Trouble

“What the fuck is Liam Payne doing in our house?” Esperanza asked critically just as she walked through the door after coming home from one of her friend’s houses down the street. The amount of hate written on her face was astounding, and paired with her crossed arms, strong stance, and narrowed eyes, she almost reminded me of me.

“Hi,” he said uncomfortably, giving her a small wave, his smile tight, as if he were unsure whether to greet my sister with kindness or defense. Not that I blamed him. She was making me squirm uncomfortably, so I couldn’t imagine how he felt.

“Oh, it’s okay,” I assured him. “Esperanza is a fan.”

“No, I’m not,” she snapped. “I liked them when I was, like, fourteen. And then Take Me Home came out, and it sucked. So I ripped down all the posters and moved on.”

Liam’s cheeks took on a subtle rose tone as he cleared his throat. “I’m, um, sorry that you didn’t like it.”

“Whatever.” She rolled her eyes dramatically to make sure everyone noticed and let out a sigh that nearly shattered my eardrums.

I took in a long breath to calm myself down before getting to my feet. “Liam, take my turn for me,” I ordered, pointing to the old game of Monopoly on the floor. “And make sure Claudia doesn’t cheat.”

“Soledad!” my eleven-year-old sister whined loudly, but Liam merely chuckled.

“Marisol, it’s your turn,” he directed, pushing the dice closer to the girl who was watching Esperanza and me carefully, as if she were afraid that we would start going at it any second.

“Esperanza, can I see you in our room, please?” I asked as politely as I could, but I was sure it escaped the notice of no one that my voice came through clenched teeth.

For once, she actually followed directions, leading the way to the bedroom and not slamming the door in my face before I could enter.

“Esperanza, por favor, at least try to be pleasant with Liam. He hasn’t done anything to you yet.”

“Look, just because you and Liam are fuck buddies doesn’t mean that I have to be nice to him. No es mi problema.”

“It is your problem,” I snapped. “First of all, don’t you ever use that demeaning term with me. Liam and I are friends, nothing more. And he’s my guest, so you’ll treat him with respect, just like I do when your friends come over to visit.”

“My friends don’t come over to visit. Not after the time Ángel came over, and you immediately kicked him out without hearing what either of us had to say.”

“That’s because I knew what you were planning on doing with him in your room, and that is not happening under my watch. I’m not as naïve as you think I am.”

“You have no faith in me,” Esperanza screeched at the top of her lungs.

“Cállate,” I snapped at her. “They’re going to hear you.”

“I don’t care. Let them hear. They should know what a fucking tyrant you are.”

“I’m not a tyrant!” I took in a deep breath, since I could tell that my voice was rising to levels that rivaled the tone I had criticized earlier. “I’m just looking out for you, okay? That’s what I’ve always done.”

“What are you talking about?” Esperanza questioned with an accusatory tone. “We all know that you only care about Claudia and Marisol. You don’t give a shit where I am or what I’m doing.”

All the anger drained from my body as I stared at my younger sister. She was so beautiful, so proud. Sure, she was a bitch, but she was a teenager. She’d outgrow it. And yet, she had no idea how much I loved her.

“Is that how you really feel?” I asked in a voice barely above a whisper.

“It’s not about how I feel,” Esperanza responded, mimicking my tone. “It’s what everyone knows. Anyone who ever comes into this house notices that you all but ignore me.”

I closed my eyes for a second, trying to regroup my thoughts. “Esperanza…mi querida, no es la verdad. I never thought I was doing that to you. It’s just that the younger girls can’t take care of themselves, so I spend more time watching them and making sure they do what they’re supposed to. But you’re older, and you should know what you have to get accomplished. Plus, you don’t want me ordering you around, do you?”

“No,” she confirmed, “you’re not mamá, and you never will be. But it’d be nice if you acted like you actually cared when I tell you I’m not staying for dinner or that I won’t be home until the morning.”

“I always care,” I ensured her. And without another word, I closed the distance between us and threw my arms around my sister.

It was almost awkward, since she was just as tall as me, which had somehow escaped my notice. And although she was stiff at first, uncomfortable at my unfamiliar touch, she relaxed after a couple seconds and gave in to my caring gesture.

“Lo siento mucho , muñeca,” I told her, running a hand through her light hair. “Seré mejor.”

“Está bien,” she mumbled back before letting go of the embrace. “Now tell me, how exactly did you meet Liam Payne?”

I swallowed uncomfortably, trying to think up a lie on the fly. Because there was no way I was telling my little sister that I met him while dealing drugs. “I was walking by the concert hall on the day his band performed, and he kind of bumped into me.”

“And he was just overcome by your beauty?” While it sounded like a compliment, it really wasn’t, which she made clear with the tone she used. It was obvious she didn’t believe my story, and it sounded like it pissed her off that I wasn’t being truthful.

“Claro,” I grinned. “Now, if you don’t mind, I have a game of Monopoly to win.”

“I wouldn’t count on it,” she told me matter-of-factly. “If Claudia went to cheat, I don’t think there’s any way Liam would fight her on it.”

“I think you’re right,” I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “But I have to keep hope alive.”

She smirked, probably connecting her name to the English translation in my sentence and finding the humor in it. Because I kind of was keeping her alive, too.

I turned to the door, prepared to step out in the hallway, before Esperanza stopped me. “Oh, and can you tell Liam that I’m sorry for being so harsh? I could tell that he wasn’t reacting well to the Mexicana wrath.”

“Weird, since he can handle mine,” I laughed. “But if you want to say sorry, you should do it yourself. Take this as an opportunity to grow up a little bit.”

Esperanza rolled her eyes. “And now you’re acting like mamá again.”

I shrugged. “Some habits die hard. So are you coming or not?”

“No. I’ll apologize before he leaves. I don’t want to do it in front of Marisol and Claudia.”

“I have no idea when he’s leaving,” I warned.

“Planning on having a sleepover?” she snickered. “Should I vacate the house for the night?”

I cocked an eyebrow at her. “That’s not funny. I’m leaving now. Try not to cause too much trouble.”

“I won’t. I’ll probably just clean.”

I nodded, agreeing that her plan was a good one, before going back out to the living room. The kids were all gathered around the playing board, and Liam groaned loudly as he landed on a space with a property on it.

And somehow, in my absence, Claudia managed to get about a million dollars that hadn’t been there when I left.

“Liam!” I scolded as I settled down next to him. “You let Claudia cheat?”

“No,” he replied sheepishly, looking over at me with innocent eyes. “She found some hidden fees and tax things, so I had to make sure I paid them. I don’t want the IRS after me.”

I glared at Claudia, who just shrugged and pushed her glasses further up her nose. “The government makes exceptions for no one.”