"No!"

I screamed as I saw the black eye i got. How does it get so purple!? I groan as I touched it. I walked to my makeup vanity and tried to cover it up but it just looks awful! I banged my head on the table. And now im late. I rushed out the door and saw Ruby and Jamal as we got in the door of hell.

"Princesa! What happened to you!?" Ruby yelled as he examined my eye.

"Damn girl, who you pick a fight with?" Jamal eeks.

"Its nothing! Luis and I were playing and he accidentally hit me." I lied. I laughed it off, hopefully they wont ask anymore questions. "Jamal! Hows having Cesar over?"

"We're like Ying and yang."  Jamal says.

"Really? You and Cesar?" Ruby questioned. I walked with the boys as I held onto Rubys arm.

"Yeah! No one would guessed. But we're like...siamese fraternal twins giving each other hugs in the womb. Its wonderful!" I choose not to believe it. Knowing Cesar, he wont like that one bit. "I finally have a brother. Someone who gets me. Someone who stays up all night and debates Martin versus Tolkien." Tolkien is way better. "Marvel versus DC." Marvel ALL THE WAY! "I back him up and he backs me up. Thats just how we roll. We're tight! Like Trump and Putin." And you just lost me at Trump. Orange headass. "Not without telling him much he means to me." He saw Cesar. "Hermano!" He yelled. By the way Cesar turned, he wasn't having it. "Herrrr-manoo!"

"I have to let you go, i got practice." I told Ruby.

"Ill see you after."

"Jesus Val, what happened?" Monse told me.

"Luis. No big deal! Gotta go!" I panic and ran out. I ran to the fitting room and put on my gear. I tied my shoes.

"Oh hey Marisol!" I greeted. She looked up.

"Val!" We hugged. "Isn't this great?"

"Whenever im on the field, I feel unstoppable." I laughed. She looked at my eye. "My baby nephew."

"Ahhh." She smiles. "So did Ruby ask you to the valentines dance?"

"We're actually going with our friends." I nodded. We grabbed our bags and headed outside to the field. We placed our stuff on the side and took a lap. "Its not a big deal."

"You guys havent gone official right?"

"We have! We just want to keep it on the down low." We got in line. We saw all our other players. "Um, wheres Margarita?" The whole period, we warmed up, set up, practiced shooting, and then we played a little one on one. Of course my team won, because of me! It was time to hit the showers.

"Coming?" Marisol said as we chatted with the other popular girls.

"Imma cut through the gym, i need to get some water." I made my way to the gym, i opened the doors and you have to kidding me. There was a line of girls, and Ruby with Jasmine.

"The kissing portion is starting!" Jasmine cheered. There was Margarita, who was supposed to be in practice. "Pucker up for my Ruby!" What is this? Kissing? Ooo im so angry.

"You've got to be kidding me!" The gym went silent. Ruby turns around. "Unbelievable." I angrily stormed off.

"Valeria! Wait!" Ruby called out. I was so angry, i started to cry. Ruby caught up with me, grabbing my hand. I yanked it back. "Its not what it looks like."

"What does it look like Ruby?" I crossed my arms. "Kissing portion?"

"Jasmine was looking for a date to the dance for me."

"And what about me?"

"I know! I was telling Jasmine that this wasn't right!"

"Do you still like me?" I sobbed. Ruby shook his head.

"Of course I do amor! This meant nothing to me! I swear!" We argued in the little abandoned hallway. "Jasmine doesnt know about us. She doesnt know." Jealousy came kicking in.

"I hate seeing everything girl here trying to get with you because you got shot." I started to say. "They don't know the feeling of your love of your life is gasping for air as he was in your arms. They don't know the feeling when you were dying. They dont see whenever they are in the shower they see the blood, dripping down." I sobbed, sliding down the wall. "They don't know the feeling. They just want to be with you because they think its hot." I sniffed. "And i hate it. Its just not fair." Ruby pulls me in for a kiss.

"I never knew you felt this way." He holds my hand. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because you already have enough things going on right now. I dont want you to be worried about me." Ruby shakes his head.

"Mi vida, im always going to worry about you. You're my girlfriend." He sits down with me. "I dont want to go with any of the girls in there. I want to go with you." I snorted with a chuckle at the end. "Because I deserve to show off my girlfriend at the valentines dance."

"Im sorry." I whispered to him.

"Sorry for what?"

"Being jealous. I just have a lot of stuff on my mind at the moment." Celia, the whole Cesar in the streets, its getting to me. He grabs my hand.

"And ill be here for you." We sat there in the hallway. "What else has been in your mind?"

"You dont-"

"Come on. You listen to me, cried with me. At least what I can do is be here for you." I sighed.

"My moms back, again. I really thought she wasn't coming back." I put my head on his shoulder. "Luis didn't hit me, she did. Celia grabbed me, and i said some stuff and then," I pointed at my eye. Ruby gently brushed his thumb over my eye, it didnt hurt.

"Did you call the cops?"

"Jacky was, but Ceila left before she could." I didn't move from my spot, the bell didn't stop us.

"You didn't do anything wrong." He told me, looking at me.

"Should I feel bad?" I asked him. "I told her she meant nothing to me. But I dont feel bad."

"Then you shouldn't. She brings you and Willy problems." Hes right. All she does is bring problems.

"Thanks Ruby." I placed a kiss on his cheek.

"Hey Im here for you." We looked at each other, admiring. "No matter how much you want me gone." I chuckled.

"Now why would I want that?" Ruby stood up, giving me a hand. "I have to hit the showers."

"No wonder it kinda smells." He joked, i gently pushed his shoulder. "Stinky, yet beautiful."

"Oh shut up." I played around and waved goodbye and went to take a shower. Since i was the only one, i took a fast shower, its scary if you're alone in there. Got dressed and went on my day. I sat down next to Monse as the bell rang.

"Do you know what Ruby and Jasmine did?" She shakes her head.

"Yeah, i walked in."

"What type of person would do that!" I gave her a smile.

"Hey, me and Ruby talked. We're all good."

"He asked you out to the dance?" I nodded. "Got a dress?"

"No, i have no clue what to wear." We started to write down the notes that the teacher had up on the board. "Wanna go take a look after school?"

"Sure, just us, no Ruby, no Cesar, No Jamal." I chuckled.

"Just us two girls."

"Sounds like a plan." Hours went by and it was time to leave. I had texted Ruby that I was going to be with Monse. We walked down to the bus stop and went to the little mall that was around. "I don't know about this one Mons." I walked out of the dressing room with a tight, black dress. Monse comes stomping in. We both looked at the mirror. Our faces said everything.

"We look horrible." She looks away. "We've been looking at dresses for an hour and nothing."

"Mons, we just have to keep looking."

"This is some BS." She gets up and we started looking at dress again.

"This one's cute for you." I told her, pulling put the blue halter dress. Monse looks at it. "A light blue, it would look so nice on you."

"Fine, only because I trust you with fashion." I gave her a smile. I gave her the dress. "Now i found this." She pulls out a lavender dress. "Did I do good?"

"You did." We went into the changing rooms. I walked out and looked at myself. The lavender dress, short on my side, a little longer on one.

"We look good." Monse said. We high five and changed back to our clothes and went to pay. The bus ride was long, quiet, but all me and Monse talked about was the dance.

"Wanna stay over?" I asked we were walking near my house.

"Sure, ill text my dad." We walked in my house.

"Hey!" Jacky said as she came out from the kitchen.

"Hey!" We both said. Willy comes out from his room. "Hey, Monse is gonna stay night. If thats okay?" I told him. Willy walks up to us.

"Monse? Wow you grew, you were like this tall when I saw you." He shows us the height.

"You got tattoos." She said. This was getting awkward.

"Okay, we'll be in my room." We walked into my bedroom.

"He changed." Monse said as we sat on my bed. "He's nothing like Oscar."

"Yeah, i know." We stayed up all night as we gossip about everything. Willy, Jacky and Luis went to bed. I snuck into the kitchen to make some popcorn.

"Can I ask you something?" Monse asked as I placed the bowl down on my bed.

"Yeah shoot."

"I think I want to live with my mom. Just for a few days. Do you think I should?" I placed my hands on top of hers. "My dad doesn't want me to, i just want to know more about my mom."

"Then you should. Its not like you're gonna be there for years. Get to know your mom. Theres nothing wrong with that Mons. Spend time with her."

"You wont be mad?"

"Now why would I be mad? You're going to Brentwood, away from here. Im nothing but happy for you." We hugged each other.

"You have no idea how much I needed to hear that."

"But you have to promise me that im still going to be your best friend."

"You're still going to be my best friend no matter what."