Chapter 19

After the phone call from my dad, three really weird days went by. You know when everything’s super quiet? Something smelled off. I didn’t know what was gonna happen, but the vibe was way too strange.

Matheus, who should’ve been bugging me for more, just vanished. Mariana, who would’ve shown up with some gossip or dirt by now, disappeared. The bus guy, out of nowhere, texted me saying he had to travel and would be gone for a week. Pedro got into working with his dad and now only talked about motorcycles. He’d worked three days and already thought he’d have cash to buy one. Unbearable! And Carla… ah, that was me dodging her. The idea of a threesome with her and her boyfriend had me curious, but at the same time, scared shitless. I was still a virgin, and honestly, I didn’t know if I could handle the size of her boyfriend’s cock.

But in the middle of all that, there were the serious issues: my dad and my stepdad. I’d blabbed shit to my mom, who was already super worried, and I didn’t realize my dad might fuck everything up big time! Now I was on guard, not knowing what their next move would be.

So, I made a mental list of everything I needed to sort out. I wasn’t much for planning, but this time, I needed a strategy. First on the list? Mariana. Because she was my sidekick, my main ally. With her on my team, the squad would be locked in, and I’d know exactly what to do.

I called her. My heart did that little flip as the phone rang. Mariana always picked up quick, but this time it took forever. When she finally answered, her voice came out dry, kinda sharp.

“Girl! How long you gonna keep dodging me?” I let out, trying to sound casual, but already feeling a knot in my gut.

Her comeback was razor-sharp, just like only she could deliver.

“I’m pissed at you, I was just sick of sitting around twiddling my thumbs in the living room while you brushed me off!”

Holy shit…

The memory hit me like a slap. I’d been a total asshole to her, and now I felt like garbage. I bit my lip, pressing the phone to my ear, scrambling for something to fix that mess.

“Cousin, forgive me, pretty please? Come on, forgive me? Come over to the house?”

Silence.

“I don’t know, I’m upset, girl!”

Oh, fuck! I couldn’t leave her hanging like that. If Mariana started stewing, she could emotionally bench me for good.

“Look, I’ll do your feet! Clean ‘em up, cuticles, paint your nails, and even throw in a massage!”

I was killer at it and she knew. My nails were always on point. I’d sunk a small fortune into polishes and tools. I really wanted to work at my aunt’s salon on weekends to make some cash.

But even that didn’t melt her.

“My nails are done, Julia!”

And that’s when I stuck my foot in my mouth. No thinking, no filter, just to smash through the ice all at once.

“Okay… so… I’ll suck your pussy!”

“What?”

The silence hit heavy, thick as a storm cloud. My stomach twisted up right then.

Mariana went dead quiet for what felt like eternity.

Shit. Why the hell did I say that? It was just to make her laugh! A joke, fuck! But now she was silent, and I had no clue what to do.

When she finally spoke again, her voice sounded off, different. I couldn’t tell if she was shocked, curious, or pissed.

“Idiot…” the word came out in some unreadable tone. And then: “I’m coming over so we can talk.”

And she hung up.

I stood frozen, staring at the phone in my hand like it’d cough up an explanation. My heart was hammering, but her coming over was a win. Mariana always came here. Her place was a shithole, and there was her brother, that deadbeat who’s married but crashes there. My mom said his wife beats him. Go figure.

That wasn’t in my plan, but I needed to handle my mom and see if she’d drop any hints. I headed downstairs to tell her Mariana was coming. I never had to announce that kinda thing, but I wanted to spark a chat and feel out the mood.

I wandered the house and saw my mom was still in her room.

“Mom, Mariana’s coming over?” I said, already pushing the door open without knocking.

My mom was still in bed. And it was past ten in the morning.

“That’s fine, honey. No problem. Now close the door.”

Her voice dragged a bit. It threw me off right away.

“Why are you still in bed?”

She let out a sigh, barely shifting under the sheet.

“I’m tired, can’t I crash a few more hours?”

That sent a weird shiver through me. It didn’t add up. My mom always got up early, and now here she was, still made up and bundled in the sheet up to her neck? And on a day when it was already hot as balls?

My eyes scanned the room for clues. Nothing out of place. Nothing to give me answers. For a second, I thought about pushing, asking more, but I let it go. If there was something, she wasn’t spilling.

I shut the door and got back to my own shit.

I hit the kitchen to grab some food and hunt for something to thaw for lunch. Better to get ahead for my mom since she was acting weird. While I was at it, I swept the house and checked the bathroom. My mom hates a dirty house, and I kinda got that from her. The place was always crawling with people dropping by unannounced, so keeping it straight was a full-time gig.

Time flew, and later I was out in the laundry, hanging clothes on the line, when I heard that familiar voice booming from the front:

“Blessing, auntie!”

Mariana.

I gave the clothes one last tweak, that chill hitting my stomach, and headed to the living room. She was planted in the middle of the hallway, in tiny shorts and a baggy tee, messing with her phone like she just happened to be there. But I knew better.

Without letting her react, I grabbed her arm and yanked.

“Come on, I wanna talk to you!”

She didn’t fight it. Let out a soft laugh and followed me to my room. It was now or never.

When we got in, no words. Just a makeup hug, long and tight, like nothing needed saying. We stayed like that a while, swaying gentle, like a slow dance with no beat. The feeling of loving and being loved was too damn beautiful, and I felt a tear prick, but I swallowed it down. She was the last person on earth I wanted to hurt. Through all the crap in my life, Mariana had my back. If she got bummed because of me, it’d gut me worse than anything.

When the hug broke, she brushed her lips to mine in a quick smack, that easy affection we always shared. Natural, no weirdness, no pause.

“I love you, cousin. I love you so much, okay?”

“I know that, you greasy one.”

And we both cracked up, like that moment could wipe out any bad vibes.

But of course, Mariana never let shit slide.

“But what about it?”

“What about what?” I asked, flopping onto the bed.

She leaned against the wall, arms crossed, a sly grin on her face.

“Where is it?”

“Where’s what, Mariana?”

She rolled her eyes, all impatient.

“You promised me something!”

I scrunched my brow, racking my brain.

“You said your nails were done, girl!”

“Not that… the other thing after that!”

My mind went totally blank. What the fuck had I promised?

“What thing? Spit it out!”

She leaned in close, eyes gleaming with mischief, voice dropping low like she was spilling a hot secret.

“You said you’d suck my big pussy!”

And she busted out laughing.

But I didn’t laugh.

Because I was gonna do it for real.