Him & I

40

At the front of my gate is a familiar yellow striped school bus, making the driver I'm with have to wait by Pamela's. Which is uncomfortable for me, so I just tell the driver that I'm alright here, he can go. Toby alights from the bus at the same time I get down the car, we exchange a small wave before getting to each other, wait for both vehicles to leave— the school bus taking longer to go whilst being exceptionally noisy— and then move towards our gate.

Toby drags his backpack on the floor, makes a fuss to keep it leaning on the gate and rings the bell. My brow lifts, "Is Soledad home?"

"Mhm. She said she's got the day off today. Also promised to make one of her secret formula margaritas."

Carefully eyeing him, knowing we're probably thinking the same thing , I mutter a low, "Well, let's hope she forgot that last part."

The sound of a car revving shifts my focus from Toby's childish smile, and I'm met with a van not a car. A dark van with tinted windows a few blocks away. My brother turns around to see it too. I pull him closer on instinct.

"Never seen this van before, think someone's moving in?" I lower my head to watch his facial expression from the side. His scrunched up face looks more like a bunny's.

"No. People usually move with white vans, not black ones. Racism."

"Oh my goodness, shut up."

He laughs. "Plus, I see the van everyday."

"This particular van?"

"Yeah! Well, it's either the same one or different black vans drive into our street and stay at the same spot every single day. Whichever."

My eyebrows knit as I watch it drive out of our street, it's almost gone when the gate unlocks, revealing Danielle-Soledad in baggy home clothes.

"Buenas tardes," Toby greets before leaving my arms, grabbing the straps of his school bag and going inside.

Nathan's confession from a few hours ago comes rushing into my mind once my gaze lands properly on her. And it sort of makes me see things. Like Soledad with an incredibly sour mood.

"¿Estás bien?" I ask once I step inside. She doesn't answer, just loudly locks the gate back, and walks past me.

Okay, I'm not seeing things. She really is mad. I was planning to have a talk with my sister concerning what Nathan told me, but could he have gotten to her before me? Am I—

First of all, I did nothing wrong. It's not like I'm the cause of anything, I'm literally just finding out today.

So, why does it sound like I'm trying to convince myself?

Stepping out of my trance, I begin the long walk into the house, following her up the stairs, and surprisingly— my room.

While I hang by the door, she walks all the way inside like she owns it. Well, like she always does except, this time, with a frown on her face.

Stopping by my homework desk, she picks something off it.

"Care to explain where this came from?"

At first, I'm confused.

It's when I really focus on what's in her hand that I notice it looks a lot like a video tape. The video tape I got from the garage that has the name Anica Galvez Martinez written boldly on it. Oh.

Even though my heart's pounding, when I lift my eyes up to meet her dark brown ones, I fake not caring.

I purposefully make sure everything I do is done slowly. Dropping my bag to the floor, peeling off my blazer. Talking. "Where'd you get that from?"