Learn to Play. Vie to Win.

"Seven," I said as my eyes followed Brandon Caulghy into the school building. It was my best friend Maya's favorite part of the day, Rate Guys Time, or RGT. It happened only during lunch, Maya's favorite meal of the day.
"I give him a four," Maya said as her dark brown hair flew in the wind. I was always jealous of her hair. It was straight and easy to handle, while mine was stringy when it got wet, and it got puffy when it was dry.
"What? You're crazy. He is obviously pretty hot."
"Whatever. Adriana, you can do better." I sighed and watched as she pulled out a sandwich and started eating. I call Maya one of the chosen ones. She has no siblings whatsoever. No full, half, step or Godsiblings, and her parents are together. Plus, she's a beautiful Mexican. I'm not saying she's perfect- I mean, she still gets bacne and can have a better body- but she's still pretty awesome.
"How's your mom?" Maya asked me.
"Holding up," I said. My maternal grandmother recently died, and my mom's been heartbroken. Yeah, I'm sad since that was the only grandmother I knew. We were pretty close, so obviously I'm sad, but my therapist told me I was fast at getting over grief. I was getting worried that I didn't love my grandmother enough because I had grieved for only a week or two, while my mother is still sulking around the house. Yeah, my paternal grandmother is still alive, but she lives somewhere in South America. Never met her, as far as I know. "She wishes Leandro was here." my oldest brother Leandro, 22, lives with my dad in Gilbert, Arizona. Kinda far from where I live, in Manhattan, New York City. He moved in with him for some stupid reason I forgot, when I was eleven. We're not exactly close.
"I can see why. After losing somebody close, she feels like Leandro is slipping away, too, that she might lose him as well." that's the thing about Maya. She could be a psychologist, or a therapist. Some job about the mind will do for her. I can always rely on her for words of wisdom. "Has your father called?"
"Um... No, he has not." I replied, tapping my hands on my outstretched legs. I always get a little jumpy when I talk about Hector Humberto Javier Lucumi, a.k.a my male co-creator. I haven't seen Hector (yes, I call him Hector) in four years, when I was twelve, when he took my to Disneyworld. "He doesn't exactly care for Ma anymore."
"Oh. Well he should at least care for you and your brothers," Maya said with a "humph." "What about him?" Brad Taylor, a hunky guy, walked by, oblivious to the world with headphones in his ear and an iPhone in his hand.
"Three point five," I said with a grimace. "Too bulky with a butt chin."
"Agreed."
The bell rang inside the school building and Maya and I gathered our things and started heading inside.
"See you after school?" Maya asked as we walked down the dead end hall.
"Nah," I shook my head. "My mom wants me home,"
"Your mom always wants you home,"
"I know, but today she told me it was urgent, to not do anything but take the bus back home."
"Oh. Tomorrow, then?" she asked when we reached the end of the hall, the breaking point for us. We had separate rooms, different classes, none together. Unless you count lunch as a class.
"Yeah," I said.
"You better be here. I don't want to hear about a bus accident that killed my sister." Maya and I refer to ourselves as sisters, since we're so close, and since we don't have any. She always drops me off at my house in her car, and this would be the first time taking the bus in a year.
"Hopefully that won't happen," we laughed and I went right, Maya to the left. Me to science, her to history.

"Ma!" I yelled as I closed the front door. I had (luckily) survived the bus, although there was a really annoying kid who kept bumping against me because he was swaying back and forth. "You would not believe the day I had today." in my class after science, P.E, I was hit in the face with a basketball because I had called somebody a diva. Really, Shelby Michaels? A basketball? Even a dodgeball would've hurt less. And, in Health, somebody threw up on my shoes. Apparently, he was feeling sick all day and when he started hearing about diarrhea and when a woman gives birth, his insides came out of his mouth, I swear. I had to carry my shoes back in a supermarket bag and luckily, Maya always brings an extra pair of shoes "Just in case!" So she lent me those. I have to return them tomorrow, of course.
I saw three suitcases in the dining room on the way to my bedroom, all with my name on them, along with my brothers' suitcases next to mine.
"Hola, hija," my mother spoke to me in Spanish as she walked around the suitcases, like they were an everyday decoration added to the room.
"Are we vacationing in the middle of the school year?" I asked, hope in my voice. She looked at me with sad eyes, the kind that reminded me of my late grandmother's.
"Something like that," she said, sniffling. "Agustin, Julian! Come here!" she yelled in Spanish. My mother's from the Dominican Republic, but her nationality is also Costa Rican, from my late grandfather, who died before I was born from a heart attack. Or maybe lung cancer? I don't know, I've forgotten.
My older brothers walked in, Julian yawning, Agustin putting an empty glass cup into the sink.
"Where are we going?" he asked. "Especially now, in January."
"Hopefully somewhere hot," I said. It gets cold in Manhattan, especially when there's practically a foot high of snow outside. Yet, Maya and I still eat outside. Huh. Maybe that's why we're always cold, although only I show it. My nose and ears get red.
"Yes, somewhere very hot." Ma said. "Sit down." she said in Spanish. Us kids obeyed, and she started pacing and sniffling even more, which she only does when she's about to-
"We are getting deported." she wailed.
Cry.
"Excuse me?" I asked.
"There's been some certain issues I cannot explain with you," she cried. "Your father, Leandro, you and me are all getting sent back to the place where we were born. We are getting deported."
"We were born at Beth Israel," Julian said, referring to the downtown-ish hospital we were born at.
"No," Ma said, still crying. "I... May have um... What's that word, Adriana? When you do not tell the truth?"
"You lied?" I asked, appalled. She nodded.
"Yes, lied," she said. She knows Enlgish fluently now, but still forgets some words.
"Ma," Agustin said. "What are you saying? What the hell is going on?"
"You watch your mouth, young man," she scolded. Although she looked like a wreck, she was still the same, nice yet strict forty year old woman. She's a strict Catholic, never curses, at least in our house. She doesn't like to use the word Hell, and never uses God's name in vain, in or out this house. Us kids, though, we don't exactly follow the same rules. "You children were born in Madrid."
"As in Spain? In Europe?," I asked.
"No duh," Agustin said.
"Excuse me?"
"How many other places in the world are there called Madrid?"
"Actually, a lot, I'm pretty sure,"
"And how many countries are there called Spain?"
"Watch your attitude,"
"Watch your face, 'cause I'm about to mess it up." he snapped. I raised my eyebrows.
"Adriana and Agustin, please," Ma spoke softly in Spanish. "You leave tonight."
"Who's sitting alone?" I asked.
"What?" asked Julian, his first words all night.
"There's only three seats max to a plane row, or one third of a row, whatever you want to call it. There's four of us, one has to sit alone."
"I vote Adriana," Agustin said. I slapped him on the back of the head, expecting Ma to say something, but she just sat there with her hands neatly folded, staring into a napkin.
"Agustin, you should just get on another plane altogether," I replied. He rolled his brown eyes.
All of us looked the same. Same color hair, same color eyes, same color skin. It kind of irritated me, that I looked like everybody else. People say my mom plastered her face in mine when I was born, that's how alike we look like. My brothers? They look like Hector. But I look like Maria Luchi Rodriguez, a.k.a my mother. But, I do have to admit, Agustin does look a little paler than the rest of us, also with a hair about two shades lighter. Same deal with Leandro, although his hair was actually a little blond, and his skin tone was lighter. Mom said it was because of genetics, that her great-grandmother had the same pigment of skin and melanin amount.
"You will all sit together," Ma said.
"Ah, so she gets to escape the wrath of the Lucumi kids. Well, three of them, anyway." I said.
"Lucumi Rodriguez," Julian said. This time, it was my turn to roll my eyes.
"Until things get all straightened out," my mother said.
"What?" asked Julian.
"You get to escape the wrath of the Lucumi kids-"
"Lucumi Rodriguez!" Julian cut in.
"Whatever!" snapped the obviously annoyed Agustin that he was cut off. One his many pet peeves. "Until things get straightened out?"
"I am taking a different plane," Ma said.
"Why?" I asked. "We're all going to the same place."
"No we're not," Agustin said, relaxing a bit.
"Yeah we are," I said.
"No, we are not." he repeated.
"Agustin, yes we are!"
"How stupid are you?" he snapped, raising his voice. I raised my eyebrows. Agustin has called me stupid plenty of times in the past, but as jokes. This was the real deal. I looked at Ma, but she was still staring at the napkin.
"What?" I whispered. I don't why, but his words stung like a bee, which has happened to me before. Right on my knuckle.
"Our mother, Adriana Lucumi Rodriguez," Agustin said, standing up, clearly emphasizing the "Rodriguez" part. "Was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Do you know where the Dominican Republic is?" I swallowed, not answering his rhetorical question. "Not in Spain, that's for sure!"
"Well sorry!" I yelled back. "Why are so mad, anyway?"
"Why am I mad? Because I was going to propose to Anabelle tonight, and now there's been a change of plans, because I'm being deported to southwestern Europe!!" Agustin, nineteen years old, has a girl, Anabelle, age eighteen. They've been together since Agustin was sixteen, Anabelle fifteen. She's pretty and nice, and has a sense of humor. But Ma doesn't like her very much, because Anabelle is white. That's right, all American, nothing else. Which I don't know how that's possible, but it just is.
"I'm going to lay down," Ma said, running to her bedroom. I sighed.
"I'm going for a drive," Agustin got his keys from the key bowl on the front desk next to the door and quickly left the house. Just me and Julian now.
"So what's gonna happen now?" he asked me. I shrugged. Although he's older than me, he's only a year older than me, so we're close. We rely on each other.
"Honestly, bro? I don't know."

"And now we're going to freaking Madrid!" I cried into my phone. Maya was on the other line.
"Oh my God," she said. "What's going to happen?"
"We're going Spain, my new home, apparently,"
"With who?"
"I don't know, I didn't get to ask..." I sighed.
"What are we going to do? I need my shoes!"
"Seriously, Maya?"
"Sorry. So you were born there?"
"Apparently," I can't believe I was born in freaking Europe, when all this time I thought my entire life was in Manhattan.
"And you're leaving when?"
"Some time tonight,"
"Bring my shoes," I heard her sneeze.
"Bless you, and why? You're letting me keep them?"
"Thank you, and God no," she sniffled. "You know how much those cost? Bring them so you can send them back."
"Maya, are you even listening? I'm moving to the eastern hemisphere,"
"This is actually kind of exciting. It's like a forever vacation!"
"Whatever! I gotta go," I hung up before she could say anything else and laid down on my bed, cosing my eyes. It felt weird since my room was stripped of everything. No more clothes in my- the- closet, no more posters of Ian Somerhalder and Ryan Lochte, no more perfume and whatnot on my no-longer-there-dresser (where was that thing, anyway?), no more sheets, blankets or even pillows on my bed (really uncomfortable, by the way), no nothing except my mattress and the base of the bed. Well, and the door, if that counts. My mom really did pack everything. I wonder how the boys' room looks...
Spain. I've never even been there. Well, I mean, I was, since I was born there, but you know what I mean. How does it look like? Smell like? And their economy? How's their crime rate?
I went to my mom's room and opened the door. She was staring at a photo I couldn't see from my angle behind her.
"Hey, Ma," I said. Startled, she jumped and dropped the picture frame (luckily) on the bed.
"You scared me," she said. I looked at the clock. Four fifty-six, it read. "I was just about to get you and your brothers."
"Why?" I asked. "Last family meeting we had didn't go so great."
"Your plane leaves tonight. At eight? We need to get there as soon as possible. The car ride is long because of rush hour and all that, and we still need to get checked in, especially with so many people there already..." it hit me then that this was really happening. I was leaving my mother behind because of some stupid government whatever, and now she would be alone in D.R. I mean, I guess she has family, but what about her kids? Not that Leandro really mattered, he left her for my father. But what about Julian, Agustin and me? And how long were we going to be deported, anyway? I don't know about any of this. "Can you tell your brothers to get their suitcases and meet me at the door?"
"Sure," I said. "Uh, mom?"
"Yes?" she asked.
"This is going to seem like a selfish question, but... where did you pack my laptop? I need it so I can Skype with people, including you, of course, you're at the top of my list, and Maya..."
"In your carry-on purse, attached to one of your suitcases," she smiled. "Don't worry, I packed absolutely everything. Oh, and your dresser and mirror? Already shipped to your grandmother's." this was the first time I've seen Ma smile all day. Or was it? I don't know, short term memory loss runs in the family. Oh, and my mirror! How could I forget about Betsy? Yeah, I named my mirror, and my TV.
"And the TV?" I asked right before leaving her room. It still had everything inside. I guess she was leaving tomorrow.
"No TV," she said.
"Pardon?"
"I sold it today while you were at school. There's already a family TV over there, so you don't need yours..."
"No television?" I asked, mouth dropped open. Before I could get snappy, I had to remember I wasn't going to see my mom for a while. "Ma, when am I going to see you again?"
"I don't know," she sniffled. "Until our deportation order drops."
"And when is that?" I asked. She shrugged.
"Could be a while. You know the government does not look at our class first," she said. Of course. Rich people first. I nodded and knocked on the boys' room's door. Agustin opened. Inside was nothing, like my room. Julian was sitting on the floor, leaned against a wall, headphones in ear. His eyes were closed.
"Ma said to meet her at the door," I whispered with meaning too. He nodded and kicked Julian softly, Julian opening his eyes and hitting Agustin. The two got up and followed me to the dining room, getting our individual bags. I checked my carry-on purse. Sure enough, there was my brand new Apple laptop. God forbid if anything happened to Rheilly, my baby (my laptop). Along with a few other things, like deodorant, a book that was hidden under my pillow, perfume, headphones and my iTouch, and other essentials.
Ma came and walked us out the door and to her Honda. The car ride was long and silent. and when we finally go to the airport, Ma came out and gave us each long hugs, telling us Hector was already inside with Leandro. She also told me the airport people might not treat us as nicely if they find out we're being deported, which I thought they already knew, but whatever.
"I love you so much, Adriana," Mom cried when she hugged me, done with Agustin and Julian.
"I love you too, Ma," I said in Spanish. I always refused to talk in Spanish with my mother since English was easier for me, but I figured this was a good time to practice my bilingual-ness.
"You are going to um... this Skype thing, right, we're going to do that everyday?"
"At eight PM sharp," I said.
"Okay," she released and fixed her hair a little. "Goodbye."
"Bye," I said, wiping a tear away. I followed my brothers' into the airport and immediately saw Hector and Leandro sitting in the seats.

Hector has short brown hair, brown eyes, and always has a light mustache. He's kinda tall, 5'8", and usually wears brown. He doesn't talk much, is laid back, and lives his life without worry.
Leandro has now actual blond hair (when the hell did THAT happen?) and hazel eyes, light Ma's great-grandmother, supposedly. He's an inch shorter than Hector and likes to boss around, and has slightly pale skin. He hair is kind of shaggy but short, and he always stands tall. As far as I know, he has no girlfriend, fiance or wife, and is single and ready to mingle. Corny, I know.
"You've gotten bigger," Leandro said to me.
A lot can happen in freaking five years that you missed of your only sister's life, I wanted to snap at him, but stayed shut and waited for him to show me the way. I don't like Leandro at all, leaving my mom and our family like Hector did just to leave with my father. Hector, on the other hand, is all right. Ma said their divorce was mutual, but it was Leandro's choice to leave. Anyway, Hector buys me whatever I ask for, which is only every two months or so, since I don't like asking for too many things. It'll make me seemed spoiled, which I don't want to happen, although it might be a little true.
After getting checked and sending too heavy suitcases away, we sat in our gate section and waited for out flight. I sat in between Agustin and Julian, while Hector and Leandro sat across from us, both glued to their phones. Our flight leaves at eight.
It's six thirty.
And I thought three hours had passed. I guess that's how you feel when you're in a situation like this.
We spent our time in silence. Literally three words were exchanged, and everybody except Hector had gone up only once. Leandro to go to the charging station for his stupid phone which has not left his hand at all since I've seen him, Julian and me to use the bathroom, and Agustin to get Julian and me breakfast. You would think that's rude, yes, but Hector and Leandro didn't even notice attached to their mobile devices. Hector didn't get up or look up once, only when a woman with high heels passed by, and he stared for a few seconds.
Pervert.
Finally, out flight was ready to soar, and we got on. I sat next to the window next to Agustin who was next to Julian, and Hector and Leandro sat in front of us next to some random lady with a snake handbag.
"Well this is awkward," Agustin whispered to me. "We used to be so close to them, and now they're like strangers."
"They can be strangers all they want," I whispered back. "I don't care for either of them."
"Leandro I get, but why Hector?" I was surprised he also called him Hector. "You like him so much you only refer to yourself as a Lucumi, never Rodriguez."
"That was before I saw him," I said. "I'm disgusted by what I see. He wears these brown raggy clothes, and with all his money, I thought he would be wearing a suit 24/7. His hair is short but you can still tell he does absolutely nothing with it. Plus, his shoes are worn out! The only tidy-up thing he does good is shaving." I used to practically look up to him for the past five years, because he seemed to always have money, never had to worry about anything, like Ma does everyday since Leandro was born. What about him, anyway? Fully blonde. His phone physically part of his hand now (might as well be). I just do not like that boy. In fact, I don't know anything about him. Spouse? College major, if he finished college? Did he even go to college? What does he do know? Does he still love with my dad, or does he have his own place in Arizona?
"Never thought I'd hear that come out of your mouth," Agustin said, leaning back. "This is why I like morning flights. Because then when you're tired, you can go right asleep on the plane."
"I guess," I said. I've never been on a night flight.
"Don't wake me," he said, and turned towards Julian, who was already dozing off. I rolled my eyes and looked out the window. We've only been flying for about half an hour. We have I think seven more to go. Good thing I sleep for eight hours, maybe more.
I leaned back, closed my eyes, a little annoyed since all the lights were still on inside the plane. I'd fall asleep much faster if they were off. I shut mine off, not making the slightest difference, and patiently waited for my body to turn off and send me away to my dreams.