S2:E14 Forgotten faces
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I spun my pencil on my finger as I stared down at my notebook, trying to memorize the key commands for my CS class. This class was almost too easy to be honest, I honestly didn't need to study for it but I wanted to have a slight edge so.. here I was. In the library on a Friday night studying.
"I hate April showers." I looked up as Jasmine walked towards the table holding a scowl, two cups, and an umbrella tucked under her arm after I begged her for thirty minutes to go get us hot cocoa. "Here brat." She said and set the cup in front of me.
I gave her a toothy smile as I picked up the cup, warming up my hands and insides instantly. "Thanks pretty." I took a sip and hummed before sitting it down. "What are you working on?" I asked when she opened a textbook that was highlighted like a motherfucker.
"Nursing school exam. If I pass.. I get in." I raised my eyebrows and she nodded.
"Nursing school huh? What do you want to be exactly?" I asked, my focus off of my notes and on her.
"Well..." I furrowed my eyebrows as she sighed. "My mom wants me to either be an OBGYN, the doctor that delivers babies, or a brain surgeon."
I folded my hands as she shrugged and flipped through the pages of the textbook. "That's what your mom wants."
"Huh?" She mumbled and looked up.
"I said what do you want to be. Not what your mom wants you to be." I watched as what looked like a million feelings ran through her eyes. It was almost like she'd never been asked that question before.
"Um I don't know." She slowly sat back and crossed her arms. "I guess, ever since high school, my mom gave me the option to either be a lawyer like her or a doctor like her parents so.. I guess that's what I want to be."
"No." I shook my head and leaned forward, staring her down as she shifted uncomfortably under my gaze. "Jasmine Amaia Martinez.. what do you want to be babe?"
Her shoulders physically dropped as she nodded. "I love cooking." A small smile covered my lips as her face lit up. "Ever since I was a kid with my easy bake oven, I fantasized about having my own restaurant. La Luna restaurante." I titled my head in confusion and she quickly answered. "The moon.. its always been magical to me so I wanted to convey that in the kitchen but.. eh, it'll never happen."
"What? You can't get me all excited for nothing." I said and she looked up as I raised from my seat, my hands in front of me as I gestured like spongebob. "La Luna restaurante, owned by the renowned Jasmine Martinez." She giggled when I sat on the table swung my legs over to get to her side, crouching next to her as I held my pencil like a mic. "Serving papas fritas uh.. other spanish words." Her eyes rolled. "What's the chefs special tonight, Miss Martinez?"
I turned the pencil to her and she playfully cleared her throat before speaking. "Tonight I'll be serving chicharrón, Ragout, and.. papas fritas." I cheered before quickly shutting up when I was hushed by the librarian.
"Sorry." I mumbled and sat in the chair besides her, smiling at her flushed face. "Well, now you have to do it."
"It's not that easy." She mumbled, the glow now replaced with glum.
"Why not?"
"My dad listens to whatever my mom says, my mom says we only do jobs that can bring in six figures. If I were to leave school to build a restaurant, she'd skin me alive. Not to mention that all my money is wired from them so I wouldn't be able to even begin to financially build what I needed." I frowned when she looked back down at her textbook dejectedly. See now I didn't like that. Just because her parents were rich and known didn't mean she had to follow their mold. She should've been able to be her own person.
"Bullshit." I said and closed her textbook. "You can't waste your life living your parents dream." I grabbed my computer from the other side of the table and opened it, going to one of those 'build your own website' things. "We'll start small. Website, designs, little things."
"And the money?" She asked.
"Did you forget I'm a CS major?" I said with a smirk. "If you're getting your money wired from your moms account, you can take out ten thousand and I can make it look like two hundred."
The glow slowly started to make its way back and I loved it, that's what I wanted her to feel all the time. Hopeful.
"You really think this could work?" I stopped typing to look over at her, a smile on my face as I nodded. "Thank you." She whispered and cautiously leaned forward but once I nodded again, she tilted her head to the side and connected our lips. I softly kissed back, my stomach exploding with giddiness. "Okay." She said and happily pulled back while pointing at my screen. "I have a logo in mind. It's a butterfly with a-"
"Oh God no."
-
I leaned against the corner of wall as I held my nerf gun, filled with the soft edge bullets. I closed one eye and peeked at my opponent who was slowly walking around, looking for me. When she turned her back to me, I jumped out with a scream as I started shooting bullet after bullet.
She screamed and turned, shooting back but missing horribly and, for the sake of her being happy, I moved into one of the shots and had it 'hit' my head. "Oh no.. I've been hit!" I said dramatically before dropping to my knees and falling onto the carpeted floor.
"Y/nn you are over arrest!" She said cutely, slapping the plastic cuffs onto my wrists. "Do not speak or I will kill you."
"Oh that's harsh." Vanessa said with a chuckle as she scooped her daughter up. "Do you think, Y/nn deserves a break? You guys have been playing nerf war for an hour."
"Well it's fun, mommy." She said with a shrug. "Right Phin?"
"Right rascal." I said with a nod, siding the cuffs off.
"Well, it's almost midnight so that means you've been up longer than you should have. Say night night to Y/n." Vanessa tilted Quincy in my direction and the toddler held out her arms.
"Night night Y/nn." I cooed before accepting her hug, placing a fat kiss on her forehead. "Will you be here when I wake up?"
"Heck's yeah, I'll even make breakfast for you." She smiled happily before pulled back. "Night little Q, sweet dreams."
"Fai se miti malie!" She called out with a giggle when Vanessa ran them into the bedroom. Translation? Sweet dreams. She was the cutest.
I kneeled down and started to pick up all the nerf bullets we used, tossing them into the bucket that was next to her large toy box, filled with various toys and nicknacks, all things Quincy would love.
After cleaning up, I stretched and walked into the kitchen to grab a water from the fridge. "One child down, one more to go." I looked over as Vanessa walked in with a smirk, making me roll my eyes. "Ha Ha funny." I took a swig of the water bottle before sitting it down on the counter as she grew nearer, her arms open so I let her cuddle up to my chest.
"So.." I hummed. "My parents want to have brunch with us tomorrow."
"Yeah?" I mumbled and she nodded. "Where at?"
"Terrain Cafe, near Stanford" I nodded softly as she pulled back and grabbed my hand, leading us to her bedroom. "Can you make it?"
"Yeah, I don't have practice until late tomorrow." When we got to her room, she kicked off her house slippers and I shed my shirt, tossing it to the side before climbing into the bed after her. "Is Quincy going too?"
"No, Dions going to watch her at my parents house." Once I laid on my back, she immediately flipped over and cuddled up to my chest. "It'll be fun, yeah?"
"For sure, I've never tried the Terrain either so that's a plus." I reached over and cut the light off on the lamb before sighing into the pillows. "Night Ness."
"Goodnight, Y/nn."
I couldn't sleep well that night. Vanessa was out like a light, no Travis Scott, but I couldn't seem to close my eyes. I felt weird. Like.. just touching Vanessa's skin set mine on fire, and not in the good way.
It didn't feel natural anymore and I hated that. It felt forced and pressured and.. just weird. I wasn't sure how long I was up and just laying there until I heard my phone vibrate on the desk. Careful not to wake Vanessa, I reached over and grabbed it. It was Jasmine..
Jas😜: Can you come over plz
Me: Now?
Jas😜: Yes. I need you.
I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion before her next text cleared that up instantly.
Jas😜: I'm wearing your favorite color.. come take them off.
I felt Vanessa stir so I quickly turned my phone off, looking down to see her head still tucked down. Jesus fuck.
I let out a breath before reopening the messages and sending a reply.
Me: you gotta chilll. You're lucky Vanessa's asleep.
Jas😜: Sorry papi.. let me apologize in person 😋
I closed the phone again and whined quietly before looking over at the clock, seeing it was two o'clock in the morning. I knew Vanessa was the type to sleep throughout the night uninterrupted, Same with Quincy. Ughhh fuck it.
Me: Be there in ten
I slowly slid Vanessa off of me as I grabbed the pillow under my head, sliding it under her arms in replacement of myself. Once I was up, I quickly pulled on a fresh pair of sweats and a crisp white T-shirt- settling for some slide in vans because I was lazy.
I then grabbed my body spray off of the desk, going into the living room so she didn't wake up from the smell. I quickly sprayed it in a zig zag motion before staggering to the front door, careful not to wake up either girls in the house.
Once I was out of the door, I quietly closed it with a sigh, not knowing how I was able to sneak out that well.. maybe I could be a ninja.
I tucked the keys into my pocket with a smile and turned around, only to let out a high pitched yelp when I saw someone standing right in front of me. "Jesus Vivian." I breathed out and held my chest. "The hell are you doing here?"
Her eyes were in slits as she followed me down the hall. "Just dropped off my date who lives next door, why are you leaving Vanessa's house at two in the morning?"
I looked at her before slowing down at the elevator. "Because uh I- Jospeh is having a um.. he wants me to come play Madden." Her head tilted as I pushed the down button on the elevator about a thousand times in one second.
"At two in the morning?" I nodded. "Okay.." she turned me to face her, eyeing me like a hawk as she scanned her eyes her my body. "You're wearing sweats and a white T-shirt, Classic fuckboy attire." I cringed back when she leaned forward to sniff the air. "Mhm, and Axe body spray. Cliche."
"What are you-"
"Sh." She said and looked down at me again. "And you're clutching your phone which you never do. That's either because that you're nervous, waiting for a text, or concealing a text which are all signs of.." She quickly shot her hand forward and I tried to pull back but she already shoved her hand into my pocket and pulled out the lifestyle condom. "..a late night booty call." She threw the condom at my chest with a sigh. "What are you doing, Y/ln? Who is she?"
"I don't know what you're talking about." I said as I picked it back up, shoving it into my pocket again. This old ass elevator finally made it to our level and opened up so I quickly walked in... Vivian following.
"Okay then." The creaking of the machine was all that sounded between us as it took up down to the lobby, then, it opened and I started outside to my truck. "I guess I'll just.. go with you." I stopped at my truck and looked over at her. "You wouldn't mind right? It's just video games."
"Viv.." I sighed and leaned against my truck. "Okay fine! There... there is someone else, okay?" I swung my keychain around my finger, trying to avoid looking at her. "Are you happy now?"
"Why would I be happy?" I stopped swinging the key and looked up at her as she shook her head. "You're acting just like dad. And not in a good way-"
"Don't you dare talk about dad badly." I hissed out. "Not to me."
"You must not know how broken Ma was after she found out that he had an affair." She said with a clenched jaw. "Probably because you didn't get the midnight crying calls. Well I did."
"What?" I breathed out. "Why didn't she call me?"
"You're really asking that question?" She chuckled and started to back away. "Look at yourself. You kept his secret.. now you're walking in his footsteps. She saw you before you did, Y/n. That's why."
I watched with a frown as she walked to the other side of the parking lot to get into her own car. Was she right? Was I walking in my fathers footsteps? Was I my father?
Letting out a sigh, I unlocked my truck door and climbed in. I had to talk to Jas.. I had to.
After the ten minute drive, I sat in my car for another five, contemplating and debating what I would say. I had to start off with what I was feeling. Communication was key. Then, we could figure out the rest as we went.
Nodding to myself, I climbed out of my truck, locking it, and starting up the long walk way to her house.
I knocked on Jasmines door once I saw her parents cars weren't in the driveway. And almost instantly, the door swung open and, there she stood, in the same outfit from the picture. "Hi." She breathed out before pulling me in, pushing me against the door and making it close loudly. "I tried to wait but I couldn't stop thinking about you." She grabbed my hand and slid it into her underwear, my fingers instantly feeling wetness. "Do you see what you do to me?"
I let out a shaky breath, my mind going blank. What did I plan to do when I got here again..? When she latched her lips onto my neck, close to making a mark, it hit me. "J-Jasmine." I pulled back and rubbed my neck. "Come on.. you know you can't leave hickies."
"Right.." she sighed and pushed her hair back. "I'm sorry, it slipped my mind." I pulled my hand out of her underwear with a huff as I walked around her, my mind clouded and confused. "What's wrong, bubs?"
"I ran into Viv before I got here. She sniffed me out like a dog and figured what I was leaving for." Her eyes widened as I nodded. "Yeah.. and she brought up some points that really fucked up my head."
"Like what?"
I sat down on the couch and stared at the magazines on the coffee table. All about her dad. "One, my father had an affair whilst with my mom and.. it broke her I guess. Two, Viv brought that to my attentions and claimed I was following in his footsteps."
"I may be bias but I don't see it as the complete same." I looked up as she sat next to me. "Maybe it's because I'm horny as hell.." I chuckled and she shrugged. "But.. you're not hurting anyone. If you want us to stop and you want to be with Vanessa, I'm okay with that. You can be with her and live happily ever after. On the other hand, I'm here.. you know. With whatever you choose, I'll be here. Rather you end it with me or breakup with her."
"Yeah.. that's why you're an idiot." I teased and she gasped, punching my shoulder. "Kidding, but thank you. I don't want to.. end what we have just yet. How inconsiderate it would be of me to just leave you all high and dry like this."
"It would be really.." her breath hitched when I grabbed her thong, tearing it off. "I just bought these." She whined out but that whine turned to a moan real quick when I dipped my head between her legs. She gasped and gripped my hair. "I- oh.. it was worth it."
-
"Well don't you clean up nice." Vanessa's mom said when we walked to the table.
"Oh this? No, look at you Mrs. Nicki." I said as I gave her a hug and she laughed, her face slightly turning red. "Tro, good to see you again." I said and gave him a side hug.
"Now what did I tell you about making my wife blush huh?" He joked as I pulled Vanessa's seat out, pushing it in for her.
"You said you'd break my knee caps so that I'd never have a chance of proposing to her but.. I could also just sit, sir." The others laughed as I say opposite them next to Vanessa.
"She's funny." Nicki said as she shook her head. "So, what's been going on in your college life? I saw you on the news, Y/n."
"Oh yeah, we've been winning our playoff games so state is looking very prosperous to us." I said, thanking the waiter when he brought me a water. "And state is important because majority of the seniors are my friends like Joseph, Connor, Kyle.. this is their last season so.. I'd like to send them off with another trophy."
"You're definitely a team player, I see." Tro said with a nod. "That's a good attribute to have in the MLB, wouldn't want another Bryce Harper."
"Right." I said and grabbed the glass, taking a sip of the water.
"You know I heard he cheated on his wife. Disgusting." My momentary shock at Nicki's caused the water to slide down the wrong pipe, making me cough harshly on the liquid.
"You okay babe?" Vanessa asked as she patted my back. I nodded and set the glass down.
"Yeah, just drank too fast." I said, my voice hoarse as I took in a slow breath. "Sorry." I smiled and leaned back, my heart pounding as Nicki continued to talk.
"It was all over TMZ. Apparently he had a mistress or whatever and some pics of them leaked." I gulped and looked away from them, my leg starting to bounce. It wasn't like they were talking about me so.. why was I so nervous? "I liked him too.. but one thing I can't tolerate are cheaters. So you better keep yourself in check Mr."
They all laughed and I forced out a chuckle, rubbing my sweating hands on my jeans. I regret coming already..
"Looks like you're dating a little star, Nessy." Tro said with a wink. "And those MLB stars do get paid-"
"Dad." Vanessa said with a laugh. "I don't care about money.. it's our love that's priceless." She said and leaned against my shoulder. Oh boy..
"Hi, are you guys ready to order?" I looked up at the waiter and she smiled at me. "Hi Y/n." I furrowed my eyebrows and she chuckled. "Veronica.. we met a few months ago at the Kappa bikini party."
"Oh.. hi." I said, another nervous laughed. I definitely slept with her pre-Clam... "Good to see you, Veronica." She looked at Vanessa and realization dawned over her face.
"So.. what can I get started for you all today?" Just as we went to order, a man in a suit walked over and whispered into her ear. "Oh.. excuse me for one second, another server will be right with you."
I grabbed my glass and gulped it down when I felt all eyes on me. "I've never met that girl in my life." I said as I shook my head.
Vanessa was looking at me oddly before she put on a smile and turned to her parents. "Have you guys heard about the new plaza that's being built? It's suppose to be a super mall."
As they talked, I looked up and that's when I saw our waiter coming back but with three people behind her. Three people I didn't expect to see. Lisa and her parents. They walked in our direction and once Lisa made eye contact with me she smirked.
"I haven't forgotten." She whispered once she passed by me. "You're still dead." I followed after her before turning back around, grabbing my cup only to realize it was empty.
Fuck.
___
shhh it'll all make sense soon