* Loud Screaming and sirens in the distance *
Deep breaths in and out
It's so hard to breathe, it's like I'm in a burning house.
If I try to breathe in carbonate, I will be lost to the darkness.
My eyes are heavy, and I want to stay awake, but the adrenaline is coming to its end.
But I did what I had to do.
I don't know why I'm thinking this. I don't feel guilty.
*
"Mari...Mari...Mari -Syd calls out for her.
Maribel stands before him as she is covered in blood; she is in shock but not really. She tries to speak, but no words come out.
The lingering question is who's blood is she covered in?
Syd helps her and looks over at Maribel to see if she is hurt.
"Mari, what's happened?"
Her eyes are so heavy, that she can't keep them open.
But before she goes she said,
"I did what you couldn't.." She breathed
Then her eyes closed
*
48 hours earlier...
As her shoes hit the pavement memories came rushing back like a vivid dream..
The way he kissed her. The way he held her, how his hands fit perfectly within her curves.
His touch felt as if she was on fire and only he could put it out.
As she recalled every moment she slows her steps.
She makes a sharp left as she comes to the entrance section
"This can't happen again."
The wind blew through her hair and her breathing was heavy but steady.
As she recalled every moment her phone began to ring.
Maribel stopped in her tracks and took steady breaths to calm herself to answer the phone.
"Hey bunny" - Samu said to her on the other side of the line.
"Hey Samu, how are you?"
"I'm good, but I would be doing better if we went for bubble tea."
"If want to go all you have to do is ask you know?" She tells him while she starts walking.
"Yeah."
"So with that being said, meet at our in 20."
"Ok, see you in a few."
Syd POV
Syd and Matías are in the locker room, getting undressed to head to the shower.
"Hey, dude, what's going on with you and Bel?"
Syd turns around while taking off his shirt and looks at for a second before saying anything trying to get his thoughts together before answering
"We're good, why?"
"Come I know Maribel, she icing you out... Am I right?'
Syd unbutton his pant" Is it really that oblivious?" he said laughing awkwardly
"Yeah man, you two seem distant."
Matías takes off his final piece of clothing and turns on the showers and Syd does the same.
"It's not like- Okay yeah she has been icing me out and then she shows up at my dorms and we having -." Syd said while leading to the hot water.
"Dude." Matias cuts him off.
Syd chuckled
" But I really don't know how to take her. First, she was mad at me, and then when I got her to open up. She pours her heart out and then tells me to let her go. Then shows up at my dorm.
She makes me a crazy man" Syd said while running his fingers through his hair.
"That's a lot man, how are Amara and Bels doing with all this?" he asks unsure
Matías turns off the shower and grabs a towel from the shelf.
"What do you mean?." Syd sighs and shakes his head. Water went everywhere.
He grabs his towel as well, "It's just I saw Amara and Maribel the other day and it was not too cozy from where I was looking."
Syd turns and looks at him " When was this?"
"a couple of days ago."
*
The hallway is quiet and the only ones in the hall are Maribel and Samu.
"Samu why do you always go overboard, it's like you two fight like a married couple."
"Mel that's bullshit, we've been through this already Matías and I hate each other and we tolerate one another because of our divorce parents." Samu was laughing at the end of the sentence because of the look of annoyance written all over her face.
"What the hell do you mean divorced parents? Maribel asks
"Oh don't Mel, we all know that you and lover boy over there is going through the motion of the ocean at this moment, and one thing I can agree with Matías. Is that I'm not picking a side in this mess so share custody will have to do and you are not fooling anyone with those sunglasses I know you have a hangover from hell."
"Samu doesn't start. We all know the world is off its axis because Matías and you don't agree on shit. But y'all don't need to pick sides because aren't any. I'm fine and we are fine, now let's get to class before that damn bell rings and I get an even worse headache."
"We live in an imperfect world, Mel." He tells her as she grabs his hand and pulls him from her locker after she shut it.
Shortly after the bell rings.
*
Maribel and Samu are sitting in class listening to the teacher talk about the English assignment.
Maribel is sitting in the back of the class by the window, she kind of regrets going out the night before with Samu.
but her mind does stay on that for a long. She focuses on the teacher and starts taking notes on the laptop.
Syd and Matías are in the middle section, Syd not really paying attention, and Matías's head is somewhere else.
Some time passes, and the four students sit there and hope the time will go by quicker than before.
*
Maribel looks around the room, as she takes off her sunglasses and looks at the clock on the wall.
Her headache seems to light a bit; she sighs than the bell rings, and the class is dismissed.
She heads out with Samu behind her. They walk down the hall and turn down a hallway near the dean's office.
She gets close to the exit, and she hears a voice.
"Hey, Stranger."
She knows that voice anywhere she turns around, Arlo standing there she didn't think. Maribel runs to him and he catches her, she hugs him tight and he holds her for dear life and spins her at their moment.
She forgets about where she is or who's around, and Maribel forgets that Samu, Syd, and Matías are there as well.
She kissed him on the cheek, "I missed you." She said it so only he could hear her.
He pushed back enough to look her in the eyes. " I miss you too, my little mockingbird."
*
But outside of their moment Samu, Syd and Matios are having their own discussions.
"Who the hell is he?" Syd asks with a slightly jealous tone.
" That would be Arlo, her childhood best friend. They grew up in Spain together." Samu answers
"Did you know she knew that he was coming?" Matias asks Samu for answers.
"I didn't, did you see the look on her face the way she brightened up?
The way she looks at him when she knows he is here for her, so I honestly don't think she knew. " Samu said this looking at Maribel, he loves her so seeing her happy makes him happy. But he knows that Syd is the jealous type even if Mel won't admit there is something there but that is another time for that demon to be dealt with.
"I need you to get that temper under control, just because you two are in a weird chain of events.
You still have a job, Syd. So before you try to be a hero, think twice about the ball in two days, keep the peace for now."
Matias said this, taking control of the situation and Samu nodded his head in agreement.
Syd doesn't get them sometimes they fight all the damn time but in times like this, they work so well together. But what Matios said doesn't stop him from clutching his first until his knuckles are white and he wants to punch something or someone.
But instead, he walks away with Samu and Matios following.
Samu sent her a text telling her to meet him in the Dorms in a few hours.
*
Arlo and Maribel walk around somewhere on campus.
"So Arlo, what brings you to Washington of all places?"
"I came to see you at the donor ball, your grandfather called and told everyone back home about the great Maribel being featured in her first Solo and dancing with the drum major."
Maribel blushed at that and she smiled softly.
"Yeah but you already know that we facetime each other three times a week."
"Yeah I know, but I wanted to see you in person."
"So what's going on in your life, any new girls or guys I'm not judging?" Maribel asks with a soft smirk on her face.
"I've been here all of two seconds and interrogated Mari on the case of who I'm dating or seeing but off the record, I've been living life and hooked up that really it. You know me, I'm a player." Alro smirks at her in return and speaks.
"But since we're playing interrogation has my little Mockingbird broken any hearts or is she a one-person and seated now type?
"Very funny, but you know I don't date." Maribel stops when she said this to him.
"Yeah, you said that, but someone has you twisted." Alro said this and gave her a knowing look.
Maribel rocks her eyes and her phone buzzes, she ignores it as she did two days ago when she went to lunch with her mama.
"Who are you avoiding?" Arlo asked getting her attention
"No one, it's just Samu talking about tomorrow and some damage control, that's all." Maribel said as she checked her phone even though she ignored it a second ago.
"Hey Mari, handle your problem, I will be by your dorms later, just because I'm here doesn't mean you put life on hold... You know you want to." Arlo said, cupping her face as he grabbed her full attention.
She smiles as she knows he is right, Maribel kisses him on the cheek.
"I'll see you later Arlo." Maribel said as she walked in the opposite direction.