Two Weeks Later
Victor
I walked in the door of Brasstown, alone, no Felix, no Benji, just by myself. I got called in by Sarah, which instantly made me think I did something wrong. As soon as Sarah sees me walk in, she yells, "VICTOR! Get your ass over here! I have a job for you!" I let out a sigh as I walked to the backroom to put my bag in my locker, and under my breath, I mumbled, "Here we go!"
Once I got to my usual locker, I saw someone new putting on their uniform. Once his shirt was on, I saw his handsome face and his messy black hair. I smiled and asked, "First day?" He smiled back at me, and I froze for a second, but then I thought about Benji, and I immediately felt guilty for my thoughts. When he spoke, he had the sweetest voice, "What gave me away?" He walked towards the work station and said, "The name is Cyrus." I smiled as he walked by and said, "Victor."
Once I got to the cappuccino machine, I looked at Sarah, who was talking with Cyrus, and asked, "Do we have any orders? I dont see any over here right now." Sarah smiled at me and said, "Not right now, but I have paperwork to do so that you will be training Cyrus." I replied, "What if we-" Sarah cut me off and replied, "Sink or swim, you got this, Victor." As she spoke, she headed towards her office, leaving me with a trainee and a room full of customers.
I smiled at him nervously and asked, "Um did Sarah say we have any orders to do right now?" Cyrus shook his head and said, "Nope, all she said is that I need to learn from you." I laughed and said, "Ok, so I will show you some of the stuff right here." Cyrus walked over and watched me as I showed him where stuff is so that when we get busy, he might know some stuff.
After I showed him where stuff is, I stood there, not knowing what to do next. This was my first job, and I have no idea what I need to show him exactly. I remembered Benji teaching me, but honestly, I was trying to impress him the whole time. I giggled, thinking of watching Benji packing the coffee grounds in, thinking dirty thoughts about what I wanted him to do to me.
Cyrus laughed too, no clue why he was laughing, maybe because he felt awkward. I shook my head and said, "Sorry, so tell me about you." Cyrus blushed and said, "Um, I am new to town, my parents just moved here, and I am going to be starting school at Creekwood soon." I grabbed the towel that was by the cappuccino machine and started cleaning the counter to make myself look busy and asked, "Where did you move from?"
He gave me a half-smile as he started to wipe down the other side of the counter mindlessly and said, "We moved here from Laramie, Wyoming. Dad got a new job in Atlanta. I am glad because there are actual people around here." I laughed and replied, "I moved here a while ago from Dallas. I like it here way more."
Cyrus looked at me and asked, "What brought you to Atlanta?" I honestly did not know what to say to that question. Do I tell him that we moved here because my mom had an affair and my dad beat up his boss? Or do I say that my dad got a new job?
I must have stood there for a long time because Cyrus said, "If you dont want to tell me, no worries." Hearing that made me snap out of it because I quickly said, "Dad got a better job here, so we moved." Cyrus's smile grew more prominent and said, "Looks like our families had the same idea." I nodded my head in agreement, not knowing exactly what to say right now.
After a super awkward silence, I finally asked, "So, since you are going to Creekwood, what grade are you going to be in?" Cyrus quickly replied, "I am a Sophomore." I quickly said, "Cool, so we are in the same grade." The rest of my shift was slow, but we ended up talking the whole time. I never knew I could have so much fun at work when Benji or Felix isn't there.
Once my shift was over, right before closing, Sarah finally came out of the office. I looked at Cyrus as she did, and he gave me a smile that made me think we were both thinking the same thing. Sarah looked at me and said, "Victor, you can go. See you Friday." I nodded my head and started to untie my apron as I walked to my locker to get my stuff almost instantly.
Right when I got to my locker, I heard, "So, um.... What are you doing tonight?" I turned around to see Cyrus standing at the doorway like he had something to say to me. I quickly said, "I am going home and sleep. It's been a long day." Cyrus interrupted, "Oh, ok..." I replied, "Ya, for some reason, I am just tired." He muttered, "Well, I guess we can talk later?" I smiled and said, "Ya, um, sure. You seem pretty cool."
As I was walking home, I felt my phone vibrate. I pulled it out of my pocket to see an unknown number had texted me. I opened the text, and it read, "Hey, it's Cyrus! Today was fun!" I replied, "Oh, hey! Ya, it was! You are pretty cool!" I got a text back almost instantly. It was just a smiled face. I laughed when I got it, and I replied, "So, um, what were you trying to ask me when I was about to leave?"
Cyrus took a few minutes to reply, but he sent, "Um, I didn't want to go home yet. I don't feel safe at home, and talking to you was so effortless." As I walked up to the front door of the house, I replied, "Raincheck?" As I stepped inside, he texted back "😉"
Benji, who was sitting on the couch, stood up and walked over to me like he hadn't seen me in years. He grabbed me and pulled me close as he kissed me and I felt lighter than air. I sighed and said, "God, I missed you today!" He smiled at me and said, "I did too. It was weird not having you here with me today."
I was so happy to hear that he missed me, but I jokingly said, "Well, good thing Leah and Abby will be moving here soon, you will have a band to be in again." Benji kissed me again and said, "Ya, I miss that." I paused for a second and then said, "Wait, will that make you a groupie?"
My phone started to vibrate, and I ignored it, even though Benji could feel the vibrations. I could feel him get excited as he kissed me one more time. This time his tongue slid into my mouth as he pressed me against the wall. I thought to myself, "I am so glad that he didn't ask who was texting me. I don't want him to be jealous of Cyrus.
I looked around the room and asked, "Didn't you spend time with your brother today, though?" Benji laughed and said, "Ya, he spent the day with Lake." I laughed and asked, "What is going on with them?" Benji shook his head and said, "Honestly, I have no clue." Just then, my phone vibrated, and where my phone was in my pocket, it was pressed right up against Benji's crotch.
His face went bright red, and he said, "It's either you are getting a phone call, or you have a toy in there. I can't wait to use on you." My face instantly went red with embarrassment as I grabbed my phone. I looked at the screen, and I felt a tinge of relief that it wasn't a text from Cyrus, but it was a call from Pilar.
"Victor, you need to get here right now. Mom is here with Roger, and everyone is yelling." I heard Pilar say, hearing all of them yell at each other in the background. I quickly say, "On my way, call Auntie Monica!" As I get off my phone, Benji's phone starts to ring too.
———
Monica
Sitting down at the kitchen table next to Fred, I watched as he ate the dinner that I made. He looked at me and smiled. He was content that we were picking up where we left off. But, if I am being honest, I was nervous and scared at the same time. Ten years apart was a long time, and we both have aged and grown. I pray that we didn't grow apart.
Fred looked at me with his gorgeous brown eyes and said, "So, mi Vida, where do we go from here?" I blushed at the sound of that name. It was one I hadn't heard since the night that Fred walked out on me. I muttered, "Well, I would like to pick up where we left off, but..." I trailed off, thinking of the distance between us. Not physically. He was only a few feet away. I was thinking about the mental distance between us. We use to be so in sync that we could finish each other's sentences. Now he feels so alien to me.
I finally spoke again after a very uncomfortable silence, "I think this is perfect for right now." I grabbed his hand and squeezed it, which made him smile and say, "Mi Vida, being with you again is like my favorite dream come true." I blushed at the thought of him dreaming of me all these years. I have, but I never thought he had too.
I had one thought on my mind the whole time we were here, but I was too afraid to ask. I wanted to know more than anything why he walked out on me a decade ago. Why, in my moment of weakness, when I just found out, I couldn't have children, and we had lost our attempt to adopt his nephew. The next day, I woke up to a letter on our bed with no explanation as to why he was gone. Part of me wanted to know. The other part was terrified to find out.
"Ring," "Ring," "Ring," my phone started to ring, and it broke our silence. I picked it up to see that it was the hospital. I quickly answered to hear Dillon's nurse frantic on the other end, "Monica, Dillon needs your calming presence right now." I quickly asked, "What is going on, Garrett?" He sighed and said, "He was doing just fine one second while he was watching tv, and the next he was screaming some name that starts with a V. Could have been Victor, or Vincent, or maybe it was Vladimir."
I thought for a second as to what name he would scream out. Vincent is his father, who also was an asshole, so that is a possibility. And Victor was his target when he went on his psychotic binge. Those are the only two names that I can think of that would matter. I mumbled, "I know two of those names. I can be there in fifteen minutes." Garrett replied, "Perfect, I already called Benji and Carter. Maybe seeing all of you will help him."
I hung up the phone to see Fred, looking at me, wondering what was going on. He sweetly asked, "So, how is our little Peanut tonight?" As I gave him a brief rundown of what was said on the phone, my phone started to ring again. This time it was my niece, Pilar.
I looked at Fred as I answered the phone and mouthed, "Be right back." Before I could say anything, I heard my niece frantically say. "Auntie Monica, Mom, and Dad are fighting right now. Mom brought Roger, and we need you here." I felt conflicted. On the one hand, I need to be there for my niece and nephew, but Dillon is family.
In a split-second decision, I blurted out, "I am on my way right now, sweetheart." The phone went silent, but I could hear Armando screaming at the top of his lungs and another male voice, which was also screaming. I needed to get those kids out of there. Before I hung up the phone, I asked, "Sweetheart, where are you and Adrian?" She quickly replied, "We are in my room with the door shut." I muttered, "Stay put, and you are either going with Victor or me tonight."
As I hung up the phone, Fred looked at me and asked, "And how are you going to be in two places at once, mi Vida?" I sighed and said, "No clue." Fred grabbed my hand and said, "I will go to Peanut. You go help your niece and nephew." I kissed his hand, looking him in the eyes, and said, "Are you sure?" He smiled back and said, "I am here for you always. It will be good to see Dillon. Maybe I can calm him down."
———
Pilar
I get off the phone and lock my bedroom door, turning to see Adrian cowering on my bed, covering himself with my blanket. I rushed over to him and said, "It's going to be ok." I pulled the blanket off of him slightly and asked, "Did you pack a bag just in case?" Adrian nodded his head as he pointed to a backpack that was leaning against my closet.
I tousled his hair and said, "I called Victor and Auntie Monica." Adrian sat up and said, "I want to go with Victor." I laughed slightly and said, "Ya, it is pretty cool over there." Adrian got up off the bed and said, "No, it's amazing! Benji plays Frozen with me!" I laughed as I heard Mom scream something muffled since my door was shut, which scared me.
Adrian looked at me and said, "Pilar, I am scared. They never fought like this before." I felt a tear run down my face, remembering the good old days when we were in Texas. I wanted everything to go back to normal when we were a family again, and Mom didn't ruin everything with Roger. I wanted Victor to live under our roof again, where I can see him all the time. I give him crap all the time, but I do love him. I closed my eyes and thought of those days and covered Adrian and me up as we waited for our ticket out of here.
After what seemed like forever, I heard the door open, and the fighting stopped. Right away, I hear Roger say something that was muffled, and then I heard Victor roar, "Fuck you!"
This I had to see. I stood up and walked to the door, trying not to wake Adrian, who had fallen asleep. I stepped outside to hear Mom say, "You have to respect-" Victor roared with the same level of anger, "I dont have to respect that asshole! What are you doing bringing this asshole here?"
Dad started to yell, "Your mother here told me to sign over my parental rights of all of you. They want me out of the picture!" Victor looked at Mom and said, "Are you FUCKING kidding me? I don't even live here anymore, and now you are acting like this? Because of why?" Victor pointed at Roger, and then he continued to roar, "Is it because of this asshole?!"
Mom screamed, "You need to respect me, Victor, I am your-" Victor retorted, "I will respect my mother when she gets here. All I see is someone I don't know anymore." Mom looked hurt by those words, so she backed down. Roger stepped forward, raised his hand, and said, "You don't need to talk to your mother like that!" He pulled his hand back like he was about to hit him, but Victor had already started swinging, landing a blow right in his face.
I looked over at Dad, and he looked either proud or like he was looking in a mirror. He had hit Roger the same way when he found out about the affair. Mom grabbed the back of Victor's shirt and tried to pull him off of Roger, who was now on the ground while Victor was pummeling away at him. She screamed, "Victor!"
Just then, Auntie Monica burst through the door, and she roared so loud that the apartment almost echoed, "ENOUGH!" Everyone looked right at her, and she had a look of anger that I had never seen before. Victor stood up and pushed Mom away as he walked towards her. She looked at him and asked, "Why were you hitting him?" Victor smiled at her and said, "Why not?" She smiled back, gave him a high five, and said, "Good answer!"
Auntie Monica walked towards the middle of the apartment, and she pointed at the table, then roared, "NOW EVERYONE SIT!" As we all walked over to the table, I stood next to my Aunt alongside Victor. Auntie Monica snapped, "Now what the hell is going on here?"
Armando held up the papers that he had gotten earlier and said, "She wants me to give up the kids." Auntie Monica looked at her sister and said, "Why? Armando is such a great dad." Isabel started to speak, but Auntie Monica was looking right at Roger. She cut her off and said, "You only started acting like a bitch when he came back into your life."
"I don't want to live with either of you," Adrian mumbled from around the corner in the hallway. Everyone looked right at him, but Victor said, "Don't bother with custody of me. I am emancipating myself from this family. And if you and dad can't figure this shit out, I am going to have two of my friends adopt Pilar and Adrian."
Dad wanted to say something so bad, but he kept his mouth shut. Mom was not the same. She blurted out, "Over my dead-" Auntie Monica slammed her hand down on the table and roared, "If you don't knock this petty shit off, that can be arranged!" Victor looked from me to Adrian and said, "Do you guys have a bag ready because you guys are coming with me tonight." Adrian held up both of our bags and said, "We are ready."
Mom, who was crying, said, "Mijo, please don't go, we need to-" Victor put up his hand and said, "No offense Isabel, but you changed since you started dating this asshole. We all deserve better." He walked towards the door, and I started to follow him. I heard Mom ask Auntie Monica, "Monica?" I stopped to watch as she said, "Honestly, Isabel, you have been fucking up a lot lately. I hope that you are ruining your family for all the right reasons."
———
Thank you guys for reading up to now! Again, sorry, this chapter is a bit late, but I work hard to make sure I give you all the best content.
Please remember to vote, comment, and share! Love you all!
———UPDATE———
I am so sorry that I have just disappeared for a while, I had some stuff going on, and I am working on a novel that I am hoping to get published soon. Find Yourself will be back soon, but it will only have 2 more chapters. 27, 28, 29 and 30 will be the final chapters of that story. I WILL be writing a fanfiction for the end of season 2, and it will have a completely different name. I look forward to being back and I promise I will make it up to all of you. Love you all.
———UPDATE———
Upon further reflection, I have decided that Find Yourself, will end here. I want to restart fresh from where season 2 left off, and I don't want to confuse the storylines from Find Yourself with the storylines from the new book I am working on. Thank you for understanding, but this is the end of the line for these characters.