Last Kiss Goodbye • Teenage Juice Ortiz

35 - Don't Leave Me

Edited

THE PRESENT

Never before had she been mad enough to hit someone, but this time she couldn't stop herself; she raised her hand and slapped Emilio. "You're such an asshole sometimes!" she hissed.

With a dark look in his eyes he glared at her. "Did I lie? Haven't I done everything in my power to take care of you and your son? I'm not that fucking kid in high school anymore and I'm not going to stand here and put up with him being not able to see me as anything more than a rapist! What more do I need to do here June, I've spent the past five years showing you I'm not that guy and somehow I still wind up being the asshole?!"

June suppressed a sigh. She understood where he was coming from; if anyone was able to miss Juan like she had, it would be him. She knew that he would do anything to get his former friend back, but that didn't change the fact that outbursts like these only made things worse.

She shot a glance at Juan again, he was still staring at her as if he was in a trance. Emilio's words had rocked him, their weight too much for him to understand immediately.

"Do we – do we have a son?" he asked eventually, his hand reaching up to rub at his chest. She wouldn't be surprised if he was going into shock.

June bit her lip. Every time she thought he couldn't look more lost, he did. She wanted to get closer to him, to hug him, but as soon as her foot moved, he stumbled backwards, wildly shaking his head. "That – that's impossible. How – how old is he?"

"How old do you think he is?" Emilio's sharp voice sounded from behind her. "Dude, by now you gotta know that it ain't the storks delivering babies, right?"

June turned around. "Can you please go home? You're not helping at all, E."

The man huffed, his eyes still aimed at Juan. She could see that it hurt him that Juan was still rejecting him. However, she knew from experience that when he was feeling pain like that, it made him lash out in whatever way he could.

"Rafi needs to get to school anyway, he's already missed two classes because I asked him to stay with Glenn."

"Oh, you still want me to play daddy?"

She turned around, a pleading look in her eyes. "E... please. We already talked about this and..."

"He's walkin' away again." He nodded past her. "Go after him, June." He sighed, laying a hand against her cheek and giving her a sad smile. "Just go. I love you."

It sounded like a goodbye. Fear flared up that he would be gone when she got home; that this time, he would be the one leaving her.

On a whim, she kissed him.

"I'm not going anywhere, baby. I'll be waiting for you at home." He stroked her cheek; able to feel her fear effortlessly. "Go after him, be there for him in the way he won't let me be."

A friend. That was all she was now. Juan's friend. Nothing more, nothing less. Emilio gave her a gentle push and she turned around. Juan was already at his bike as she hurried towards him.

She stood still in front of the vehicle, having no idea what to say to him after being caught in his sad eyes.

"Comin' round was a mistake," he muttered. "I can't do this, I'm sorry June."

She tried to swallow the lump in her throat. "But – don't you wanna talk about our son?"

He bent his head. "You – you didn't want me to know about him, right?"