Spanglish | editing

Chapter Twenty-Seven

"Agreed mermaid." Daniel jokes. "Nida, hold my hand."

Complying, I lace my fingers through Daniel's and continue to walk down the hallway. At this point, it's not a shock that Daniel and I are dating. It's as if the school just got used to it. Some people were surprised, but for the most part people were just waiting for it to happen.

"Call me mermaid again Daniel and I will, and this is a promise, chop your balls off." Ariel retaliates, stopping in front of her next class. The pair of us laugh. "¿Puedo pasar la noche en tu casa? Realmente no tengo ganas de irme a casa esta noche. (Can I spend the night at your house? I really do not feel like going home tonight.)"

I send a simple nod towards my best friend and she turns, walking into her class. The dread of going to another class sinks in and my mood immediately plummets. Giving Daniel a quick kiss, I head to my own hell.

•••

By the end of the day, I'm so tired that I'm almost concerned about whether or not I should be allowed to drive. Ariel is basically hanging on my back, me dragging her through the parking lot to my car. Of course I just had to park the farthest away from the school.

"Do you wanna stop by your house for some clothes?" I ask, readjusting my best friend so we can walk more comfortably.

"No, you have clothes. I'll just wear yours." She mumbles, a quiet laugh escaping me. Typical Ariel. As we near my car, we notice two people standing next to it as if they were waiting for us. I start to slow down, my eyebrow raised and my anxiety skyrocketing. I'm not one to fight normally. Yelling and cursing, that's a different story, but to lay hands on someone is something I rarely ever do. To be put in this situation, where I may have to hurt someone because they are a potential threat, scares the fuck out of me.

All my nerves die when I see it's just Kasey and her friend, Amber. The two blondes stand next to my car, chatting up a storm, but Kasey appears to be livid. Like she is waiting to start something bad. It doesn't take much more time to make it to speaking distance to the two girls, annoyance coursing through my veins.

"What do you want Kasey?" I demand, getting straight to the point. She and Amber snap their eyes towards me, a slow grin spreading on their faces. Ariel peels herself from my back, aware of the danger that lies ahead. Kasey walks towards me, her heels crunching the snow under her feet.

"You're dating Daniel." Kasey states. Behind me, Ariel laughs loudly before abruptly stopping herself. An amused smile comes from me too.

"Yeah, I'm aware. Do you need something or do you just find pleasure in making me stand outside in the snow?" I retort, the confident grin on her face being replaced by anger. A feeling of triumph fills me for a moment before the cold wind hits me again. Kasey stomps her foot and starts whining.

"Not fair! He was mine first, then you came and ruined everything! Give him back!" She squeals, Amber coming up behind her like a bodyguard. I roll my eyes.

"No." I respond. Kasey growls at me.

"Gosh I hate you! Just go back to where you came from!"

It was like the entire world turned red. I've been told off by some people in my life, I have been disliked by people, but never have I ever received a comment like that. My initial reaction was 'maybe she meant North Carolina'. The problem with that is no one but Daniel and Ariel know I'm from North Carolina. It only makes sense for her to be talking about a more racist way of things.