Somewhere in the Haze - Pablo Gavi

2. The Deal

A few hours later I hear the front door open and assume it's Pedri getting home from practice. I leave my room, still in my pajamas and head downstairs to say hi. When I get into the living room I see both him and Gavi.

Seeing Gavi causes me to pause mid step, having thought after what Pedri witnessed this morning he'd be unhappy with Gavi and not invite him over. Or at least he'd recognize the fact that I don't want him here and respect it for once.

"Adri," Pedri says when he notices me. "Good, you're home." I would call it the opposite of good; I wish I wasn't home right now.

I can feel it in the air, the comment that I'm always home because I have no life Gavi resists from making.

"What is he doing here?" I ask Pedri, pointedly not looking over at Gavi.

"You two need to talk," my brother says, looking between the two of us. I finally look over at Gavi and his jaw is set but he's not arguing.

"I have nothing to say," I tell my brother. Look, Gavi and I have arguments all the time, and sometimes one of us goes too far. But we never apologize and no matter who the asshole was that particular time the other eventually gets over it for Pedri.

"Then you can listen. Look," Pedri says, "you're my sister and he's my bestfriend, can you two try to get along? You don't have to be besties or some shit, but try and be friends. And try not to be so rude to each other!" He storms off up the stairs. "When I get back you two better have made up!" he calls down the stairs. A few seconds later I hear the shower running.

I walk over to the couch and sit down, crossing my arms, angling my body away from Gavi when he comes and sits next to me.

"Adri--" he starts, the annoyance he is being forced into this plain in his voice.

"Don't call me that," I snap.

He takes a deep breath. "Adrianna." Somehow him calling me my full name is so much worse. But I can't correct him again. Plus, Pedri wants us to get along so I need to try. "I'm sorry," he says, but I can tell he doesn't mean it.

"Sorry for what?" I ask, playing dumb but turning my body to face him. I don't uncross my arms.

He pauses. "You know what, I'm not sorry." I stare at him in disbelief. "I'm not sorry I took it too far this morning because that's what we always do. You and I," he gestures between the two of us, "we bicker and try to get to each other. I won this morning and you can either accept that or go tattle to Pepi. But that's going to upset Pepi more and neither of us want that. So why don't we pretend to get along while actually continuing on the way we are?"

"Okay," I say, considering what he's saying. "Sounds good." He's only apologizing so Pedri will keep giving him rides to training. "You can go now."

"That's it?" he says teasingly, his demeanor quickly to changing. A smirk is plastered across his face and I can tell he's gotten what he wants. "I thought we were supposed to be becoming friends."

I look him dead in the eye. "I hate you." He smiles. "I hate you and your stupid face and how you're always getting under my skin. I hate that you're an asshole but still not a horrible person so I can't tell Pepi to stop being friends with you. I hate how you seem to be a good friend to him when I see videos online, but when you're here all you do is argue with me. So no, we're not going to be friends. For Pedri's sake I'll tolerate and avoid you, but that's the best you're getting."

"Alright." He nods once and reaches over to the coffee table and grabs the remote. 

"What are you doing?" I ask.