Chapter 58

I spent two weeks cooped up in the house waiting for the shitstorm to blow over. If I’d known I’d be stuck inside like this, I wouldn’t have done any of that crap, okay? I really fucked myself over. My mom was in a panic, thinking if I stepped foot outside, Cletus would send some thug to “settle the score.” According to her theory, every deadbeat was lazy because someone was covering for him.

From what we heard, he wasn’t even that pissed about my dad impounding his car. The real hate was aimed at me and Diana for the scratches on his ride. We keyed it from one end to the other. The whole damn thing. Hood, doors, trunk. No mercy.

I don’t give a shit. A sleazy guy like that deserves to get fucked over.

A couple days later, we realized the full extent of the mess. Some old dude showed up at the gate to pick up the car, all scratched up from top to bottom. He came in with this look like we’d personally offended him. My mom crossed her arms, stared the guy down, and invited him in. It turned into a shouting match.

“The car of my boy all scratched up! Who’s gonna pay for this?”

“Oh, get lost! You lazy son of a bitch! Get that piece of shit car out of my garage right now, or you’ll be leaving with all four tires flat!”

I was frozen in the kitchen, just my head poking out the door, heart pounding like crazy. The old guy backed down, pulled out his phone, and made the Pix transfer to my dad on the spot. My mom waited for the confirmation message from my dad before she’d let him go.

“Get this junk out of here.”

Shit had really hit the fan.

Mariana vanished from around here. My aunt forbade her from coming over. No big deal… except for the ache of missing her that gnawed at me all day. She’d sneak away and see me quick after class, but we couldn’t make out — we didn’t do that on the street.

Diana? She ghosted. When she bothered to reply, it was curt. The slow blonde gave me the cold shoulder and that was that.

And it wasn’t just them. The rest of the family disappeared too. The only one who showed his face was that asshole of an older brother of mine, every damn day, the creep would come “give advice” and check if everything was okay — probably sent by my dad. I can’t stand him or his wife. What a greasy bitch.

The middle one, who’s older than me, stuck with my dad. That guy doesn’t want to know from nothing, so at least he doesn’t bug me. Better that way.

And that’s what went down over those two weeks — a weird silence hanging over the house, I swear. I was in my room, sprawled on the bed, gossiping with Mariana on the phone. We talked about everything and nothing, and I was almost dozing off when I heard a noise from the kitchen. A woman’s laugh. Loud, mocking.

“Cuz… I think someone’s here at the house,”

I texted her, already slipping on my flip-flops.

I got off the bed, went to the bedroom door, curious. The sound was getting clearer — it was definitely laughter, the kind that pissed me off because it sounded too damn happy.

“I’m gonna go see who it is, I’ll tell you later,”

I typed, already heading down the stairs.

Her reply came quick:

“Okay, but tell me everything after! I’m bugging my mom to bring me over!”

I rolled my eyes and walked to the kitchen. And there they were.

Sitting at the table, laughing like they owned the place: my mom’s young guy — that dumbass who thinks he’s hot shit — and, to my surprise, Carla. My cousin.

I was crazy about her. She had this presence that filled the room, a way of being that made me feel small and fascinated all at once. Pretty, with that drugstore blonde hair, dark roots showing without a care, and a nice body — I still remember her dancing funk in my room wrapped in just a towel with nothing underneath. Everyone said Carla was a “slut,” and she didn’t even bother denying it — she just smiled!

My mom hated when she was around, said she was a bad influence on me. If my mom knew the shit I’d already pulled, she’d change her mind quick and say I was the bad influence on Carla.

“Hey, cuz,”

I said flatly, without much enthusiasm, trying to hide my discomfort.

I’ll be real about her. Truth is, I had no reason to have a problem with Carla. What happened was, kinda, my first time — like, real heavy making out — was with her and her boyfriend. I was clueless, didn’t really get what was going on, just remember being scared. And the bitch even laughed after, saying I’d “love it,” that I’d liked it. That left me afraid of her, fear and anger all mixed up. Since then, every time I saw Carla, it was like part of me was still stuck in that day.

That thought hit me right there in the kitchen as I approached, so I followed up with

“You disappeared, huh?”

“Yeah, Jujube… things have been crazy, cuz. I was working at a store. You know how it is.”

She answered, forcing a smile.

The kitchen felt smaller. I looked around trying to figure out what was going on. My stepdad with his creepy face, eyes glued to Carla’s legs, and her, with that uncomfortable look — I’d never seen her like that. She seemed like she wanted to be anywhere else.

“So what’d you come here for, cuz?”

I asked sharply, rude on purpose, already guessing what was up.

“Well… your mom was supposed to fix some clothes for me. It’s for tomorrow, but she texted saying it’d be a bit late.”

My stepdad wasn’t even hiding it. Staring at her crossed legs without a shred of shame. I felt the disgust rising up my body, his grossness and her trying to pretend she didn’t notice.

“Cuz, let’s go to my room then?”

I said, already turning away.

“Hey Jujube, we’re talking here,”

My stepdad protested.

“That’s rude.”

I stopped, took two steps back toward him, and looked him dead in the face.

“You want me to tell my mom what’s rude, uncle?”

He laughed weakly, straightened up in his chair, and let out that lame chuckle, like he’d been caught red-handed. Perverted idiot.

Carla brushed past me and headed straight to my room. In the hallway, still walking side by side, she muttered low:

“Holy shit, cuz, what a pain in the ass. How do you guys put up with him?”

“He was hitting on you, right?”

I asked, even though I knew the answer. I opened the bedroom door and kept going:

“Come on in. Wait here with me.”

When she stepped in, the sour look on her face faded and Carla was back to the one I knew: cocky, in control. She scanned the room with her eyes, made a disgusted face like she’d never set foot there before, and flopped onto my bed, kicking off her sandals.

“Cuz…”

I barely locked the door — Mariana’s job — and a million questions flooded my head.

“Those stories they tell about you… are they true?”

She sank into the pillows and laughed, thoughtful.

“Fuck! Just like that?”

She looked at me, adjusting herself with a curious face.

“About what? That I’m a slut?”

She paused, laughed, and when the smile faded from her face and she got more serious, she continued.

“Cuz, I said that stuff to scare you guys. It’s not like that at all.”

“You’d say you went to the party and hooked up with three, four guys — I remember the day you said that clear as day; me and Mariana were terrified.”

She laughed again, that laugh like she was above everyone.

“Of course not, you idiot. And if I did? What’s the problem?”

She flipped onto her stomach, chin in her hands, looking down at me. I’d already sat on the floor, leaning against the dresser.

“At most, I kissed two guys at the same party. That’s it.”

I’d done way worse than just kissing two people the same day. I couldn’t judge. But there was this huge elephant in the room, and now it was gonna start dancing.

“So… you know that day at the laundry?”

She started, cautious, and only when I nodded, she went on.

“That was new for me too. I’d never done anything like that.”

I could’ve said a million things, but I froze.

“I was ovulating, you know? Horniest time… and you showed up. The rest you know.”

“Yeah.”

I wanted to tell her how I felt, I swear. But the words wouldn’t come. Some dumb shame, a lump in my throat, urge to cry for no reason. I was terrified of getting her reputation and becoming the family disgrace.

“Carla, did you tell anyone?”

My voice came out like a squeak.

“No, are you crazy?”

She changed her expression, firmer.

“Cuz, I don’t go around doing that stuff. That was just something that happened. And it stayed there. That’s it.”

To be continued