My mouth dropped as I stared at Yara and watched my best friend crumble, her face distorted as she pressed it against the pillow.
"Oh no," I whispered and crawled up to where Yara was, pulling her into my arms as she sobbed on my lap. Her breaths were deep and the sobs excruciating, and I didn't know what to say so I combed her hair back. "It's going to be OK, you're going to be OK."
But even as I said the words, I knew things would be irrevocably changed, Yahaira would be a mom, she'd have to drop out from college at least for a semester or longer and what about the guy? He was married! Would he be what he needed to be for Yara or the baby? My heart suddenly hurt for my best friend because I realized there would be no happy ending for this story. I could not believe that my little problem was kissing Victor when she had actual problems.
"It's not, Becka, it's not going to be OK," Yara sobbed. "My dad, he was so angry, he kicked me out, he said I couldn't come home, he said I was a slut, that I'd always been a slut."
I closed my eyes at her words, my arms tightening around her. "You're not!"
"But I am, I mean who sleeps with a guy who's married?" Yara's breath hitched. "Dad said he would not give me any more money, that if I wanted to fuck around then I would have to figure out on my own how to handle a baby!"
"He can't mean that, your dad loves you," I said rather pathetically.
"He meant it, you had to see his face," she whispered.
"But what about Rafael, does he know?" I asked.
"Yeah and he's so excited," Yara wiped at her eyes. "But he's in the Coast Guard and he can get in real trouble if people find out what happened because his wife is a total bitch, she would make his life hell!"
I didn't answer to that because I thought that if my husband got a 19-year-old pregnant I would be pretty pissed too but it was not my place to tell that to Yara. Especially given the situation.
"Mom said I had ruined everything, that I'd ruined my life and her life." Yara hiccupped.
"This has nothing to do with her, this is your life," I insisted. "Did he go with you to your parents?"
"Yeah, a hell lot of good that did, all they did was yell at him and kick him out," Yara closed her eyes. "I was so embarrassed."
We were silent for a while, I kept petting her hair while she laid quiet and contemplative.
"What are you going to do? With the baby?" I whispered and that had Yara sitting up.
"Keep it!" Yara looked at me in horror.
"Ok!" I held my hands up. "I was just making sure, with your dad not helping and Rafael married..."
"Rafael will help, he loves me, Becka. I love him to death."
To death, what a concept. I'd never want to love someone to death, it was so brutal and final, so drastic and ugly. I never thought love would be like that, not even from the novels that I devoured. Love had been passionate and desperate but never bleak and dark. The heroes in my novels seldom impregnated the heroine while having her as a side chick.
I studied her and nodded, it was a rough moment realizing that your best friend would make her own decisions, her own mistakes, and I dimly wondered if this would be the start of us no longer being as close as we once were.
"How can I help?" I finally said and we pressed our heads together to talk about what Yara would have to do. She'd get a job, a good job like as a waitress because her cousin told her she could make tons and tons of money as a waitress and I agreed.
When Yara left I sat on my bed, thinking about how things were suddenly changing, how the time of us being kids was quickly rushing from our fingers. It hit me with a suddenness that I no longer had a friend to talk to. Who was I going to sit down for hours dissecting any bit of news or gossip? Victor's face slowly came to me and I my fingers itched to dial his number. I wanted to gauge his reaction, get some solid advice. Who would've thought that he would be the one I would call? I glanced at the clock and frowned. It was his gym time and it was a religious observance but I figured I'd call him and check.
He answered after three rings and I could hear the echo of the gym space. He was breathing hard when he said my name.
"Hey, you almost done?" I asked.
He grunted. "Got two more sets of twelve and then my quads."
"I'll bring you a protein shake," I enticed, and I heard him chuckle even as he lifted or pushed whatever he was working on.
"Ok, be here in thirty, make sure they add extra –"
"Protein powder and no sugar," I repeated, scrambling out of my bed even as I said it.
He hung up on me with a chuckle and I shoved my feet into my soft boots barely glancing at my messy reflection before I was out my door telling Mami over my shoulder that I would be back later. It seemed no one bought protein shakes in the evening because no one was in line. I grabbed his green concoction and ordered myself a berry banana delight which did nothing for my thighs, but my soul needed it, dammit.
I parked my car next to his and sat on his hood sipping my drink and thinking about Yara when Victor came out with a friend of his. He saw me and wiped at his face with his sweat towel. It instantly hit me that he was shirtless and my mind went to me groping him and I thought about groping him again. Oh god. Normalcy! Friends!
I seldom saw him shirtless and gulped, looking away. I had to admit he was incredibly well built, not too big, well proportioned. He had a thin waist with broad shoulders and there was a well-defined V that dipped down into the crotch of his pants peppered with dark hair stark against his pale skin.
Holy molly, I sighed. Friends do not stare at friends in that way.
I watched as he said goodbye to the guy, who called out 'enjoy it!' and Victor responded with an annoyed 'shut up'.
"Enjoy what?" I asked when he got close and I held out his green sludge.
"You. Guys are asses," he murmured, peering into the cup with distrust.
"I ordered it as you like it," I sighed and sipped loudly on mine. He cast me a look and tasted it, seeming to be pleased with it.
"Why are you on my hood?" he asked.
"Cause it's comfy," I smiled and he rolled his eyes.
"So what's the emergency and please don't say boy drama," he said quickly. "It's leg day and I can hardly stand up much less put up with that."
I made a face and scoot over, patting the space next to me. "Then take a break."
He threw his gym bag inside the car and slid over his head a t-shirt which I was a little disappointed at. He hopped up on the car and there we sat under the street lamp enjoying our shakes.
"Yara drove from Tampa today," I said.
"Yeah?"
I looked at him with sobering seriousness. "You have to promise not to say anything, I need to trust you on this."
He furrowed his brow and nodded. "Ok, you know I won't."
"Yeah." This I knew. "She's pregnant."
Victor took a sharp breath and looked ahead. "Shit."
I nodded then shook my head sadly. "He's married, he's like thirty. She lost her virginity to him and he got her pregnant. She's fucked."
Victor was silent, like I knew he would be, he'd measure his words. He wouldn't say anything stupid or judge Yara, he'd simply listen and give solid advice. I realized that I was sitting with the closest person in my life. The person I thought to call when shit was bad, the one I wanted to share things with and get their opinion on. I had almost fucked this up. We sat for a while, sipping and contemplating when Victor turned to me.
"Yara is not fucked, don't say that. She made a mistake, everyone makes mistakes. My brother got his girl pregnant at age eighteen and they're still together. You never know about people."
"Yeah but Liam and Jenny have been together since middle school. Yara has known this guy for all of five months, she thinks she loves him and she thinks he's going to take care of her." I shook my head sadly. "I just don't see it happening. Eventually, maybe not today, but eventually she'll be a burden to him and she'll have no one."
"No one?" He pushed at my shoulder with his and I looked at him with a small smile.
"Well me, but I can't help much, I can't even help myself," I admitted.
Victor cleared his throat and looked at me, his eyebrows were thick and rich. "Look, I may not know much on how female friendship dynamics work but I know that one thing everyone always knew and that was that Patty Girls stick together, you have always stuck together."
I bit my lip as he spoke.
"You got to get the girls back together, you guys are a team and you have to pull through."
That made me genuinely smile. He could be sweet, I realized. Victor was the sort of person who contemplated things, he didn't do spontaneity but when he did do something it was with purposeful intent.
"Patty Girls for life," I whispered.
"Yeah, I've never seen people that cared for each other the way you four did," he admitted. "I was actually kinda jealous."
"You wanted to be part of the Patty Girls?" I laughed and he grinned, looking down in that adorable way of his, his eyes crinkling at the edges.
Wait. Adorable? When had I started thinking that?
"Yeah, no, I mean I wondered what you four talked about," he said and I noticed he was blushing.
"Cars, we talked about cars," I laughed and I pushed him off the hood making him slide down and land on his feet.
"You know jack-shit about cars," he said but reached out a hand and helped me jump down.
"I hate cars, they're so boring," I stood before him. He was a whole head taller than I was when I wore these flat boots. He noticed, touching the top of my head with the palm of his hand.
"You're deceptively short," he said with a furrowed brow.
"Yes, this is why I wear wedges all the time," I nodded.
"How tall are you?" he asked.
"Five-one and proud."
He shook his head and patted my head. "Thanks for the protein shake."
"Thanks for the talk."
He held out his hand to shake on it but on impulse I reached out and hugged him despite how sweaty he smelled. He stiffened, for a moment, then I felt his arms relax and he hugged me back, tightly, rocking my back and forth. When we let go, I felt suddenly flushed and tucked a hair behind my ear the way I did when I was nervous. Maybe I shouldn't have hugged him, maybe we weren't past the weird stage.
"See ya, Becky-girl." He nodded but we stayed staring at one another.
That's when it happened, then and there, by the fluorescent light of the gym, I wondered what it would be like if Victor Manning was my boyfriend. I quickly shook that thought off and smiled, walking around him to my car but when I closed the door he walked to me and I lowered the window. Victor leaned his forearms against the frame, looking down at me, his face quite serious.
"Listen, I never got to tell you, if you still like Clem," he licked his lips and I had to fight the urge to tell him Clem was dust in the wind. "Then, I wish you the best, I do. I believe people can change."
I looked down at my lap and then back at him with a smile. "Same with you. With Crystal or whoever. I wish you the best. I'd want you happy." I meant it.
A small smile appeared in his eyes. "Oh but no one will ever make me as happy as you."
"Oh, shut up, get off my car," I raised the window and he scrambled away, laughing. As I drove home, I realized that despite Yara's mess and the impending intervention this week, I had a massive smile plastered on my face.
Recommended 90s Playlist (will grow with each chapter)
1. Gettin' Jiggy With It - Will Smith
2. Kiss The Rain - Billie Myers
3. Come Baby Come - K7
4. Tubthumping - Chumbawamba
5. Bitch - Meredith Brooks
6. Something to Talk About - Bonnie Raitt
7. WannaBe - Spice Girls
8. Miami - Will Smith
AUTHORS NOTE: If you enjoyed this story please follow me on Tiktok (isabelleolmo) or Instagram (isabelleolmobooks) to follow my journey as I publish my first novel!
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