the kitchen was the banging and clattering of utensils scraping against their plates. The air around her quickly began to feel heavy, and Pilar stilled all her movements, her fork now paused mid-air. She swallowed harshly and flicked her eyes between her friends, noting their lack of usual warmth and cheer.
Blinking away the silent tears in her eyes, Pilar took a quiet breath and began to speak. "I know the past haunts us, and I think it always will. But I hope that the fresh start of the new year will carry our sadness away. I don't think Marina would want our hearts to remain heavy forever."
Her voice was tainted honey, and she looked as fragile and soft as the white roses that sat perched on the counter in an old vase.
To Guzmán, Pilar always spoke in poems and lived in the clouds, but somehow she always knew what to say to dull the ache in his chest, even if was just a little bit. Carefully, she reached across the table and took his hand in her own, squeezing it gently.
"I know I never said this before, but I think she's dancing in the stars, and she would be happy to know that you are safe."
Guzmán's eyes glossed over with unshed tears as he gently squeezed Pilar's hand in response. He was afraid that if he spoke, his voice would crack and betray him.
Ander, from his seat next to Guzmán, reached over and wrapped his fingers around their entwined hands, with Polo following suit and copying his actions moments later.
"Guzmán, we got you, just like we always have," Ander said softly, punctuating his statement with another comforting squeeze.
Polo nodded in agreement and remained quiet, but Pilar didn't think anything of it. Sometimes when Polo doesn't know what to say, he stays quiet in fear of saying the wrong thing.
Guzmán carefully glanced between his friends' earnest faces and sniffed harshly, before untangling his hand from theirs. "We should get to school. We wouldn't want to waste any of that fresh start magic, would we, Pilar?"
The others all shared a sympathetic and concerned look, before nodding and clearing their dishes.
Walking to out Polo's car, Guzmán wrapped an arm around Pilar's shoulders, quickly pressing a kiss to the side of her head and whispering into her hair. "Thank you."
Pilar looked up at him with a soft smile on her face. "Don't underestimate the magic of a fresh start, my dear Guzmán. Hope alone can wipe away your tears."
He nodded solemnly in agreement, before opening the car door so she could climb into the backseat. Once she was perfectly settled and buckled, he shut the door gently and climbed into the passenger seat, where he sat rigidly for the rest of the car ride.
Their ride to school was a blur of quiet music and open windows. Pilar tried to keep her mind off of all the things that broke her heart, so she thought of remembered dreams and attempted to count up all of the trees that began to just look like smudges of green and brown. But once they reached school, the cacophony of indistinct chatter ripped Pilar out of her lucid daydreams. The campus seemed to hum with excitement, causing Pilar, Ander, and Polo to spare a worried glance in Guzmán's direction.
Feeling his friends' careful eyes on him, Guzmán dismissed their concerns with the wave of his hand, stepped out of the car, and headed toward the front steps, with the others close behind.
The four waited for Lu's arrival on the steps, with Guzmán and Ander resting against the metal railing. Polo wrapped his hands around the straps of his backpack and rocked back and forth on his heels beside them, and Pilar found herself sitting on the steps by Polo's feet, tilting her head up to feel the sun's warm rays on her face. She wasn't really paying attention to the boys' conversation, but she was paying attention to their body language. So when suddenly, Guzmán tensed, she snapped her head away from the sky to look at him. She watched as his breath quickened, and he wrapped his hand tighter around the railing, his knuckles turning white.
Following his intense gaze, Pilar's eyes landed on Nadia, and she shook her head knowingly. She always saw love deeply hidden in his eyes when he looked at Nadia. Guzmán looked at Nadia like he finally realized what love is.
"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Guzmán spit, causing Pilar to stand and look past Nadia to see a girl step out of a sleek, black car with hip-hop music booming from its speakers.
Pilar looked at her and suddenly, it was as if flowers grew in her chest.
The girl looked as though she wore confidence as perfume and as though she was made of cherries, venom, and dewdrops.
She seemed different from most of the students at Las Encinas, and Pilar desperately hoped it was a good different.
