Ámbar left Simón with a kiss on his forehead and walked silently out of his guest room. The chill of the early morning swept into her bones. She made a mental note to tell Miguel to start turning on the heating as she hugged herself and hurried back to her own room.
It would've been disorienting to wake up in a place she didn't recognize if it wasn't impossible to feel fear with Simón cuddled up next to her. His scent and the feel of his breathing were cozier and more familiar than any room. She hadn't really wanted to leave the warmth of his arms, especially when he stirred the instant she separated from him and murmured sleepy words. It'd been so adorable, but she cooed him back to sleep and covered him with the blankets. He could still rest a little longer.
Ámbar entered her room, cold and alone, and immediately remembered with annoyance why she was in such position in the first place.
It'd been about four minutes since she parted from Simón when she heard a knock on her door. She frowned but went to open it.
"That was qui—"
Her smile dropped. It wasn't Simón on the other side of the door— it was Rey.
"Miss Ámbar," he greeted in that proper, courteous tone he had always used with her. It had never been a real show of respect and they both knew it. Rey used it to mock her because he'd never liked her.
Well, the feeling was mutual.
"What do you want, Rey?"
"I need to speak with you. May I come in?" He took a step forward.
Ámbar scoffed and pushed him back with a hand on his chest. "Absolutely not. Whatever you have to say, say it right here."
"Okay, have it your way." He looked at each side of the hallway and then spoke in a quiet voice. "I spoke with your godmother. She told me you two talked yesterday."
Ámbar's heart raced with anxiety. Nothing good could come after that.
"And?" She asked as impassive as she could.
"Sharon is not happy with your relationship."
"She is never happy with anything, you could learn to ignore her once in a while, no?"
"She told me that you refused to break up with Simón and asked me expressly to keep an eye on the situation."
Ámbar's jaw dropped and she scoffed. "I can not believe this. She goes away and doesn't even take the time to call me- And now she has the gall to want to control my life?" She shook her head. "No. I forbid you from sticking your nose into my affairs, Rey. Don't even get close to Simón."
He laughed. "You don't have the authority to forbid me anything, miss. It's not like I care about your little romance either, but I recommend that you listen to your godmother or I'll find myself obliged to tell the Valente about your indiscretion."
"You do that and I tell them all about how you're still Sharon's little toy."
"Go ahead, do it," he invited. "Then I'll take the opportunity to tell them about how you knew perfectly well that you were not Sol Benson and how you've known all this time your godmother's plans and, yet, you've kept quiet."
Ámbar looked him right in the eye. "... It seems to me like you need to reconsider who's got more to lose here, Rey," she told him icily. "Because I won't go to jail for saying the truth, but you will."
"I know for a fact that you wouldn't dare."
"Really?" She inched her face closer to his. "Are you really willing to find out? Because if you go looking for trouble with me, Rey, I can promise you... you're going to find it."
That's when Simón had arrived.
She thanked any God there was out there that he hadn't heard the rest of the conversation. Sometimes she did have a little luck, even if it abandoned her when she most needed it. At any rate, she had managed to neutralize the situation and threaten Rey into silence. No matter how loyal he was to Sharon, he surely cared more about his own skin than her whims, so Ámbar was certain he wouldn't be stupid enough to talk. The same went for Maggie; she wasn't going to risk it.
She went to her bathroom and turned on the shower to melt the cold out of her skin and start her day. She'd have a talk with her godmother eventually about staying out of her affairs, but in the meantime, she was gonna live her life.
*******************
Pedro placed the order of fries and milkshakes in front of the pair of customers and smiled.
"Here you go. Enjoy."
The couple, who were clearly dating, said their thanks and dove into their food. If he wasn't wrong, he had attended to them at the lockers once, so, apparently, they had liked the rink and decided to give the food a go. With a little luck, they'd become regulars and he'd secure himself some tips.
He made a quick scan of the cafeteria to see if any other table needed serving, but everything seemed in order so he returned behind the bar.
It was the early afternoon and by now it had been a slow day all in all. He replenished the display of muffins on the side and proceeded to wash some glasses. He was putting them back on the shelves behind him when someone called his name.
"Pedro."
He'd know that voice anywhere.
Pedro turned around, finding the eyes, the face, the hair, the everything that made his heart sing. Normally.
"I want to talk to you," Delfi said, soft and a little hesitantly. "Can we?"
Pedro tucked his hands into the pockets of his jeans.
"What, you wanna tell me how sorry and awful you feel for mistrusting me?" He said, more playful than really defensive, although, there was some of that too.
"No, I already said that," she pointed out with a tiny smile.
It was true, they had talked about what happened the day before, some. She'd had her day full with lessons and worrying over her social media demise (her words) and he had been working, as always. They had some time together in the lockers before he left for the video rehearsal and she had apologized. Pedro understood where she'd been coming from, but it still hurt that she'd believed him capable of outing her— Especially of doing so and then not even remembering doing it like some dumbass. He thought she had a better image of him than that.
Either way, they had talked and he'd accepted her apology because he loved her and everyone was allowed to make errors in judgment, especially in stressful situations. They still weren't completely okay though, not as before.
"I wanna ask you out on a date," Delfi continued, because of that very reason most probably. "I know it's been some time since we went out together and, I don't know, I thought I'd be a nice way to make it up to you. What do you say?"
Her eyes were full of hope and eagerness to make amends. Pedro would've been lying if he said he didn't want to go; he missed going on dates with her. But everything was still very fresh.
"It sounds good," he admitted. "But I don't know, Delfi. I have work and then I have rehearsal again..."
"We can go during your lunch break. Come on, please, you can't be mad at me forever," she pouted cutely. Everything she did was cute; it was so unfair. "Look, I'll invite you anywhere you want," she proposed and perked up with an idea. "We could go bowling! You told me the other day that you wanted to go."
That sounded very tempting. And it warmed his heart that she remembered he mentioned that. At first glance, anyone could think that Delfi was rather self-centered, but she actually had quite an attention to detail, especially with him, and she was very caring and he loved her for that.
Yes, she'd hurt his feelings, but she apologized, and he indeed didn't want them to keep being in a fight. Spending some time together could be the first step to fixing things...
He heard Matteo's voice in his head. Make her work for it.
Suddenly, an idea struck, which was brilliant because it meant he could do both things. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and put on a casual expression.
"Okay, we can go bowling."
Delfi smiled wide and joined her hands in victory. "Yes! Thank you, my love—"
"If Simón and Ámbar come too."
She froze.
"W- why do you want them to go?"
He shrugged. "That's my condition. I'm still too upset for it to be just the two of us."
She grimaced. "Can't it just be Simón?"
"And have him be the third wheel all afternoon? No. Double date or nothing."
As he watched Delfi's face, he started to wonder if he was being too hard on her. But then he remembered how she had accused him of something he didn't do. And it's not like what he was asking for was torture, it was just awkward enough to serve as payback.
Delfi seemed to come to the same conclusion as her shoulders slumped and she sighed.
"Okay, fine, they can come too."
Pedro smiled. "Awesome." He turned his head. "Simón! Ámbar! Wanna go bowling during lunch break?"
Simón was hanging by Ámbar's worktable as he did sometimes when work was light. Both looked at each other.
"I don't know if all three of us can leave just like that..." Ámbar mused, troubled. "We'd be leaving Eric alone with everything. I'm the manager; if anyone should stay in charge of the place is me."
Delfi turned to Pedro quickly. "See? Poor Eric. They should stay," she told him with less than sincere sympathy.
"It'd only be for an hour," Simón encouraged Ámbar. "We can put on the 'closed for lunch' sign. Come on, it'll be fun."
His friend's puppy eyes and disarming smile did their job. Pedro found himself in the unexpected position of relating to Ámbar— Neither of them could say no to their significant other.
"Okay, we can go," she conceded with a smile, to which Simón responded with excitement.
Pedro turned to Delfi with a winning smile. She glared at him.
Oh yeah. This was going to be fun.
************************
Simón didn't want to wake up without Ámbar ever again.
Of course, he knew that wasn't possible; it was bound to happen more than once. But it'd been weird to wake up by his alarm instead of by her (thank god he preferred a calm, positive song instead of Ámbar's chirring melody or he would've jumped out of his skin) and he'd almost fallen off the side of the bed searching for her in his half-asleep state. (That last part was his fault though; he really was a heavy sleeper.)
Anyway, he was fully making up for it now, holding her hand in their way to the bowling alley. Hand holding, he'd realized, was okay in public, and she'd even let him kiss her at the park the day before. Granted, there weren't many people nearby, but maybe she wasn't as averse to PDA as he'd first thought? He hoped so. It was very tough having to keep his distance when all he wanted was to be close to her.
Like, for example, an hour earlier. Ámbar had approached Eric and taken the time to discuss their plans with him to make sure that he was absolutely okay with staying by himself. She'd argued, after, that it was her responsibility as boss, the least she should do really, but Simón knew that it came more from genuine worry and care. She didn't want him to feel overwhelmed or neglected. Long gone was the Ámbar who only thought about herself. Or, at least the time when he thought she was like that. Never in his life had he been happier to be wrong.
He'd wanted to kiss her then. Hug her and rain kisses on her face as he told her how much he adored her. The words he could convey, but at the first peck he dared place on her lips, she'd looked around the cafeteria, like searching for any gaze on them. It was a little disheartening if he was completely honest, but he swore to himself he'd never do anything that made her feel uncomfortable. That was more important.
The walk had been filled with anecdotes of other times they'd gone bowling, like how Nico always complained that they cheated because he never managed to win or that Simón's dad was a fan of the game and so he'd taught him how to play since he was a kid.
Soon they'd reached their destination and settled on the table by their lane. They entered their names on the score machine making it so Pedro went first, then Delfi, Simón and finally Ámbar. Simón had originally proposed ladies first, but she had preferred that order for some reason.
Delfi cheered for Pedro when he managed to knock most of the pins down with his very first throw. Simón expected nothing less; Pedro was very good, which made competing against him so much fun, often betting trivial things like who would do the dishes that night.
Well, those were trivial things at the time. How were they supposed to know they'd be thrown into the street come one morning?
Pedro knocked the remaining pins with his second throw and Delfi came forward. Simón had never played with her so he didn't know what to expect, but she did pretty good— she only missed two pins by the end of it.
Simón stood, grinning at his company with playful conceit.
"Watch and learn, ladies and gentlemen."
He went to the ball rack, grabbed one of the blue ones and stood on the approach area, staring at the pins on the end of the lane. Usually, he'd take it easy and just have fun, but Ámbar was watching. So, he focused on his stance, let all the years of experience wash over his body as he moved forwards, and released the ball.
The clatter of falling pins echoed all around. It was a strike.
"Yes!"
Delfi whooped at the same time as Pedro yelled "Show-off!" with teasing indignation. Simón walked back to the table with a big smile, especially because of Ámbar's positively impressed face.
"Wow, you're very good at this," she said, looking him up and down appreciatively.
"I've had lots of practice, that's all," he replied. "But I'm not always gonna do strikes, okay? Please lower your expectations."
She chuckled. "If you say so."
"Come on, Ámbar, you're up!" Pedro told her.
"Right."
Ámbar walked to the ball rack and went directly for a black one. She lifted it up, or so she tried, because the instant she held it in one hand, its weight pulled her down like an anchor, making her lose her balance for a moment.
"Wow—!"
Simón ran to her. "Ámbar!"
He quickly took the ball from her struggling hands. "Are you okay? You shouldn't use these." He put the ball back and grabbed another. "Here, try the pink one."
Ámbar's face tensed up. "I don't want the pink one," she retorted, like slightly offended he'd say that. Oh.
"It's not about the color, it's about the weight," he quickly clarified. "I don't want you to hurt your fingers or something."
She scrunched up her brows. "They have different weights?"
Simón blinked. "Yes, they— Uh..." He frowned. "I thought you said you've gone bowling before."
"I did. Once, some years ago."
"And no one told you they have different weights?" He asked, completely baffled. He turned the pink ball in his hands. "See? They have numbers that show the weight. This one's a 9 pounds ball; the black one you just picked up was a 16."
"... Oh." She received the pink ball from him. "Well, that explains a lot."
"You didn't have any trouble last time you played?"
"No... because I only played with the pink one," she admitted begrudgingly. "By the way, that is such sexist crap."
He chuckled. "Agreed."
Simón left her and moved back so she could do her shot.
Ámbar got into position, bent down, threw the ball... and it went directly to the right gutter.
"Damn."
"A little more to the left next time!" Simón called out amusingly.
"Thanks, captain obvious."
Ámbar grabbed the pink ball again from the ball return machine, got in position and swung her arm.
The ball went too much to the left and barely touched the pin on the left edge before disappearing.
Ámbar groaned and walked back to her seat.
"Want me to teach you how to do it better?" Simón offered.
"No, I can do it, I just gotta get the hang of it," she replied dismissively.
********************
She didn't get the hang of it.
The game had carried on and the most pins Ámbar had managed to knock down simultaneously were three. On the edge. Which would've been funny, Pedro thought, if she wasn't so obviously frustrated by it.
Clearly being bad at something was not Ámbar's cup of tea. She'd laughed it off at first, had cheered for Simón's shots, but she'd gotten gradually more frustrated as the game went on.
Right before her sixth turn, Simón had offered to help again.
"Are you sure you don't want me to—"
"Shh, let me focus, Simón."
Simón had closed his mouth and stayed in his seat. Pedro couldn't help but think that he looked like a disappointed puppy and decided to intervene.
During Simón's next turn, he turned to Ámbar.
"Could you just let him show you how to do it?" He asked of her.
"I'm getting better on my own!" She protested. "I already managed to knock three down, I'll get there."
Pedro sighed. She was so smart for some things, but apparently, human relations was not one of them.
"Ámbar, Simón's not offering to help you out of pity; he just wants to show off to his girlfriend and have an excuse to be near you."
Ámbar's face froze. Her expression changed, slowly softening.
Simón returned to their table. "You're up, Ámbar."
"... Actually," she stood in front of him, "I changed my mind. Could you help me? Please? I... really don't know what I'm doing wrong," she confessed.
In his mind's eye, Pedro could see Simón's imaginary tail begin wagging like crazy.
"Yeah, sure," he said, and went with her to the approach area.
Pedro stayed watching as Simón explained the technique to her. He adjusted her position and stood behind her to show her the movement of her arm and wrist. He had one arm around her and Ámbar seemed unable to decide between looking focused or smiling at him adoringly. They were the stereotypical couply scene one saw in TV shows.
"It's so weird to see Ámbar with Simón," Delfi commented next to him, bringing his attention back to her. "And actually admit she doesn't get how to do something. I never thought I'd see the day."
Pedro observed her profile. She was looking at the couple as if they were a crossword she wanted to solve. His gaze moved back to them.
"It was weird for me too to see them together at first, but you get used to it."
She looked at him. "And you're not worried that she's gonna end up hurting him?"
Ámbar finally threw her ball and managed to knock half of the pins down with it. Both exclaimed excitedly and she jumped into his arms, circling his neck. Simón spun her around before encouraging her to take the ball again and do the second shot. They had huge smiles on their faces.
"I've only seen him happy until now."
Ámbar didn't manage to knock all the pins down, but she only missed three. It was the best turn she'd had this far and you could tell it had lifted her spirits. Now, whether it was really because of the game or due to the guy at her side was debatable.
Pedro cheered and clapped as they walked back to the table, the excitement quite catchy. The mood remained joyful until the end of the game. Simón came out on first place, surprising no one, followed, surprisingly, by Delfi instead of Pedro in second place. Delfi had claimed until the very end that he had let her win. Pedro had no idea what she was talking about.
Ámbar came out last since there was no way to recover from all the disastrous throws at the beginning, but by the end of it, she didn't seem to mind much. Considering she'd made Simón help her in all her remaining turns, and he'd dropped kisses on her cheek every chance he got, it didn't take a genius to know why.
************************
"I still can't believe you didn't even know the balls have different weights," Simón said with amusement. "I mean, Pedro and I have come to play like ten times since I arrived here, and you'd only gone once."
Since they still had about half an hour free after they finished bowling, they had decided to go to the near park and sit on the grass for a while. The group had found a place under the shade, on a small hill, and sat down with each couple facing the other.
"Well, the experience of wearing rented shoes and touching bowling balls that hundreds have touched before wasn't very enticing," Ámbar replied next to him. Unlike the rest of them, she wasn't touching the grass. Before she could even attempt to sit down, Simón had stopped her and taken off the red flannel shirt around his hips for her to sit on. 'So you don't get your pants dirty,' he'd said, referring to the golden, metallic pants she was wearing. Ámbar had smiled with tenderness and thanked him with a kiss on the cheek. Now they were sitting with his arm around her as she leaned against his side.
Delfi wondered if it was subconscious or Simón had made the decision of wearing more black as of late just to match with her. Like now, with both of them wearing black t-shirts plus Ámbar's sleeveless vest. Not like it mattered— A change in wardrobe didn't mean he was being "dragged to the dark side" as Jazmín sillily put it. Delfi just noticed these things because she couldn't help it. And because she couldn't stop looking at them like a disaster waiting to happen.
"Hm, you sure it's got nothing to do with the fact that you can't hit a strike to save your life?" Pedro asked teasingly.
"Hey! I hit one in the end!"
"Simón threw that ball with you, it doesn't count."
"It so does. Right, my love?"
"Of course, bonita." He kissed her head. "You did awesome."
Pedro scoffed. "You're so whipped. You only say that because you spent the whole time fondling her."
Ámbar cackled just as Simón exclaimed, flustered over her shoulder. "I did not!"
Delfi turned to Pedro with a fake scolding face. "My love, don't give him away like that, poor thing."
"Hey! What the hell, everyone's against me now?" Simón complained. Everyone just laughed, confirming his statement. He huffed in mock annoyance. "Whatever. I'll go buy refreshments." He untangled himself from Ámbar's side to stand up. "Do you want anything?" He asked her.
"Orange juice please," she replied.
Simón just stayed there, looking at her. "Uh huh."
"No, wait, a diet soda," Ámbar corrected. "No, peach juice. Or just water."
Simón chuckled.
"Okay. Juice, diet soda and water coming up. You guys?"
Pedro stood up, much to Delfi's alarm. "I'll go with you." He turned to her. "Apple juice, right?"
She looked at him with wide eyes. "Yeah, but, my love—"
"We'll be right back," he said, ignoring her clear ocular message of 'what are you doing?' and left alongside Simón.
"Just the juice please!" Ámbar called out after them. Simón turned enough to show a thumbs up and then both carried on their way, turning smaller and smaller as they walked.
Soon Delfi couldn't even see them anymore and she was forced to face the situation she was stuck in. Her gaze met Ámbar's. In an instant, the awkwardness thickened between them.
She couldn't believe Pedro had just left her alone with her. Clearly, he must've thought of it as a small revenge for what happened. She guessed she deserved it.
But although it was awkward, Delfi was not intimidated. On the contrary, she quickly realized this was a rich opportunity to do something in a way probably only she could. Because she knew Ámbar, from a long time, had been her accomplice in many things, and she had sworn since then along with Jazmín not to be so again.
"I see you fixed things with Pedro," Ámbar commented with a tiny smile, seemingly to fill the awkward silence. "That's good."
Delfi was not going to let this carry on like this.
"What are you scheming? What's your plan?"
Ámbar blinked. Her smile wavered and she recoiled a little, furrowing her brows. "Um. I'm sorry?"
Delfi didn't allow herself to hesitate. She couldn't. Much as Ámbar was being friendly, it could very easily be an act. It was true that she had helped her and Jazmín uncover Emilia's and Benicio's deed, and throughout their outing now she hadn't seen any sign of her usual attacks hidden behind fake sweet words. But Delfi still couldn't shake off the suspicion, and she knew she had good reasons not to.
After all, she was her oldest friend.
"Why are you doing all of this?" She asked, staring right at her. "With Simón. What do you wanna gain?" She searched her face, trying to decipher what her intentions could be. "You must want something. One minute you were with the Red Sharks trying to make our life impossible and the next you were dating him— Why?"
Everyone knew Simón's version: Ámbar had changed, she had a good heart, they fell in love. But Simón was too good for his own good.
Ámbar on the other hand... She was good at something else, Delfi had to give her that. She wasn't letting anything show right now, even in the face of her direct questioning. She just remained quiet for a bit, solemn, as if thinking of what to say.
"... I imagine it must have looked like that from the outside," she said finally, something like dejected understanding in her voice, "but I assure you that there were many other things happening behind all that. If I'm with Simón is because I care about him. I've cared about him since last year, and now... I don't want anything other than being with him."
"Are you sure about that?" Delfi pushed. Ámbar looked honest, she really did, but Delfi had been by her side for too long for her to just believe that she had no ulterior motives. "Because Simón is a very good guy and he doesn't deserve to be played with."
The Ámbar she knew only ever did things that benefited her image, and if that was the case, she was using him.
"I'm not playing with him," Ámbar responded without missing a beat. "I'm telling you the truth, I... fell in love with him. That's all."
Delfi observed her for a long moment. There really was sincerity in her features, her eyes— She doubted she could act that well. There was even a dash of hurt at not being believed in, which very unwillingly made her feel a little bad. It wasn't that Delfi couldn't believe someone would fall for Simón— That'd be the most believable tale out there. If it were any other person, she'd be celebrating someone finally appreciated him. But there was something in the story that just didn't end to sit right with her.
"But... I mean, how?" Delfi asked, letting herself show confusion instead of suspicion this time. If everything Ámbar was saying was true as it all seemed to indicate, then she was genuinely confused. "Each time his name came up you always complained about how he was not cool at all and wore ugly clothes. You were constantly reprimanding Jazmín for liking him."
Ámbar let out a weak laugh. "I talked like that about pretty much everyone, not just him."
"Which brings us back to... Why him?"
Ámbar lowered her gaze from Delfi's curious one. She remained thoughtful for a while, running her fingertips over the fabric of Simón's shirt in silence.
"I think it's because all my life I had to fight for people to love me, and then he did it when I wasn't even trying." She lifted her head and her eyes wandered through the trees and grass around them, a faraway look settling in her face as images of moments only she had lived passed through her mind. "I mean, it was my plan at first to seduce him and steal him from Luna, I admit it, but... He didn't see what I wanted him to see. He saw more. Everything that I always thought I had to hide, he loved me for it. He saw things in me that I couldn't even see myself, and before I knew it... He was everything I wanted."
Silence fell once again.
And just like that, Delfi understood.
"Pedro always saw that I was more than a shallow girl."
It was amazing how someone else's perspective of you could change you so much. She'd lived it first hand when Pedro's kind, genuine words had one by one made her realize she had more worth than she'd thought until then, how the screaming voices of her insecurities turned to whispers in his presence, and just a smile and a look from him could make her feel like she was capable of anything.
Until him, she thought she had to cling to someone popular just for her to be noticeable. Until him, she thought she was like a moon, and she needed to reflect the light of the sun because she had none of her own. Until him, she thought she was okay with that.
'He saw more.'
More than a shallow girl, more than the eternal follower, more than 'Delfi, the one who holds the tablet'.
"Of course you are. You've always been."
Delfi's eyes snapped up.
Ámbar's eyes were fixed on her, hesitant, unsure, but honest.
"I know this is coming a little late but... I'm sorry. For always putting you down and ordering you around. I guess it made me feel important to have people at my beck and call... I guess I needed to feel I was important. But you didn't deserve to be treated that way. Neither did Jazmín, no matter how much she exasperates me."
Delfi was speechless. She didn't expect her to say any of this, ever.
"You really mean that?" She said, searching her eyes
Again, Ámbar answered without hesitation. "Yes."
Delfi didn't know quite how to respond to this. It was... honestly more than she thought she'd get. Ámbar wasn't really the apology type; she was too proud for that, and she convinced herself she was always right.
But here they were.
Had Ámbar really changed? Was she always like this deep down or was she trying something new?
"You sure this is not just an act you're putting up for Simón?" She couldn't help but ask.
Ámbar threw her hands up. "Why does everyone keep asking me that?" She said with disbelief. "Do I really look like the kind of person who would change her whole life for a guy?"
"... No, you really don't," Delfi chuckled.
Both laughed softly. Delfi wondered when had been the last time they'd done that. It felt like years. And Ámbar's expression... It was different. 'Weird', she'd told Pedro earlier. She wasn't used to that open look in her eyes, to that lightness in her posture and demeanor.
It wasn't bad.
"What are we laughing about?" Simón asked with a smile, arriving along with Pedro and their purchased beverages. He passed the juice bottle to Ámbar while Pedro moved to Delfi's side and gave her hers.
"How Ámbar used to say you dress like shit."
"Delfina!"
"It's true!" She defended with mirth. And maybe just a tiny bit of payback for years of belittlement.
Simón took his seat next to Ámbar, looking at her with suspicion. "Is that why you bought me that shirt?"
"No!" She defended as the other couple made a teasing 'Ooooh,' adding fuel to the fire. "Honestly, that was so long ago, let's forget it."
"She's changing the subject!" Pedro teased further.
"That's not—!" Ámbar's voice lost against their laughter. "Is everyone against me now?"
"Welcome to my world," Simón quipped and took a sip from his soda.
Delfi thought then about how easy it felt, as if all of them were really friends. She didn't know if she wanted to be friends with Ámbar again. It'd taken her so many years to finally separate from her, step out of her shadow and empower herself as an individual. To go back to the same would feel almost like betraying herself.
But things were not the same, were they? She was her own person now, no longer content with being pushed around. Ámbar was dating Simón, a combination she never would've imagined, and she was being nice, even genuinely too.
So maybe it was okay if she allowed herself to laugh alongside her, alongside everyone. It was heartwarming, and fun, and she really wished all days could be this peaceful.
Everyone's amusement was interrupted by all their phones going off at the same time. It was a notification sound. They all exchanged looks, frowning.
"Maybe it's a group message?" Pedro said, pulling out his cellphone to check Whatsapp. Everyone else did the same.
"It's from Luna," Simón noted.
Ámbar looked very confused at his side. "Why did she write me too? She never texts me."
They all got the answer as they read the message's content. The surprise was strong and instantaneous, making them all look at each other with wide eyes.
"We definitely can't let Jazmín know," Delfi said, breaking the baffled, excited silence.
They all agreed.
************************
Emilia wanted to throw up.
No, scratch that— Watching Ámbar and Simón smile stupidly at each other from one side of the cafeteria to the other made her want to claw her eyes out. She and Benicio had seen them returning to the Roller along with Pedro and Delfi some hours earlier and everything seemed to indicate that they'd had a double date. Emilia cringed inside. Were they twelve?
She couldn't for the life of her understand how Ámbar had fallen so low. She seemed to be a strong girl, independent, determined, and one second to another she'd turned into... She didn't even know. A brainless, lap-dog barbie.
And a traitor.
Emilia guessed she should've seen it coming. After all, she'd joined The Sliders while betraying her old team. But one thing was to betray them as a team and another one to betray them as friends. The thing against Luna was something that all of them had planned together— It was even Ámbar's idea! But the moment his dear Simón fluttered his eyelashes at her and gave her the smallest bit of attention, she'd spilled the beans without a second thought.
She thought they were friends. If they were, it didn't matter to Ámbar.
Which was why Emilia wanted her to pay. And why she was so frustrated with Benicio right now.
"Benicio, I don't understand, what's your plan?" She asked. He was currently sitting in front of her at one of the tables, looking positively like he didn't have a care in the world. "You said you were going to take revenge on Ámbar but I haven't seen you do anything."
Benicio looked up from his phone and his lips curled up. "It may not seem like it because it's a slow process, but rest assured; the plan is already on its way."
Emilia frowned. He looked too confident to be lying. "Okay, well, what is it? I wanna help."
Just as Benicio opened his mouth to explain, the sound of a phone ringing brought his attention elsewhere. Or, more specifically, to another girl.
What a stroke of luck, he thought, smirking inside. This was a very good opportunity.
Rapidly, he brought his own cellphone to his ear with a quick glance at Emilia. "Watch."
Benicio got up from the table and separated himself a little from the rest of the people, feeling Emilia's confused stare on him the entire time. It was another's gaze he was interested in though.
He stood in the perfect spot so he could be seen by Simón from where he was waiting tables and also watch Ámbar at the same time. He proceeded to pretend he was speaking on the phone, keeping his gaze on her, smiling when she did, making sure to add a tiny flirty edge to all of his expressions.
Emilia watched as Simón's gaze fell upon Benicio and then moved back and forth between Ámbar and him. She turned before Simón could notice her staring, filled with dawning realization. So that's what he's doing.
After a while, Ámbar hung up so Benicio did as well, but not before making a show of "getting caught" by Simón. Acting inconspicuous deliberately badly, he tucked his phone back in his pants' pocket and moved back to sit with Emilia.
"... Is something like that really going to work?" She said low so she couldn't be heard, very skeptical.
Benicio took a quick glance over her shoulder and then looked at her with a veiled but still noticeably victorious smile. "He's still looking."
Emilia knew better than to turn to confirm that, so she took his word for it.
"Okay, so, what's the next step? Because I doubt you're just going to keep acting phone calls until they break up."
Benicio leaned an arm on the back of his chair casually. "Patience, Emilia. Like I said, it's a process. And each step is the same as the rest, really. Make him doubt, make him afraid. Ámbar will do the rest on her own."
"How do you know that?"
He smirked. "She wants to pretend she's a good girl now, but I know she hasn't really changed." He leaned forward, confidence and malice oozing from his every pore. "At some point, her little puppet show will crumble. And with it Simón, and with it her job, and with it everything that matters to her."
A thrill traveled up Emilia's spine and her lips curled with the same tint of venom. Oh how she liked this guy.
She had no doubt that he would get everything he wanted.
And she could not wait to see it come true.
...
..
.