Spain's Brightest (Patri Guijarro)

Pity Party

November 2021

Jessica's POV:

"Jess? It's Lola." She knocked on the door. I sighed and got up. I opened the door and she looked at me. "Can I come in?"

"Fine." I let her in and shut the door. "Something wrong?"

"Yeah. You don't hang out with us anymore. I have all these windshield jokes in my head and no one to use them on." She said.

"That's all you are to her. A joke."

I looked away. "I've just been busy." I went to the kitchen.

"Jess." She said. "What's going on?"

"Go ahead. Tell her what's going on. Like she'd even care. You're nothing to her."

"Nothing's going on. I'm fine." I said.

"Are you?"

"You go to work and then come home."

"What do you want me to do? I work, I'm tired, I go home."

"You used to come over. Hang out with Carmen and me! Get lunch with Vir on our days off. You don't do that anymore."

"If Virginia was really that bothered, she'd come see you herself. Guess she's already forgotten about you."

I looked down. "I just don't feel like it right now."

She nodded. "Too bad. Because it was a lot of fun having you around. We miss our friend." She got up. "When you want to tell me what's really going on, I'll be here in a heartbeat." She opened the door and left.

"No, she won't."

"No, she won't." I mumbled.

Patri's POV:

I got to Madrid and went to see Jess. We had a small break and I needed to see my girlfriend. I got to her door and knocked.

"Lola I don't want to talk to you!" Jess said and opened the door.

"I'm not Lola." I smiled.

"Patri. What are you doing here?"

"I can't surprise my girlfriend who I love very much and miss every day?"

She smiled. "Come in." I walked inside and saw the blankets on the couch.

"Sleeping on the couch?" I asked.

"I started falling asleep while watching tv so I just brought blankets in case." She said.

"Before I forget. Daily reminder, I love you."

She laughed. "You don't have to tell me every day." She sat down.

"But I want to." I sat next to her. "Because I do love you. So much and I want you to know that." She looked down and I saw tears in her eyes. "Hey. Don't cry." I wrapped my arms around her. "What's going on?"

"I don't know." She whispered. "I'm falling apart. I'm just broken. That's all I am. Erica she just," She looked up. "She reminded me of that. All I hear is her voice, telling me I'm nothing. My voice, yours, Lola, Carmen, Virginia, everyone I've met. I hear their voice telling me I'm nothing. My mother." She whispered. "She gave me up once, why won't she do it again?"

"She didn't give you up. She thought she was giving you a better life. Jess, look at me. Those voices are lying to you. You're so important to us, all of us. Me, Lola, Carmen, Virginia, you mean so much to all of us. Alexia has been asking me about you every day since what happened. Even before then, she asks how you're doing. Mapi too. We all care about you."

"Then why do I feel like this."

"I don't know. But let us help. Please. We just want to see you happy."

December 2021

Jessica's POV:

I spun around in my chair after practice. There was a knock on the door. "Come in." I said and stopped spinning.

Lola walked in. "Were you spinning?"

"How can you tell?"

"Because you look like you're about to puke." She laughed. She leaned against the desk and looked at me. "Carmen is going out with her family tonight. I told her to have a nice night with them. Besides, I want to hang out with my favorite pain in the ass."

"Virginia doesn't have plans?"

"HAHA!" Virginia popped her head in. "What did I ever do to you, huh?"

"Nothing but you get really upset so I continue."

She pointed at me and Lola. "I hate this friendship. I really do!" She walked away.

"What do you say?" Lola looked at me. "I'm thinking we order something we know we'll regret eating and watch the first thing we find on Netflix."

"I just have one question."

"Give it to me."

"My apartment or yours?"

"I'll see you later, Jess." She laughed and walked out.

"It's cute. Really is. You've been ignoring the truth. They don't care about you, Jess! Lola is hanging out with you out of pity. Everyone has plans and you're all alone."

"No." I closed my eyes.

"Yes. You know it's true. Her girlfriend's family is here and she's going to hang out with you instead? She feels sorry for you. They all do."

I gripped the arms of the chair and tried to block it out.

"Poor weak little Jess. When's your mom moving back to Madrid? Oh wait, she's not. She doesn't want to be around you."

"Shut up!" I opened my eyes. The room was empty. I looked at my phone.

3 missed calls

Patri

"Don't hang out with Lola. It's a pity party."

"She's my friend." I mumbled.

"No, she's not. Your whole friendship is based on pity. She's not friends with you because she wants to be. She stays around you because of Patri. Because you looked out for Carmen. If it wasn't because of that, Lola wouldn't pay any attention to you."

I stood up and grabbed my keys. I walked to the car and saw Lola and Carmen.

"When Angela told them everything that happened, who was the first person to believe it? Lola was. She's never believed in you, Jess."

"You ready for our fun night!" She smiled. I got in the car and started it. "Jess?"

"Pity party. No one wants to go to a pity party."

I looked at Lola and then drove away.

"You don't want their pity."

"I don't want their pity."

"They don't care about you. It's an act."

"They don't care about me."