dreaming of you • andrew garfield

chapter six.

Lucy and Grandma Liliana made it back to the Rodriguez house where Lucy's brother, Daniel, was busy making a grilled cheese sandwich in the small kitchen that was crowded by the neighborhood kids that were being babysat by him. Lucy was grateful she volunteered her brother to babysit this time, she was too exhausted.

"Daniel, have you fed them?" Liliana asks with a hand on her hip.

"Yeah, although little Ana over here thinks my cooking is shit-" Daniel glared at the seven year old girl.

"Because it is shit. My mom makes better food than you and she's never home." Ana flipped her hair.

"Okay, whatever. I guess you're not invited to my birthday party." Daniel teased.

"Okay? You're old anyways so you'll probably die soon." Ana rolled her eyes then grabbed a popsicle from the fridge.

"Kids, let's go outside. I'll make cupcakes in a bit, Daniel, stop bullying little kids." Grandma Liliana scolded her grandson.

Daniel scoffed. "I'm the victim here, did you not see that?!"

All Liliana did was laugh and followed the group of kids outside to the backyard where an old trampoline was waiting for them. Daniel and Lucy both sat across from each other at the dinner table, exhausted from the day they just had.

"Who are you taking to Vanessa's wedding?" Lucy asked her older brother.

Their cousin Vanessa was getting married soon and both siblings were freaking out. Weddings meant family reunions and that also meant the most asked question of the century:

"Where's your girl or boyfriend?"

Many of Lucy's family members were married, engaged or in a relationship, even the teenagers in the family had their partners. Lucy had her fair share of high school relationships, but they never lasted. Her longest relationship was five months with a guy from her math class in her sophomore year of high school. They only ended their relationship because he was moving schools and long distance wasn't something he wanted to do.

Vanessa always asked Lucy about her relationship status since she didn't have to worry about hers anymore. She was marrying some rich guy from Ohio or Nevada, Lucy really couldn't remember where the guy was from, but that wasn't important. She didn't have a date to the wedding. She could already hear her cousins call her a loner.

"Probably my ex, well it's complicated with her. Beth doesn't make up her mind and I told her I'm not rushing, but if someone in my family asks, we're dating," Daniel replied. "What about you?"

Lucy sighed disappointedly. "I don't know, I can't take Ben because Vanessa knows we're only friends, plus Ben has his girlfriend or whatever they are. Maybe I'll take your dealer, he seems chill."

"Luce, no. Just ask some friend to go with you, problem solved."

Lucy looked away, avoiding eye contact with her brother. "Go ahead, I'm giving you permission even though it breaks my heart." She began to wipe a fake tear from her face.

"What?" Daniel asked confused.

"Dipshit, I'm trying to tell you I have no friends. It's just Ben and his girl, kinda-ish?" Lucy rolled her eyes, then took out her phone and showed her contact list to her brother. "Half of these people are phone companies, family and our neighbors that moved away like five years ago, pretty sure they blocked me."

"Then ask Ben's brother or some of his famous friends?" Daniel took out his phone and began to play some random puzzle game he had been addicted to lately.

"Jack is somewhere across the world and famous friends are always busy. I mean who would want to go to a wedding with nosy aunts, drunk uncles and kids running around with light up swords that they're gonna break or lose in five minutes." Lucy said. She thought about asking Ben if his brother was interested in going, but then she thought how Jack had more important stuff to do than spend a night with her and her crazy family.

"I'm having a crisis, what if I just don't go?" Lucy panicked.

"Okay." Daniel said, not taking his eyes off the screen.

"But then our aunts will make up rumors like I'm probably pregnant or I ran away, shit this is more stressful then when I took my final exams," Lucy ran a hand through her hair, then slammed her hand on the table in anger. "I need some fresh air." She got up from her seat and left the dining room to go outside with her grandma and the kids.

Finally, Daniel looked up and saw Lucy's phone on the kitchen table. She didn't know that Daniel was the only person that knew her code to get into her phone. He knew it was wrong to unlock it, but Lucy needed major help.

Daniel scrolled through her contacts until he found Ben's number then clicked it and waited for the british man to pick up.

"Hey, Lucy . . ." He heard after a few rings.

"Not that bitch, her brother actually. Hey, I need a favor and since you owe me one-"

"Stop it right there, I don't owe you anything. But I'll do anything for Lucy." Ben replied.

"Even arson?"

"What do you want?"

"Okay, damn so mean. Anyways, use your famous powers and, you know, get that spider-man guy to hang out with my dumbass sister for a night, act as her date so our family doesn't call her a loner." Daniel said.

"That's all? Why didn't she ask me herself?"

"Because she doesn't think things through. I told her to ask you to go with her, but she said you had a girl already. What's up with that, Benjamin? Last time I saw you with a girl, you stuttered." Daniel tried to make Ben remember what he saw.

"You ass, that was you! It was years ago in your father's restaurant!"

"Okay? Shut up no one likes you!"

Then a female voice was heard. "I do! I like him very much."

"Aw, you two make me wanna throw up." Daniel said, gagging at the end of his sentence.

"Shut up, I'll send him a message. Don't know if he'll make it or even want to, but I know how much Lucy loves him."

"Thanks, Englishman.  . . Oh shit, I forgot I made grilled cheese." Daniel raced to the kitchen, almost tripping over his feet.