Secret Hung the Gold

It was weird not having Ernesto sitting beside her in class. Ariel half expected E.J. to burst into the class at any minute, carrying the same mischievous smile and pulling out a snappy excuse to Mrs. P. who was sure to have it out for him. It had been a week and Ariel had caught herself staring at the door too many times to count. She would have never admitted it, but she missed him.
The bell sounded and Ariel snapped out of her trance. As the class rushed out of the door, Mrs. P. walked up toward Ariel’s desk.
“Ariel, could I hold you for a minute?” She pulled up a chair and placed a stack of papers on her lap. Ariel nodded nervously.
“Ariel, Ernesto has been hurt. He is home now, but his mother cannot make it to the school, so, since he is your partner, I thought it would be appropriate for you to deliver his work.”
Ariel stared at Mrs. P., while her brain sorted through the information. “How was he hurt?”
“I think it would be only right for him to answer that for you.” She half-smiled. “So can I trust you to deliver this work?”
Ariel nodded. “Sure, when?”
“Probably tomorrow morning. Unless you have some plans.”
Ariel shook her head. “No I don’t. It’s fine.”

Regret wasn’t the word to describe how Ariel felt about her decision. She knew the everything her father told her was going to be violated the very minute she drove her car over the tracks. There was a war going on in her head. But she promised, so she reluctantly slid out of bed.
An hour later, Ariel was walking out of her room and through the cold silence of the house.
It was warm for a fall day, and the sun seemed to kiss Ariel’s cheeks despite the deed she was in the process of doing. She looked down at the folder filled with E.J.’s work. She slid into her car, tossing the folder to the side. Her eyes glanced at the time on her phone. She could be there and back in no time. Her father wouldn’t even notice.
The car grumbled as she backed out of the driveway and headed toward the tracks.
In total, the tracks lie about a five minute walk from her back door. Ariel used to stare out of the window as a child, watching the blue and red lights flash from the police cars. Even then, something drew her to the tracks, but in the same thought, her father would burst in, and a lecture would follow. And if she didn’t listen, she’d come home from school with only a mattress in her room. Her father called it “tough love”.
Ariel slowed her car to a halt in front of the tracks. In front of her was a long street with browned grass on either side. She grabbed the folder and looked at the sticky note attached. It was E.J.’s address. From the street name, it had to be right in the center of the town. Ariel inhaled before pulling the car out of park and crossing over the tracks, feeling both anxious and relieved.
As she continued into the town, she noticed the houses inching closer and closer until there was a small sliver of darkness between each. Stores had black bars over windows and those that were closed had black fences covering the entire front side of the building.
Ariel slowed to a stop at a red light. To her right, three men stood, all glaring at her deep blue mustang. Slowly, she reached over and locked her door, the monotonous tone relaxing her just a little. The gripped the steering wheel until her ringed knuckles turned white, praying for the light to change.
After a gruesome thirty seconds, the light changed.
It wasn’t hard to find E.J.’s house. When she turned down the cramped street, she immediately noticed his green motorcycle parked in the driveway.
She parallel parked in front of the small yellow house, but couldn’t find herself to get out of the car. There was an invisible glue that held her to the seat and with each second that passed, it grew stronger and stronger. Her heart beat fast, in both her chest and head. Everything her father spoke, all of it, would mean nothing if she stepped out of the car and knocked on the door. All of the nights Ariel spent in her empty room, with only a mattress- it all would be in vain.
But you are already here.
Without a second thought, Ariel unlocked her doors and, with the brightly colored folder in tow, marched up to the small yellow house and rang the doorbell.
A second passed, she could hear the bell reverberating through the small house. Her foot began to tap, her heart raced so fast she thought she would drop dead before the door opened. Just as the ground began to sway and her head began to spin, the door jerked open with a small whine.
Ariel was looking at a small E.J. Her heart slowed a little and she spoke.
“Hey, um, I was wondering is Ernesto here?”
The kid furrowed his eyebrows for a second, and Ariel thought he might not speak English. But just as she started sifting through the tiny bit of Spanish she knew, the kid opened the door a little farther and motioned for her to enter.
“Ernesto!!” The young teenager screamed.
Ariel absorbed the home. It was small but tidy. The walls were a creame with a large printed sofa that sat at the center. Two little girls sat on the sofa, listening to the blaring television. Photos were scattered all over the wall, not all of which had frames. From where she stood, she could not see all of the kitchen, but she did see the refrigerator, complete with small handprints in what looked like paint. The carpet was worn with use, but still looked fresh. Looking ahead, Ariel noticed four doors. Out of the one directly ahead, Ernesto appeared. His back was too her.
“What?” He turned and froze when he saw Ariel standing in his living room. His arm was up in a sling and his cheek was badly bruised. There was a thin purple bruise under his eye.
Ariel sucked in air, but couldn’t let it go. “Hey.”
Ernesto blinked a few times before putting on his mischievous grin. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
Ariel opened her mouth to speak but paused when he motioned for his little brother to take the girls out of the room. Ariel watched as he headed them into the back, nudging his brother as he passed.
“I have your work.” Ariel held out the folder to Ernesto with a shaky hand.
“Huh?” He looked at the work but didn’t grab the folder. “That’s it?”
Ariel’s nervousness was immediately replaced with annoyance. “What do you mean?”
“No, ‘hi, how are you?’. No, ‘long time no see’?” He stepped closer, reducing the gap between them until she could feel his breath on her face. She willed herself to step back but again found that she was glued into place, the folder dropped to her side and trembling. Ernesto smirked. “No, ‘baby, I miss you?’”
Ariel inhaled again. “No. Just here is your work.”
Ernesto took the folder out of Ariel’s hand. “You love me that much that you’d come all the way over here just for three assignments? I knew you were fronting.”
Ariel found herself smiling. “Don’t flatter yourself. I just did it because Mrs. P. asked me to.”
“You could have said no,” Ernesto said, turning and tossing the folder on the sofa. “I guess I do have you under my spell.”