California Dreamin

11

El Paso was hotter than ever that day. Kids running around and screaming for joy while playing with each other filled the town's streets and melted Nina's heart.

She was sitting at the bar she's always go to with Nancy. As a matter of fact, she was waiting for her impatiently and she couldn't stop pinching her arm out of anxiety.

It was no surprise she didn't know what to do and to say to her friend. Was it the right thing to do to tell her the truth?

Her thoughts were interrupted by her friend screaming as she was exited to see Nina after an entire week. The tight hug they gave each other actually destroyed Nina from the inside as she thought of the secret she was hiding.

"God, I missed you so much Neens."
"I missed you too, little one." She smiled sincerely although a veil of sadness was pretty visible in her eyes.

"What's wrong? Is everything okay?" Nancy asked with a worried tone. She knew her best friend too well not to notice her eyes being different. They were always so bright and sparkling but in that moment, they were dark and dead. Something was definitely bothering her.

"U-uh yeah, I'm just a little tired. That's it." She cleared her throat to hide how nervous she really was.
Nancy pretended to believe her and decided to change the topic for a moment and of course she had to ask about Richard.

"So, how was he, huh? Was he fit? Did you fight a lot? I bet he got drunk lots of times."
While Nancy kept asking questions about him, Nina went through all the memories he made with him there. When they smoked together. The late night swim. When he almost got into a fight with those boys at the pub for her. The kisses.

"He was sweet." She interrupted the younger girl. "And caring, funny." She said almost in a whisper.
Nancy had heart shaped eyes after hearing Nina's answer.
"Awe, I'm sure he is! God, he's so perfect for me."

She agreed without looking at her face. She couldn't do it.
That was the last time they saw each other as Nina spent the entire summer avoiding both Nancy and Richard.

The young Ramirez even called a few times at her house, luckily it was Ms. Ayala who always took the phone.
Everytime she would tell him that Nina wasn't home, but it was a lie as everytime she would stand next to her mother, guiding her in what to say.

She didn't want to see him, she had to stay away from him to be able to forget him and go back to see him as a friend only. Still, it was really hard because at the same time, she wouldn't see Nancy or she'd feel terrible. However, even after forgetting about Richard, how was she going to deal with the remorse for what she did to her best friend?

She was still doing good at avoiding them, although it hurt.
Until one night.
She woke up to some tapping noises at her window, like someone was throwing small rocks at it. She got up, thinking it was probably Nancy missing her.

She opened the window and poked her head outside. Richard.
"What the hell are you doing here?!" She hissed, careful not to wake her parents up or she would have been in trouble.

The boy made a hand gesture to suggest her to come outside. And she did exactly that. She put on some slippers and got out of her house with her not-too-revealing summer pajamas.
"Where have you been in the past few weeks? You were never home."

She sighed, thinking if she should tell him the truth at that point.
"I'm been avoiding you, Richard."

The boy furrowed his eyebrows, clearly confused. A few weeks earlier they were kissing on the beach. What did he do wrong?
He was about to ask her the reason but she probably read his mind as she spoke again.

"We can't be together and you know it. I can't do this to Nancy and no, I didn't tell her anything. I can't even look at her face. I can't break her heart like this. Not me." She sighed again.
"I need to forget about you and now you're definitely not helping at all."

Richard stood there, without saying a word. That silence almost too loud for Nina to handle. The only noise filling the streets was the cricket's singing.
"Is that what you want?" He then went dangerously up close to her face.

"Richie please." She took a few steps back.
"I'm doing this for Nancy."

He looked away and nodded slowly before walking away.