I Don't Like Your Boyfriend

The dreaded Monday came.

I didn’t want it to come. I wished I could’ve stayed in bed, but my Aunt came in and scolded me about hiding. Yes, I wanted to hide. I wanted to find a dark pit and just live there for the rest of my life, okay that was way over dramatic.

I got up. I threw on a large Metallica shirt, skinny jeans, and my usual shoes. Breakfast was silent. I had to leave early because I would have to take the bus. Sterling would no longer be pick me up in the mornings.

So, we were all surprised when there was a honk outside. It wasn’t Cruella because she texted Havel. There was another honk, and everyone looked at me. I sighed and got up and walked over to the door. I opened it and saw Antonio in his car.

I smiled.

“We’re going to be late!”

No, we weren’t. I went back to the kitchen and took my tote bag.

“Who is it?” My uncle asked.

“Antonio, he’s giving me a ride.”

Without another word, I ran outside and just in time as Sterling pulled up. I stopped when I saw him. Antonio got out of his car with a determined look on his face. He walked in front of me, shielding me.

“I need to talk to my girl,” Sterling said glaring hard at Antonio.

“Since Saturday night she’s not your girl, Sterling, so back the hell of, she doesn’t want to talk to you.”

He turned away from him and looked at me. His expression changed. He was hurt like a wounded puppy. Gosh, he knew that was my weakness. That look he gave me that melted my heart and buckled my knees.

“I need you to hear me out, baby, I love--”

“A guy who loves their girl doesn’t cheat on them! And doesn’t deny them to their family!”

Antonio’s voice was a bucket of ice. He was right about what he said. If Sterling truly loved me, he would’ve told me the truth.

“It’s not like I was sleeping with Cruella! All we did was hold hands in front our parents, that kiss was the first kiss since I broke up with her!”

I shook my head. “I don’t believe you. The way you were kissing her was not like someone you broke up with! Let’s go Antonio.”

We moved to go, but Sterling took hold of my arm.

“Listen to me!”

“Get your hands off of her!” Antonio pushed him away.

Sterling stumbled back but then he tackled Antonio to the floor. Their fists started to fly around and hit each other.

The commotion--which was me screaming at them to stop--made the neighbors look out their windows. Nosy bastards.

“Sterling! Antonio! Stop it! Right now!” I yelled at them.

They were not listening to me. My aunt, uncle, and Havel walked out of the house. My uncle ran towards us and he started to separate the boys.

My uncle held back Sterling and I got in front of Antonio. I knew he wouldn’t do anything to me. His bottom lips was bleeding and his cheek was bleeding too.

Sterling looked about the same. It was a draw, not it mattered.

“I mean it, stay away from her,” Antonio’s eyes looked so cold it sent chills down my spine, and not the good kind.

Sterling looked down to me. He wasn’t going to give up easily. I knew him. He walked away and got inside of his car, but I knew he wasn’t done.

I still ached for him. It really hurt to see him. So many memories. So many GOOD memories.

I turned to Antonio.

I took him inside of the bathroom and cleaned his wounds. It was silent in the bathroom. I was mad at him. He shouldn’t have responded like that, but that Macho Man shit was hard for men to ignore. It was sense of pride.

“I’m sorry about that… he just got me so pissed.”

I smiled nicely at him. “It’s all right. You shouldn’t have pushed him.”

“He needs to know that it’s over between you and him.”

I didn’t confirm it.

“Right?” he asked and took hold of my hand dropping it from his face. “It’s over, right?”

“I can’t give you a real answer, Antonio, it’s hasn’t even been a week.”

“But--”

“No but’s, we’ll talk about this when… it’s over, for real. I still have Luke mad as hell at me, and god knows if he told Lora about it.”

“He didn’t.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Did you talk to him?”

He shook his head. “If he loves you like he says he does, then he won’t do anything to cause you harm.”

He took both of my hands and he stood up and placed a very soft kiss on my lips. I closed my eyes and enjoyed it. I pressed our lips closer together. It was rougher than the beginning, but it was still gentle. He was the one who pulled away.

“I think I’ll appreciate these more once you’re with me,” he took my chin in his fingers and made me look him in the eyes. “Once you’re my girl, I’ll kiss you all the time. I won’t even let you breathe.”

I laughed and took a step back.

The kiss wasn’t a mistake, but it wasn’t right either. I was just using Antonio as a way to forget Sterling, and at the moment, I was still madly in love with Sterling.

School… well… they knew about the break up.

I don’t know how.

And that I arrived with Antonio just made rumors fly around.

I had to assure Lora nothing was going on between Antonio and I. She was mad that I didn’t call her right after I broke up with Sterling, but she forgave me for that when I broke down in front of her. She hugged me and told me all the things best friends should always say ‘You’re going to do better’, ‘he’s a bastard’, and ‘everything’s going to be all right’.

Luke gave me the cold shoulder. Lora noticed it, but she didn’t ask about it.

The first two classes went by in a blur.

I actually paid attention to Mr. Sanyo. I even answered some questions. During Nutrition, I went to the bathroom, and that’s when Sterling cornered me.

He convinced me to meet him somewhere at lunch so he could explain what he wanted to tell me in the morning.

I went back to Lora, Antonio, and Luke. I didn’t tell them about it because I knew they would tell me to not go and whatever. I needed to give Sterling a chance.

Nine months.

I couldn’t just ignore that.

Art and English class passed by way more quickly than Government and Anatomy. Instead of going to the cafeteria I went to the bleachers over at the football field.

When I got there, Cruella and Sterling were standing there.

She looked annoyed, but there was a glint of happiness in her eyes.

Why did he even leave her for me? She was the perfect girl. She had big boobs, curves, a great tan, and she had the whole American girl thing going for her. I was plain. I was short and changed my hair color so much that I knew it was beyond dead. It was just… blah.

Hers was wavy ad long.

Any man would kill to date her. Yet, he fell in love with me.

“Explain to her,” Sterling told Cruella.

She scoffed. “It’s really not my problem.”

“You ARE the problem, now explain.”

She rolled her eyes. “That kiss on Saturday was the first ever since we broke up, all right. We never had sex. We just held hands and pretended to be a couple. Nothing ever happened. Can I go now?”

He nodded. She walked past me and winked.

I looked back to Sterling.

“That kiss… I was imagining it was you,” he told sincerely. “I know that sounds wrong, but it was the only way I could get through it.”

“Nothing might’ve happened between you and Cruella, but you still hired actors, Sterling.”

“I know! I know! But I’m willing to make all of this up. Dinner with my parents tonight, my real parents. I’m not hiding you anymore. I love you; whether they accept it or not. Please… don’t give up on us.”

What to do?