CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Unexpected
ARLO SAT IN Martín's class, distracted at last night's and that morning's events. She could not believe she had fallen asleep on Guzmán, it was an awkward car ride to school with the boy in the middle of the two girls as the Nunier siblings' chauffeur drove them.
She instantly snapped out of her day dream when she heard Martín's raised voice. "Give me the phone!"
"My mom was asking me when I get out!" Samuel exclaimed as Martín snatched his phone up and walked to Nadia.
"Nadia, please read." He requested, holding the phone down to the girl.
"What?" Nadia wondered. "Uh..."
"Read." Martín instructed, putting the phone in the girl's hand.
"No." Samuel protested.
"Marina doesn't have AIDS, asshole. It's HIV–" Nadia began and Arlo's eyes widened. Nadia was instantly interrupted when Guzmán shot up.
"Stop reading it! What the hell?" He yelled. "Huh?"
"Guzmán! Guzmán, calm down." Martín said.
Guzmán grabbed the phone from Nadia and tossed it at Samuel. "What are you writing?"
Arlo shot up from her chair next to Marina and lightly pushed the boy back. This was the Guzmán she had stopped being friends with and hoped she wouldn't have to see for a while. "Hey, calm down! Leave him alone."
Guzmán looked at the girl, a look of betrayal in his eyes before he glowered at Martín. "How could you allow her to read it?"
"First, show me some respect. Second, you know the rules. You can't use cell phones. I had the right to do that." Martín defended.
"No. You had the right to take the phone away from him, not warrant an opportunity to reveal private information to the class." Arlo corrected before she could stop herself, then felt Marina tug on her arm.
"She's right." Samuel spoke up. "A hell of a right you had."
Martín looked between Arlo and Samuel. "Shut up."
"Marina, do you have HIV?" Nadia asked as she leaned forwards.
"You can't ask someone that." Arlo hissed.
The class erupted into murmurs and comments as they all looked at Marina who looked down at her desk in embarrassment. Martín tried to calm the class down, but no one listened until Marina slammed her desk and stood up.
Guzmán held his arm out. "Marina, Marina, you don't have to say anything. Please, don't."
Marina looked at her brother gratefully but she mirrored his gesture as she held her hand out. "Guzmán, stop. Please." She whispered. "I was infected a little over a year ago, more or less. And well...I guess...people will be talking a lot about this. In order to be informed about what you'll be talking about...I'll tell you, really, you don't need to worry about me. I take my medication. I do my medical tests every four months and the virus isn't detectable, so that means I can't infect you."
The red head then looked back down at her desk and sat down, tears in her eyes as Christian started clapping and it took one look from Arlo for him to stop. Arlo then sat back down next to her friend and squeezed her shoulder comfortingly.
"Thanks, Marina. It took a lot of courage to share that." Martín said. "Don't you think so, Nadia?"
Nadia kept her eyes at the front of the classroom. "I'd rather not comment. I don't wanna hurt anyone."
Arlo scoffed, shaking her head as Marina closed her eyes in hurt at that comment. The lesson flew by quickly and before Arlo knew it the bell rang. Marina was the first out the door with Arlo right behind her. The red head walked out the classroom and into an empty study room.
"You have nothing to be embarrassed about." Arlo assured.
Marina nodded. "I know."
Arlo smiled. "And I'm here if you need me, you know that right? And if there's anything you need."
"Mother Arlo to the rescue." Marina joked. "But not even you can fix any of this."
"I can try."
Marina laughed before she brought Arlo into a tight hug, closing her eyes. Arlo sighed in relief as she squeezed the red head tight. They pulled away and Marina sighed. "Can I just sit here alone for a while?"
"Of course." Arlo smiled.
The girl picked up her bag and left Marina by herself and as she walked out the room, Samuel was coming her way, looking really guilty. "Hey," he greeted. "You know I didn't mean for that to happen, right?"
"I know that, Samu. And so does Marina. She just needs some time to think things over." Arlo revealed. "Don't be too hard on yourself, okay? It wasn't your fault."
Samuel reluctantly nodded. "I'll talk to you later."
Arlo pressed her lips together as he walked away. She sighed as she strode down the hallway to head to her locker. As she walked down the stairs, she saw Guzmán sitting on a couch with Polo and Ander on the couch next to him. Arlo caught Guzmán's gaze before the girl inhaled a sharp breath and continued walking.
Stopping at her locker the girl opened it and stuffed her books inside of it. She then felt someone standing next to her. "Why did you defend him?" Guzmán questioned.
"It wasn't his fault, Guzmán. That's why I defended him and you have a tendency to...react."
"What do you mean it wasn't his fault? If it hadn't been for the texts he was sending and receiving, probably no one would have known!" Guzmán exclaimed.
Arlo licked her lips. "If it wasn't for Martín and that school rule, definitely no one would have known."
"Those people are good for nothing, Lo."
"Those people? I thought you were friends with Nadia. Okay. And look, I get you still have issues with what happened two years ago, but Samuel is not Pablo, neither is Christian and neither is Nadia." Arlo snapped. "You need to stop being a dick."
"I'm just trying to protect my sister and you!" The boy defended.
Arlo scoffed. "Oh my god. You are such a tool. If you hadn't noticed, I don't need protecting. I never have."
Guzmán grit his teeth. "Can't you see they're bad news?"
"No, no they're not! They're good people, some of them slightly more irritating and judgemental than others, but good people."
"Because of people like them, my sister–"
"The only thing they have in common with Pablo is the fact that they can't afford to go to this school without a scholarship! Nothing else! You need to stop being so prejudiced."
"Arlo, I just want to make sure you're okay."
"And I appreciate that, but it doesn't mean you have to be an asshole to do it."
Guzmán groaned in frustration. "I'm trying to help you."
"No." Arlo hissed. "You're trying to make me choose a side. And unlike you, I don't do that."
The boy let out a bitter laugh. "So that's what this is about? I chose another side when we were twelve?"
"You don't get it, do you? What happened four years ago isn't the only reason why we stopped being friends. We stopped being friends because you're an entitled asshole who thinks he can go around making decisions for other people. For the past four years, you've had Lu, Polo, Ander, Carla practically back you up on every decision you've made. But I won't. So unless you want to go back to awkwardly passing each other in the halls, grow the hell up. Because I really, really don't want that."
Guzmán's mouth fell agape as he was about to reply, but Arlo had already slammed her locker shut, turned on her heel and walked away, having someone else she needed to give a wake up call to.
Arlo marched angrily down the hallway and into the common room to see Nadia sitting at a table alone. The girl took a deep breath before she approached her. "Hey, Nadia. Is anyone sitting here?"
"No." Nadia smiled, gesturing to the seat next to her.
Sitting down, Arlo huffed. "Listen, I don't wanna make you uncomfortable, but do you have problem with Marina and her HIV?"
Nadia tensed. "Why are you asking me that?"
"Because she's your friend and you didn't exactly support her earlier."
"Exactly she's my friend and I didn't wanna hurt her."
Arlo licked her lips. "What's the problem with the fact she has HIV? The fact that she had sex to get it?" Nadia didn't reply. "Look, Nadia, Marina has been respectful to the choices you've made and your culture. The least you could is return the favour. She didn't ask to be infected."
"We're just different." Nadia blurted out. "We don't have the same kind of problems."
"Are you really suggesting HIV only affects the rich?"
"No. I'm just saying, I've been here for a while now and I'm seeing how different I am compared to people like you."
Arlo raised her eyebrows. "What do you mean by that?"
"Sorry." Nadia sighed. "I just meant we have completely different lives."
"So what?" Arlo breathed out. "Not everybody is gonna have the exact same life."
"I know that. Its just...we're too different."
"Nadia, cultural differences are gonna happen in life. You can't just expect to be respected for your's if you don't respect others'. That's the way the world works. Forget about what you believe in for a second and think about how hard it is for Marina to have to live with this for the rest of her life. Enjoy your homework."
"DIEGO! WAIT!" ARLO yelled as the boy already ran into the Nunier household, followed by Izzy. The two hadn't seen Marina in a while and when Arlo told them she was going round to see if she was okay after a bad day, the two insisted on coming, Diego with a kiwi and apple to give to her.
Arlo ran after her siblings, fixing her cardigan as she entered the house. She followed Izzy and turned the corner to see them both staring at something. "I told you guys not to run." Arlo scolded before she looked up to see what they were staring at.
Guzmán and Lu stood in the dining room looking at the Calero siblings, the former smiling.
"I'm so sorry." Arlo blurted out, ignoring the drop in her stomach upon seeing them together. "I came to see if Marina was okay and these two wanted to come and Diego saw the door open and ran in. But now, I see that she's not home and that we're, um, interrupting something."
"No, no, you're really not." Guzmán insisted.
Arlo ignored him and crouched down in front of Diego. "Apologise to Guzmán for running in, please."
Diego nodded and turned to the boy. "I'm sorry. I was just excited."
"It's okay." Guzmán beamed. He then looked at Izzy. "Hey, Izzy, how are you?"
"I'm good." Izzy shrugged. "I see you two are back together."
Guzmán shook his head as he looked at Lu who was smiling and the boy waved his arms, his eyes locking with Arlo's. "No, no, we're not."
Diego walked closer to Guzmán and held out the kiwi and apple to him. "Can you give these to Marina? Arlo said she wasn't having a good day."
"Yeah, of course, buddy." Guzmán nodded with a light laugh taking the fruit and putting it on the table. "Come here."
Arlo watched as Guzmán bent down and Diego tackled him in a hug. Guzmán smiled over the younger boy's shoulder and Arlo couldn't help but smile herself.
Izzy leaned back. "Good with kids, check. You gotta cop, sis."
"Shut up." Arlo hissed, pushing her sister's shoulder. "Alright, we should go."
The two boys pulled away from each other, Diego jogging back to his sisters. "Bye, Guzmán!" Diego waved, then looked up at Lu. "Bye...I don't know your name."
"Lucrecia." Izzy informed.
"Bye, Lucrecia!"
Lu smiled genuinely at Diego and waved. "Bye."
"Nice seeing you Guzmán, Lucrecia." Izzy nodded.
"Alright, you two, go on." Arlo urged as she pushed them towards the direction they came from. Izzy took Diego's hand and guided him out the house. Arlo looked at her classmates. "Again, I'm so sorry. I really didn't mean to barge in and interrupt."
"No, no, it's okay." Guzmán assured. "Are you sure you can't stay? You're really not interrupting much."
"I should probably get them back home." Arlo said, pressing her lips into a straight line. "I'll see you guys tomorrow."
Arlo then followed after her siblings and once she made it to the front yard, her name was being called. She glanced over her shoulder to see Guzmán jogging after her. The girl sighed and stopped, turning to face him.
"I swear nothing was going on." The boy breathed out.
"Guzmán, you don't have to prove that to me." Arlo said.
Guzmán sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Yes. Yes, I do. There's nothing between me and Lu anymore. I swear."
Arlo swallowed. "I think you're lying to yourself because even if you and Lu aren't...together anymore, there's always gonna be something there."
"Let's go!" Izzy yelled from the car.
"I gotta go." Arlo sighed. "I'll see you at school."
When the siblings arrived home, their parents were on opposite ends of the dining table on their laptops. They looked up at their children and smiled, Arlo not returning it. She placed her keys on the table and took her shoes off before she ran up to her room. She shut the door behind her and dropped her bag by her bed before she sat down.
Glancing around, she realised Alma had cleaned it while she was at school. Her light purple bed sheets had been replaced with navy blue with her light blue stuffed hippo on top of the made bed. The girl smiled before she went over to her desk and sat down, getting ready to start her homework when her phone started ringing. It was Nadia.
Sighing, Arlo answered it. "Hello?"
"Hey, Lo. I just wanted to apologise for what I said earlier. You were right. I'm sorry." Nadia exhaled.
Arlo smiled. "Don't worry about it. Thank you for the apology. I'll see you tomorrow."
An hour after the phone call with Nadia, someone burst into her room. The girl jumped as she turned in her chair to see Marina, who smiled, holding the kiwi and apple Diego left for her. "Where is the little gremlin?"
"In his room." Arlo laughed. "Where were you?"
"I was at Carla's." The red head explained.
Arlo's face scrunched up in confusion. "Carla's? Should I even ask?"
Marina hesitated. "No."
"Then I won't." Arlo smiled then stood up. "Come on. Let's go find the veggie giver." The two walked into the hallway and Arlo knocked on Diego's door.
"Come in!"
Arlo peeked her head through a small gap and grinned at her little brother. "Someone's here to see you."
Diego's head cocked to the side. "Who?"
Arlo opened the door wider, revealing Marina to the 5-year old. Diego jumped off his bed and smiled and ran to hug the red head. "Marina!"
"Hey, lil gremlin!" Marina beamed as she lifted the boy of the floor with a groan at how heavy he had become. "How you been?"
"Good!" Diego exclaimed. "Did you like the apple and kiwi?"
"Love them. They're in my pocket right now." Marina chuckled, putting the boy down and showed him.
As the two spoke, Arlo dragged Izzy out of her room to see the red head who grinned upon seeing her. "Marina!"
"Izzy! My favourite Calero sister!" Marina beamed as she hugged the 12-year old.
"Real funny." Arlo deadpanned.
"We met your boyfriend the other day." Izzy informed. "He's cute."
"Really? I happen to think so too." Marina agreed.
"He gives me crayons!" Diego cheered as he held up a few packs of crayons.
Arlo smiled at her brother, kissing the top of his head.
"You deserve them." Marina giggled.
"Arlo said you were having a bad day." Diego frowned. "Are you feeling better?"
"Now I am."
The four then crowded into Arlo's room painting each other's nails, Diego wanting Marina to paint his a dark blue like her's. Arlo and Izzy sat on the former's bed, the latter painting her nails white. Arlo watched in amusement as before peacefully got back to reading her book, comforted by the light laughter and content that came from her siblings.
THE NEXT MORNING Arlo stood on the porch as Julio and Alma put her parents' luggage's in the boot of the former's car. She watched as her parents said goodbye to her siblings and she tapped her foot impatiently on the marble.
Once Esme pulled away from Diego, she looked up at her eldest and held her arms out, bringing her towards her. "Oh, honey, I'm gonna miss you."
"Yeah," Arlo sighed. "You too, mom."
Pulling away, Esme held Arlo's face and kissed her forehead. "Be good."
Once Esme pulled away, Manuel stood staring at his daughter, his lips pressed together. Arlo inhaled a sharp breath as she rubbed her arms and walked towards the man. "Uh, have a safe flight."
"I'm sorry about the other night." Manuel murmured.
"Yeah." Arlo whispered, pressing her lips together.
Manuel hesitantly leaned forward and kissed the top of her head and nodded before he turned around and walked to the car, opening the door for Esme. She waved one last time before she climbed in, Manuel following behind her.
Arlo watched the car start up and continued to watch it until it was out of sight. She looked down at her siblings who had now huddled to her side, Diego hiding his face in her leg and Izzy holding her hand. Once again, it was just the three of them. Alone.
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