A picture of Luciana Gunberg to the side. [EDIT: it's gone]
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"Spring Break is only a two days away and I have to spend it with him at Saundergate School?"
"Rico, I'm sure it was all a misunderstanding," Luciana responds.
"Luci, Veronica Harold was all over him and he was all over her," I remind.
"Aw, you're so heartbroken."
I sigh, "I'm not heartbroken. I'm just surprised is all."
"You are heartbroken. Admit it."
"Luci..."
"Come on! You were quiet the rest of the day and now, you're blasting Tchaikovsky for crying out loud, which is your version of Toni Braxton's 'Unbreak My Heart'! Can you turn it down?"
"It scares me that you know who that is."
"When you have a best friend, that's a music nerd, that's what happens."
"Music enthusiast!" I blast.
"Whatever, just turn down the music! I'm dying over here!"
I turn down my music, groaning, "Sorry. I'm just... I don't know."
"You're upset, sweetheart."
I frown. "Luci, stop with the nicknames."
"Why, honey?"
"You only do that when you feel sorry for me," I state, rolling my eyes.
"Well, I can't help it. I feel bad for my bestie."
"Just don't, okay?" I gripe, "I'll be okay. I'm just happy I didn't make a fool of myself, confessing to an son of a bitch like him."
"Aw, you really are heartbroken."
I soon hear a beeping sound, but I ignore it. "Just a little disappointed."
"I was so sure that I sensed chemistry between you two."
"Well, you were apparently wrong, because he wouldn't have Veronica all over him, if he liked me."
"What if he's bisexual?" she suggests.
"Luci!"
"What? I'm just narrowing down another possibility."
"He's not bisexual!"
"You never know these things, Rico. Just ask him."
"Of course I will, because I can just come out of the blue and ask the potentially gay-hater if they're bisexual."
She pouts, "No need to be an ass about it. I'm just trying to help."
"Well, it would be of great assistance if you stopped trying to help." I hear that beeping sound again.
"Meow! Calm down! Just because you're drowning yourself in misery, doesn't mean I want to join you."
"Who said I wanted you to join?"
"Rico, I will march over your house right now and beat some sense into you," she admonishes, "if you keep talking to me like that."
"Sorry, I just feel that this wouldn't have happened—"
"Are you seriously blaming me for this?" she exclaims.
I respond, "Well, it was you that planted it in my head that he has feelings for me, which he doesn't."
"Am I also the one that rubbed it in his face that you potentially have an admirer, that you get gay vibes from?"
I gruffly reply, "Well, if you didn't act like you know chemistry, I wouldn't be in this mess."
"Maybe if you and that damn idiot accepted each other's feelings, you wouldn't be in that mess!" she explodes, "So, none of this is my fault at all!"
I scratch the back of my head, feeling like a total jackass. "Luci, I'm sorry. You're right. This is my own fault."
"Mhm."
"I'm really sorry for being mean about it."
"You're cool, sweetie."
I warn, "Luci, don't you dare."
She changes the subject. "I know that he likes you, Rico. I'm not losing hope for the both of you."
I roll my eyes in irritation. "Sounds like someone I know."
"Who?"
"Ken Edder."
She gasps, "Shut up."
"I guess I'm not the only one sounding like the person I like."
"Callate la boca!" she hollers.
I laugh, "No, you shut up."
"How do you know what that means?"
"Did you forget that my family came from Chile? I speak Spanish fluently."
"Why didn't you just take Spanish? It would've been so easy for you," she recalls, "But, you took for French instead."
I remark, "French isn't that different from Spanish though. Besides, me encanta la clase de francés a lote."
"The only things I heard from that were clase and encanta."
"I just said that I love French class a lot."
She chuckles, "Your accent was great."
"Thanks," I retort, "I only took two years of it, since two years is all we need."
"Why don't you ever speak Spanish?"
"I only speak it when I'm with my grandparents, who know very little English." I intake a big breath, realizing what Luci has done. "You completely threw me off topic."
"Well, it worked."
"So, about Ken... I see something between you two."
"I'm Indian," she states, "He's Caucasian."
"So?"
"My family isn't open to interracial relationships," she confesses, "I've been meaning to tell you that before..."
"Your mom and dad?"
She responds, "Yes."
"Then, who named you Luciana Gunberg?"
"My grandfather did," she answers, "He named me after an American girl, that saved his life."
"Oh."
"Yeah," she sighs, "I really do like Ken, but I don't want to disappoint my family."
"Your family won't be disappointed."
"Yes they will. They are very clear on what kind of boy they want me to date."
"Date whoever you want to date," I retort, "It's your life you're living. Not theirs." I start hearing that repetitive beeping sound from Luci's line. "Is your phone dying?"
"Yes," she responded frantically, "And I can't find my charge—" Her line goes dead, which makes me chuckle to myself briefly.
I turn my music back up and start on my homework. In the midst of it, I hear a knocking at my door.
My dad comes in. "Are you okay?"
I nod. "I'm fine."
"You have that look I did, when I got rejected."
"Well, the guy I like—"
"Jake Terrence."
"What?"
He grins, "You like him right?"
"Heck no! Jake—He's just... just no."
Dad shakes his head, sitting at the end of my bed. "You talk about him all of the time."
"But, that's because he's a jerk and makes my life hell—"
"Rico."
"Okay, I do," I admit, eyeing the floor, "But, he likes someone else."
He pats my shoulder. "Don't give up."
"I might as well, because he's straight and I'm gay."
"Just don't give up though! Keep trying," he advises, looking wistful, "But, don't do it to the point, where they almost put a restraining order against you."
"Dad, did you—"
He arises. "I'm going to help your mother with dinner." He starts for the door, but turns around. "It's a good thing that she doesn't have a restraining order against me."
I erupt in laughter.
*~*
"What do you want Jake?" I growl, as he sat by me at lunch the next day.
"I'm just stopping by to see how my former vegetarian nemesis is doing."
I open my salad and take a huge bite out of it. "I'm doing fine."
He takes a cherry tomato from my salad and eats it. "Delicious."
"I know right?" I mock. "Why not have a crouton too?"
"My pleasure." He plops one right in his mouth. "You wouldn't mind me eating a chicken tender, would you?"
"Of course not, Jake. After all, I'm a veg-head."
He helps himself both chicken tenders, loudly smacking his lips in the process.
"I will kill you," Luciana threatens, with her eye twitching. It's always been one of her pet peeves for people to smack their food boisterously. I remember when I did it once, just to tease her, and she ended up punching me.
"I apologize," Jake states, smirking, "It's just that good, you know, eating meat."
"Enjoy." I present a fake grin.
"Hey, Luciana," Ken greets, seating himself next to her.
She looks at him in discomfort and astonishment. "What are you doing?"
"Not giving up on you, beautiful." He smiles, grabbing her hand, kissing it.
She sighs, but doesn't shrug away from him this time.
"I brought you something." He pulls out a bottle of perfume from his book bag.
Her face remains flat, as he presents the gift. "You're not going to woo me with gifts, Ken."
"Don't you like it?" he asks.
She retrieves it from him. "Of course I do, but you have to show me who you are."
"How precious. Luciana Gunberg isn't a good-for-nothing gold digger," Jake claims, but no one seemed to notice.
"How can I do that, when you won't let me?" he questions, sounding almost annoyed. "You've been avoiding me all day."
"Maybe if you weren't being such a stalker, I wouldn't have to avoid you."
"I just want—"
"Want what?"
"A chance."
"No thanks. I know your kind," she remarks.
"My kind?" He looks as if he's been smacked.
She retorts, "You're a perfect Ken Doll—"
"Wait, Ken Doll?" he raises his voice.
"Yes," she responds, "You're one of those blonde guys, that thinks they can get whatever they want."
"Is that what you really think?"
"It's what I know."
His neck becomes red, which means he's getting upset. "You know, Luciana, you're judging me before you get to know me."
"So are you," she counters. "Go date a Barbie Doll."
"I'm not perfect," he states, "I'm just a regular guy—"
"Understatement," she interrupts, "You're a Ken Doll."
"I'm really starting to personally hate Ken Dolls."
"You have the blue eyes, blonde hair, perfect teeth, perfect personality—"
"Will you stop it?" he snaps.
She shook her head. "I don't like you and I never will like you."
He remarks in contempt, "You obviously like me. I can see it in your eyes. Why are you being so difficult?"
She raises and eyebrow. "Difficult?"
"Yeah," he remarks, "You're not giving me a chance at all."
"You aren't," I think aloud. Her eyes don't leave Ken at all, meaning she didn't care about my unintentional input.
"Who said I liked you?" She flickers her eyes at me.
"I can just tell, okay?"
She continues, "No, who told you?"
He folds his arms across her chest. "I can tell. If you didn't like me, you would've punched me already." It's true. She hasn't punched him. Luciana has faced numerous persistent guys in the past, however, Ken has lasted longer than the others. She really does like him.
"You're arrogant," she accuses, "A narcissist, right?"
He laughs to himself. "Sure, everything is all about me, me, me, even though the only thing on my mind is you."
"Whatever."
He sighs loudly, "Please just give me a chance."
"What did I tell you a million times already? I don't like you!"
"But, what if you will, after you get to know me?"
She scoffs, "You're a superficial blonde guy."
"I'm not who you think I am, Luciana. Stop grouping the whole blonde population!" He sighs, calming down, "Sorry."
She glares at him in annoyance.
"Can you just give me one chance to show you who I really am?"
"No. Now, can you leave? Here. Take your gift back too."
He nods to himself. "No, you can keep it." He gets up from his seat and starts walking away, but stops. He faces Luciana. "I don't even know what I saw in you. You're the superficial one here, not me." He storms off.
"What a soap opera," Jake laughs to himself, "You know, you are superficial. You're only focusing on the exterior surface and not the interior."
Luci glares at him. "Shut the hell up and let Veronica hang on your balls."
Jake laughs, "She's not my type."
"She's not?" I find myself asking.
"Of course not," Jake remarks, "Her GPA is a 2.3, while mine is a 5.2."
I almost laugh, but hold it in. Even my GPA is higher than Veronica's.
He adds, "But that doesn't mean I won't give her a chance." He flickers his eyes at Luciana. "I'm not that superficial."
Luci challenges, "What if someone was a guy, would you give them a chance?"
He wraps his arm around my shoulder. "Like Rico?" My heart drops. Stupid Luciana!
"Yeah," she answers, "Or does gender really matter that much to you?"
He thinks for a awhile. "I guess I'm open to new experiences." He faces me, causing me to nervously break eye contact.
"Get off me, asshole."
"Come on, aren't I cute?" he asks, puckering his lips.
I shove him away.
"Don't be that way, baby," he teases, leaning in for a kiss. I lean my face away in the opposite direction. "You love me, right?"
"You aren't my type, asshole. Remember that?"
He derides, "I'm everyone's type. I have the grades, the looks, and—" He pauses, eyeing his own body, "and the body. Well, a decent body at least. But, I am the ideal kind of guy people desire to have in their grasp. Who wouldn't want a guy with looks and intelligence?"
"But, you're a jerk," I retort.
"Even if someone's not your type, you shouldn't shun them," he counters.
"Yeah, Rico," Luciana states, "Just because he's not your type, doesn't mean you shouldn't give him a chance."
"Would you like to be my boyfriend?" he asks, making me drop my fork into my salad.
I glare at him. "Why?"
"Where's the guy, that you sense gay vibes from?" He looks around. "Not here, I suppose, or else he'd be sitting with you, right?"
He places his arm around my shoulder again. "Get off me, Jake."
He grins, making his dimples show. "You called me by my name. How sweet."
"Asshole," I mutter, taking a bite of my salad.
"Say yes or no," he says.
"Get off me now."
"Answer the question, Rico."
I finally answer, "No."
The biggest smile appears across his face. "Thanks for giving me a chance, baby!" He kisses his hand and touches my face, standing up.
I began, "I just said—"
"Everyone," Jake announces loudly. All eyes lay on him suddenly. "Rico Arias is my boyfriend, so anyone who is even thinking about making a move on him, should not. Okay, thanks." He bows. Now, everyone's eyes fall on me.
Embarrassed, I munch at my salad uncomfortably.
"Babe," Jake says, grabbing my face, "I'll see you tomorrow."
I jerk away from him. "Get away from me," I grumbled.
He leans in closely to me, making me anxious. "You won the battle yesterday, but I won the war. Now, you can't get any boys."
I gasp. "Jake, you bastard! I'll—"
He pecks my cheek quickly, sauntering off.
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:3 How was was it?