Chapter 16
Our parents came back at the end of the afternoon, hauling the monthly groceries for all three houses. It was the new strategy to save money: buy everything in bulk and split it. For us, it just meant more work.
Pedro and I went down to help, while Mariana trailed along in silence, like she always did when she was pissed off. The next day, she’d talk to me like nothing happened, but for now, she was playing it cool.
As soon as they pulled up, the hassle started. Boxes and bags stuffed with rice, beans, pasta, sugar, oil… a stock that seemed endless. Like always, nobody asked if we wanted to help — they just dumped the job on us. Unloading the car was a pain in the ass, but the worst part was sorting everything, dividing it up just right for each house, repacking it, and shoving it all back into the trunk. Endless work. The heat only made it worse, sweat sticking to our skin, and each bag of rice feeling heavier than the last.
And there I was, wiped out, thinking that just a few hours ago I’d been spread-eagled, waiting for Mariana to make a move. Now, I was sorting pasta packages, like that’s all my life was.
“This is a fucking nightmare…”
Pedro laughed, wiping sweat from his forehead.
“I could be doing so many better things right now…”
Mariana shot me a quick glance, but she stayed quiet.
The job wrapped up, Pedro left with his dad, and Mariana with her mom. Like expected, she stormed off without even looking at me, still mad because I’d pushed her buttons. But I knew that grumpy ass well — tomorrow she’d act like nothing happened.
I finished stowing the groceries, tossing the boxes, when I heard a yell from the gate.
“I’m coming in!”
The voice was unmistakable. Carla. Of course it was her. And from the sound of it, she’d already gotten over the chewing out she’d taken.
I let out a nervous laugh. Carla and I still had some unfinished business. After what went down in the laundry room, we never talked about it again. But she waltzed in with the most innocent face in the world, greeting my mom with fake sweetness.
“Bless me, auntie!”
“God bless you, honey… and plenty!” my mom replied, twisting her face. She wasn’t stupid; she knew Carla was up to no good.
“Hey, cousin, I wanna talk to you!”
My stomach flipped. What did she want with me? Couldn’t she just drop it? But that was classic Carla — pushing when she wanted something. She played the good girl in front of my mom, but I knew that look all too well.
“One enemy at a time,” I thought, taking a deep breath to hide my nerves.
“Let’s go to my room, cousin? I’ll grab a towel for a shower,” I said, and we slipped out before my mom could sniff out anything.
We barely made it into the room, and Carla just blurted it out, no buildup, no bullshit, like she was talking about the weather.
“Cousin, my boyfriend’s obsessed with you, won’t shut up about anything else.”
The shock froze me in place. The blood drained from my face, and shame burned hot up my neck. My stomach churned, and my heart raced like I’d been caught doing something wrong.
“What?!” My voice came out in a whisper, barely there.
But Carla didn’t give me a break, didn’t notice — or pretended not to notice — the panic eating me up.
“We haven’t talked since that thing…”
She kept going, eyeing me, her gaze full of something I couldn’t quite read.
“I wanted to see how you were doing.”
I swallowed hard. Now she seemed like she was holding back from spilling it all at once.
“I’m good, cousin…” I rushed out, trying to dodge the topic. “That day, I just acted on impulse. Forget about it, okay?”
She tilted her head, her dark eyes full of mischief, a sly little smile playing on her lips.
“So… that’s not gonna work, huh!”
The silence that followed scared the shit out of me. Carla dragged it out, real dramatic. I knew that trick of hers, when she wanted to mess with me, keep me on edge. My chest heaved fast, like the air had gotten thicker.
“He suggested something interesting…” she finally dropped.
My fingers clenched so tight my nails dug into my palms.
“What kind of something?” I asked quietly, already regretting opening my mouth.
Carla smiled. Slow, calculated. The kind of smile that always meant trouble.
“We wanted to invite you to keep that thing going… You in?”
The question hung in the air like a punch to the gut. My whole body went cold. My legs nearly buckled. My mouth opened and closed a few times, but nothing came out.
“Cousin… I… I…” The words died in my throat. “I’m a virgin.”
Carla blinked a few times, surprised. Then she threw her head back and laughed loud, almost mocking.
“For real? No way! You’re pulling the virgin card on me, girl?!”
She said it way too loud. Enough to make my spine freeze.
“Shut up!” I hissed, panicking, glancing at the door.
But Carla just laughed harder, enjoying my freak-out. I rushed to the door to check if it was locked, like turning the key would keep the sound in too.
“Yeah, damn it, I am a virgin, so what?” I snapped, trying to stand my ground.
“I just can’t believe it…” She really seemed shocked now, thinking it over.
“And look, I’m dating this guy too, and that shit’s not happening again, cousin…”
Carla didn’t like my refusal. The smile vanished, and something darker filled her eyes.
She started walking toward me slow, and a cold chill ran up my spine. I knew that move. I’d taken plenty of beatings from her when we were kids. It was always like this: the slow approach, the intimidation, then the slaps, hair-pulling, and bruises on my legs.
My body reacted before my brain, my feet backing up, looking for an escape. But there was nowhere to go.
“Don’t run…” she whispered, and her tone locked me up tight.
She stopped right in front of me, her face so close I felt her hot breath on my skin. Her hand grabbed the seam of my shorts, tugging lightly, no rush, eyes locked on mine. My heart pounded like a drum in my chest.
And then, out of nowhere, she shoved her hand between my legs. Hard.
I choked on the shock. My whole body shrank from the rough touch. I was filthy from the work, sticky with sweat, my skin dry enough that the friction stung. But she didn’t care. Her fingers poked around between my lips, like she was hunting for a way in, like my reaction didn’t matter at all.
“I’m gonna scream! Get your hand out of there!” My voice shook, more fear than anger.
“Scream,” she taunted, not stopping. “What’re you gonna tell your mom? That I fingered your pussy?”
I shut up fast. Panic surged, hot and choking. What would I say? How could I explain without dragging myself into it?
“Stop, Carla… please, this is messed up. I don’t like it.”
And it was true. There was nothing hot about it. I felt invaded, exposed. Carla had always bullied me, and now she was just switching up the harassment.
I tried to twist away, but she was stronger. Her body blocked my exit, her hand kept pressing between my thighs, and I felt… small. Like when I was a kid, when she’d steal my toys, shove me in the yard, and laugh while I cried.
“Look at this…” she murmured, her voice almost soft, like she was soothing me. “I’m just gonna hit that little button to wake up the naughty girl inside you and ask again.”
That’s when, for some reason, I found it funny. The way she said it, the weird seriousness in those ridiculous words… I laughed.
And when I laughed, all the fear drained away.
“Get your hand out of there, damn it,” I said again, but calmer now.
And, surprisingly, she did.
But before I could catch my breath, she brought her finger to her nose and sniffed.
“Stinky pussy, cousin… You don’t wash this thing, Larissa?”
My face burned.
“Damn it, I was loading, unloading, and sorting groceries, asshole!”
I could’ve explained better. Could’ve said that before all this, I’d been tangled up in other stuff that added to that particular smell. But Carla didn’t need to know that.
She laughed. That laugh of hers, mean, full of something I couldn’t name.
I swallowed hard. My body was still shaking, but I needed to get out of this with some dignity.
“Carla…” I took a deep breath. “I’ll think about it, okay? When I decide, I’ll let you know.”
She looked at me for a second, like she was weighing my words. And for the first time, she seemed satisfied.