Gael had left just a few minutes ago. I notice Doña Pilar peeping from across the street, as if she's watching me like a hawk. What a weirdo, can't she mind her business. I mutter, shaking my head, and duck inside. Her constant hovering is creepy, but somehow, it's also kind of hilarious.
I close the door, place the food Gael brought on the counter, and head straight for the shower. The warm water scours away the lingering haze of last night, the drunken mess I had been in. My hair, still damp, clings stubbornly to my forehead. I can't help but think back to Gael standing there in my kitchen, calm, deliberate, holding that container of food. Like he hadn't just invaded my morning, my thoughts… my entire mood.
After toweling off, I sit at the kitchen table with the food. The smell is warm and inviting exactly what a hangover needs. I poke at it, bite cautiously, and suppress the small, infuriating smile that wants to tug at my lips. I groan softly, shaking my head.
"¿Qué demonios estaba pensando anoche?" I mutter, embarrassed by the memory of myself slurring nonsense to Gael. I curse myself silently for enjoying the fact that he cared enough to do this. I am not grateful. Furious. Annoyed. Yes, annoyed is the right word.
The days pass. Gael doesn't text. He doesn't call. I had expected nothing, yet I can't deny a part of me hoped for some sign. I regret the fact that I thought he would like me, he is a senior. Daniel isn't around either, he's in Sevilla visiting his family so the corridors of campus feel like mine to navigate alone. Each morning I remind myself to ignore Gael, though my chest tightens every time I think I might catch sight of him. Immediately classes end i find myself going back to my apartment face time my family and my friends back home.
That morning, I'm walking toward the bathroom after class, hair tied loosely back, notes clutched in my bag. I keep my eyes forward. Then I see him.
Gael. Leaning against a wall with Juan and Diego, laughing quietly. He doesn't move, doesn't approach. Just watches. And my chest tightens not with fear, not with attraction but sheer irritation.
Do not engage. Do not acknowledge him. Do not let him see you noticed. I cross my arms, force my eyes forward, and stride past. He is not my protector. He is not my problem. I owe him nothing.
And yet… I can't stop thinking about that morning, how he had stood there calm, deliberate, as if performing some act of kindness I should be grateful for. I am not grateful. I repeat it in my head, almost aloud.
By midweek, things get worse. Lena isn't even enrolled at my university, but she's been hearing my name around Gael enough to get jealous. And now she's paying some students to mess with me. Unbelievable.
I'm sitting in the student lounge, laptop open, notes spread out, coffee at my side, when it happens. Someone "accidentally" bumps into me, spilling warm liquid all over my laptop. My stomach drops. My only laptop. Papers stick together, notes ruined. I freeze, heart hammering.
The girl standing nearby smirks, tapping her empty cup against her hand.
"Careful, Alma… stay away from Gael, or you'll see worse," she says, her voice sweet but full of malice. She laughs, and her friends join in. Giggles sharp, high-pitched, mocking.
My face burns. My chest tightens. My hands shake. I can't ask my dad for another laptop. Only I know how bad this is. I try to blink it away, hide how helpless I feel, but it doesn't work.
"¡Basta!" I scream, jumping to my feet. Papers scatter across the floor. "What are you doing? Why would I ever be with Gael? If you want him that badly, why didn't you approach him yourself instead of attacking me? What did my laptop ever do to you?"
The girl smirks wider, clearly proud of herself, as if I'm invisible, as if everything I said was just garbage. I wish Daniel were here.
Then, like a scene from a movie I never auditioned for, Gael appears. Juan and Diego flank him, moving through the lounge like a military unit.
"What's happening here?" His voice cuts through the laughter, sharp and commanding. He glances at me, concern flickers in his eyes, maybe anger.
"Nothing… just playing," one of the girls mutters.
"Playing with her isn't a game. Move, before this gets ugly," Gael says, deadly calm.
The girls freeze. Nervous glances. Muttered under their breath. Then they bolt toward the dean's office. Suspension notices will follow. Lena will scream when she finds out.
I turn to him, trembling, rage and humiliation twisting inside me. My laptop ruined. My notes soaked. My pride stinging.
"Why didn't you stop them sooner?!" I yell. My voice cracks. "All of this… it's your fault! If it weren't for you… none of this would have happened! Do you even know the damage done in the name of those girls telling me to stay away from you?!"
Gael flinches. Hurt flashes in his eyes, brief and unreadable. He looks like he wanted gratitude, or at least acknowledgment. But I refuse.
"Alma… I—" he starts, low, hesitant.
"Don't say anything! Anything you say won't fix my laptop! Won't fix my notes!" I snap. Tears spill down my cheeks, and I try to swallow them. "I don't want to hear it. Just… leave me alone."
Juan and Diego exchange looks behind him.
"She's really mad," Juan mutters.
"Yeah… and rightly so. We came in all heroic, and she's still furious," Diego adds.
Gael runs a hand over his face, frustrated. "I was trying to protect you! That's all. I didn't know they'd—"
"I don't care what you think! I don't care about your plans! I care about me! About my life! About what I have to deal with!" I yell, raw emotion shaking my voice.
He looks at me, shoulders slumping, like he wants to reach out, to fix it, but knows I won't let him.
"You can't just… just do stuff like that and expect me to be okay with it. You can't."
"I didn't ask for forgiveness," he says quietly. "I just wanted to help."
"Well, congratulations," I spit, tears falling freely. "You helped… ruin my week."
I turn sharply and storm toward the courtyard, ignoring his quiet footsteps. Sun too bright. Air too sharp. I wipe my cheeks roughly, angry at myself for crying. But I can't stop the ache in my chest.
Juan and Diego whisper behind me.
"She's not letting him off easy," Juan says, impressed.
Diego shakes his head. "You can see it though. He cares. It's… annoying."
I don't want to hear it. I don't want to think about it. I just want to get away.
At the lounge exit, I see the students Lena paid, sitting smugly, whispering and laughing. My anger spikes again.
"You think this is funny?!" I yell. "Do you even care what you did?!"
They flinch. "It's just a little fun," one shrugs.
Gael steps in front of them again, Juan and Diego beside him. His voice low, deadly calm: "Enough. You are going to pay for all this."
The students freeze, whisper, and flee. I feel a mix of relief and resentment. My voice still shakes as I glare at Gael.
"It's still your fault!" I yell. "None of this would have happened if you hadn't made yourself so… visible! None of it!"
He flinches, guilt and hurt flickering in his eyes again. I refuse to soften.
I storm away, leaving them behind. Whispers trail me "Is she dating Gael? Why did he save her?" I ignore them.
All I know is I'm furious, humiliated, and painfully aware that Gael has inserted himself into my life in a way I can't ignore.
I take a taxi back to my apartment, pressing my forehead lightly against the window as the city blurs past. The moment I step inside, the tears come—fast, uncontrollable. There's no one here to see me fall apart. No one to laugh, no one to judge. Just me, my ruined day, and a laptop sitting uselessly on the table.
I drop my bag and sink onto the couch, staring at it like tears might somehow revive it. Like crying hard enough could fix circuits and soaked keys. My chest tightens, and I let myself cry properly now, shoulders shaking, frustration pouring out of me in hot, angry sobs.
Eventually, I grab my phone and call Daniel.
The words spill out the second he answers—everything. The girls. The coffee. The threats. The laptop. He listens quietly, then his voice softens in that way that always makes me feel both comforted and small.
"Alma… I can buy you another one," he says gently. "Please."
My jaw tightens. "No."
He insists. I refuse. The last thing I want is to take something from his family. That's not how I was raised. That's not what my mother taught me. I won't owe anyone like that—not even Daniel.
"I'll manage," I tell him, forcing steadiness into my voice. "I'll use the school computers. I'll find a job. I'll buy it myself."
After the call, I take a quick shower, scrub my skin a little harder than necessary, then clean my room until everything feels controlled again. I turn on Latino music in the kitchen, loud enough to drown my thoughts, and start cooking. The rhythm helps. The chopping. The heat. The movement.
Then my phone buzzes.
Once. Twice. Again.
Gael.
I stare at the screen.
Gael: Hey. How are you doing? I wanted to apologize for what happened. Can we at least talk?
I don't reply. I flip the chicken, stir the sauce, pretend I don't see it.
A few minutes later, my phone rings.
I sigh and answer.
He starts apologizing immediately. Not rushed. Not defensive. Sincere. I hate that I can hear it in his voice. He offers to buy me late lunch—it's already past four—but I turn him down. I'm cooking, and I refuse to waste food.
That's when Diego's voice cuts in, loud and cheerful. "You're cooking? Then we're coming over."
My stomach twists. I don't want to see them. Not yet. Not like this.
"I—I have cousins over," I lie quickly.
There's a pause, then Diego laughs. "Then save me some, Latina."
I mutter an agreement and hang up before I can say something I regret.
I place my phone face-down on the counter and inhale deeply. Snap out of it, Alma. He's not worth your energy. He just brings chaos into your life.
I serve myself food and sit down to eat, realizing how hungry I am. I eat like I've been starving all day, barely tasting anything. Between bites, I scroll through job listings on my phone, determined.
Then I see it.
LUMEN — a luxury beauty brand.
Seeking a part-time social media marketer and receptionist assistant.
My heart jumps. Marketing. Social media. Flexible hours.
"Wow," I whisper. "Maybe luck isn't completely dead."
I apply immediately and force myself not to overthink it.
Days pass. Gael keeps trying to talk to me. I keep dodging him. Avoiding hallways. Changing routes. Pretending I don't notice his presence.
Then Daniel finally returns to school.
We skip Ethics class and sit together, laughing, catching up like no time has passed. He tells me he's talking to someone new, and I genuinely feel happy for him. When he brings up the laptop again, insisting—again—that he wants to buy me one, I shut it down—again.
Mid-laugh, my phone buzzes.
I check my email.
Lumen Application Update!
I open it.
They've taken me.
I gasp, covering my mouth. "Daniel "
He reads my face instantly. "You got it."
I nod, laughing and crying at the same time. Celebration is mandatory, but it's still daytime, so tequila is off the table. Instead, we order milkshakes and ice cream, determined to give ourselves brain freeze like idiots.
We're mid-laughter when something shifts in the air.
I feel it before I see it.
Gael.
He stands near the entrance, talking to a waitress, pretending not to look at me but I catch him. He's not alone. Diego and Juan are with him, each accompanied by girls. And next to Gael…
A redhead.
She's a little shorter than me, wearing a white tank top and tight denim shorts. They look close, too close maybe. Comfortable. Like a couple.
Something sharp twists in my chest. I hate it immediately.
Don't be stupid, Alma. He's not yours. He never was.
I turn back to Daniel, forcing myself to focus, to laugh, to ignore the sting.
Then a shadow falls over our table.
I don't need to look up. I recognize the scent of his cologne instantly.
Gael.
Daniel and I lift our heads. Gael's expression is tight, furious.
"Why aren't you in school?" he asks.
Daniel starts to explain, but I cut in sharply. "Why don't you mind your business—with your girlfriend?"
His face changes. Something dark flickers in his eyes, then disappears. He says nothing.
Instead, he turns to Daniel. "When you're done, text me where you're going next. I don't want Dad on my case for not keeping track of you."
Then his gaze shifts back to me.
"Don't let your eyes deceive you, Cruz."
The way he says my name makes my heart stutter. My anger falters, just for a second.
Daniel grins. "We're celebrating. Alma got a job!"
"Daniel," I hiss, shooting him a warning look.
Gael raises an eyebrow. "Oh? Where?"
"Just… some shop," I say quickly.
He studies me, clearly realizing I don't want him to know. "Congratulations," he says quietly, then turns and walks away.
Daniel frowns. "Why didn't you tell him?"
"The laptop," I reply simply.
Daniel watches him leave, confused.
I just shrug.
He nods, understanding, and we go back to our ice cream and laughter.
Still… I can feel someone watching me.
I don't look, I already know it's Gael.