Breaking Down (The Breaking Series) Read online

  I try to stop the giddy smile on my face, “Duh, he’s hot! I totally would’ve kissed him. As surprising as that sounds even for me, that boy had me in a trance!”

  “I knew it!” She smacks my knee, “Well lucky for you, we walked in when we did.”

  We finally pull up to the apartments and say goodbye. I’m pretty sure mom is still at work, since I haven’t heard from her. This is another one of those adjustments I have to make; life with Mom always working. When my parents were married, my mom only worked part-time.

  I let myself in to the still unfamiliar apartment and lay in my bed recounting the events of the day. I can tell this is going to be one interesting school year ahead of me. I’d be lying if I said I was excited. I’m completely terrified.

  CHAPTER 2

  Thanks to my parent’s recent divorce and our move, I’m forced to switch schools senior year. At least it’s only one year and more importantly, thank God my best friend Nat is here. Unfortunately, we don’t have any classes together. Aside from lunch, which was pretty dull since I spent most of it in the office trying to straighten out my schedule, I haven’t had a chance to talk to her much. I do happen to have Spanish with her friend Valerie, and that’s nice. At least I know someone in one of my classes. Of all of Nat’s friends I like her most. We seemed to click right away and I could tell she and I will be good friends.

  The day is almost over. I walk from one end of the school, making my way quickly to the building where my next class is, on the opposite end. I find myself dodging in and out of crowds of people, trying to avoid bumping into them. Nothing here is familiar; including the fact that this school is a mostly outdoor campus with long walkways and quad areas separating the buildings where clusters of classrooms are held, whereas my previous school was all indoors.

  Today happens to be super hot and I came prepared. I wore the new khaki shorts my mom bought me and a thin floral print blouse, my favorite high tops and a small amount of neutral makeup to add color to my naturally pale skin. I just wish I would have put my hair up in a ponytail since it’s so long it often ends up in my way.

  I finally get to my English class and take a seat at the first empty desk I find. Everyone around me appears to be busy either chatting or on their phones. My mind starts to drift as I’m sitting there, and I began daydreaming. It starts out with me recalling the day and trying to remember the names of my teachers, but somehow my thoughts turn to the fact that I haven’t run into Aiden’s best friend even once today. I imagine Dante’s gorgeous brown eyes and I’m biting my lip, lusting like crazy over the memory of his super sexy smile, suddenly—

  “Take a picture, it lasts longer!”

  Wow, that wasn’t a daydream at all. “What? Oh, what? No, I, my phone, and I—” Spit it out Raquel!

  “No really take a picture.” Dante lifts his white t-shirt to reveal his chiseled abs and flashes a smile that melts me on the spot.

  Of all the people who could have walked in, why, oh why, must it be him? Lucky for me, he continues passed me. His confidence drips from him effortlessly, as he sits in a desk next to some other girls. They must know him very well from the way they hang all over him. Oh yea, he’s definitely a player. I can’t help but roll my eyes. Why am I so annoyed? I’m well aware of his reputation.

  The teacher walks to the front of the class and announces the assignment in her nasally voice. She sits on a stool and calls us out one by one, having each of us stand up, introduce ourselves and give one interesting personal fact, like we’re in elementary. Talking in front of a group of people is the worst thing someone can require of me, as far as assignments go. It feels like the room is shrinking by the minute and I’m pretty sure I’m sweating. Whenever I get this nervous, I get a twitch in my eye that makes it appear as though I’m winking at people. Talk about embarrassing! Everyone else seems to be enjoying this, coming up with various comedic facts to share. When it’s my turn, I quickly stand and without looking anyone in particular in the eye I mutter, “Hi, my name’s Raquel. My friends call me Rocky. This is my first year here. I moved to Rancho this summer.” I plop back into my seat. Mortified doesn’t began to describe how I feel at the moment. My hair draped like a curtain shielding me from my peers, I place one hand to the side of my head, lacing my fingers into a few strands and slouch as low as I can in my chair. Can I die now, please?

  I gather up my things, so I can rush right out the door as soon as the bell rings. The last thing I need right now is a run in with the guy I’ve been having random dreams about this summer. Thankfully, Mr. Casanova is plenty distracted by the other girls at the moment. I slip out of class and hurry to meet Nat, texting as fast as I can to let her know what happened with Dante. Natalia and Aiden are hanging out under the tree, where, she informed me earlier, they normally sit at during lunch. She sees me coming and jumps to her feet to meet me halfway.

  “Dude, seriously? You’re really trippin’, I’ll talk to Aiden and have him tell Dante to leave you alone.” She says.

  “No, Nat, it’s ok. It’s only going to make it worse. I got this! I need to stop acting like he’s some sort of God and get over it. I feel like he cast a damn spell on me!”

  “Well don’t freak out now, but the wizard just—” Nat abruptly stops talking, covering her mouth with her hand.

  “Hey, where’d you go? I looked up and you had sprinted out the door after class.” Dante laughs at me.

  He saw that? Oh my word, how embarrassing!

  Natalia shouts at him. “What do you care? She had to come find me!”

  “I don’t! I’m only asking because I thought something happened, the way she ran out of there.” He shouts back.

  “No, nothing happened.” I say to him, then look at Natalia and bug my eyes out. I love her, but she bit the guy’s head off.

  “Let’s go, Rock.” She turns and kisses Aiden who’d gathered their backpacks and joined us somewhere in the middle of the conversation. “Bye babe,” She says and we turn to leave.

  “What no kiss goodbye for me?” Dante laughs.

  All eyes are on me. Did he really ask me that? “Um, No! Your girlfriend can handle that one!” Ha! Whew, I did it. Turning on my heel with a sense of accomplishment, I prepare to leave. And just like that my knees nearly buckle and my skin flushes as my temperature rises. I feel the softest lips on my cheek and the whole world stops.

  “Aiden!” Natalia’s clearly pissed.

  “Dante, leave the girl alone man, come on!” Aiden tries to please Nat by butting in.

  “Bye.” Dante says teasingly in my ear.

  “Uh, bye,” is all I manage to say. Nat starts to drag me by the arm to her car before I have the chance to make a further idiot of myself.

  We drive in silence. Why does he insist on messing with me like this? There’s no way he likes me. I’m clumsy, goofy and the few words I do get out when he’s around don’t help to prove that I’m all that smart either. He can have anyone he wants. He’s gorgeous! He’s average height, but the body on him is clearly above average. He’s confident, cocky even. His skin tone is a lovely shade of brown and his chocolate eyes are something I can easily get lost in. There’s something about his eyes I can’t quite explain. They hypnotize me and make me feel like there’s something he tries to keep hidden. But then again, what do I know?

  Natalia must sense my uneasiness, as she drops me off. “Hey, text me later, okay? Are you sure you don’t want to come to dinner with us, tonight? Dante’s going to back off. Aiden’s going to talk to him.”

  “I don’t know, girl. I’m pretty sure I’m going to call it a night. I’m scheduled to volunteer at the nursery. Plus, I promised I’d call Malachi and let him know how my first day went. I’ll call you if I change my mind.” I think I’ve had enough head games for today. I feel like my emotions are all out of whack with all the changes going on in my life.

  “'Kay, tell him I said hi. Bye babes. Have fun with your plants.” Nat calls out as I close the door to her car.
r />   I walk into our empty apartment, check on my mom’s bird and go to my room to make a quick phone call, before it’s time to leave, to the one friend I still have left at my former school. Malachi listens to me spill all the details and laughs at how silly I am when it comes to my crush on Dante.

  CHAPTER 3

  I’m dragging butt today! Apparently, I’m not going to get away from Dante because he even haunted my dreams. That little kiss he planted on my cheek did a number on me and based on the dream last night, a part of me must have enjoyed it more than I care to admit. Needless to say, my sleep was pretty restless and I know I’ll be paying for it today. I take a quick shower and throw on my favorite jeans, tank top and sandals. I intend on taking my time to do my hair and makeup, but I hear Nat honking for me. Instead, I throw my hair into a quick ponytail, grab my hoodie and head out the door. That’ll have to do for today.

  “Good morning, I tried calling you last night. Thank God you didn’t go, Dante’s girlfriend was there.” Nat hands me the frap she bought me, before taking a sip of her own.

  I stir the whipped cream in my cup, with my straw, “And?” I don’t get what she’s trying to imply.

  She pulls out of the complex and looks at me, “Nothing, I just thought it might be uncomfortable.” We sit in silence for a minute and I can tell the wheels are turning in her head as she drives us to school. Silence is never good with Nat and it never lasts very long, “Alright, swear to bears?”

  “What?” I watch as she rolls her eyes at me, because I know what she wants me to say. “Okay, swear to bears, what?”

  “Cut the crap, Rock! You may fool everyone else but not me! You like him!”

  My mouth drops, but there’s really no use in trying to deny it. She knows me too well and Nat’s never been one to beat around the bush.

  Astonished by my denial, she smacks the steering wheel, “¡Mentirosa! Don’t lie to me. I’ve known you since we were itty bitty babies in our mama’s bellies. Besides, it’s written all over your face every time he’s around!”

  “I don’t even know him!” I can’t deny it, but I’m too stubborn to admit she’s right.

  “But you think about him and you wouldn’t mind getting to know him.” She wiggles her eyebrows at me, making me giggle.

  We park, grab our bags and head towards the entrance. “I don’t know. I was telling Malachi last night. Dude, I’m freaking out! I can’t function when he’s near me. I don’t want to feel like that. He’s taken! It’s not okay with me, I mean flirting, while he’s taken.” I fess up.

  She cups her hand around her mouth and lowers her voice as we approach the entrance to the school. “Well, from the looks of things last night I wouldn’t be so sure. They had to walk outside because they wouldn’t stop arguing. She was crying and the next thing I know, she called someone to pick her up. Dante texted Aiden and said he was going home. They seemed to be over, but they do have a history of that break up and make up stuff.” She tosses her long brown hair out of her face and asks, “What did Malachi say about it?”

  “He said I’m being childish. He thinks it’s about time I get over my past and open myself up to the possibility of having a boyfriend.” Now, I realize I don’t always have the most mature responses towards Dante, but childish? Ouch!

  She peers at me through the corner of her eyes, “Smart guy.” She winks, “Anyway, it’s not that big a deal. Who knows what’ll happen.”

  I can’t dwell on this. Life’s so complicated already. Why do I feel the need to complicate things further?

  ***

  On my way to lunch, I text Nat and she’s already at the designated tree. “Hey, girlfriend!” She stands.

  “Hey, girlfriend,” I walk up and hug her.

  All of the sudden, I hear Dante from behind me, “‘Sup, Raquel?”

  How did I not see him there? “Uh, hi.” Here I go again. I must be stuck on stupid. I keep my back to him, attempting to gain my composure.

  “Don’t I get a hug?” He’s closer, maybe directly behind me now.

  “I didn’t, I mean, it’s just—” I began to turn around but before I can, I feel his hands on my waist.

  “It’s a hug, you can’t get pregnant!” He teases.

  “I know that!” I snort. Well that’s sexy!

  Nat peers at him, “Lay off Dante,” She pokes him.

  “You can’t!” He laughs.

  “Look the more you guys make a big deal out of it the more he’s going to try to embarrass her. You’re practically challenging him.” Aiden says. Natalia and I both shoot daggers at him.

  I realize Dante still has his hands on my waist and my body is angled oddly, since I was stopped mid-turn. My stomach is doing gymnastics and I’m trying to steady my breath. I’m instantly aware of the twitch in my eye. What the heck is wrong with me?

  “Hey, Dante?” I turn to face him, breaking his hold on me. It’s at this moment I’m suddenly very aware of our height difference. My eyes linger on the delectable lips right before me. I startle a quick second before tilting my head back, finally looking up to meet his brown eyes.

  “Yea?” he seems amused with my nervousness. Intrigued, perhaps?

  “Don’t you have a girlfriend?” I say, keeping my voice low so that only he can hear.

  “No, not anymore.” He says.

  “Since when, because I thought—” My voice trails off.

  “Last night, but really it’s been a long time coming, why?” I worry I’ve annoyed him by the tone of his voice, but maybe he’s disappointed over the break-up.

  “Nothing, it’s just, I don’t want problems.” I rub the toe of my shoe into the dirt below me.

  “Problems?” He lifts his eyebrows curiously at me.

  “I don’t know, you know, hugs, kisses on cheeks and that kind of stuff. I don’t want to be upsetting anyone. It’s not my style. I, I don’t like overstepping people’s boundaries.” He steps closer, closing the small gap between us and my heart skips a beat.

  “Well, you’re not overstepping people’s boundaries, besides I wouldn’t mind.”

  Breathe Raquel! I’m going to faint. We’re staring at each other and because he’s taller, I feel like he’s towering over me. Am I shrinking? Crap, get it together!

  “You okay?” He holds onto my arms steadying me.

  “Yes!” I squeak. “Yea, yea, I’m good, you?” My eyes flicker back and forth between each of his.

  “Yea,” He smirks. “Okay, well, I've got to go.” He hugs me, though my arms are still at my side. “See you in fifth?”

  “Yea, see ya.” I sigh.

  “Rock, swear to bears, you’re about to drool. Close your mouth!” Nat’s voice brings me back to reality.

  “Hey Raquel, you really like him, huh?” Aiden asks.

  “No! Why?” I’m totally guilty.

  “Just wondering.” He turns back towards Natalia and they both laugh at my expense.

  The rest of lunch I decide to get to know the rest of the group hanging out with us under the tree. Two of them, Parker and Lidia, join in here and there when they aren’t busy flirting with each other. I watch how confident she is as she twirls her short jet black hair between her fingers. Every now and then she shifts her tiny frame and grabs his arm while she talks to him; her large eyes widening and making her face look like an animated doll. I wish I had an ounce of her confidence. Then again, if I looked anything like her, I’m guessing I would.

  ***

  Without realizing it, I arrive at fifth period earlier than usual. A little too eager there, Raquel. I sit at my desk, take out my phone and start scrolling through my pictures. Dante walks in with his arms draped around two girls I recognize from our class. His hands dangle dangerously close to each of their chests. Their eyes and lips are covered in a bright pink, and every word he says causes an exaggerated laugh from them. I can’t help but picture hyenas; hyenas wearing way too much makeup. He catches me staring and winks at me. I hurriedly drop my eyes back to the screen of my
cell. God, he is one gorgeous jerk!

  It isn’t until he speaks that I realize he’s walked over and sat in the desk beside me, “What you looking at?” He glances at my phone.

  The hyena twins both glare at me from across the room. Annoying! But as annoyed as I am, I can’t help but smile when I answer him, “Pictures from this summer.”

  He grabs the phone out of my hands and poses while taking a selfie, then hands it back. I think I just died! Nope, I’m still here and apparently stuck on stupid again, the way I’m staring at him and not saying anything. Wow! The teacher breaks the silence with the assignment and since she’s pretty laid back, she leaves us all to “work” while she sits at her desk and reads.

  “So, how come you don’t like me?” He shifts sideways to look at me.

  “I do!” Shoot! “I mean, I don’t, well, I don’t not like you.” I’m struggling to find the right words.

  “I’m kidding, Raquel,” He laughs, “You’re really easy to embarrass, you know. It’s funny.”

  “For who?” I snap at him.

  “Do I make you mad? I’ll stop if I do. I just want you to talk to me.” I watch as his eyes soften.

  “What about? I mean, why?” He puzzles me. I’m still trying to figure out what his angle is.

  His lips curl up slightly, “You seem so quiet. I can’t figure out if you’re really shy or mad all the time.”

  “I’m not mad. I don’t know that many people here and I’m not sure what I’m supposed to say.” I look down. Well, that sucks if I seem mad all the time. Not the impression I was going for at all.

  “You know Natalia and Aiden. And I seem to remember we were off to a pretty good start of getting to know each other this summer.” He dips his head a little to catch my eyes.

  I’m flushed and my stupid eye is twitching again. “You barely spoke to me.” I say daring to meet his gaze, as I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear.

  “Didn’t stop you from hitting me.” His crooked smile shows up full force.

  Oh, no he didn’t! “Hey, you hit me first!” I say.