Chapter 10

The rest of Thursday and Friday went by quickly. I didn't do much other than do some homework as well as hang out at home. Mia and I stayed in catching up on shows as well as getting ahead on homework. It was now Saturday morning and the two of us were heading towards 95 Degrees to get some coffee and something to eat. In a few hours we were to head to my house for a barbecue. Even though we did see my parents just the other day my mom and Mia's had planned this barbecue weeks ago, so we were expected to be there. Not that we really minded. A home cooked meal and something to do.  

Usually more people would be at the barbecue but with everyone busy with work and kids it would only be Mia's family along side mine. I excepted the same thing to happen like always. My dad and Mia's, Luca, would man the grill while they talked about work or sports. My mom, Rose and Aunt Kiyara would be in the kitchen making other food and gabbing. Cris and Andrew would throw a football around or swim in the pool while talking about girls they have and will hook up with. And finally Mia and I would either help our moms or sit around talking with the boys.  

"So you haven't seen Gabriel since Thursday?" Mia questioned sipping her coffee.  

"I have been with you this entire time, you think I could have gone anywhere else?" I sent her a look. Mia may be smart in some areas but others I worry about her.

"Hey less attitude okay." I rolled my eyes at her blowing on my hot coffee. "But still I can't believe he was rude to you. I swear he is sometimes bipolar. He seemed somewhat nice the other night." She mused.  

"He switches moods like a hormonal teenager."  

"Maybe he is going through some stuff." Mia suggested.  

"Well whatever it is he shouldn't have taken it out on me. But it is fine if he doesn't want me around him then I won't. I plan on ignoring him from now on." I stated.  

"I don't see that happening." She snorted. I snapped my head towards her.  

"What do you mean by that?"  

"You two clearly have some kind of chemistry and don't get me started on the sexual tension between you two." She bit into her muffin looking at me.  

"We do not!" Gabriel and I did not have any kind of chemistry or sexual tension. The only thing we had was hatred for each other.  

"Oh yes you do. You can deny it but I was there when we were at Gabriel's fight and maybe you couldn't tell but I could."  

I wanted to argue with her about it but I knew it would be a waste of breath. Once Mia got something in her head she stayed with it, even if it was a lie or never happened. Yes at times she was right about things but not all the time and right now was that time she was wrong. 

"You know they say when a guy picks on a girl he really likes her." She grinned over at me.  

"Mia stop. Gabriel doesn't like me and I don't like him either. In fact right now I could punch his face in."

"No I am not. I have no feelings towards Gabriel and never will. I have been in love with Andy forever and that isn't going to change." I gave her a pointed look to drop the subject. At my heated stare she put her hands up in surrender.  

"Okay fine I'll drop it."  

"Thank you." We sat in silence for a few minutes before Mia started talking again. Yeah neither of us could take silence for long.  

"You know that guy Daniel was cute and nice." She mused.  

"Yeah I think he will become a great friend." I looked her and sat up straighter. "Don't you go thinking of dating him or something." I warned.  

"Why not? He's cute and he is like a bad boy."  

"Because if it doesn't work out it will get all awkward then we have to stop being friends with him."  

"Come one Car that wouldn't happen." She waved me off.  

"Oh really? Jason Lee, Winston Parker." I listed. She glared over at me.  

"Fine I get your point."  

"Please keep it in your pants." I sent her a pleaded look.  

"Okay, okay I will! Gosh mom." I smiled at her before digging into my own blueberry muffin. I could see Mia shaking her head at me but knew she wouldn't go back on her word, for which I was glad.  

The next 20 minutes or so we sat there quietly sipping out coffees, eating our breakfast and scrolling through our news feeds. Neither of us felt the need to break the silence and for a moment we were fine with it. The little cafe had people flowing in and out of it regularly. It is definitely the 'it' spot on campus and I can see why. The coffee was great as well as the food they served. The only thing that this place needed was a bookstore attached to it.  

One thing I have yet to see is the University's library. I knew it was large and held practically any book you can imagine. I saw it briefly when I took a tour in high school when I was trying to find one school I wanted to go to. My stupid tour guide only had us peak into the library before leading us to the gym or somewhere else 'better.' His words not mine. That one peak I did have of the library has stuck in my head. It was almost like the one in Beauty and the Beast. My dream!  

I planned on going tomorrow morning and spending the entire afternoon there. Mia knew of my plans and made no attempt to stop me. She knew if she did she would lose a chunk of her pretty hair. No one got in the way of me and my books. I already knew I would be spending a lot of my time there. I didn't know of a bookstore close enough to campus so the library was going to be my go to thing, along with the cafe of course.  

"So are we riding with Cris and Andy or taking our own cars?" Mia asked as we headed back home to get ready before we had to go.  

"Let me call Cris and see. We will probably all just take his car." I replied pulling out my phone and hitting Cris's number. It felt like an eternity before he finally answered.  

"Yes?" He asked his voice thick with sleep.  

"Good to know you are awake." I said sarcastically. "I'm calling to ask if we should all take one car or take separate ones?"  

"For what?"  

"The family barbecue in a few hours." I knew he forgot by the sound of cursing and a loud grunt like he had fallen out of bed.  

"Shit that is today?"  

"Yeah in like 2 hours." Mia and I shared a look both knowing the two boys had completely forgotten about it. Without us they wouldn't know what to do.  

"Shit, shit, shit." Cris muttered through the phone.  

"If you have to go to the bathroom first."  

"Ha Ha you are so funny Carmen." He said and I could hear through the phone him opening a door. A second later he yelled Andy's name to get him up. I pulled the phone away from my ear quickly not wanting to lose my hearing so young.  

"Gosh Cris don't scream into the phone."  

"Sorry. Lets take my car to mom and dad's. Meet me at the car parking in about an hour and a half?" He suggested. 

"Sure that sounds good. Will you be ready by then?"  

"Of course. Have you forgotten that Andy and I are guys, we can get dressed in like 5 minutes." I rolled my eyes at him through the phone. Saying goodbye to my brother and promise to met him at his Jeep in an hour or so, Mia and I continued to our dorm.  

*****  

"And the say girls take forever to get ready." Mia muttered leaning against Cris's cherry red Jeep. She crossed her arms and glared in the direction she thought the two late boys would be coming from. We had agreed to be here almost 15 minutes ago but Cris and Andy were no where to be seen. Mia and I even got here earlier and were not stuck standing around waiting for them. Takes them 5 minutes to get ready my ass. I thought.  

I kept checking my phone waiting for a text from one of them. I let out a huff as I smooth a hand down my dress. Feeling like I should dress up a little I had put on a cute summery dress. The top part was a sold white with lace quarter sleeves, and the bottom was a dark almost navy blue. A simple black thin belt wrapped around my waist. Not wanting to look like I tried too hard I just left my brown hair down in its usually wavy style and kept my makeup simple. Mia wanted me to wear a pair of heels but I refused. Instead I was wearing sandals although I wanted to sneakers but Mia flat out hit me on the head for even thinking of wearing them. Of course I had my trusty camera wrapped around my neck like I always have.  

Mia had gone the same route as me. A cute strapless summer dress. The top part was white like mine but her skirt was a pretty teal color with flowers on it. It hugged her body and showed off what curves she had. Unlike me she was wear a pair of white heels but they still didn't make her taller than me. Her short hair was in soft waves around her shoulders and she had themed her eye makeup with the same color of her dress.  

We both looked cute and on our way to Cris's Jeep had even gotten a few stares from guys we had passed. College guys had no gentlemen like qualities, hell they would even wolf whistle at girls. Which does nothing for the guy because us girls do not like be whistled at like we are some kind of dog.  

A millennium later I finally noticed the two boys making their way towards us. I pushed off of the front of car once they came to a stop in front of us. I thought about making a comment but before I could Mia did.  

"You two idiots left us here waiting for 15 minutes." Not even waiting for their response she went straight up to them and slapped them both on the side of the head. It was pretty funny considering Mia only stood about 5'3 and both boys were 6'2.  

"Ow!" Cris whined rubbing his head as well as Andy.  

"Come on we don't want to be late." I jumped into the back seat and waited for the other three to follow. As they got in the car Cris had to keep whining about Mia hitting him and why did she have too.  

The ride back home wasn't long. Our house wasn't too far from campus maybe about 30 minutes but that isn't with traffic, and lets just say with New York traffic you are looking at about an hour ride even if the place is only a few minutes away. I didn't pay much attention to what the three were talking about, mostly just staring out the window.  

When we did pull into the driveway besides Mia's parents car I smiled. I loved everything about our home. The brick that covered the garage and some of the front, the grey/green colored that blended with the brick and changed colors in different lighting. The patio that had two chairs and a swinging bench that I use to be on everyday. The big lawn was green and looked freshly cut, two medium sized trees were on either side of the walkway to the front door.  

The backyard was just as impressive with a giant pool, a garden off to the side, a huge thing of grass that Cris and Andy would practice football on. And we can't forget about the swing that my dad built for us. It hung off on of the big trees in the back and was definitely worn down.  

Not even knocking we all pilled through the front door announcing loudly our presence. We had barely made it a few feet inside when my mom came into view to greet us. She pulled all of us into tight hugs and kissed everyones cheeks like we were two years old.  

"You are finally here! Rose, Luca and Kiyara are already here as well. Boys head out back and see if they need help." My mom instructed pointing out back where I bet my dad and uncle were setting the grill up. Not needing to be told twice both boys headed to where my mom wanted them.  

"Well don't you two look beautiful." She grinned at us before leading the way to the kitchen. When you first walked into our house you were met with a large foyer and a set of stairs off to the right that of course lead to the upstairs bedrooms and bathrooms. If you continued straight ahead the house would open up to a large living room and to your left would be the kitchen. And there were two sets of doors by the living room and in the kitchen that lead outside. The kitchen of course was probably the best place. It was very spacious and was every chefs dream. I had spent a lot of time in there with my mom making cookies or helping out with dinner.  

I stepped through the archway into the kitchen and met my sister, Rose, gave me a tight hug and while giving me a kiss on my cheeck I was immediately attacked with the sound of paw/nails on the tiles. Grinning widely I squatted down as far as I could just in time to hug the cutest furry dog ever. I barely had time to push my camera around to my back so it wouldn't get ruined.  

"Sammy!" I kissed all over his head as he wiggled around me not containing his excitement. Sam or Sammy was a black golden retriever with long soft hair. It was my junior year when my parents decided we should get another dog. Our first dog, Nala, passed away a few years before and my mom couldn't bring herself to get another one. But the moment she saw Sammy for $25 she was in love.  

"Oh I missed you boy!" I scratched his ears as he licked my face. I was glad he was here with my parents. Gave them someone to look after and to keep them company since no one here anymore.  

"He missed you too. I found him in your room the other day." Mom said as she cutter stuff for a salad.  

"Aww I wish I could take you with me, I do." I kissed the top of his head one last time before straightening up. He didn't seem to mind for Mia was there a second after I stepped to the side.  

"Aunt Kay." I grinned at the women who has been there for me my entire life. Her dark brown hair was cut in a cute bob style making her face seem even thinner. She pulled me into a tight hug as soon as I was in arms length. I loved Kiyara like a second mom. There wasn't a memory that I have that she wasn't in it honestly.  

"So how is school going Carmen? Do you like your classes? Met any cute guys?" At the mention of guys she wiggled her eyebrows making it really obvious that Mia was her daughter.  

"It's only the first week but so far I am liking it. My classes are pretty interesting and it seems like it will be somewhat of an easy semester." I said as I placed my camera on the table and leaned on my forearms. I made sure to ignore her last question. When she asked I had thought of Gabriel but pushed him to the furthest part of my mind.  

"Any boys?" She asked again clearly noticing that I didn't answer.  

"Nope." I popped the 'p' and made myself keep eye contact with her. If I looked away she would know I was lying and start asking questions which would make my mother do the same thing. Believing me she turned back to whatever she was doing. Internally I sighed.  

"You two should probably go say hi to your dads or they make a scene like they always do." My mom suggested gesturing her head to the backyard. Rose and I let out a laugh knowing what she was talking about.  

About two years ago for school all us 'children' went on a field trip that went on for 3 days. Our science teacher had taken his classes, thankfully only 3 class periods he taught, on a 'camping trip'. It wasn't really camping we all stayed in cabins not tents. But we did eat by multiple fires and went on hikes. We were there to learn all about nature and to see a few wild life but the only interesting thing we saw was a small squirrel. Because we lived in New York city we had to travel a good couple of hours to get to anything remotely woodsy.  

We did all have a blast even if Cris, Andy and their friends scared us every night by hiding by our cabin and making noises. When we got home 3 days later both of our parents were excited to see us. Mia and I made the mistake of coming in and going straight to shower since we hadn't for 2 days instead of greeting our protective fathers. They of course had to freak out like weirdos thinking that we didn't come home with Cris and Andy. They even went as far as to go on a rampage over the house yelling our names. When they found us getting dressed they became embarrassed thinking that we had been left behind. Stupid Andy and Cris didn't try to stop them instead they let them go around the house screaming. Even my mom. Rose and Kiyara didn't stop them thinking it was hilarious. To me and Mia it was not at all.  

"We are here." Mia announced as we stepped out back.  

"There's my girl!" Uncle Luca said taking 3 large steps to Mia. He pulled her into a hug. Within a second later my own dad grabbed me into a bear hug and twirled me around. I grinned wrapping my own arms around him. I was such a daddy's girl. Well I was a momma's girl as well but there was nothing like a father's love.  

"I missed you sweetie." When he finally put me down I shook my head at him.  

"Dad I saw you like 6 days ago."  

"So? Can't I miss my daughter?" I shook my head at him but couldn't help but smile.  

"Hey Uncle Luca." I stepped over to my uncle now and gave him a hug. Mia in turn hugged my father. My family was big about hugs as you can tell.  

"We will eat in about 15 minutes or so." I nodded before looking around them at Cris and Andy. As I expected they were already in the pool. They weren't even wearing bathing suits and from the looks of it they were both in their boxers.  

"Really you couldn't wait?" I asked standing next to the pool with my arms crossed. I raised an eyebrow at them.  

"Why would we? It helps with our appetite." Cris said.  

"But you are always hungry, you don't need help with that."  

"Carmen we don't need a reason!" He said going to splash water on me.  

"Cris don't!" I yelled jumping back. No way was I getting this dress wet. It was new and so pretty! "If you even try to get me wet I will unleash Mia at you." I threatened. He probably doesn't want to admit it but Mia can be really scary.  

"Fine I won't." He conceded and swam away. I nodded pleased. I may be the younger sibling but I held power over Cris. My eyes moved over to Andy who was floating on his back. As he treaded above the water I had plain view of his yummy abs. I knew I shouldn't have but I found myself lifting my camera and taking a picture of him. He had his eyes closed and hopefully his ears were under water as well. I couldn't pass up the opportunity of taking a photo of him, especially when he looked like he should be posing for a magazine.  

For some odd reason as I stood there I started to compare him to Gabriel. After realizing what I was doing I stopped. How could I compare Andrew to Gabriel at all? They were polar opposites. Andrew was sweet, kind, the golden boy. Where as Gabriel was rude, inconsiderate, and the bad boy.  

"You know I was going to say 'take a picture it will last longer' but it seems you already did." His voice said making me jump. I hadn't even notice that he moved his head to stare at me. I looked down at my camera which was still pointed at him.  

"Uhhh...." I trailed off totally caught. I kept looking back and forth between my camera and his face not knowing what to do. I literally just got caught taking pictures of the guy I was in love with while he swam almost naked; not embarrassing at all.  

"I-I think my mom called me." I rushed out before pivoting on my heel and practically running inside. Once I had the door closed behind me I slumped against it letting out my breath. Such a stupid move Carmen! I yelled at myself. I closed my eyes trying to steady my heart.  

"You know you should just tell him." A voice said right next to my ear. My eyes split wide open and I jumped at the voice scaring me.  

"Aunt Kay!" I exclaimed as I clenched my chest. I glared over at her while my pulse started to slow down.  

"Sorry." She said but didn't sound sorry at all. "Carmen you need to tell him."  

"Tell who what?" I asked deciding to play dumb.  

"You know who I am talking about." She pressed. I glanced around to make sure no one could hear us. I mean Mia knew and my mom knew but I didn't want anyone else to know, especially my brother or father.  

"How did you find out?" I asked turning to face her. She gave me a deadpanned look.  

"It is clear as day and your mom told me."  

"Well so much for secrets." I muttered. "Aunt Kay I can't tell him."  

"And why not? You've liked him for what your entire life, you need to let him know how you feel." She reasoned with me.  

"I've already been through this with Mia. If I tell him it will become all awkward and tense because he won't feel the same way. And when Cris finds out I have feelings for his best friend he will get mad at the both of us and will never let me near Andrew. And possibly their friendship would end." I rattled off. What is it with people that want me to tell Andrew how I feel? I already know how it is going to end up so why should I even try.  

"Well..." Aunt Kacey started to say as she glanced around the living room before she leaned in closer to me. "If you want to find out if he likes you the same way why don't you try to make him jealous or try to get a reaction out of him." She suggested.  

"What do you mean?"  

"I mean is find someone that doesn't like Andy or who Andy doesn't like and start to hang out with him. Have Andy see you two together and if he gets jealous or does something to try and get you away from the other guy, than you will know he likes you." She shrugged as if that wasn't a big deal.  

"Do you mean like date the guy or just be friends with him?"  

"Either one, both will probably get a rise out of him. It doesn't even have to be someone he doesn't like it can be any guy for that matter."  

"And if he gets jealous. Not that I am saying that I am going through with this plan." I asked.  

"If he gets jealous than you will know he likes you. If he likes you than you can finally just tell him your feelings and wa-la!" She waved her hands in the air. I stared at her actually thinking of what she just said. Could I really do that? Could I use someone just to make Andrew jealous? Would he even get jealous?  

"You don't have to do that Camen but it is a option if you want. I've never been around too much to know if he likes you back but how could he not. You are an incredible girl, and if he doesn't like you than it is his own damn fault." She pulled me into a quick hug. "Just think about it okay. But make sure not to change yourself just to get him to notice you." She gave a firm look before heading to the kitchen.  

I leaned against the door thinking over everything Kiyara just told me. I mean I could try to find someone that could make Andy jealous but what are the odds that he would? He probably could care less about me and I would just be setting myself up for more heartbreak. Although at this point nothing could hurt. I just don't know who I could 'use' to do this. It wasn't like I talked to a bunch of guys and if I used anyone the boys knew it wouldn't work.  

I continued to think about it for a minute before pushing it aside. I probably wouldn't go through with it anyways. Thanks Aunt Kay but I am not going to do it. I thought silently. Just as I stepped away from the door to the kitchen it flung open revealing two wet boys. Andy and Cris walked in not even caring that they were dripping water off of them onto the tile.  

"Dude she was so hot and you know I am a fan of blondes." I heard Andy say. "I think I am going to call her later on." They both walked by me not even noticing that I was blatantly staring at them. At the mention of Andy with some girl my stomach fell to my feet. Of course he is a fan of blondes. I thought bitterly. My hand reached up to touch my dark brown hair.  

As I stared after them something in me snapped. I was tired of being on the back burner. If I wanted Andy to even look at me as something other than a friend I needed to do something to make him see me as a women or potential girlfriend. I don't even know if Aunt Kay's plan will work but it was worth a try. Nothing could be as bad as this, imagining Andy wrapped around some hot blonde girl.  

I am going to try and make Andy jealous. With who I don't know yet but with the idea planted firmly in my mind I turned and walked into the kitchen.