Is he the one that got away???

Chapter 27: Can I see you later?

“Just partially, homework and my crazy cousins the other part, but basically yes you are a little” he smiled with a bigger smile at me, gosh I love his pearly white perfectly aligned teeth, it makes his smile to be brighter and pretty close to perfection.

“Hey, did you talk with Ralph today?” he asked me, and I nodded no to answer his question.

“He looks mad at me, but I am not sure why” he told me as he looked the question in my eyes.

“Did you keep arguing last night after I went inside my house?”

“No, he looked like mad, took his bike and left, he didn't even wait for Alex”

“Honestly, I don't know what got into him last night, it was weird, right?”

“Yes, but maybe -” the end of the recess bell rang interrupting him and I opened my eyes looking at him.

“Yes, yes, please, go” he said as we both laughed.

“Yes, no more lines for me, you can stay out if you want more for yourself” I mocked at him and he just responded with his hand touching the top of my head, caressing my hair a little and then taking his hand back to his side, gosh, what was that? I almost screamed in excitement, gosh I love how I feel when I am close to him, but also makes me feel antsy, I cannot trust him to be left behind with some other girl that may be also chasing him, he is a dog apparently and he does not lose this kind of opportunities.

“I want a thousand more only if detention is with you” he replied, and his comment made me snap back to reality.

I frown at his comment “No thanks, don’t count on me for that, not even ten lines, I am out of here”

“I walk with you” he walked me through the passage, and I swear these butterflies I feel are aliens or mutations because I feel my stomach collapsing by this feeling, once we were at the exit of the passageway I stopped and turned to be in front of him.

“Thanks, get back, we don't want to get caught red handed again, bye” I told him, twirling, and walking away fast enough to make him lose the opportunity to walk with me to my classroom, everybody was watching us at the recess, not only my classmates or his, but also people from other groups that I don’t even know.

When I looked back, he was still there, standing in the exit, looking at me, I just nodded no at him and then I heard our math teacher louder voice 

“Mister Araiza, go to your classroom” I literally ran tiptoeing to my classroom to avoid my teacher to find me outside, again.

Phew, I got saved for a millisecond, don’t I?

I got inside my classroom without even asking for permission from my Spanish teacher, I do not or better said, I cannot be found outside again by Mr. Olivas, good thing my Spanish teacher was sitting on the desk taking her things out of her suitcase and I was stealthy enough to not getting her attention towards me, phew!

I sat and all the ladies’ eyes were staring me, I played the dumb and avoided looking at any of them, but you know them, Sandy could not hold it, inside of her, anymore and just blurted out the question

“Are you suicidal?”

I chuckled at her remark, and I nodded no.

“Of course not, I got saved by Andrew, Mr. Olivas saw him first and that gave me the opportunity to ran away”

They all laughed and nodded no at me.

“You are crazy Vane” Lou said with a half serious half smiley face at me.

“Just a little, calm down, nothing happened” I said trying to calm them.

“This time” Steph added

“I don’t know how you always get here so fast!” I told them

“Because we aren’t staying behind talking to the school hunk you know” Sandy answered my question.

“Maaaaaaaybe” I just managed to say not willing to accept her remark as absolutely true, nope, am not doing it, even when I know and everybody knows she is absolutely right, nope, jeje.

Sandy just rolled her eyes at me “Don’t complain later, you silly one”

“Jajajaja Sandy I am not complaining, just saying I got saved this time, relax”

We all chuckled and just kept doing our activities on the Spanish book.

“Hey, is Larry single?” Sandy asked me with a flirty smile.

“I don’t know, I have never asked him, but tomorrow when I bring my new gossip book, he asked me to be the first to answer it, so when I get it back you will be the first person to know, I promise” I smiled at her, she widened her smile.

“Are you into him?” Lou asked her

“He is quite handsome, don’t you think?” She replied keeping her flirtatious grin, oh lord, Larry will be in so much trouble if she decides to go for him.

We all nodded yes at her, Larry is quite handsome, and those eyes are absolutely one of his best features for sure, but just like Andrew, he knows he is good looking and that for sure is trouble if you do not like to be cheated by your boyfriend.

I do not know for sure if he is that kind of guy, he is always cool with me and relax, but the comments he said today about Claire’s reputation and that Andrew is a dog makes me think he might be like most of the guys, that never waste an opportunity with a girl.

The rest of our classes were a bit boring but today, not sure if I was so anxious for leaving or why, but as soon as we finally heard the end of the day bell rang, uuuuffffff finally, I felt great.

We all gathered our things, took our backpacks, and waited for the door to get empty so we can walk out of here.

We stepped out of the classroom and started walking to get to the entrance.

When we were at the third section passageway exit, I saw Andrew coming with his friends. They were Andrew, Leo, Larry, Ivan and other two guys from their group I have no idea of their names, oops.

Larry walked faster to catch up with me, Andrew made a frown, but I also noted Ralph was not with them, that’s weird.

Leo hoarsely hollers at me “Primaaaaa, what’s up?”

“Hey Primo, I am great! what about you?” I answered him as he walked towards me.

The ladies hasten their pace, and I was left a little behind, so I just continued walking surrounded by the guys.

Leo placed his right arm over my shoulders and Larry took my right side, so I was flanked by these two.

I looked as I could to the left to see how Andrew was nodding no at the situation but still smiling and when he saw me watching back at him, he just winked at me and gave me a bigger smile, I pouted and then rolled my eyes, his beautiful smile widened, and I gave him my cutest smile. 

He looked ok with the situation, not bothered or jealous or annoyed like other times, that is great.

We walked out of the backyard to the front section of the school and Mr. Olivas was at the main entrance as usual, scolding passersby and when his eyes landed on us, mostly on me, he gave me a wide opened eyes gaze and then grinned while nodding no, I do not know if the guys noticed but for me was so obvious his annoyance at seeing me, with them?

When we passed right in front of him, he said “Miss Vanessa good afternoon”

“Good afternoon Profe” Leo quickly replied at him “How does my favorite cousin is doing in Math?” He added, good thing he said that, great! I am not the type of lady that gets hugged by any random guy.

“Mr. Torres is your cousin?” our teacher asked looking at me.

“Yes professor, also Ralph, they are siblings and both of them are my cousins”

“I knew they are siblings but not that they were related with you” Mr. Olivas said with an apparent relief, maybe he thinks I am a good girl and got worried by seeing me with a bunch of older boys, around me and hugging me.

We continued walking “Good afternoon Professor” I managed to say while being dragged by my gigantic cousin out of school.

We walked out of the school, and I just noticed the ladies were nowhere to be seen, they just left me behind, I will rant on them tomorrow.

I stopped on the street and looked at them.

Leo, Larry, Andrew, Ivan (he is shorter than all of them, way shorter than Leo obviously and also shorter maybe than me, not quite sure) and the two other guys I do not know their names and to be honest not sure if I actually care I have not met them.

“Ok guys so I have to go to my house, nice to see you all” I said, and they all were looking at each other and then to me.

“I go that way to take the bus” Larry said pointing east.

“I go that way; I am going to my grandmother’s house” Leo said pointing north.

“I am also going that way” Ivan told Leo and moved next to him.

The other two guys just started walking north and waved goodbye at us.

So out of the blue they just walked away, and Andrew and I were the last two still standing there, outside of the school.

We looked at each other, he shrugged and then extended his arm ushering me to start walking our way, we both walk south every day, not that I have seen him before, but I have found him getting out of his grandmother’s house, thinking about that, he is fast!

How does he manage to get there and be out when I am barely passing in front of his grandmother’s house? Weird, but whatever.

Back to reality, now!

I nodded yes at him and followed him as we started walking our way back home.

We started walking and Mr. Olivas was still there, standing like a statue with his serious face, looking straight at us.

I just kept walking in silence, so did Andrew, I avoided looking back at our teacher, but I saw sideways how he was watching on us.

When we were out of his sight I exhaled, not knowing I was holding my breath and Andrew started laughing.

When I saw him, I stopped, and I also started laughing.

“Wow that man has the heaviest gaze in the whole world” he said, and I nodded at his comment.

“Totally, you can even feel the tension in the air, I swear” I said, and he just looked at me smiling, oh lord, I love that smile, he looks just impossible handsome when he does that specific smile, woooow, I am so undeniably falling under his charms, no bueno, nope, nada, not good.

He nodded and just waited for me to compose myself and then we started walking again.

“How was your last set of classes?” He asked, gosh he looks great, focus Vanessa stop it or you will be drawling.

“Mmmm nothing out of the ordinary, a bit boring to be honest” I answered trying to sound chill.

“Hey what happened with Mr. Olivas when I left you after recess?” I remembered and asked him.

“Nah nada, I just told him I was going to the bathroom, and he let me go”

“What? Did he let you go?”

“Yes, you see, that is why I think he is in love with you” he bursted out laughing while I nodded no at him.

“No way, that’s impossible, shut up, he could be my dad, are you crazy!?” I said looking not so happy at him.

“Alright, alright, I promise not to say that again, but you saw him just minutes ago, he was, mmmm I not sure but he was amazed or worried because Leo was hugging you and you was surrounded by all of us, admit it, it was so obvious”

“Oh, you also noticed”

“Vanessa everybody did, I guess; was so obvious he was not even a little happy to see you with us”

“Maybe we are reading too much between the lines, Leo is not the most disciplined or well-behaved student in here, we need to admit it” I said trying to divert the topic from me.

“Well, mayyyybe, he is not but I bet you anything you want, that he wouldn’t look so annoyed if some other girl was in that same exact position” Mmmm he is not dropping this idea.

“Well, whatever, it does not matter if he likes or not that I am talking to you or Leo or any other guy I want to talk, his ideas and opinions are his not mine” 

“Well, you are right about that, but I think it is as I told you, mostly because of you” he smirked 

“Look at him, so stubborn huh” I said and stuck out my tongue to show him my absolute disagreement, he just laughed at my gesture and so I did.

“Oh, calm down, I am just playing, obviously I am not being serious, don’t be mad at me please, not again” he looked at me with little sad puppy eyes.

“Oh gosh, you are impossible” I said playing cool but gosh those eyes just made me feel like melting.

“You arrived” I told him as I stopped in front of his grandmother’s house.

“I can walk you home” 

I nodded no “Yes I can” he reassured me but made no change on me.

“Thank you, but there’s no need, I am two and a half blocks away from my house, please don’t” 

I said asking him to agree with me, I cannot have him walking me and get caught by my mom or my older brother, I do not need this, that would be beyond mortifying.

“Why not?” He asked me.

“Mmmm my mom will be home shortly and imagine -“ he interrupted me

“Ok I got it, don’t worry, but Can I walk you to that corner?” He pointed the corner where I take a right turn.

“Ok, that sounds proper” I answered him.

He smiled from ear to ear.

“Why so happy?” I mocked him.

“Just because I can be a little longer with you” he winked again, gosh he looks so handsome when he winks at me, I like him a lot, this is so f ucked up, I do not get clearly how this is not good, I cannot be the only one in love, and with him, that will be a shitty situation.

We started walking and Andrew asked me “Can I see you later at your house?”