Asher Mendez

Sawyer picked me up for the gym at the crack of dawn so both of us are exhausted and sore, but it's a good kind of exhausted. When I'm there, whether I'm alone, with a few friends, or my team, everything goes away, you know? Understandably, it's the perfect distraction from whatever the hell I found last week.

Seeing Valentina so upset hurt my heart. At least once a week, a girl at my school is sobbing her eyes out for a douchebag who cheated on her. I find it in me to feel a little bit bad for those girls, but seeing Valentina in the same state made me wish I could wave a magic wand and take away whatever's distressing her.

I can pity her all day so I shut off my thoughts and try to relax. Sawyer and I are in my hot tub, the ideal place for rejuvenation after a hard workout. He's mentioned asking Katelyn to be his girlfriend a few times in the past month, but he's gotten real serious about that plan.

As the warm water embraces us, I can feel the tension in my muscles start to ease. It's a welcome relief after the intense workout we just did. I lean my head back against the edge of the tub, closing my eyes and letting out a contented sigh.

"Should I take her to Amerigo? We went there for our first date." When he's not trying to prove himself to everyone, Sawyer is pretty loquacious when it comes to his girl. He'll talk about Katelyn for hours if you let him.

I nod at his suggestion, but know how popular his place of choice gets. "Yeah, that sounds like a solid choice for a date. It'll be a pretty full circle moment for you two."

"I should make reservations when I get home," he says, the sound of his voice mingling with the bubbling water and soft breeze. He's come a long way from a playboy who caught chlamydia and didn't know which hookup he got it from to a great boyfriend to Katelyn. When his worried mom made him take an STD test when he started having weird symptoms, the shame made him swear to never touch a woman again. He changed his mind when he met her and this time, he's in it for the long run.

Country music gently plays in the background, all Sawyer's idea. Knox and I like to rip on him for consistently having the radio in his Hellcat turned to a country station while he sings along. Sing is a bit of a stretch; he sounds more like a cat giving birth.

"Knox and I had our basketball team dinner there and everyone barfed because we ate like kids from Africa seeing Italian food for the first time. Then we had the nerve to get dessert too."

Sawyer wrinkles his nose. "Fuck you, Asher. Now I'm gonna barf."

"You get the point, man." I roll my eyes. "I'm excited for you."

"Me too." Sawyer's expression softens. "Do you think Katelyn Long has a good ring to it?"

I put a finger down my throat just to tease him. "That's too far, but ok."

"My mom keeps teasing me about that shit and now I can't stop thinking about Katelyn taking my last name." Sawyer does his best to sound nonchalant, but I can tell he's not opposed to the idea of putting a ring on her. 

"Do you think your mom's back from the hospital yet?" He asks. Even though his mom and my mom work at the same hospital, their jobs are different. Mom is basically Alison's boss, meaning she works on some weekends while Alison usually has hers off unless there's an emergency. They've never let their different positions affect their friendship.

"That's a good question, Sawyer." I look through the French doors to find her. "Doesn't look like it."

The hot tub relaxes our muscles and feels like the most comfortable bed on earth. As we relax, so does our conversation. We start talking about baseball, homework, and the mountain of tests our teachers always give.

"How did you do on that physics test? It kicked my ass." Sawyer asks, referring to a test that left the whole damn grade confused.

"I haven't gotten it back. What about you?"

Sawyer almost jumps out of the tub when he announces his score. "32 out of 50!" With his reaction, you'd think he passed with flying colors. "At least I didn't get a 20 like last time." Even though he isn't that smart, Sawyer is convinced baseball is his ticket into college.

"We all have to start somewhere." I tease him. I'm between him and Knox in terms of grades. Knox and I are both in the National Honor Society, but I look like an idiot next to him. 

"It's not like I'm smart like you and Knox the nerd," Sawyer counters. "Aren't you the same guy that says be better than you were yesterday?"

I let out a laugh. "At least you got through it. You should ask Knox to help you study." 

Eventually, we decide it's time to head inside and find my moms. Sawyer grabs his phone to check for any new messages, smiling when he sees a certain someone's notification. I shoot him a mischievous look and he promptly flicks me off.

"You'll understand when you get a girlfriend, Asher," he says, sounding unusually serious. What happened to the conceited Sawyer Long?

I roll my eyes. "I don't like any of the girls at our school."

"Does my girlfriend go to our school?" Sawyer questions, staring into my soul. "All the girls at Slaton are super hot. Were there any prospects at the party?"

Sawyer's curiosity about the party reminds me of Valentina. I wonder how she's doing. The image of her crying in her car flashes through my mind again. It's not often that someone I met less than a week ago has the effect she does on me.

Before I get the chance to speak, Sawyer folds his arms. "There's a prospect, isn't there?" I jab him in the shoulder and he finally shuts up.

"Sore subject, huh?" He mumbles under his breath. I notice he's shivering like crazy despite there being a towel around him. 

As we enter the house, we find Mom and Carmen in the kitchen, deep in conversation. Carmen is animatedly gesturing, a sign that she's probably sharing some juicy gossip from work while Mom listens.

"Hey, moms," I greet them.

Carmen pauses her story and looks us up and down, scoffing when she notices that we're wrapped in towels. "Ponte algo de ropa, chicos."

"Damn. What happened to hello and how are you?" I tease, praying I don't get chased around the house with a flip flop after Sawyer leaves. 

Mom makes a disapproving noise at nothing in particular and approaches us. "Hola, chicos. Glad you two finally came out of the hot tub. We were wondering if we lost you." To Sawyer, she adds, "Señora Alison wouldn't let you come back."

He nods, admitting his tendency to spend a lot of time at my house. "No ma'am. How are you, Dr. Mendez?" 

"Alright. The hospital is very busy," she says with a soft smile.

Carmen's judgmental expression changes into curiosity. "Isn't you boys' school volunteering at the hospital?" 

"We are." Sawyer answers with a smile. After his mom took him on his first visit to St. Gabriel's on Monday, he called Knox and I to let us know it exceeded his expectations and he actually had fun with the patients. "Everyone was really nice."

"That's good," Carmen stirs the drink inside of her mug.

Mom smiles at Sawyer. "I'm glad everyone was nice."

"It's because mi esposa muy guapa keeps everyone in check," says Carmen, ogling Mom.

Her wife's compliment makes Mom giggle. "Ay caramba, Carmen." Mom and Carmen's relationship always makes me so happy to witness every day. When she was married to my dad, I can remember how forced everything felt. She did her best to seem happy in her marriage, yet her happiness seemed artificial. Watching my parents interact was like watching a poorly written show in your own kitchen. They were just going through the motions, trying to convince everyone they were happy.

My dad was far from abusive or disrespectful to her. He was a genuinely good person and taught me what it means to work hard and be the best version of myself. They merely tolerated one another until I was about ten.

The divorce was mutual, but their marriage ended on good terms. Even though Mom knew she made the right choice, the criticism from her family back in Puerto Rico made her reconsider. Thankfully, they came around when Carmen walked into our lives.

In the following months, Mom brought a bunch of guys by the house, but she never felt a spark with any of them and she never knew why. It wasn't until she met Carmen that everything clicked into place: she wasn't romantically interested in men and didn't put two and two together until she came up short after each date. Carmen was the missing piece of the puzzle and always has been.

Carmen is like a breath of fresh air, bringing laughter and genuine happiness into our home. Mom's eyes lit up whenever she talked about Carmen, and four years later, the flame is still burning. It was clear to everyone around them that they were meant to be together.

"You know it's true." Carmen points out, ogling Mom while she's at it. 

"Calmate, por favor. The boys are listening." Mom glances at us, specifically smirking at me. At least once a month, I hear moaning from their room and the house's foundation almost shakes harder than an earthquake. They know I can hear them making love from across the hallway, but we all laugh about it. 

Sawyer wrinkles his nose. While him and Alison are supportive of my moms' relationship, his extended family isn't nearly as tolerant. "On that note, Asher and I should leave."

My moms protest against us abandoning them, promising to not rip each other's clothes off in our presence. We decide to hop back into the hot tub for a little longer, then change into dry clothes when Carmen pokes her head out and warns us we're going to get sick. 

After we get out, Sawyer informs me Katelyn wants to hang out with me and he has to go. I tell him to go see her, but I feel a little left out. It all started when Knox started hanging out with Layla instead of us. He still comes to the gym with us, but I guess Layla's his new priority. I know it's my fault I haven't met a girl who is worth being a priority of mine, but I regularly think about who that girl will be and when she's going to come. 

Even though the hot tub took care of most of the gym sweat, I take a quick shower. Most people think taking cold showers is ridiculous, but I beg to differ. In my opinion, the icy water is as refreshing as jumping into a freezing pool on a 100 degree day, especially after the gym. I rake shampoo and conditioner through my curls and let the cold water do its thing.

When I get out, I grab a towel for my hair and put on the sweatpants I laid out. My retainer sits on the counter, begging me to put it back in so my teeth aren't jacked up again. Middle school sucked for everyone, but you definitely can't pay me to go back and get bullied every day for having ratchet teeth and needing braces until the end of sophomore year.

In the mirror, I look at the Asher Mendez who went from a skinny middle school castaway to the confident guy who catches attention from the girls at school. My arms used to be smaller than tree branches, but thanks to my visits to the gym, they've gained a lot of muscle.

I don't mind all of the attention, but sometimes it's a little unnecessary and overwhelming. Even teachers who are old enough to be my mom say a lot of borderline salacious things to me. The lingering stares from my female classmates and the way my math teacher squeezes my shoulder when I ace her tests make me feel like I'm always getting scrutinized.

As I walk out of my bathroom and collapse onto my bed, the soft mattress welcoming me with its familiar embrace, I let out a sigh of relief. The soreness from the weightlifting Sawyer and I did begin to lift from my shoulders, replaced by a sense of calm that settles over me like a comforting blanket.

I'm eating up every minute of this time to myself. Between basketball, baseball, keeping my grades decent so I get a few offers, it's not often I get to just breathe. My business sometimes pisses Mom and Carmen off so much they hid my car keys so I could get a break from it all. After what felt like an eternity, I finally caved and promised my moms I'd be easier on myself until they returned my BMW.

My phone buzzes and a notification from Sawyer disrupts my relaxation.  I check it to see what he wants. His message reads: fyi k and i are talking about hoco and i just remembered that you need a date. 

Sawyer you need food and water, not a date. I roll my eyes at his insistence. He always suggests various girls for me to talk to knowing I don't think about that kind of stuff often, even if he and Knox have girlfriends. 

While I don't have anything against my female classmates in general because most of them are smart, kind, and focused on their goals, there's a select group whose lives seem to rival a soap opera. Always in the thick of some kind of scandal, they can be draining to be around. Whether it's relationship drama, gossip spreading like wildfire, or petty rivalries, these girls love flirting with chaos. To make matters worse, a few members of this elite group are into me and often rope me into their shenanigans, giving me no say whether or not I want to be involved. 

Cecelia McGraw is the worst of them all. We were talking freshman year and I quickly realized it wasn't going to work out. The problem is, Cecelia doesn't seem to have received the memo. She holds onto the hope that we still have a shot at being together, even though I made it clear that ship sailed a long time ago. I only prolonged our relationship because she's volatile when she's upset.  If you hurt her feelings, she snitches to her dad who in turn, makes your life pretty difficult. 

Ok Asher, suit yourself, Sawyer replies. 

I place my phone on my nightstand and let out a sigh. Some people invest a lot of time and energy into school or sports, but Sawyer Long wastes his trying to get a rise out of me. I want him to shut up so I can enjoy my quiet time, but he clearly won't back down even after I left him on opened. Unfortunately, my curiosity gets the better of me and I open Snapchat to see what he wants. Katelyn read my mind, she just asked about you and mentioned Valentina in the same breath. She's onto something, his text reads.

I shake my head, knowing exactly where this is going. At the same time, his knowledge about my feelings for his girlfriend's best friend freak me out as I haven't even mentioned it to Knox. There's no way he doesn't have cameras on me.

~

The next morning, Mom's on the prowl, waiting in the kitchen for me when I'm done getting ready for school. Her presence is a genuine surprise as she's normally out of the house by now. Instead, she is sitting at the island with an unreadable look on her face so I can't tell if I'm in trouble or not.

"Good morning," I say, hoping to dissolve the tension. 

Mom's stare doesn't leave my figure. "Toma un asiento, por favor." Her serious tone freaks me out because she's only yelled at me twice in my entire life. I can't think of anything bad I've done at school or otherwise, making this even stranger to me. 

"Shit. Am I in trouble?" 

She shakes her head. "No, but I have a question for you."

"Just say that, Mom. No tiene que estresarme." I laugh. "What's up?"

"When are you volunteering at the hospital?" She asks, the fear instantly leaving my body when I realize I'm not in trouble. 

I think about my answer. "I have nothing to do tonight, so I guess I'm going after school."

"Alright." Mom is satisfied with my answer. "I'll see you then, mi vida. I have to go."

~

this chapter took too long but I like where we're going