🐞MTOABB🐞

"Why are you standing outside in the cold?" Jordan asks as she and Cassandra approach me.

"I'm waiting for my sister to come fetch me."

"Rossita, are you okay?" Cass asks with worry in her eyes. The tears hadn't stopped flowing even though I told it to. I didn't want her sympathy because I knew it would be coming with an 'I told you so'. She wouldn't be wrong, she did tell me so but when have I ever listened. It's pathetic really, do I not want a happy ending with a guy that's not just perfect on paper?

"I'm going to be fine, Cass, seriously," I tried to assure her but she didn't buy it yet she didn't push any further.

"We can't leave you here outside in the cold, so please come inside while you wait," Jordan persists.

"Chloe will be here any minute," I tell her.

"I will stay out here with her," Cass tells Jordan who enters the house through the front door.

"What did he do?" She asked me as we both stood there.

"I don't even know anymore, Cass. What has he not done is the right question to ask." I sigh as I hold myself for comfort. Just then my phone screen lights up and it's a text message from Chloe.

Stuck in traffic but I'll be there as fast as I can _Chloe

"Let's go sit inside, I will make sure he is nowhere in sight." I finally give in as we both enter the warm house. She moves to turn on the kettle. "How does hot chocolate sound?" she asks.

"Sounds good," I tell her. This time she didn't prey any further on what went down with Gomes. We spoke about what her plans were after she graduates and if she plans to return to Miami.

"I want to take a break from studying and do some travelling," she lets me know. The excitement in her voice on all the different places she is excited to visit made me forget about my shit and made me realise that I'm focusing my energy on all the wrong places.

"Although I'm sad he is leaving, I'm glad. This time I can focus on myself and what makes me happy."

"That sounds like a plan, Rossita. You are going to be just fine." She smiles at me and just then there is a hoot from outside.

"I have to go. Thank you for the talk and the hot chocolate of course." I embrace her in a hug and walk out.

"Thanks for coming," I say as I climb into the car.

"Of course. What happened?" She asks.

"Can we talk about it later, I'm just so disorientated," I tell her and she nods as she drives off.

She slipped into the covers tonight, something we do on bad days. She embraced me from behind as I laid there sniffing. "Mom invited him to dinner tomorrow and I don't think I want to see him."

"You will regret it if you don't spend these last few days with him. A token of goodbye. Do it for yourself, Rossita."

"Maybe you're right." We laid there in silence as we let sleep come over us.

My Type of a Bad Boy

"Girls, your father is on the line," mom says as she enters my room and hands the phone to Chloe. She moves the call to speaker mode as dad greets us. "Hi dad," we both recite in unison.

"How are my two favourite girls doing?" He asks. We both knew that was a lie, I was always dad's favourite.

"I'm good," I tell him and Chloe says the same.

"Big day tomorrow, Chloe. How does it feel?" He asks her.

"I'm okay dad."

"Any plans for what you want to do with your life after your graduation?" He asks.

"I'm thinking of doing Human Studies at UCLA."

He lets out a nervous laugh. "Are you trying to have your mom and I rob the bank?"

"Don't worry dad, I'm in the process of getting a bursary but if that doesn't work out I will apply for a student loan."

"You sound so grown up, Chloe. I am so proud of you."

"Thanks, dad," she says.

"What about you, Rossita?"

"I still have a few more months of school before I graduate but I'm thinking of coming up there to work alongside you for a year."

"Talking about that, your mom and I were talking and how does coming up here to spend Christmas sound?" He asks enthusiastically.

"Sounds great dad." I was in need of a change of scenery and New York was definitely the right place for that.

Once the call ends, Chloe turns to me disapprovingly. "What?" I ask.

"Sounds great, really?" She asks.

"Isn't it?" And then it dawns on me, Brody. "I am so sorry Chloe, I didn't even think about it."

"Sometimes you don't think."

"I said I was sorry."

"I don't see your 'sorry' fixing anything."

"Should I call dad back?"

"Just leave it, Rossita. You've done enough."

"Chloe, you are overreacting. Like you said last night, do it for yourself."

"Fuck you."

"Wow. You are so mature."

She walks out of my room, leaving me with mom's cell phone.

Mom had a platter of beef tacos, lasagna with some baked bread sliced into thin slices lined up in the middle of the table.

There was ten minute left before he was expected to arrive. I never texted to see if he backed out or not. I could have asked Chloe but she has been giving me the silent treatment since the incident that happened this morning.

Just as mom places the one tier chocolate cake on the table, the doorbell rings. "That should be him. Rossita, go and open up for him," mom says. I quickly dip my hands in the soap water in the kitchen sink.

"My hands are wet, can't Chloe open?" I ask. Chloe rolls her eyes as she moves towards the front door.

"Hi, come on in."

"I hope I'm not too late," I hear him say.

"You are right on time."

He didn't look in my direction as he embraced mom in a hug and then took a seat next to her. What a great way to start the dinner.

"Are your parents attending the graduation tomorrow?" Mom asks him. He squirms in his chair as he reaches for a glass of water.

"His parents are out on a trip, mom," Chloe answers instead.

"I haven't met them, right?"

"Mom, you spoke to his mom on the phone that one time," I mutter. If she catches onto the lie, it's over.

"Oh yes, I remember. It would have been nice to meet the parents who made this young gentleman." She turns her attention to him and smiles.

I coughed, placing my hand to my mouth. "Sorry."

"You're okay?" Mom asks.

"She's fine, aren't you, Rossita?" Chloe stares at me, taking a bite from her beef taco.

"I already apologized, Chloe. I can't keep doing it. Is it even a big deal?"

"Yes it is. Mom," she averts her eyes to mom. "I would like to stay here for Christmas."

"Girls, stop. We have a guest."

"Don't worry mom, he is used to arguments if he is not the one causing them that is," I utter. This is the part where I say I didn't mean to say it out loud, which would be very true - I didn't.

"What is it with you girls? I am so sorry, Prinse. I am so embarrassed."

"Don't be, Ms. Jenkins. The food is delicious."

"Thank you."

"Do you leave town straight after graduation or will you fly out on Tuesday?" Chloe asks and my head rises up to stare at him.

"You're leaving," mom asks in shock.

"Yes, I'm going back to Miami. I will fly out straight after graduation."

I felt a teardrop stain my hand. As much as I wish I could forget him as fast as I had fallen for him, it doesn't work like that. He didn't choose me, that's what keeps hurting.

"So this is like your goodbye dinner as well," mom announces.

I remained quiet the rest of dinner and excused myself from the table earlier than everyone else. I watched as he drove his bike away. Tomorrow will be the last of us, and although I don't get it now, in a few years time it will all make sense as to why me and him were not for each other.

"Chloe, can I speak to you?" I ask, holding her door ajar.

"I overreacted," she whispered.

"I should have known better," I admit.

"I understand why you said yes and my reason for saying no was exactly for the exact same reason. I don't want to see him. Being here is my escape. I loved him, still do."

"We'll figure something out, as for now I want you to be happy, you're graduating tomorrow."

"How do you feel about attending?" She asks me.

"It doesn't matter how I feel, tomorrow is about you and celebrating all you've accomplished. That's very important to me, you're my sister. I wouldn't miss it for the world."

And just like that, morning came faster than I wanted it to. I screamed as they called her up for her scroll. I watched as they both hugged each other and he turned around and she walked towards me. Was he not going to say goodbye? Was he really going to leave without saying a word to me - wish me luck, dammit. The moments we had, did they mean nothing to him? The more the thoughts rushed in, the angrier I got, but I wasn't planning to let it ruin Chloe's big day.

"You did it, Chloe." I embrace her in a hug. "Go say goodbye to him," she whispers in my ear. I didn't want to think, just react.

"Hi, I mean, bye." I say. It was like we were meeting for the first time and were never going to see each other again.

"I'm going to miss you. Not sure if I'm allowed to say that." He scratches his head.

"I'm glad to hear that," I admit.

"I wish you all the best, Rossita," he tells me.

"Thanks, you too." I force myself to smile. Even if his happiness wasn't going to be with me by his side, I hope he finds it with Holly.

He turns to leave then stops and turns around. "I knew I was forgetting something. Walk with me to the car quickly."

We walk side by side in silence. He opens the driver's door and reaches in for something. "I want you to have the book." I stare at the title "Bleu Dreams" and then I let my eyes meet his. "Sure," I mutter. He hands me the book and I bring it to my chest.

"Can I kiss you?" He asks.

"That wouldn't be a good idea. Bye Gomes." I turn around and start walking away. It wasn't a 'see you later' and me rejecting him was the first to many of the steps I would be taking without him.