chapter 5

The most communication between Javi and me consisted of giving directions in Home Ec.

Halloween was nearing and horror movie night was still going to happen. I invited Carlos, his fiancée Esperanza, Lolita, Eva, Frieda, and Gran. I didn't have any white friends and it made me laugh. I had picked up loads of junk food and ordered a tray of chicken wings.

Halloween was on a Friday this year and the dance was actually happening. I hadn't asked anyone to go with me. I didn't take Javier up on his offer to be my date. I doubted he would have even done it. Carlos told me Javi went to the dance with the blond girl.

I started the movie and everyone ate as it was going on. Gran sat on the porch and handed out candy to the trick-or-treaters.

At around nine my phone rang. It was Javier. I left the television room and answered it. We rarely talked anymore and it was all because he had changed. Should I have changed too? To accommodate the changes he had made?

"Hello?" I mused. "Javi?"

"Reese...I'm at ***ing P-p-point and I n-n-need a ride," he said. I think he might've been drunk. Where was I going to stash him? I couldn't just leave a house full of guest.

"I'm coming to get you. Just stay where you are and I'll be there in ten." I hung up the phone and told everyone I'd be back in twenty minutes because the next movie wasn't in its case and I had to pick up a new one.

I drove to get Javier, mindful of kids still getting candy. I drove up the hill to ***ing Point sure I was the only one of the two of us who still had a V-card. He was still with Claire when I spotted him. They were both with the Pretty Posse and A.J. was there too. Had they become all buddy-buddy?

"Javier, hey, let's go," I said after I walked up to the large group. He was dressed as Zorro, very sexy, and I noticed his tummy poked out quite a bit. Claire was, of course, a slutty bunny. "Remember, you called me to come pick you up?"

I was pelted with water balloons from behind. They were filled with a mixture of maple syrup, water, and chocolate sauce. It could have been worse. After the attack was over I looked up at Javi and the rest of the idiots he had been hanging around. They were all laughing. He was drunk I kept reminding myself.

"What the hell is your problem?" I asked angrily. "You act like I did something to you. I thought we were friends?" He laughed and stumbled a little. Definitely drunk.

"Like I'd still wanna be friends with you." I was not going to start crying. I refused to. They all laughed again.

"Well I was friends with you when n-n-n-nobody else w-w-w-was," I said, mocking him angrily.

"You needed all the friends you could get. I mean, your own p-p-parents didn't even want to be around you." I had told him how I feared it was my fault my mom and dad split and then left me with my grandma. There I stood, covered in sticky glop, being insulted by my best friend.

That did it; I bolted towards my car, tears flowing freely. I sat for a moment once inside thinking about what just happened. I officially hated him. I peeled out of there.

When I got home I ran right pass the TV room and up the stairs to my bedroom. A few minutes later Carlos knocked on my door.

"No need to freak out about a movie," he said jokingly, before taking in my messy clothes and stained face and hair. "What happened Reese?" he asked.

"Nothing," I said.

"Tell me," he requested. I sighed heavily and started crying again.

"Ja....Javi called and asked me to give him a ride so I....went to where he was and...and it was a prank. Some of his new friends threw water balloons at me, well, it wasn't water, and I just don't think I'm going to be able to finish movie night." He stood up and stormed out of the room.