Chapter Sixty: "I Guess It Really Is A Small World."
"BROOKLYN, HURRY the hell up!" Taylor yells from downstairs.
"Shut up! Don't rush me!" I yell back, struggling to zip up my dress. "Damn it."
"We were supposed to leave five minutes ago." He adds.
"I'm trying to do my zipper up, have patience." I shout. "Stupid thing, why aren't you working?" I cuss some more in Spanish, until something happens.
The zipper pops off.
I scream in frustration. "TAYLOR! Get the hell up here now and help me!"
"What?" He yells.
Right, he only speaks English. "Come here!"
Landon would've understood that. . .
He's opening my door in seconds. He whistles. "Damn."
"Yeah, gawk later. Since you were rushing me, I couldn't get my dress zipper up and now it's fallen off! So guess what? You're gonna put it back on." I scold him.
He rolls his eyes and swirls his finger, signalling me to turn around. He fidgets around until about five minutes after him cussing and grunting, the dress starts to tighten around my torso, telling me that he got the zipper fixed. "Shit, that was hard."
"This is only a casual dress too! You'd think they'd be more finger-friendly." I grumble. He chuckles, and then his eyebrows furrow once I put my shoes on. "What?" I press.
"Your shoes." He says, tilting his head.
I look down, and shrug. "Needed a new wardrobe for when I returned. I knew the dress would look good with these and they need to be broken in anyway, so why not tonight?!"
"They look hot." He tells me, looking me over.
I blush deeply, my eyes glued to my cowboy boots. "Let's go. We're already late." I say, linking my arm with his and walking outside my house, locking it up and walking down the road to Justin's.
"So what exactly are we doing?" He asks once we get a few houses down.
I shrug. "He's taking her to some escape room, so I'm taking that it's what we're doing."
"Hmm." He hums. "Never been."
"Same." I chuckle.
"Don't ruin it," he scolds me, and I gasp dramatically.
"I would never!"
"You have a genius IQ." He deadpans. "You'll probably figure it out in minutes."
I roll my eyes. "Whatever. If that's the case, then they'll have to put us in the hardest level."
"Then that'll be impossible for the rest of us," he teases.
"Well, then it'll have to be the medium level!" I exclaim. "And if it's too easy for me, then I'll just play the dumb blonde and pretend that I don't know why my cowboy boots are called cowboy boots when I'm actually a girl and the boots aren't made of cow leather."
He chortles in hums, and unconsciously grabs my hand. I'm taken by surprise, but I link my fingers with his. "I never understood how I got you in the end." He says quietly, and I arch my head up to look at him.
"What do you mean?" I ask in curiosity.
"Come on, darling, don't act surprised." He says. "You had boys who would get down on their knees and polish your shoes just for a minute of your attention."
I frown. "I was that drool-worthy?"
He shakes his head, a soft chuckle escaping his lips. "You always were drool-worthy, Brooklyn. You still are."
"Really?" I ask. "Even after. . ."
"Yes." He whispers, stopping us. "Don't think you're not beautiful, because you are. What happened doesn't make you dirty."
"I feel it." I say ashamedly. "I feel like a slut, too."
Taylor grabs my face with his hands so I have no choice but to stare into his deep green eyes. "You aren't one." He tells me sternly. "Not even close. Nothing that you've ever done has made you a slut."
"There was twoâ"
"I don't give a shit how many of them scarred you. What happened to you wasn't of your consent, meaning it was forced. You did nothing wrong."
I nod, dropping the subject, and he rubs under my eyes before smiling and letting go of my face and linking over hands together again. We continue our way to Justin's until we're stood on his doorstep, and I reach for the handle, but the door swings open before I can even blink and a small brunette with black eyes appears before me, squealing.
Her eyes may have no colour, but damn, are her eyes full of life.
"Hi!" She squeals. "You must be the best friend!"
I giggle at her, and nod, and she jumps at me, throwing her arms around me.
"Justin's said so much." She chirps. "Oh, God, Justin. You never told me she was even more beautiful in person!"
Justin appears from behind her, a blush forming on his cheeks and a shy smile on his face. He wraps his arm around her waist, and gives me an approving look, in which I roll my eyes.
"Guys, this is Selena. Sel, this is Brooklyn and Taylor."
"It's nice to meet you both." She says a little calmer. She's a beautiful girl; her features are strong, and honestly, she does look like a younger Selena Gomez. Maybe that's where her name comes from?
"Likewise, Selena." I grin. Taylor gives her his designer smile, but she truly seems unfazed by his charms. I give her credit for that; Taylor's smile is irresistible, especially now that he is drop-dead gorgeous.
"You're smile is hot, but I think I know someone's who's better." Selena says.
I laugh, already liking her already. Me too, girlfriend. Taylor and I step inside Justin's house, waiting for him while he double checks that everything is shut off, because apparently he made her dinner.
"So, Selena, what school do you go to?" Taylor asks, sitting down beside me. Our hands have disconnected, but his heat radiating off is enough to fill the space where his warm hand used to be.
"Actually, can I say something?" She announces softly.
"Yeah, of course." I reply.
"Just in case we run into anyone I know. . ." She trails off, making my eyebrows furrow, because she looks sheepish. "I just want to save everyone the confusion in case we come across people I know because the escape room is on my side of town and run into friends, that I want to tell you my real name."
"Selena isn't your real name?" I question quizzically. Is there a reason, or is it just a preference?
"No." She says. "My real name is actually Selincia. Pretty close to Selena, but I just don't like it, so I changed it."
"Selin-SHUH?" Taylor repeats.
She giggles. "No. Sel-in-SEE-uh." Then stops giggling. "Another reason why I wanted my name changed. People always pronounced it like Alicia and not like you would with Sia's nameâlike the singer?"
I raise my eyebrows. Why would she want to change her name? It's a gorgeous name; much better than Brooklyn. I would love to have a name like hers. It sounds more Hispanic than mine does. I voice my confusion. "Selincia is a beautiful name. Why not keep it?"
"It's my mother's name, and I hate her." She shrugs.
Oh damn.
I was not expecting that.
"Whoa." I say quietly.
"My mom left me with my dad when I was six," she explains without anyone asking. "I idolized her, until she left. From then on, I despised her and the only thing I have left of her; which is my name."
Now that I think of it, the name really does sound familiar. Actually, it sounds very familiar. . . from when I lived in Mexico. Perhaps she lived there when I did?
"Hey, what's wrong?" Taylor whispers, noticing my silence.
Surely it's just a coincidence, but now that I look back, she resembles an exact replica of a woman who my aunts and uncles on my dad's side used to be business partners with.
It's a long shot, but it's worth the confusion. Worst case, I'm mistaken.
"She sounds familiar." I whisper, shaking my head, and directing my attention to Selena. "Hey, um, can I ask a personal question?"
"Depends how personal it is." She replies nonchalantly.
"It's about your mom." I add.
"Then it's not personal. But yeah, sure, anything." She giggles.
"Oh, alright." I nod. "Um, your last name. . . it wouldn't happen to be Bonnatti or Sanchez, would it?"
"No, it's Gonzalez, but my mothers surname is Sanchez. Why?"
My eyes widen, but I try to hide it. "No reason." I say quickly. "You wouldn't happen to have Spanish background would you?"
"My mom is Mexican, but I'm half American half Mexican." She says, still confused.
Oh God.
"Cool." I smile tightly. "Me too, except I'm a hundred percent Mexican."
"Oh wow," she breathes, "that's interesting."
Justin suddenly appears, and I stand up, Taylor following in silence, and we all exit the house while Justin locks it. Taylor pulls me aside while Justin calls a cab. "What was that back there?" He demands.
I sigh, shaking my arms. It's highly unlikely that I'm correct, but like Landon said. . . I guess it really is a small world. A lot of Mexicans work and live in Los Angeles, so it has to be purely coincidental that I'm even thinking so outrageously. "Nothing."
"It's not nothing." He rolls his eyes. "Come on, it's me, you don't need to hide anything." He adds more softly.
I groan, and drop my head in my hands before pulling them away after a minute. "Okay, fine. You can't tell Justin, though, okay?"
"Okay." He nods.
"I mean it, Taylor." I say sternly.
"Yes, yes, I know." He says.
"I. . . I think I know Selena's mom."
"Okay?" He says confusedly. "So what?"
I bite my lip harshly, and in a light panic. "So, I think I know why her mother left her!" I always knew Selena looks vaguely familiar.
"How?" He draws out, furrowing his eyebrows.
I sigh defeatedly. "This woman my aunt and uncle are partners with. . . her name is Selincia Sanchez, but she sometimes goes by Selincia Bonnatti when dealing with other countries that aren't of North American descent." I explain in a whisper so nobody overhears. "My point is, is that Sanchez is now one of the biggest drug dealers in Mexico."
"So you think Selincia left Selena with her father to deal?" He asks.
I nod in confirmation. "Selincia has a son who's a year older than us. She says she only has one child, so I have a feeling she had a one night stand or met someone behind Selena's dad's back, ended up pregnant, moved to the U.S during the pregnancy then to give birth, left the States for Mexico after the child was born, returned to her home, ended up pregnant with Selena, then left Selena with her dad for this man she had the first child with after a few years."
"So?" He says. "Coincidence, maybe."
"She looks exactly like her, Taylor. I was good friends with her son before I left there for good to be an American. He told me everything about his life, it makes sense and the timeframe fits. He also gold me about his parents' business, and they've huge cartel. They sell millions a month."
"So what are you going to do?" He asks.
"Nothing!" I hiss. "I can't, and I won't. This is her life, and just because I may know her mom doesn't mean I'm going to say anything. She'd be upset and mad. It isn't my place to talk."
Suddenly, he smiles.
"Why are you smiling?" I pout. I'm having an internal brainwash, and he's smiling?
"Because," he smirks, "I know you always cared about others, and it was cute back then. But now that you're going all above and beyond about it and not mentioning it for Selena's own good, it's fucking sexy."
I stare at him oddly. "I still am having difficulty with trying to get used to your dirty mouth." I tease, nudging him.
His eyes darken, and I feel my stomach clench; sexual tension that wasn't there all week, is now surfacing, which is bad. I gulp. "That's nothing, darling." He says, his voice husky.
"It isn't?" I squeak, my hands starting to clam up from unease and nervousness.
"Taxi will be here in ten minutes." Justin's voice suddenly rings out in my ears, causing me to jump back from Taylor and look at Justin hurriedly.
"Great!" I chirp, maybe just a little too fast.
Please don't notice, please don't notice, I plead in my head.
He gives me a weird look but doesn't question it. "So, who's up for some food before we try this game?" He suggests, and I nod my head quickly.
"Yeah, I could use a drink!" I say uneasily, but get wide eyes in return. "I-I mean non-alcoholic ones, of course."
Taylor chuckles, and tosses his arm casually around my shoulders. I can't say that lately I've failed to notice that we've been a little more hands-on with each other, but I also can't say that I don't enjoy itâbecause I do, and frankly, I do so very much, which kinda frightens me since I'm supposed to leave L.A. in two weeks and Landon is back in Canada, mad at me for cheating while I'm over here trying to contain my deep feelings for him while Taylor tries to sweep me off his feet like he has before.
If the spark reignites, what does it mean for us? Have a two week fling and move on, pretending nothing's happened? I'm not sure if I could do long distance; I'm a very hard-trusting person, and it's not that I think Taylor will cheat because I know he won't, but what do I know? He's changed, and I don't know in what ways. I've sworn to myself since I was a little girl that I would never be that person to ruin a family by cheating, and yet here I am, now single, because my boyfriend and I are fighting over my ex, whom I kissed, and now feel strong sexual tension with.
And what hurts more is that the boyfrâex-boyfriend, still doesn't know.
A mere five minutes later, and the taxi arrives.
"Geo's, please." Justin tells the cabbie, and we all stay in silence throughout the ride. Taylor takes shotgun considering a car came, so I'm at the window seat while Justin is polite and takes the middle, leaving Selena the other window seat. He leans further into me, and brushes his lips against my ear. "We'll talk about this later, understood?"
I nod silently.
"So, Brooklyn," Selena speaks up, catching my attention, and I turn to face her. My eyes wander down, and a small smile appears on my face when I see her and Justin's hands entwined.
"Yeah?" I whisper, looking back up at her again.
"How long have you been in America?"
I scrunch up my nose, bringing my lips to my right side, thinking. "Hmm. Um, I wanna say four years, give or take a few months."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Wow," she chuckles, "I just thought it was recent, becauseâno offenseâit's difficult to understand your accent."
I laugh dryly, though it was completely unintentional and I really hope she doesn't think I took offense to what she said. "Understandable. I actually speak fluent Spanish at home, and English at school. I still have some difficulty with some words, but it was only up to a couple years ago that I could speak English fluently as well."
"Was it hard?" She questions.
"Of course. They didn't exactly have a bunch of foreign languages spoken at my high school, so ESL (English as a Second Language) classes were hard to find."
"That must've sucked majorly." She frowns.
I shrug. "No matter how hard it was for me to communicate verbally with others, I could read English easier so my grades were still good."
"Well, at least you got your education, right?" She giggles.
"Yep." I laugh nervously. Even though I needed to go through a lot during prison for school work.
We arrive at Geo's only minutes later, and a waitress at the front doors leads us too a booth in the corner of the room, furthest from the entrance.
"What are y'all all getting?" I ask, grabbing the menu. "My treat."
"Nope," Justin interferes. "S'all on me, guys."
"I'm paying, Justin." I say in my authoritative voice. "You invited us along on your date, it's the least I can do. The least I will do."
"I'll pay, JâLo, don't worry about it." He rolls his eyes.
"Justin, I am buying us dinner and that's final. Fight me about it and I swear, I will tell your girlfriend all your dirty little secrets and your self-exploration stories."
His eyes widen, and a scowl immediately appears on his face. "You wouldn't."
"Don't figure it out the hard way." I retort.
He sighs heavily. "Fine." He then looks at Selena and Taylor. "She's paying. Make sure you buy something extra expensive."
I scoff, a goofy and victorious grin on my face.
"Um, what were they saying?" I hear Selena whisper to Taylor, who is sitting beside her on the curve of the 'U' shaped booth, while I'm on the line beside him and Justin beside Selena.
"I have no idea." Taylor answers honestly. "Didn't know back then, still don't know now."
Selena raises her eyebrows. "You didn't tell me you speak Spanish." She directs her question to Justin, who shrugs in reply.
"You never asked."
She narrows her eyes, before turning to me. "I take it that you don't know it, either?" I voice, barely catching her eyes before she can ask me anything.
"No." She says. "I was never taught. Dad was pure American and could only speak a few words, so when my mother left, he didn't want to teach me because it reminded him of her and shit."
"Bummer." I say blankly. I figured she would at least know a few words, considering Selencia is 100% Mexican descent. "It's a beautiful language, really. French is nice and romantic, but Spanish can be too. It's. . . preciosa."
"What?"
"Beautiful." Justin mumbles. "She just repeated it."
"Oh." Selena says. "So, um, how did you learn it? Like, where?"
"Right here." I say, pointing at myself with a pleasant grin. It feels really good to know that I taught Justin well, because before, he wouldn't have any clue the slightest on what I was talking about. Now, I can go on a full-out rant and he'd understand. He even knows what I say when I'm drunk, and that's something amazing in itself, since I slur everything, like a baby.
"Really?" She asks in amusement, eyebrows skyrocketed. "That's awesome!"
"She's a great teacher." Justin laughs. "She taught our circle of friends, too."
"So I'm thinking on the chicken parm," Taylor suddenly voices, winking at me. "How about you?"
"Think I'll get the lobster," Justin smirks.
I swear I choke on my own air. I'll pay no problem, I can afford it, but like hell am I paying $40 for a small tiny lobster. "The hell you are!" I exclaim. "Get something else, cheapskate."
He laughs, his dimples showing, and pats my leg under the table. "Relax, bozo, I was kidding. I'm gonna get the turkey club."