Asher Mendez

"Are y'all going to the homecoming after-party?" Sawyer asks Knox and I at lunch.

Knox dips a chip in his guacamole. "I think so, but the problem is Layla's parents are kinda uncomfortable with her being there."

Sawyer shakes his head. "Her parents are worried about us being weirdos, but someone in Katelyn's grade pulled out a knife on a teacher?"

"Slaton's pretty insane." Knox says nonchalantly.

"Ditto." I chime in despite my little knowledge about people who go there. "Sawyer, thank your mom for the Chipotle." Alison took time out of her busy schedule to bring us lunch, a thoughtful gesture no one saw coming.

"Yeah." Knox's burrito bowl has been demolished. "I haven't had it in forever, man."

"Of course. I'll pass the message along." Sawyer says, knowing he doesn't give his mom the time of day. Turning to me, he changes the subject back to our homecoming plans. "What about you?"

I nod. "Hopefully there isn't another fight. Do you know the theme?"

Sawyer shrugs. "Blackout or something. That's not hard for you, Mendez. You own a lot of black shit."

The conversation shifts to something completely different. Knox has to hold back his laughter when Sawyer proudly announces his seventy on the latest physics test.

"It's better than last time, I guess," is all he has to say.

In history, I'm minding my business like I always do. History is the one class I don't have with my closest friends, but I don't dislike my classmates. The problem is Cecelia and a few members of her posse are in that class with me and their squabbling makes focusing on my work an uphill battle.

I'm settling into my seat when a girl I recognize from that friend group takes the seat next to me. Since I don't know anyone in this class that well, I can't use the "this seat's taken" excuse on her. I accept my fate and decide not to give her the time of day, but she has other plans.

"Hey, Asher!" She squeals, earning side eyes from everyone around us.

I give her a respectful nod in response so she takes the hint. "What's up?"

"Not much." She twirls a strand of long black hair around her finger. "Cecelia didn't do you justice. You're like, super hot."

"I appreciate it." I say, keeping my tone neutral. Part of me is worried about how the ringleader of the group will react to this sight.

Cecelia walks in with Annabelle Farmer, one of my family friends. Annabelle's sense of humor and easygoing personality make it hard not to like her. However, Annabelle treads a tightrope, doing her best to maintain a decent relationship with Cecelia without getting sucked into drama with her.

When she sees that the seat next to me occupied by one of her slaves, she clutches her chest like she's about to have a heart attack. "What the hell do we have here?"

"Chill, Ceci. It's not that serious." Annabelle makes eye contact with me and smiles. When Cecelia catches her, she shoots her a death glare. In my opinion, Annabelle deserves a Nobel Peace Prize for putting up with a drama magnet like Cecelia.

They sit in the desks behind me and Cecelia makes a snarky comment about how horrible her friends are for quote unquote "stealing her man".

"Asher!" Cecelia yells loud enough for everyone around us to hear. Glaring at the girl next to me, she lowers her voice and snarls, "I see you and Willow are getting close."

Willow rolls her eyes at Cecelia but doesn't respond. Instead, she places her hand on my forearm. "It's so nice to finally meet you, Asher."

The teacher clears his throat, interrupting Cecelia before she makes a scene. Even though everyone around us is diligently taking notes, Willow keeps trying to make conversation and asks me to hang out. I calmly tell her I'm not interested multiple times.

Cecelia is not pleased with Willow. She spends class making backhanded statements about her in a loud whisper. She has a field day criticizing everything about her minion.

"Annie, did you see Willow get thirds at lunch today? Her homecoming dress doesn't zip for a reason."

"That's too far," Annabelle whispers.

Cecelia scoffs. "I'm just being honest."

Before Annabelle tells her off, the teacher steps in. "Miss McGraw, comments like that won't be tolerated in my class."

"Whatever." At least she listens to the adult in the room and stops her bullshit. She looks beyond pissed, either because she got her ass handed to her or the sight of Willow and I together is too much for her.

Thank God history is my last class of the day and I can go to the hospital where drama is almost unheard of. The patients have a positive outlook on life and they know there's more to life than how much your parents make, something my peers need to get through their thick little skulls.

St. Gabriel's is almost walking distance from school, making it an ideal place for my classmates and I to get community service hours. Mountain View raises funds for the hospital by doing bake sales and donating the money from prom tickets. In return, some of their patients created art that is displayed around campus.

As I make my way to the receptionist's desk, a few nurses greet me. I ask one of them if Mom's free and she tells me she's in a meeting, but she will tell her I got here.

"Oh, you're Dr. Mendez' son?" The receptionist asks as I approach her desk.

I nod. "Yes ma'am."

"I can tell. You have her smile." She stops what she's doing on the computer to examine me. "She did a good job with you. You're so sweet and handsome."

"Thanks." I reply.

With a smile, she says, "I won't keep you any longer, alright? Enjoy your visit."

The hospital is busier than ever, patients coming and going to various appointments and nurses helping where they're needed. A lot is happening, but no amount of busy can get in the way of the positivity throughout the building.

I turn a corner and room 211 is the first one I see. A nurse and an unfamiliar couple are talking outside. When the nurse notices me, she pauses her conversation. "Hello. Are you here to visit?"

"Yeah. I go to Mountain View and I'm here to volunteer." I explain, specifically to the couple because they look confused.

The nurse nods. "Mountain View. That's a really good school. What grade are you in?"

"I'm a junior." I reply, prompting the unfamiliar couple to share a look. It finally dawns on me that I've interrupted a private moment. "Did I interrupt you guys?"

Finally, the woman speaks. "No, you're fine. We're about to go anyway."

"This is Mr. and Mrs. Karas," the nurse introduces. "Their son has leukemia and started chemo last week."

"Nice to meet you," I say, offering a sympathetic smile. "I hope everything goes well with the treatment."

"Thank you," Mrs. Karas replies, holding hands with her husband. "When we first came, we knew this was the right place for our family."

Mr. Karas nods. "Hopefully chemo does what it needs to do. We also have a daughter around your age."

Mrs. Karas glances at her phone. "Valentina's stuck in the rush hour traffic, but she'll be here soon."

Valentina? I never thought I'd hear about her again, let alone see her. Coming from her family rather than Sawyer is even more off putting.

"Sounds good. Hope she gets here alright." The nurse replies. Turning to me, she makes a proposition. "Since they're about to jet, how about you sit with their son for a little while?"

The couple shares a look. Mr. Karas understandably looks a little apprehensive seeing as we just met, but his wife seems like she's in favor of it.

"Sure." I say. "It was nice to meet y'all."

Mrs. Karas smiles. "Thank you so much...what's your name?"

"Asher."

"Asher, we really appreciate it." Her eyes get a little glossy when she expresses her gratitude. "Ronan's taking it really hard. I hope you two have fun."

"Don't burn the hospital down," Mr. Karas chimes in, earning a side eye from his wife and raised eyebrows from the nurse. "Hopefully you get to meet our daughter."

Been there, done that. "Yeah. Good luck with treatment."

After they leave, the nurse knocks on the door to see if Ronan's up. "Hey, buddy. Someone's here to see you."

What awaits me is the last thing I anticipate. For some reason, I fully expected to see a little kid. Instead, I see my eighth grade self in the boy in the bed, minus the braces. He looks between twelve and fourteen with luscious black hair. 

"What's up?" I say, sitting in the chair next to Ronan's bed. "I'm Asher."

"Hey," Ronan mutters, avoiding eye contact. Seeing as his sister practically ran from me after our first encounter, I assume shyness runs in this family. Hopefully he warms up to me soon so I can help make his day a little better and maybe get brownie points with Valentina.

I smile at him to make him feel more at ease. "How are you feeling?"

"Meh." Ronan responds, glancing at me briefly before looking back down at the sheets.

We sit in silence for a few minutes, the hum of the medical equipment and distant conversations mingling in the hallways. "I know we just met, but you can tell me anything. My mom's a doctor here. Her and the rest of the doctors know what they're doing."

Ronan ponders what I've told him, then decides to look at me. Recognition and a little confusion fill his brown eyes, the same way you would look at someone when someone seems familiar, but you're not sure how you know them. As he wordlessly examines my features, a spark fills his blank expression.

"How's life treating you?" I ask, trying to make some conversation. The awkwardness between us throws me off because I'm normally extroverted.

"I mean, chemo sucks because it makes me tired, but this place is decent," he admits. "The nurses are great and I've made a few friends."

I nod. "That's good. Do you...miss your family?"

Ronan shrugs, a smirk playing on his lips. "This is basically my second family, Asher." We both laugh and the awkwardness in the room finally dissolves.

All things considered, Ronan's a joy to be around and the kind of person you'd have a lot of fun talking to. He's around five years younger than me, making him feel like a younger brother.  It's easy to forget where we are as we joke and laugh, and for a moment, it feels like we're just a couple of kids getting to know each other.

I'm telling him about my private school drama when a familiar face walks through the door and interrupts us. When his parents mentioned Valentina's name, it didn't occur to me that she and him are siblings. 

Normally I'm cool and easygoing around girls, but with Valentina, it's different. Whether she's cognizant of it or not, she makes it hard to be the chill guy I know I am. Since the day I ran into her in the hospital and saw her pretty face for the first time, every interaction makes the brick wall I've built to protect my reputation crumble a little more. Before I even knew her name, she knew how to awaken the butterflies in my stomach just by entering my life. 

Last Friday plays in my mind like a song on repeat. Valentina was nodding her head while I told her about what happened at Sawyer's beach house when two freshmen approached me. I can't tell you what the two girls were talking about, but I can't forget the look of pure betrayal in her eyes when I walked away.

The conversation was getting pretty damn boring because the girls talked among themselves, hoping I'd notice them. That's when Katelyn ran over to me, scaring off my two admirers in the process.

"Asher, where's V?" she demanded. 

Caught off guard by Katelyn's tone, I stumbled over my words. "I'm not the person to ask. Is everything okay?"

"She ran off and she seemed pretty upset." Katelyn explained, folding her arms as if she believes I played a role at upsetting her best friend.

"Damn." My heart dropped at the thought of hurting her feelings. Valentina has a mysterious but friendly exterior, so hearing she's in distress was like seeing a different side of her.

When I finally found her bawling her eyes out in her car, my heart sank to my feet. Seeing anyone sad breaks my heart, but with her it's like looking at a completely different person. The calm, mysterious girl I met was replaced by a raw, crying mess.

Valentina looks like she pulled it together since then, but I can only imagine the internal turmoil she's bottling up. She walked in apprehensively wearing grey sweatpants and a black crop top. Her black hair is pulled into a cute ponytail with some stray strands framing her face. A sliver of her stomach pokes out and the rest is hidden under the sweatpants, its outline making my mother water.

"Look who finally arrived." Ronan teases, the admiring look in his eyes never ceasing as he makes fun of her. 

Watching them interact reminds me of Francesca, Carmen's daughter and my stepsister. Francesca now goes to University of North Carolina, which means we don't live under the same roof anymore.

After the siblings greet each other, I decide to stop being so damn shy. "Hey, Valentina. I didn't connect the dots."

I examine her more closely and notice she isn't wearing makeup. With an older stepsister who knows everything about it and two moms, I can tell. She wore some to the party: mascara to emphasize her already gorgeous lashes, skin tint that was unnecessary because her skin's flawless, and other stuff that Francesca forgot to teach me about. Today her face is totally bare, but her natural glow is just as beautiful.

"You're good," Valentina smiles, her blue eyes meeting mine. There's no reason a girl's eyes should be that breathtaking, so warm and inviting yet carrying the toll of what she's going through.  "Is my brother giving you an attitude?"

"No ma'am," I say before I can stop myself. When the words tumble out of my mouth, second hand embarrassment fills her face. Her lips curl up into a nervous smile and her cheeks redden a little. She probably thinks I'm a pervert for that, considering we barely know each other.

"You good?" I ask, freeing her from her trance.

Valentina almost jumps when I address her. "Yeah...I'm alright. Thanks for asking." 

I just made it awkward, didn't I? The poor girl just wanted to visit her brother in peace and I decided to freak her out with my presence. Wanting to ease the tension a little, I gesture towards the chair next to me and she complies. 

"It's nice to see you," she whispers, earning a mischievous look from her brother as he enjoys the interaction between his sister and I. I'm not sure if she's ignoring Ronan or just doesn't notice his antics, but she smiles warmly at me.

My heart rate quickens a little when she smiles. "You too..." I hesitate, deciding whether or not to call her Valentina or V, the nickname her friends called her at the party. I use my better judgement and cut myself off before I make more of a fool of myself.  "How's life?"

Her smile fades a little and her eyes dance across the room. "This definitely isn't ideal, but we're hanging in there."

"Yeah."

Valentina lets out a long sigh. "Ronan should be playing games with his friends and here for a broken arm at the most." The way Valentina talks about her brother and how she wishes it were different is truly admirable. It reminds me of my stepsister's senior year, which pushed her to her limits. She was stressed out about applying for colleges and doing enough to impress them. Now, imagine dealing with all the senior year stuff on top of worrying about whether or not your brother will make it to his next birthday. Putting others' needs above your own isn't easy, but the way Valentina does it without hesitation, by visiting him regularly, is one of her best qualities.

"I lost it at you at the party, but I really appreciate you taking time to get to know Ronan," she adds, moving some stray hair out of her blue eyes. A twinge of embarrassment etches her perfect features as she reflects on the party.

I nod, knowing a lot was going through her mind. "Trust me, I've moved on from that."

She leans backwards to crack her back. The motion makes her crop top lift, revealing the soft pudge on her belly. My heart races when she sits up straight and it bulges above the waistband of her sweatpants.

 A silver piercing sits in her navel, something that caught me off guard. It's a bit unexpected, but it suits her perfectly. Attractive times two million.

 Perfect can't possibly do her justice. Valentina, donde has estado toda mi vida?

When she catches me checking her out, she folds her arms across her chest, indicating a little self consciousness. I wish she knew how gorgeous she is. She's blessed with curves like a statue of Aphrodite. 

Valentina fixes her sweatpants so they conceal her belly pooch a little better, but the damage has been done already. Someone put in her mind her body makes her less attractive and I have a bone to pick with them. My blood boils at the thought of anyone making her feel that she's ugly.

Ronan still hasn't stopped smirking at us, so Valentina drags her fingers across her neck to quiet him down. Her nails from two weeks ago are gone and replaced by her bare fingernails. 

"Don't mind him." She puts emphasis on the last syllable, giving her brother the side eye.

"Me?" Ronan shouts, pretending like he's offended. "You two need to get a room. Kids are dying here and Asher's about to rip my sister's clothes off. There's a Holiday Inn on the way." 

His joke makes us burst into laughter, but his insinuation isn't lost on me. I'm mortified he would suggest that about me. Not because I don't like Valentina; that couldn't be further from the truth. For a young kid, his critical thinking is insane. 

Ronan's definitely onto something. I met his sister pretty recently and she makes me feel differently than girls I've known since elementary school. Compared to the group of girls at my school whose drama rivals any soap opera out there, there's no walking on eggshells with her. I'm not used to someone as genuine as she is, something that draws me in but freaks me out at the same time.

She's one of a kind, you know? A lot of girls like me, but some of them fight over me like children fighting over a toy. I can tell Valentina isn't that kind of person.

The nurse from earlier peeks through the cracked door and doesn't know if she should come in or not. Valentina waves her in and she walks over to Ronan's bed with a blood pressure cuff.

"I'm just going to take your vitals. Is now a good time?" Ronan nods and holds his arm out. The nurse puts the cuff around his skinny arm and places her stethoscope on his chest.

"Blood pressure 118/22, heart rate 57 beats per minute," she announces. "Do you need anything?"

He shakes his head. "I'm okay. Thanks."

"Yep." Turning to Valentina, she asks, "Is there anything we can do to make your visit better?"

Valentina ponders the question, then shakes her head. "Not that I can think of."

"Just tell me if you need anything." The nurse gives the siblings a polite nod, then returns to her job. 

Before I know it, we're talking like old friends catching up. Something about Valentina makes it feel like I've known her my entire life as I tell her stuff not even Sawyer knows about me, from my insecurities to the pressure the world puts on me. I don't have to get into it for her to listen to everything I have to say. She would make a great marriage counselor one day.

Let's not forget about Ronan. He's absolutely hilarious and somehow energy always fills him. From what Mom tells me, chemo drains the life out of even the most happy go lucky patients. It's a shock he's so optimistic and fun to be around, but I definitely wouldn't change that about him. 

I'm enjoying the duo so much I lose track of time. My watch tells me it's almost eight and my visit started at around four. A different nurse from the one who introduced Ronan and I knocks on the door, warning us that visiting hours end in thirty minutes. 

The nurse's presence startles Ronan awake. He was energetic in the beginning, but as the visit progressed he's been in and out of sleep. "I wish you two didn't have to go," he says sadly.

What he doesn't know is that I'm planning my next visit. "Me neither, Ronan." Glancing at his sister, I quip, "I don't know about your sister, but I'll be back." 

Valentina rolls her eyes at me, then stares her brother down. "I'm gonna leave you here forever."

"I see how it is," says Ronan. 

Ruffling her brother's hair, she giggles. "Of course I'm coming back, dumbass." 

"Love you, Valentina," he mumbles with a smile, closing his eyes and dozing off before she can say it back. 

Valentina and I walk out together. During the day, the hospital is always a bustling environment teeming with joy and optimism as patients, staff, and visitors make their rounds. I appreciate all of the noise, but there's something special about the serenity at night, the only sounds being the hum of medical equipment and conversations among staff. 

"Thank you for keeping my brother company," says Valentina, breaking the silence. "He hasn't seen his friends in over a week and he's a bit lonely." She has to look up to make eye contact because there's about a foot height difference between us. 

"No problem. I really like him." I reply. "That really sucks, but I don't doubt you'll get through it."

A small smile tugs at her full lips. "I really appreciate it, Asher."

"I hope we see each other soon." I return her smile, wishing I could admire it forever. Even with no makeup and her hair out of her face rather than down, she gives me butterflies. 

During the seven minute drive from the hospital from my house, I have an epiphany. I was planning on being the only one in my friend group without a date to homecoming. Cecelia and some of her friends are trying to persuade me to be their dates, but I know I'll have a miserable time if I get roped into any of their mayhem. With Valentina, everything feels so natural and asking her feels like a step in the right direction, but I can't shake the notion it might be a little premature and insensitive to her brother's struggles. 

At a red light, I text someone who I know can give me advice. Let's just make sure she's awake.

~

hello everyone! this chapter stressed the shit out of me but it's out! what do we think about asher and ronan's new bond? i'm trying to be careful to balance out the relationship between asher and v with v's own relationship with her brother.