Breaking

Chapter 33.

I wake up to yelling.

I jump out of bed, fully awake in an instant, and run out of the room. Arabella, Alex, and Brenda are all on the floor playing a homemade game of Twister. "Y'all scared the shit out of me!" I yell at them, which only makes them laugh. I give them the finger and drop onto the couch, lying flat on my stomach.

Arabella crawls over to me and kisses my head. "Sorry, papa."

"It's okay," I assure her.

I lie there and watch them play and finish their game. Arabella wins-of course, then she and Brenda go to the kitchen to get started on dinner, leaving Alex and me alone.

Immediately, he stiffens. And I frown.

I don't want him to be uncomfortable. I'm still in a good mood, despite waking up to a fearful heart attack, and I don't want to ruin that.

"Do you want wine...or beer?" I ask him.

I would not offer him any alcohol if I didn't already know his parents allowed him to drink.

"Yes, please," he says urgently. "Beer. I mean, whichever, really."

"Patrick and Manuel are the only reason why I have beer. You're welcome to it." I get up from the couch and walk to the kitchen. "What's for dinner?" I ask the girls.

"We're making yellow rice and stake," Arabella answers. It's her favorite.

I nod, grabbing two beers from the fridge. "If you need help, just ask."

"Har Har-Har!" She throws a rag at me.

"I didn't say anything!" I laugh.

Arabella

"I love how playful you guys are," Brenda says after my papa leaves the kitchen, and I smile at her.

"Do you have any plans after volleyball?" We only have one game left before we take our summer break. I hate it. The only bright side is I'll be going back to boxer soon.

"Nope. I'm completely winding down. I already have it scheduled, I'm going to the spa, then I'm getting my nails and toes done. You should come!"

I shake my head. "It took my tía and me nearly a month to convince my papa to allow me to wear makeup, and he only said yes because he knew I wouldn't wear it often. Plus, I'm starting boxing soon."

"Oh, really? When?"

"The day after our last game."

She shakes her head, almost shamefully. "Arabella, you're young and a girl and deserves a break. Have you ever done your nails before?" Now I'm the one to shake their head shamefully. She can tell. "There's nothing to be ashamed of," she says assuringly. "If you want, we can try press-on first. You can see how good they look and how bad-ass they make you feel." She chuckles to herself.

I nod. "Okay."

"I think a nice dark purple will work for you, especially with your skin tone."

I shrug. "Okay. But not my toes." Rosalee tried taking me once, and I impulsively kicked the woman in the throat.

"And the spa?"

"What will they do?"

"I can show you their website, if you see anything you like, we can do it."

I smile. "Okay. Thank you, Brenda."

Tobias

Alex finishes his beer faster than I'd like to admit. He's still on edge and it's pissing me off. "What is it?" I finally ask.