 
### Planet High School

### Copyright 2013 Mia Rodriguez

### Smashwords Edition

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

Thank you for downloading this ebook. The book remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be distributed to others for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy from their favorite authorized dealer. Thank you for your support.

### Dedication

This story is for all those young adults wanting to create a better world.

### Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

More, More, More

### Preface

I'd be lying if I said I'm not a little nervous. Well, actually I'm _a lot_ nervous. As my Crazy Aunt Letty starts speaking at my first meeting of my new club, _Teens for a Better World,_ I try not to cringe. My aunt has her own weird way of looking at things, and sometimes she freaks people out. But as more and more words start tumbling out of her mouth, I start to relax even though I know I'll be in a ton of trouble with the school's administrators.

Crazy Aunt Letty's earth shattering speech:

Don't expect me to sugar coat things because I'm not going to do it. Don't expect me to B.S. because I don't B.S. Let the chips fall where they may.

_I'd like to apologize to you—the youth. This is an apology from an adult to the young. I'm sorry we messed up the world_ _big time_ _for you. Yes, I'm admitting that we are most of the problem and not you as you have been led to believe. Yes, I know how your generation isn't 'supposedly' as bright as my baby boomer generation as we weren't 'supposedly' as great as the one before us and so on and so on. It's silly to believe that you're behind us in intelligence because we usually have to depend on you to help us work technology. It's silly to believe that you're the problem when we're the adults—the ones who have allowed the world to become the mess it is._

I'm sorry.

We failed you.

_That's the simple truth. We failed miserably at building you a better world. Very,_ _very,_ _miserably! I am attacked with nausea and shame when I think about the legacy we're leaving you—wars, intolerance, bigotry, hatred. I'm getting too depressed to mention any more tragedies. We, as a humanity, have been on earth too long to still be dealing with the same things over and over again and_ _not_ _learning from our mistakes._

Yes, we're morons.

_Many of our politicians who are supposed to be public servants would rather be looking after their own interests and agendas—their own little block of power. Of course they do a great job at double talk to convince us otherwise than to fix what needs to get fixed. Hey, they may even believe that B.S. they spread around so freely. There's a saying in Spanish about believing your own lies_ — _se cree sus propias mentiras_ _. These leaders are supposed to be part of the smart generations?—the ones so much better than yours?_

Really?

I don't think so.

I know how much you're told that you're not good enough, smart enough, and able enough. You're supposed to be lazy, promiscuous, and unfeeling.

But I see a lot in you that my generation and even the ones before it didn't do well with. Your ease with technology is incredible. All that stuff just makes a mush out of my head.

_Also, your generation seems a lot,_ _A LOT_ _, more tolerant than we ever were. You'd think that because the civil rights movement took place during my lifetime, that my generation would've done away with the_ _mine, mine, mine—much more superior than yours!_ _But it's really your generation that shines in the department of sharing instead of shutting all the doors and windows to the soul. You with your internet and ability to connect with almost anyone in this world. Usually movies and other entertainment about your experience include different cultures very comfortably and not as a tag on like ours did—if it did it at all. Your lines of space are blurred unlike our heavily marked ones._

All throughout the world, you, with the help of some of us more enlightened elders, are challenging totalitarian regimes, outdated ideas, ferocious greed, and power hungry abusers.

" _ENOUGH!" you insist._

I know how much of a cliché it is to say, "You are our future." But it's such an enormous truth that it should be repeated again and again. Because we adults couldn't do better, this mess of a world will slide into your hands—painfully limping, gravely ill, and horrifyingly explosive.

Again, I apologize profoundly.

_And_ _I believe with all sincerity that you have the capabilities to climb out of your tiny, claustrophobic space, unlike us for the most part, and fix it. You've got in_ _your_ _hands the ability and heart to be better than us, smarter than us, and much more proactive at making the world a better place. Don't let anyone tell you that you don't have it. The future survival of our planet is in your hands._

End of Speech. Stunned silence. Then—

_APPLAUSE, APPLAUSE, APPLAUSE_. Students get on their feet with rabid excitement as they vigorously clap their hands together.

I breathe out a very, _very_ long breath of relief.

I know I'm in trouble with the school administrators, but that's okay.

Thinking back at how my road here began brings a smile to my lips. Weirdly enough, it started with unrequited love. Impossible love. Painful love.

Here's the story . . .

### Chapter 1

Being in love with someone who can never love you back is truly pathetic. I look in the mirror every day and tell myself those words over and over again. They flip off my tongue in nasty shame and puking disgust.

I _hate_ being pathetic.

Yet, there is something special and pure about a love that doesn't expect anything back. A love that has grown every single year it's been discovered. A love that overwhelms me at times.

Still, my pride yells and scolds me with the pathetic factor of my feelings for an impossible love.

But, I can't help it.

I _love_ Benjamin. I have for so long that I can hardly remember not caring about him. And I'm scared...scared with everything inside me...that I will _always_ feel the same way about him.

Benjamin and his family have been gone the whole summer. I hate that I'm so conscious of this, that every time I step outside I automatically look to see if my next door neighbor is back.

Keeping the secret of my pathetic love is the hardest thing I've ever had to do. With our parents hating each other like they do, and with him not noticing I'm alive, I've had to keep an airtight lid on my treacherous feelings. Benjamin doesn't have even a tiny inkling that I love him.

And he never will if I can help it.

I have my pride.

Walking past his two-story rambling house, I head to my best friend's home where we're going to meet with our other best friend. There are three of us teens. Young adults. Adolescents in the middle of what's very peculiar—teenland.

I keep my eyes away from Benjamin's room that's located upstairs in the front. I've often seen him working on his laptop at his desk with the window open. Let me make this clear that I'm _not_ a stalker. I don't follow him around or even spend long periods looking out my own window to gaze at him. That would truly be mega-pathetic, and there is only so much _pathetic-ness_ I'll allow in myself. I do, however, sometimes catch him as I'm walking to my best friend's home next door to his.

Benjamin's residence is eerily quiet. Of course it is. No one's home. Still, it looks quite lived in. It's one of those old, drafty homes and was painted a cheery sky blue color to make it come alive. I love it—it's a house with character. My own home is a large, two-story red brick home that over the years my father practically re-built himself. My father owns a construction company and makes sure our home is up to par at all times with nothing broken, worn looking, or even tattered at all. Benjamin's parents, on the other hand, don't mind an imperfect home. They're both lawyers and could've moved out of the middle class neighborhood into an upper class one a long time ago, but they barely make ends meet since they do a lot of pro-bono cases. I wish our folks would get along since I really admire his parents. Choosing to help others instead of benefiting yourselves—well, that's quite awesome in my opinion!

When I arrive at Suzy's house, I quickly press her doorbell. Lorena opens the door. "Hey," she chirps. Her green eyes shine on her heart-shaped, light toned face. Her short, curly, light-brown hair is bouncy as always.

"Hiya." It doesn't surprise me that Lorena got to Suzy's home before I did. Lorena arrives everywhere at least ten minutes early. While I don't like to be late, I usually get to places with only a few minutes to spare. I say hello to Suzy's parents as Lorena and I walk to Suzy's bedroom. Our neighborhood is a pretty tight neighborhood and our parents know each other. My parents are friends with the Smiths and also with Lorena's family the Sifuenteses.

Suzy is sitting on her bed as we get there. Her room is done up in different shades of pink. Her blue eyes are beaming on her pretty face. Her long blonde hair is in a ponytail, and she wears her favorite pink shorts with a frilly white blouse.

"I'm so excited," Suzy pops out.

"What's so exciting?" I ask as Lorena and I sit next to her.

"My parents have agreed to pay for cheerleading lessons! This year I'm going to make it in!"

"Wow, Suzy!" exclaims Lorena. "That's awesome! Really awesome."

"Congratulations," I say. Suzy had moved into the neighborhood when we were children and ever since I had known her, she had dreamed of being a cheerleader. She had tried out several times but had never made it. Her parents don't have a lot of money, so paying for lessons must be a sacrifice for them.

Suzy is beaming. "Why don't the both of you try to convince your parents of doing the same thing?"

"Money is tight right now," murmurs Lorena with disconsolation.

"I don't really want to ask them for cheerleading lessons," I state.

"Zuria," she says my name with a snap, "your parents can afford it." She obviously means that my dad does well in his construction business. "And they'll do anything for you." My parents are pretty awesome people who dedicate everything they are and have to their children. I'm very lucky.

"I don't really want to be a cheerleader," I explain.

Suzy frowns. " _Everybody_ wants to be a cheerleader," she snaps.

It's impossible for her to believe that not everyone shares her dream. "Not me," I say firmly.

"But—" Suzy starts to say.

"Don't pin your hopes and dreams on me," I blurt. My Aunt Letty would say it all the time when people tried to make her fit into their box. It seems appropriate for me to blurt it out now.

"I'd _love_ to be a cheerleader," murmurs Lorena with anguish in her voice. "I just wish my parents could afford the lessons."

Suzy's puzzled eyes leave me and shift over to Lorena. "Don't worry, my BFF number one, I'll teach you what the cheerleading coach teaches me." I'm BFF number two since we use the numbers in accordance to when we met each other. Lorena had met Suzy before I did.

"Thank you," gushes Lorena with a sparkle in her eyes. "I owe you big time."

"What are friends for?" Suzy murmurs, her punctured eyes on me.

### Chapter 2

After spending a few hours at Suzy's house, talking about our upcoming junior school year at _Tierra_ High School, I sigh as I walk home. They're so excited about possibly making the cheerleading squad and participating in all the _in-group_ activities because once they are in cheerleading, it'll be like a key to the popular teen's world. I have very little use for that. Maybe I am my favorite aunt's niece after all. Aunt Letty hates the idea of exclusivity. She'd never in a million years join a country club or belong to anything that keeps people out because of supposed superiority. She had once told me she still remembered some of the civil rights movement in vivid and personal detail and all the racism she had seen and experienced..

Passing by Benjamin's quiet house, my eyes automatically shift to it as if they don't have a will of their own. Yes, I know. Pathetic.

Why I love him when he's part of the _in-group,_ I don't know? All I can say is that my heart is treacherous. But I _will_ say that Benjamin isn't a snob like some of them in that click are. He's the most valuable player in the basketball team, the boyfriend of the head cheerleader, and everyone in school knows his name, but he never lords who he is over anybody. In fact, he's the quiet type. It's very difficult to guess what's going on beyond those hazel eyes of his.

Maybe that's why I love him. He's nice despite his popularity.

It's too bad our parents hate each other like they do. And for something very silly. Benjamin's dad had borrowed the water hose and had never returned it. My dad is a pretty nice guy, but don't mess with his lawn. He takes pride in always either winning or being a finalist for the best lawn in the neighborhood every month. Dad declared Mr. Quintanilla public enemy number one when he hadn't returned the hose.

_To be enemies for something so silly,_ I sigh. _It doesn't make sense._

As I enter my house, my mother meets up with me. "Zuria, how was your visit with your little friends?" she inquires with enthusiasm.

My mother is in her late forties, so anyone under the age of twenty-five is a little kid. The doctor had told her that she couldn't have children so when I came along and then my twin sisters, she makes sure to thank God every day for it. Literally. Not a day goes by when her prayers aren't full of gratitude.

"Great but..." I murmur.

Her eyebrows shoot up. "But what?"

"Suzy and Lorena are obsessed with being cheerleaders this year. Suzy is taking lessons."

"Do _you_ want to take lessons?" she questions. "Just get me the number of the cheerleading coach—"

"No, Mom, I don't want to be a cheerleader."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Mom."

"Okay, but just tell me if you change your mind."

"Thanks, Mom," I say as I start climbing the stairs to my bedroom. I had to stop my parents from spoiling us. Both had grown up very poor, so they sometimes overdo it with their children. I have to stop them from getting my sisters and me too many things. My sisters often call me Ms. Meanie Weenie Witch, but that's okay. I know I'm doing right not letting them take advantage of my parents' soft hearts. My Aunt Letty tells me I was born old and tells me she's proud of me. To get a compliment from her is just about the highest honor to have. My favorite aunt is the most awesome person I know, and she doesn't suffer fools gladly, nor does she bestow compliments easily.

As I step into my pretty bedroom with a lilac bed covering, and cream furniture, I smile. I love my room. When I open the frilly beige curtains, light tumbles in and illuminates my space. There's so much ugliness in the world. It's a blessing to have a lovely place to park myself every day.

Powering on my laptop, I check that I'm ready for the new school year to start on Monday. It's Friday, only a few days of summer vacation left. Going down my list of school necessities, I find that I'm one hundred percent ready.

I had already done my clothes and supply shopping. Organization is a big deal to me. Nothing fills me with horror more than not being prepared for something. I even organized my sisters since my mom is kinda scattered.

Being ready, I debate whether to watch TV or read a book. When I start school, I won't have a lot of free time for either. I decide to read a book strictly for funzies. There will be plenty of time in College Prep English to read literature. Right now I just want to read for entertainment, so I start re-reading _The Hunger Games._ Katniss Everdeen is my hero. I had already read the trilogy, but decide it's time for another looksie. I find that the second time I read a novel, I catch a lot of stuff I missed the first time.

Katniss immediately captures my whole attention. She, her sister's ugly cat, and her very difficult life. _I'm sooo lucky,_ I tell myself as I look around my pretty bedroom with modern gadgets like a large flat screen T.V., a touch screen laptop, a tablet, and a smartphone. If I want food all I have to do is go downstairs and open the refrigerator. My parents always keep it well stocked. Our electricity always works. Money is never a problem for our basic necessities and more.

Katniss, on the other hand, has to scratch out a living for her family and herself. My Aunt Letty tells me that that's the way it is in much of the world where young people have to work hard to help their families stay alive. Even in our own wealthy country, it's like that for a lot of people. Poverty is alive and well in every nation.

H-m-m-m. Something to think about.

This is why I admire Benjamin's parents so much in doing so much pro-bono work as lawyers. They're good people despite what my dad says about them.

"Thieves," he calls them for not returning the hose.

"Maybe they just forgot," I have tried to tell him.

"No, they did it on purpose, so I wouldn't win best lawn that month!" he declared.

I seriously doubt that Benjamin's parents care if my dad wins best lawn. It seems to me that they have greater things to worry about like justice for their clients and stuff like that. But my dad insists he's right, and no one can get that thought out of his head.

Now, he even has my mom thinking it. My dad had insisted so much on it that he had convinced her of the supposed theft. Before the hose business, Benjamin's parents were best friends with my own. In fact, I used to go to all of Benjamin's birthday parties and him to mine. We were friends as much as two children could be. He used to call me Zuri, and I used to love saying his long name. Our parents thought it was cute the way we shared our toys with one another and shared candy in equal parts.

_Those were the days,_ I sigh.

My door suddenly swings open and my mom comes barreling in. She has a distressed look on her face.

"They're back," she growls.

I'm puzzled. "Who?"

"The Quintanillas."

### Chapter 3

"What?" I mutter, my heart beating fast and my mouth drying up.

She steps over to my window and stealthily peeks out as if she doesn't want anyone outside to see what she's doing. "I was hoping they'd stay where they were permanently, but we're out of luck," she mumbles with a frustrated voice.

Benjamin's back!

Stumbling up from my bed, I rush to the window.

"They already got in their house," my mother informs me. I peek out anyway, and find that the Quintanilla's old jalopy of a car is parked in their driveway.

"I'd better warn your dad," she says, stepping towards my door.

I stay at my window staring out. Even though I can't see Benjamin, just knowing he's in his house fills me with fluttering butterflies.

Pathetic—I know.

But at the moment I don't care. I only care that I can see his parents' jalopy in his driveway and that his house is starting to show signs of life.

_He's back, he's back, he's back,_ my heart beats in rhythm.

I never was able to catch even one glimpse of Benjamin during the weekend. I was disappointed beyond words. But Monday quickly sneaks in, and I'm certain I'll see him in school.

Stepping out of my little silver sports car, I look around to see if I find Benjamin's antique Mustang. His cousin had helped him rebuild it, and it's actually a pretty awesome dark-blue car. It had been kept in the garage for the summer while he traveled with his family. I slowly survey the school parking lot we both use. Nothing. He's not in school yet.

Disappointed, I climb out. Lorena and Suzy who ride with me to school also step out of my car with jittery excitement. Neither one of them knows about my love for Benjamin. It's a secret I haven't wanted to confide to _anybody._ I'd rather keep my pathetic-ness to myself.

The first-day-of-school-frenetic-vibe fills the air. I go through my first classes hoping to be in a class with Benjamin, but I'm out of luck. I don't even see him between class periods. Lunch finally comes around and Lorena, Suzy, and I sit at one of the round tables in the cafeteria eating the red enchiladas served that day.

"Boy, do I have something huge to tell you," Suzy gushes excitedly to Lorena and myself.

"What is it?" Lorena asks, curious.

"It's the latest gossip going around the school! It spread like wildfire!"

I lose interest when she says gossip. I'm not that much into whispers and probably lies about others.

"It's about Benjamin Quintanilla," she states, her whole face scrunches as if telling a tantalizing secret.

My ears perk up. "What is it?" I ask, trying to sound calm.

"He quit the basketball team!"

"Nooooooooooo," Lorena murmurs, wide eyed.

"Yeah."

I roll my eyes. "It's got to be a lie. Why would the most valuable player quit?"

"It's true," Suzy insists. "The coach was freaking out about it."

"How do you know?" I inquire, still not believing it.

"I was in the main office when he walked in and was very upset and telling the office staff."

"Then you heard it straight from the horse's mouth," Lorena murmurs, her green eyes as round as saucers. "It's got to be true."

"That's what I'm saying," mumbles Suzy.

I can't deny the truth of the rumor anymore. If Suzy had heard it not from gossipy students but from the coach himself then it was probably right.

How confusing!

How totally strange!

How puzzling!

Why would Benjamin quit the basketball team? He was so good at the game. Besides, there had been talk of him getting a basketball scholarship to college. There were many people who thought he could turn pro someday.

"Why would Benjamin do such a thing?' Lorena questions. It's the million dollar question. I lean into Suzy to see if she has an answer.

She shrugs. "I don't know, but that's not the only strange thing going on with him."

"What do you mean?" I blurt, forgetting to keep my voice calm.

"He doesn't look like himself," Suzy states.

"What?" I ask.

But before she can answer my question, Benjamin steps into the cafeteria. The whole place turns museum silent.

_And_ Suzy is right. He looks _very_ different.

### Chapter 4

Benjamin has always been very clean cut with short, medium-brown hair, a shaved face, and a freshly scrubbed look. He'd dress his tall six foot frame with meticulously pressed clothes. Once he had been approached by a modeling agency, but he had turned them down.

Today, he looks nothing like the boy from last year. His appearance is totally different.

His slightly wavy hair has grown out over his collar. His face has a light stubble to it. He wears old jeans and a black T-Shirt that says Mexico in large silver letters. While he isn't dirty sloppy, but a chic kind of sloppy, he in no way resembles his former meticulous self.

"What happened to Benjamin?" asks Lorena in a whisper. It's my question exactly.

As Benjamin steps in line to get his food, the buzzing around the cafeteria starts again, but when he sits with his friend Peebo instead of his girlfriend Chantilly, the cafeteria grows silent again.

"That's the other rumor going around," states Suzy. "I guess it's true."

"What is?" I question with full curiosity.

"He not only quit the basketball team, but he broke up with Chantilly."

I glance at Chantilly who looks positively grief stricken. Her usual bouncy yellow-blond hair, ocean-blue eyes, and designer clad body seem all opaque today instead of full of the bright rays of limelight. Even with her being completely full of herself, she being the head cheerleader and all, I feel sorry for her at the moment because she seems about ready to burst out sobbing.

"That's so sad," Lorena mutters unhappily. She, along with many students, considers Benjamin and Chantilly the golden couple—the dream to aspire to. They seemed so far above us mere mortals.

"Yeah, tragic," murmurs Suzy. "Which couple will we look up to now?"

"Maybe they'll get back together," Lorena says, her voice full of hope.

"Everything is possible," I state.

It didn't occur to me to be happy about Benjamin no longer having a girlfriend. In the first place, I feel bad for Chantilly and in the second place, I have about as much chance at catching his eye as winning the Miss Universe contest.

After lunch, I go to my next class—Social Studies. It's a subject I'm really looking forward to. My Aunt Letty has been all over the world and has told me many stories. Cultures are fascinating. People are interesting. The teacher who teaches it, Ms. Brizz, is eccentric, and the students love her. I'm lucky that with so many wanting to take her class, I was one of the fortunate ones to get in.

I anxiously wait for the class to start. The door swings open just before the bell rings.

Surprise! Surprise!!

It's **BENJAMIN!!!**

I scold my heart, telling it to behave itself. I mean if the guy was good-looking before when he was clean-cut, he's positively _WOW_ now with his slightly scruffy look. I'm sure I'm not the only girl thinking it.

He steps in with Peebo. They've been friends ever since Benjamin's parents had represented his mother in a lawsuit. Mrs. Washington had sued her employers for discrimination. The company hired very few African-Americans and Latinos. The ones they did hire were treated very badly and had to put up with slimy ethnic jokes. The Quintanillas had won the lawsuit for the Washingtons, and Peebo and Benjamin had become fast friends.

With Benjamin having been in the basketball team and Peebo not sports inclined at all, many student believed their friendship to be odd. Peebo is a nerd computer genius and Benjamin is far from being that kind of a technology geek, but their friendship seems to work very well.

My heart nearly stops as both boys step over to the two empty chairs on the row to my right and plop down. Benjamin is right next to me!

"Hi," he greets, smiling at me. He's always been the epitome of politeness.

"Hi, Zuria," Peebo says from behind Benjamin. "Can you tell Crazy Aunt Letty that my schedule is free, and I can help her if she needs me?"

"Sure," I murmur.

Everybody calls my aunt Crazy Aunt Letty. A neighbor who has since moved out of the neighborhood called her crazy because she's never been married nor had kids and she traipsed the globe teaching English literature and ESL. She told the jerk that she'd rather be _crazy_ than supposedly sane and living out someone else's version of what her life _should_ be.

"I'm Crazy Aunt Letty!" she had declared. "And don't you forget it!"

The name stuck. She had come up with it herself, so it didn't bother her when everyone started calling her that out of affection. She tutored at-risk students for free and even got them help for what she couldn't teach them like with computers. I guess Peebo would be helping her help others.

For the rest of the period, I sweat. I can't help it. Having Benjamin so near me is nerve-wracking. I love being in the same class with him, but why couldn't he have sat somewhere else?

After school, I call my mom and tell her I'll be going to my Aunt Letty's house to deliver a message. I can do it by phone, but I haven't seen her in a few days and miss her.

"Tell Leticia that I'll be going to her house tomorrow," my mom says. She adores her older sister and like me can't stay away from her for long.

Aunt Letty is kind of a curmudgeon if you don't know her well. She's always clear about what she says, very confident, and very wise. Her straightforwardness, though, puts off certain people. She never minces words, and calls people on their B.S. no matter who they are. That's just the way she is. Once she had told a political candidate that he wasn't fooling her with his nonsense. Then she went on to tell the town hall meeting filled with would be voters step by step why the candidate was full of it. The newspapers had printed her word by word in quotes, and he had had to step down.

Aunt Letty never holds back when she feels it's necessary, and never allows herself to be beaten down by bullies who are under the delusion that they can outsmart her. I've never seen anyone do it. Anyone who can exchange contrary words with her and win. She just _knows_ too much.

She had retired early about six months ago and had chosen El Paso to live to my mom's and my great relief. Other family members were angling for her to move into their neighborhoods in other parts of El Paso or other parts of the country. Aunt Letty with her austere and rough personality inspires calmness in those around her. She never panics and radiates a certain peaceful type of comforting presence. People feel safe around her. Her tutees and their families are fully devoted to her. I mean, the lady rarely lifts a finger to take care of her yard or other such things because her tutees and their parents can't do enough for her. Since she teaches them for free, her subjects want to reward her.

As my Aunt Letty opens the door to her house, I smile at her. "Come in, Zuria, come in," she says as she ushers me in. She's wearing her standard uniform of a long plain jean skirt, a black T-shirt, no make up, her slightly graying hair in a braid that almost reaches to her waist, and black sandals. She actually looks a lot younger than her fifty-two years with her mischievous type of face. People forget how very pretty she actually is. It's easy to completely overlook it when her amazing intelligence and street smarts radiate out of every single one of her pores. A person wants to be listening to her much more than looking at her. Her inner charisma taking much more space than her beauty.

"Aunt Letty, before I forget, Peebo Washington told me to tell you that he can help you with anything you need."

"Great!" She leads me to her kitchen which has a platter of _chiles rellenos_ sitting in the middle of the table. "Eat with me, Zuria. Mrs. Salinas just brought them to me."

I smile, wondering how long it's been since she had to cook. The parents of her tutees are always attentive to her needs as she is attentive to theirs. My Aunt Letty has a special way of making the most complicated simple. Her students love her methods.

"Sit down, Zuria," she commands. I obey, plopping down on one of her comfortable chairs. The table and the chairs have a distinctively Mexican design with colorful fruit and vegetables carved and painted in the wood. Her whole house is like that—with artistic Mexican design all over. On the outside of her _casa_ , it's painted a soft lilac. Yes, lilac. On the inside, her different walls have a variety of pretty colors. Soft colors of yellow, green, and of course lilac—her favorite color and mine. Her porcelain figurines are of beautiful women dressed in the various traditional dresses of Mexican states. Hanging from her walls are paintings she's collected from emerging Mexican painters with traditional Mexican scenes. The only place that's not strictly decorated in Mexican motif is her study where she keeps things she's collected from her traipse around the globe. There you will find beautiful objects from all over the earth.

Aunt Letty hands me a plate, tableware, and then a glass. She sits next to me where she already is set up to eat. I must've interrupted her meal when I had knocked on her door.

As I serve myself a few stuffed peppers, she eyes me intently. I wait for what she's about to tell me.

"How was your first day at school, Zuria?"

"Good."

"Did you see that boy Benjamin Quintanilla?" she inquires nonchalantly as if it's the most natural question in the world.

### Chapter 5

I accidentally drop the _chile relleno._ Luckily, it falls to my plate and not the table. "Yes," I say, trying to sound as nonchalant as her. "Why do you ask?"

"He was here yesterday with Peebo."

"Really?" I mutter. I hope she doesn't realize how discombobulated I am.

"You like him, don't you, Zuria?"

My fork falls to my plate, causing a clattering sound. "Why would you say that?"

"Just a hunch. I've seen a certain sparkle in your eye when I've been at your house and he's outside of his."

Aunt Letty, I barely know the guy," I rush. How could she have guessed my deepest, most embarrassing secret?

She eyes me with a frown. "He's your next door neighbor."

"Our parents hate each other."

Aunt Letty rolls her eyes. "It's _their_ nonsense—not yours. Not Benjamin's."

"Nonsense or not, it's the way it is," I blurt. "What was he doing here with Peebo?" I'm trying desperately to change the subject.

"They were volunteering to help my tutees."

"That was nice of them."

"The only problem was that they still didn't know what their schedule would be like."

"I guess that's why Peebo had me give you that message."

She nods. "Probably."

"I'm sure he'll be of a lot of help with computers. The guy is a huge braniac."

"Benjamin will also be of a lot of help."

"Mom and dad are going to be upset if they find out you let him in your house and that you're letting him work with you."

Aunt Letty eyes me with the _you've-got-to-be-kidding-me_ stare. "Why should I care what your parents think? I'm not going to let their nonsense affect me," she states matter-of-factly.

"Aunt Letty, you just don't understand how deep their animosity goes with the Quintanillas."

She smirks "If a road is messed up, I generally take another one. And if people try to tell me that the first road's not messed up, I trust my own eyes."

"Okay, as long as you know what you're in for,"

She shrugs as if not worried at all. "Whatever." Then she casually changes the subject. "Benjamin was looking at the pictures on the end tables," she states, eyeing me carefully. Aunt Letty has always kept pictures of the family. She said it kept her less homesick in her travels. "Especially the picture of _you,_ " she emphasizes.

I frown. That picture was taken a year ago and not one of my best. My mom had taken it while I was running down the stairs and had sent it to Aunt Letty. "That's an awful picture of me."

"Benjamin didn't seem to think so," she states matter-of-factly. "He thought you were pretty in it."

"He did?!" I ask incredulously, blushing furiously.

"He sure did. He said the two of you used to play when you were kids. He said he used to call you Zuri."

He remembers? Surprise! Surprise!

"It's amazing that he remembers that stuff," I state.

"I like him," asserts Aunt Letty. "He's a nice young man."

"He quit the basketball team and changed his appearance," I blurt. "Did he tell you why?"

"Yes," she says smugly.

"Well, why?" I question, trying to get the information out of her. For some reason, people feel very comfortable confiding their secrets to her. Maybe it's because she's not judgmental, she listens carefully, and she gives excellent advice when necessary. She's also like a tomb with secrets. "Why did he change his life so much?"

"I'm not going to tell you," she states.

"Why not? Did he tell you not to tell anyone?"

"No, but I'm not going to spill the beans."

My eyebrows scrunch together in frustration. "Why not?"

Her steely eyes sit on my face. "You should ask him yourself."

"But, Aunt Letty, I never talk to him," I blurt with exasperation.

"Maybe you _should_ talk to him."

"Why should I talk to him?"

"To get the information you want," she states nonchalantly. "It's very interesting why he changed his life. If I were you I'd definitely talk to him about it."

"My parents would freak," I snap.

"Then face your parents."

"Face them?" I ask with disbelief.

She stares steadily into me. "Zuria, if you confront what scares you then you may have a good shot at happiness in life."

"My parents don't scare me," I say indignantly.

"Not having their approval does. Sometimes in life you have to face disapproval to prove a point, to make things right for yourself."

I nod solemnly. Crazy Aunt Letty, unfortunately, always has a point.

"Now, enough of this serious talk and let's eat," she commands. I breathe a sigh of relief. For now, I'll put Benjamin away in my pocket.

Walking home, I try not to dwell too much on what Aunt Letty had told me about Benjamin. But it's impossible for the questions not to clash in my head.

Why was he looking at my picture?

Did he really think I looked pretty in it?

Why had he mentioned his nickname for me?

And all this time I didn't think he knew I was alive. All this time I thought he had forgotten our special friendship when we were kids.

What does this all mean?

And why is he suddenly changing his whole life?

Why hadn't Aunt Letty told me the reason for it?

Why?!!!

"Hi, Zuria."

I turn to find Benjamin greeting me.

### Chapter 6

_Benjamin_ _—beautiful Benjamin! My love—Benjamin!_ He's standing next to me. He must've been coming back from Peebo's house which is on the next block.

THUMP, THUMP, THUMP!!!

It's my treacherous heart!

"Zuria, are you okay?" he asks with concern.

We're at the front of my house, and I do the most idiotic thing. I swiftly make a right turn and rush to my home without acknowledging him. When I get in the door, I start inhaling air again.

Breathing hard, I can't believe what I just did. I can't believe my rudeness. I can't believe I just left Benjamin standing outside of my house with a huge question mark on his face.

I'm pathetic.

I'm an idiot.

I'm so not Katniss Everdeen but a nimrod times twelve.

My great grandmother, my mom's grandmother, had been a combat soldier in Mexico's revolution of 1910. She had dressed like a man to do so. That's how brave she was. Why hadn't I inherited even a little of her warrior bravery?

"Are you okay, Zuria?" my mother asks with concern.

"I'm fine," I manage to get out.

"You're practically hyperventilating."

"I'm fine," I repeat.

"If you say so," she says, letting it go but still concerned. "Go upstairs and wash up for dinner."

"I already ate some _chiles rellenos_ at Aunt Letty's house."

She shakes her head. "You know that your dad and I like a family dinner, so you wash up anyway and be with us."

"Yes, Mom."

Going to my room, I immediately peek outside my window. Benjamin had left. He'd probably gone to his house. After washing up in my bathroom, I go downstairs. My parents and sisters are already seated.

"It sure took you long enough," snickers Carina.

"Yeah, Meanie Weenie," Casandra chortles. The twins are at the awkward age of thirteen, so I don't take anything that comes out of their mouths or their attitudes personally.

"No name calling," my mother chides. The twins grimace. They're fraternal and not identical, but they still look a lot like each other with sandy hair and greenish eyes. I look nothing like them with dark-brown hair and eyes.

"How's my beautiful daughter?" my dad gushes at me.

"Good. How was work?" I question.

"Just great!" My dad is one of those extreme positive thinkers who usually manages to see the world through rose tinted glasses. "I got a pretty good contract today. New backyard—here we come!"

Dad has been wanting to have extensive landscaping done in our sizeable backyard for the longest time. I guess his dream is very close to coming true.

"Awesome, Dad," the girls say in unison. Dad had promised the twins a huge fountain to soak their feet.

"Yeah, Dad, that's pretty great," I join in.

"Nothing but the best for my family," he declares.

"Dad," starts Casandra and I watch her closely. I know when she's about to ask for something. "Could we have some more money for clothes?" The _we_ she referred to was Carina and herself.

"Of course, Cassie! It wouldn't do for my family to be in rags."

I let out a heavy groan. "No, Dad, don't give them money for clothes."

"Why not, Zuria?" my dad asks with puzzlement.

"She's being a meanie weenie witch as usual," exclaims Casandra.

"What did I say about name calling?" my mom interjects.

"They've got all the clothes they need," I explain. "We went to the mall last week."

"But we need some more stuff," wails Carina.

"If they need some more clothes..." my dad murmurs.

"Dad, you have to stop spoiling them."

"You think I spoil them?" my dad asks with hurt in his voice.

"Yes, Dad, you do. In fact, you spoil all of us."

"It's only because I love my family so much and your mom and I were so poor when we were kids. I don't want my children to go through what we did," he mentions.

"I know, Dad, but it's not good for the twins to get spoiled."

Dad lets out a deep breath. "Okay, Zuria. You're probably right."

"I am," I say confidently as the twins mad-dog me. Their angry eyes bore into me.

My mom smiles at me. "There's a good reason why Leticia says you're so level headed and smart."

I smile at my mother. Compliments are great.

After dad says grace, we start passing one another the platters of beef tacos, rice, and pinto beans and start serving ourselves. I realize I'm hungry. I hadn't eaten that much at Aunt Letty's house due to the shock of what she had told me about Benjamin.

"M-m-m," my dad says. "This is absolutely delicious." He says that every day no matter what my mother cooks. Sometimes she tries a new recipe and messes it up, but dad says it's mouthwatering anyway.

"Yeah, Mom. It's really good," Carina chimes in. Tacos are her favorite food. Casandra and I concur with dad and Carina.

"What special ingredient did you put in here?" Dad asks.

"Lettuce and tomatoes," my mom informs.

"Well, you've got an amazing touch for cooking. How lucky am I that you decided to marry this poor slob?"

"I love you too, honey," my mother says, grinning.

These are my parents. Real lovey dovey towards each other but with us too. My sisters and I are very, _very_ **,** fortunate.

The next day I'm in Social Studies sweating bullets when Benjamin steps in with Peebo. I force myself not to swoon like the pathetic schoolgirl I am.

"Did you give your Crazy Aunt Letty my message?" asks Peebo, sitting down. Benjamin had already plopped down on the seat in front of him—the one next to mine.

"Yeah, I gave it to her. She was very happy."

"You know I'd do anything for her, right? She's so cool," Peebo asserts.

"She thinks you're awesome too."

He grins enormously. "That's good to know."

"Zuria, sorry for scaring you at your house," Benjamin states, gazing at me.

Uh-oh. I lose all speech again.

### Chapter 7

"Zuria, are you okay?" Benjamin asks, his hazel eyes on me.

How can I be with your hot self staring at me?

I clear my throat, finding my voice. "Fine," I mumble.

"I just wanted to say sorry about yesterday. I shouldn't have talked to you in front of our houses with the way our parents feel about each other."

I nod. "Yeah."

"You didn't get in trouble, did you?"

I try not gazing into his eyes, not looking at his gorgeous face. "No, no one at my house saw you talking to me. What about you? Did you get in trouble?"

"Same with me."

"Good."

Ms. Brizz starts the class. Our eyes automatically shift to the front as she starts discussing geography. It's the first topic we'll be studying since Ms. Brizz says that where people live affects everything about them. Interesting. Ms. Brizz looks cool as usual with her indigenous wardrobe of cotton browns with turquoise jewelry and moccasins. Her long, black, straight hair flows past her waist.

For the whole class period, I'm painfully aware of Benjamin's every breath. Unfortunately, I can see him from my peripheral vision. My heart wants to jump out of my chest! Pathetic but honest. There are other guys at the school considered better looking than him, but it's always been just Benjamin for me. He still hasn't shaven the stubble from his face or cut his hair. He's still dressing casually. I'm getting more and more curious as to the change in him. The coach has tried to talk to him about joining the basketball team again but he refused to do it

Why won't Aunt Letty tell me what's going on with him?

After school, Suzy wants Lorena and me to meet at her house. She's got something very important to discuss with us. As I move past Benjamin's home, my eyes automatically shift to his window.

_Reward_ — _he's working on his laptop in front of his window!_

I wince when I think about the whole summer without the comfort of his presence being next door to me. My heart is so happy now!

Suddenly, he looks up from his laptop and catches me gazing at him. It's such a surprise that I don't shift my eyes away like I should. Staring into his face for a few seconds, I start tearing my sight away when his hand goes above his head, and he waves at me. Forcing myself to get out of my frozen state, I wave back at him. Then I shift my eyes away and rush to Suzy's house.

Feeling his sight stay steadily on me, I flush a bright pink. That's the hue I become when I'm really embarrassed.

Pressing Suzy's doorbell, I start to breath again. I'm still shaking uncontrollably, but I'm starting to steady myself. Lorena opens the door and stares at me oddly.

"What happened to you?" she asks with curiosity.

"What do you mean?"

Her eyes sweep over me with a quizzical expression. "You look strange."

"A weird dog was chasing me," I blurt. I hate lying, but I don't see that I have a choice. There is no way I'm going to tell anyone about my love for Benjamin. It's bad enough that my Aunt Letty had guessed my deepest secret.

"Oh my gosh!" she says, ushering me in. "Did it try to bite you?"

"Er—no, it just chased me, but it still scared me," I mumble.

"I should say so."

Suzy's parents haven't gotten home from work, so we have the house to ourselves. Still, out of habit, the three of us meet in Suzy's bedroom.

"Thanks for getting the door, Lorena," Suzy says as we enter her room. "I needed to get our snacks ready."

On her desk, she has a tray full of sliced apples, carrots, and cauliflower with some kind of a dip in the middle. I'm puzzled to say the least. Usually, we have potato chips and mini-chocolate bars as a snack.

She sees my bewildered eyes and smiles. "I'm glad you noticed. I've been thinking that we should eat healthier, don't you think?"

I shrug my shoulders. "I guess it's good to eat healthy."

"Well, dig in." She grabs a carrot stick and dips it in the white dip.

Lorena and I do the same. It's kinda tasteless but actually not that bad.

"I've been doing a lot of thinking lately, _a lot_ ," Suzy states. I'm not sure I like the tone of her voice. Sometimes Suzy gets pretty bossy. "The three of us should go on a diet."

"What?" I blurt.

"We should improve ourselves."

"Improve ourselves?" I question, grimacing at her insinuation that I need to lose weight. I'm a medium size, and while I know that Hollywood is on this idiotic kick to be starvation skinny, I make it a point not to be impressed with what's harmful. Aunt Letty has always drilled it in to me not to jump off a bridge just because someone else does it. _Don't follow stupidity._

"I'm not getting on a diet," I inform her firmly.

"Zuria," she says, beaming me a smile, "I'm not saying we're fat or anything like that."

She and Lorena are smaller than I am. "Then what are you saying?"

"We'd look better than we already do if we lost some weight. That's all I'm saying."

I groan. "I've lived on the border all my life. So have the both of you. We can look at Juarez from the freeway and see people in cardboard houses. We can see people really struggling to eat every day. I fail to see how the _starved appearance_ is attractive. It looks just sad to me."

Suzy rolls her eyes. "Zuria," she blurts in frustration, "you've been hanging out with your Crazy Aunt Letty too much. You know they call her crazy for a reason."

My face scrunches up in fury. No one insults my aunt. No one! "They call her crazy because she's an original!" I snap. "If more people would be _crazy_ like her, we'd live in a much better world!"

"Sorry, sorry," she rushes, her face in an apology. "I didn't mean to insult her."

"Let's calm down," Lorena chimes in.

"I'm really sorry, Zuria. Will you take my apology?"

"Okay," I grumble.

"And as for the diet," Suzy says, "I'm just making a suggestion. That's all. If the both of you don't want to diet then don't. I'll go at it on my own."

"Okay," I state.

"I just want to look my best," she tells Lorena and me.

"I'll diet too," Lorena says.

"Not me," I grumble.

"Let's talk about something else, shall we?" asks Suzy. My guess is that she's trying to dispel some of the tension still in the air.

"What about?" asks Lorena.

Suzy's face goes into full gossip mode. "Chantilly and Benjamin."

My ears perk up. "What about them?" I ask casually even though my insides start swirling in a mega-tornado.

"Are they back together?" asks Lorena.

"I hear that Chantilly asked to speak to him privately."

"So they're back together," Lorena comments happily. "I knew that he'd realize that he belonged with Chantilly."

### Chapter 8

_Benjamin and Chantilly back together again?_ My heart is really beating hard at this moment. _THUMP. THUMP. THUMP._

"Well, Chantilly told Benjamin that she didn't care that he had quit the basketball team and had changed _his_ look," states Suzy. "She said she loves him no matter what."

Lorena sighs deeply. "How very romantic!"

"But you know what he said?"

"What?" I blurt.

"He told her that their relationship was over."

"How could he hurt poor Chantilly like that?!" snaps Lorena.

"I don't understand it at all," grumbles Suzy. "How could he dump her? For sure, he's got to realize that no other girl in school can compare to her."

"Yeah, what's he thinking?" growls Lorena. "Maybe he got some kind of a strange disease that eats his brain while he was away from here."

"Does anyone know where he and his parents went for the summer?" I interject.

Suzy shrugs her shoulders. "I haven't heard anything."

"Does he know what kind of a jerk he's become?" asks Lorena.

Suzy shakes her head vehemently. "Big time jerk!"

I feel the need to defend him. "Why is he a jerk for wanting out of a relationship?"

Suzy and Lorena stare at me in disbelief and are speechless.

"I mean," I continue, "he'd be a jerk if he cheated on her. Does he have another girlfriend he was seeing this summer?"

"Not that we know about," Suzy states, still clearly displeased with the turn in the conversation.

"He'd be a jerk if he was rude and ugly to Chantilly, but I haven't seen it."

"Breaking up with her is _very_ ugly," Lorena blurts.

"Staying with someone you don't want to be with is even uglier. It's not good for either of them. People have to move on sometimes." This is another one of my Aunt Letty's pearls of wisdom.

Suzy and Lorena keep eyeing me in cold disbelief. I eye them back, standing my ground.

"Benjamin can't stay with Chantilly just to make the school happy," I retort. "He can't stay with her just because of those students who think they make an awesome couple."

"Zuria," blurts Lorena, "I just can't believe you don't want Benjamin and Chantilly back together again!"

"I know he's back on the market," states Suzy, "but he'd never go out with any of us in a million years."

"I know that," I snap. "I'm not trying to date him! I'm just trying to be fair about him."

"What about being fair to Chantilly?" challenges Suzy.

I eye her back. I'm not backing down. "It's funny how much you're defending her when none of us really likes her. She's such a snob."

"I don't have to like her to feel bad about what happened to her," Suzy retorts.

I eye her. "You want her to be with someone who doesn't feel about her the way she feels about him?"

Suzy looks away. "Well, no but..."

"But what?" I keep challenging her.

"All I'm saying is that Benjamin _should_ be in love with Chantilly," she states firmly.

"Why _should_ he?" I murmur. "You can't tell your heart who to love."

I should know. I love the wrong person.

"I guess you're right," Suzy grumbles.

"I'm tired of arguing. Can we talk about something else?" Lorena asks.

"That's a good idea," Suzy declares, her face brightening up.

"Actually," I say, "I don't mean to be a party pooper, but it's getting late, and I have to get home to have dinner with the family."

Lorena checks her watch. "Oh my! I didn't know it was this late. I've got to get home too."

When Lorena and I step out of Suzy's house, I grab her arm before she starts walking to her home in the opposite direction of where I'm going. "Wait," I tell her.

"What's up?" she asks with curiosity.

"Do you really want to get on a diet?" I murmur.

She shrugs. "Seems like a good idea."

"Is it your idea or Suzy's?" I ask delicately.

"Suzy is just trying to make us popular," she snaps defensively. "What's wrong with that?"

I try to put together the right words. "I could care less about being popular, Lorena," I say quietly. "You should think about what you want to do and not what someone else wants you to be—even when that person is one of your best friends."

She eyes me carefully as if considering what I had just said.

"Now I love Suzy to death," I continue, "but we both know she can be very bossy. That's her personality. We accept it because she's our friend, but that doesn't mean we can't stand up for ourselves. It doesn't mean we don't have our own ideas. It doesn't mean that we should always do what she wants because she _thinks_ it's for the best. She's human and wrong many times."

Lorena nods with a solemn face.

"It's okay to tell her no sometimes."

"You think she'll get mad?" Lorena asks with a quiet voice.

"If she does then it's her problem. I tell her _no_ all the time."

Lorena smiles. "That you do."

"Think about what I said, okay?"

"Okay."

"Goodnight," I tell her as I start walking towards my house.

"Bye," she returns.

Alone in my head as I move towards my home, I start thinking about my friendship with Lorena and Suzy. We had been doing so great until last year when we had become sophomores. Then Suzy seemed to change. All of a sudden popularity seemed very important to her. She started dressing differently in fancy clothes and even acting bossier than before. And Lorena follows her ideas. It really saddens me how much our friendship seems to be deteriorating.

As I pass by Benjamin's house, I force myself not to look towards his window. I start blushing again when I remember how our eyes met earlier. He'd never know how much I defended him against the attacks from Suzy and Lorena, but _I_ know it and that's what's important.

As I'm rushing inside my home, I get a text message. _Suzy probably forgot to tell me something,_ I tell myself as I climb the stairs to my room.

"Dinner in a few minutes," my mom calls out from the bottom of the stairs.

"Yes, Mom."

"We're having your favorite. It's Mexican meatloaf tonight."

"Thanks, Mom. You're the best."

At the top of the stairs, Casandra is waiting with her arms crossed over her chest. "You're soooo spoiled, Zuria."

"What are you talking about?"

"I hope you enjoy the meatloaf," she says sarcastically.

I roll my eyes. "She makes you your favorite dishes too."

She has no snide remark to make to that, so she turns on her heel and rushes to her room. I shake my head. I can't wait till my twin sisters get out of their _terrible thirteens_. This tween business is a nightmare.

When I arrive at my room, I pull out my cell from my purse. It's a text message alright. When I sit on my bed, I start reading it.

Had fun with friends?

I stare at the screen. _What? Who's texting me?_

I plug in my question: _Who is this?_

It immediately comes back. _A friend._

I plug in another question. _What friend?_

I live next door 2 U.

My mouth turns dry as I stare at the screen with disbelief.

_Who R U?_ I question.

Benjamin

### Chapter 9

I practically fall off my bed. In fact, my cell slips off my hands and luckily hits my mattress.

_Is this a joke?_ I plug into the phone when I get my bearings back. For all I know it can be Lorena or Suzy thinking they're being funny after our argument about Benjamin and Chantilly.

_Why would it be a joke?_ comes back.

_Benjamin has never texted me,_ I type.

I'm texting you now.

My door swings open, and Carina eyes me impatiently. "Mom says its time to eat." It had been her turn to help mom with dinner.

"I'll be right there."

_Got 2 go,_ I plug in.

See u in Social Studies.

I'm shaking as I climb downstairs. I still don't believe it was Benjamin texting me. It has to be a bad practical joke. Has to!

My family is already seated at the table as I step into the dining room. The table is already set with the platters of food on it. My dad grins at me. It's really wonderful to see your parents light up when they see you as if you're a very important person. I bounce over to him and kiss his head.

"What was that for?" he asks, his grin wider.

"For being you."

"Kissing up to dad?" snorkels Casandra.

I sigh a frustrated breath. "Loving dad doesn't mean kissing up to him."

"Humph!" Casandra and Carina say in unison.

"I love you too, my beautiful daughters," my dad says, tears in his eyes.

Dad is a real softie. Whenever he gets gifts from us the waterworks begin. He doesn't blubber or anything, but his eyes definitely get wet.

The doorbell sounds, and I wonder who it is. I stand up to get it. It's my favorite aunt. I grin when I see Aunt Letty.

"I've been invited to dinner," she declares.

"Great to have you with us."

We step over to the dining room. The twins grimace as soon as they see her. They know they can't get away with any of their rude shenanigans when she's around. Aunt Letty sits next to me.

"What a wonderful surprise!" my dad gushes. He adores her.

"Mirta invited me."

Mom steps in from the kitchen with the salt and pepper shakers. "I sure did. Leticia, we haven't been spending enough time together."

"That's easily remedied," states Aunt Letty with a smile.

We start serving ourselves after my dad says grace. Aunt Letty serves herself a large helping of the meatloaf made with lots of tomato sauce, mushrooms, and bell pepper. It's really delicious. I love it!

"So how have you been, Letty?" my father asks. "How is your tutoring going?"

"Great. I'm getting more and more kids every day. Luckily, some kids are helping me," she says, looking at me. I often help her. It's a great feeling knowing you're making a difference in someone's life.

"Zuria only tutors, so she can brag about it," snaps Casandra.

"Cassie!" my mom chides.

Aunt Letty turns her steely glare at Casandra. Uh-oh. Casandra shifts her eyes away in terror. "What did you say?" my aunt questions with gruffness. Under her leveled voice is the threat—the threat of being a moron in her eyes. Believe me, it's quite a threat.

"No-no-nothing, Aunt Letty," Casandra murmurs with a shaky voice.

"Are we going to have any problems with the both of you," she questions Casandra and Carina with sharp spikes on her tongue.

"No, Aunt Letty," Carina rushes nervously.

"No problems," Casandra echoes, her voice still shaky.

"Good!" exclaims Aunt Letty. "I don't want problems with my digestion."

Starting to eat, my mom smiles at her favorite sister. There are five sisters and two brothers in total. My maternal grandparents live a few blocks away. I'm sure that was one of the main reasons my Aunt Letty decided to retire _here_ instead of living close to her other siblings.

"How's the backyard coming along, Fulgencio?" she asks my dad. The landscaping has already started. The backyard is a mess, but dad is thrilled.

"Really great!" he gushes enthusiastically.

"A huge fountain is fun."

"You'll be sticking your feet in it, Aunt Letty?" I ask.

"You bet."

"You don't have to worry about snooping eyes, Letty. Next project, I'll be tearing down the chain link fence and putting up a brick one to keep prying eyes out," dad snickers. It's a weird tone for him, because dad is hardly ever negative.

"Snooping eyes?' questions my Aunt Letty.

"He's talking about the Quintanillas," mom interjects.

"I'm getting rid of the chain link fence. Those people can see straight into our yard with it!"

"So what?" asks my Aunt Letty.

"I don't want them snooping," my dad blurts.

"Listen, Fulgencio, I think it's time to mend fences. This silly fight has gone on long enough."

"The man stole my water hose! What kind of man steals another man's water hose?"

"Maybe it was a misunderstanding," explains my Aunt Letty. "Maybe he thought you were giving it to him."

"There's no way he thought it! I told him to put it back in my garage when he finished with it! He never did!"

"Let's change the subject," my mother interjects. "I don't like yelling at my dinner table."

The conversation around the table becomes much more pleasant. I sigh. My dad is never going to make up with Benjamin's family. For some reason, that fills me with lots of sadness.

As Benjamin takes the seat next to me in Social Studies, I try to stop my trembling. I had discreetly tried to find out about the text messages yesterday, but hadn't been able to ascertain their originators. I'm certain, though, that they hadn't been from Lorena or Suzy.

"Hi," Benjamin says.

I turn to find that he's speaking to me. Peebo isn't at his chair yet. He must be running late.

"Hello," I return.

"Get any interesting text messages lately?"

### Chapter 10

I gawk at him! Literally gawk at him! It had been him after all.

"I got some last night," I murmur, finding my voice.

"Keep a look out for some more after school," he says as the bell rings.

Did he really say that he would text me later? Had I imagined it? Am I going nuts?

My face remains flushed throughout the whole period. And every time I check out Benjamin from my peripheral vision, his hot self is looking at me. _Can all of this be true? Am I dreaming?_

Rushing to my house when school is over, I'm grateful that it's Casandra's turn to help mom. I don't think I can concentrate on the food. I'd probably burn myself. Besides, I want to be completely free to text back if in fact I hadn't imagined what Benjamin had said to me.

A text comes soon after I get comfortable in my room.

_It's me_ — _Benjamin._

_Is it really U,_ I plug in.

Why R U having such a hard time believing it?

I sigh. _Why R U talking to me now? U used to not before._

I've got my reasons.

What R they?

Let's talk in person.

I gasp. If our parents found out we were friendly with one another, we'd be in serious trouble. Before I can text him back, another text comes to me.

We'll meet in secret.

I debate if I should or not. My stomach hurts with the uncertainty. Of course, I really want to, but if our parents found out...

C'mon, Zuria. Live dangerously.

_OK,_ I text him. _When?_

Now.

_Now?_ I question.

Meet me at Lupita's Ice Cream.

OK.

Lupita's Ice Cream is a little shop several blocks from us. There is a much fancier one nearby, so most people in my neighborhood don't go to Lupita's. It's the perfect place to meet in secret.

I nervously and excitedly go downstairs and tell my mom I'm having ice cream with a friend. It's not a lie. I decide that Benjamin is officially my _amigo_.

"Make sure you make it back by dinner," mom tells me.

"I will." Checking my watch, I find that I've got several hours before supper.

Several hours with Benjamin!!! I'm still having a hard time believing I'm in reality instead of in a surreal dream when I get in my car. Glancing over to Benjamin's driveway, I find that his Mustang isn't at its usual place. He usually parks it in the garage at night but during the day, he keeps it out.

Forcing myself to keep my mind on the road, I remind myself to breathe. At Lupita's small parking lot, I immediately spot the Mustang. Trembling, I step in the door. Benjamin is at the other end of the small Ice Cream Shoppe in the most private booth. The only reason I see him is because he's standing next to it and signaling me to go to him.

As I'm walking towards his smiling face, I gulp hard. My throat is constricting. My hands are clammy. My stomach is twisting with all the butterflies flapping frantically inside of it.

"Thank you for coming," he tells me, his hazel eyes firmly on me. I have to look away, or I'll get lost in them. Get lost in his gorgeous face with the sexy stubble. Get lost in his longish medium brown hair the color of dark caramel. Get lost in his six foot frame with arms that can completely envelope me.

I sit directly in front of him in the booth. A banana split is in front of me. An ice cream shake is in front of him.

"When we were kids, you used to love banana splits, so I got you one," he murmurs.

I nod. "I still like them."

Taking the plastic spoon, I eat some of the dessert to show him I'm telling the truth. Wow! Strawberry! He even remembered my favorite flavor.

"How is it?" he asks.

"Great." I want to melt in his pleasant voice. It's not too baritone, but definitely low.

"You're probably wondering why I asked you here," he says, eyeing me closely.

"The thought had crossed my mind."

"Well, Zuri, I'm not the same guy I was before the summer."

I love that he is using his childhood nickname for me. It makes me want to foolishly sigh.

"I can see that. You've quit the basketball team, you changed your appearance, and you broke up with your girlfriend," I say lightly.

"Let me explain," he murmurs, taking a few seconds to get his thoughts in order.

Finally! I'm going to get the answers to the questions that have been burning me.

"Mom and dad thought I was becoming a brat," he blurts.

"A brat?"

"I was letting all the most-valuable-player-stuff go to my head."

"Really?" I ask with curiosity. I had always seen him act polite at school.

"Yeah, I guess so. They had enough of me when I told them they had to stop all the pro-bono business and earn money like successful lawyers did, so we could live in a better house and drive better cars."

I grimace. "You told your parents that?" I ask with disbelief. How could he have ever thought his parents were anything less than awesome?

"It didn't go off too well," he chuckles.

I laugh too. "I wouldn't think so."

"For the summer, they decided to teach me a lesson."

"What did they do?" I ask, fascinated.

"They took me to a place in Mexico to help the needy."

"Wow!" I exclaim. "That's interesting."

"I came back a different guy."

"You don't want to play basketball anymore?"

He frowns. "I'll tell you a secret."

"What is it?"

"I hate basketball. For some strange quirk I'm able to play it, but I've never liked it."

"Why didn't you quit before?"

"My dad was so proud of me that I couldn't let him down."

I'm flabbergasted. Who knew what was inside his heart?

I have to ask him the question smoldering inside of me. "Why are you telling me all this? Why are you confiding in me?"

"I've always been in love with you, Zuri."

### Chapter 11

The saliva in my mouth goes the wrong way, and I start coughing like crazy. He gently pounds my chest. When my coughing is under control, he rushes to the counter to get me a soda.

"Drink," he commands, handing me the beverage. I immediately start gulping the Coke down.

"Sorry," he murmurs, "I shouldn't have sprung it on you like that."

"You _love_ me?" I burst incredulously when I find my words. _This_ _can't_ _be happening! No way!_

"Yeah," he says simply.

My brown eyes dig into his. "That can't be true."

"Why not?"

"You've never paid attention to me except when we were kids."

"I've _always_ paid attention to you. I just faked it well."

"Really well," I mutter.

"I couldn't ask you out, Zuri. Not with our parents fighting like cats and dogs."

I nod. "Our parents really hate one another," I sigh.

He eyes me solemnly. "I'm tired of their childishness."

I smile. "Me too."

"I love you, Zuri, and I don't care who knows it."

I eye him, still perplexed. "You mean to tell me that you never cared for Chantilly?"

"I wouldn't go as far to say that I never cared for her."

"But you didn't love her?"

"No."

"Not even before the summer?"

"Nope."

"Not even then," I mutter, still not quite believing him. "You sure?"

"Not even then. It's you I've always had feelings for. _YOU_."

This is so unbelievable that I just gawk at him like an idiot.

"I can see that you're having problems believing me," he says gently.

I nod. "It's just that all this is so impossible."

"I don't see why."

"I'm just freaked out."

He smiles. "Don't be."

"Easier said than done."

"You never have to be freaked out with me, okay?"

"Okay."

"Zuri," his face turns solemn, "we've been talking about my feelings for you. I need to know how _you_ feel about _me."_

My mouth turns as dry as a parched dirt road. I had kept my secret for so long that I don't want to divulge it—even now. Suppose he is playing a cruel joke on me? Maybe he's recording our conversation to put it online and humiliate me. Anything is possible in our electronic age. I mean, how much do I really know about him except what _he's_ telling me?

"Zuria," he says, his eyes intently on me, "what's the verdict?"

"Sorry, I don't feel the same way for you," I state, trying to make my voice sound honest.

His face crumbles. "You don't?"

_Maybe he's acting,_ I say to myself.

"No."

"That really sucks," he blurts unhappily.

"Sorry."

"You don't have even very, _very_ tiny feelings for me?"

I sigh. "Maybe tiny."

I should've said _no_ but I can't help myself. His gorgeous steady eyes on me make me want to melt.

His lips upturn. "Tiny is a starting point," he states. "After you get to know me some more, maybe you'll _like_ me more."

"Benjamin, how can we get together with our parents hating each other like they do?"

He shrugs. "We'll figure it out."

"We will?" I ask with insecurity.

"You bet."

"It'll be hard."

"That's okay. I like a challenge."

"Is it worth all the trouble?" I blurt.

He eyes me intently. " _You're_ worth everything."

I'm melting. Really melting.

### Chapter 12

As far as I can tell, nothing about me pops up on the internet that evening. Maybe Benjamin's telling the truth about being in love with me. His words of love flip over and over in my mind. If only I had had the guts to tell him how I felt. Sometimes a secret weighs heavily on you, and you wish with all your heart you could set it free.

During dinner, my family notices how quiet I am. I tell them I've got a lot on my mind with school just having started. They leave me to my privacy. I can't help but think about how my parents would have a conniption fit if they knew where I had spent the afternoon.

If they knew that Benjamin had told me he loves me!

Yikes!!!

After dinner, I get a text message from Benjamin.

R U OK?

_Fine,_ I text back.

_U aren't 2 freaked out about everything, R U_?

_Maybe a little_ , I answer him.

We'll figure it out. Can't wait to see u tomorrow.

How could I not melt with his words? That night I dream that we're holding hands outside my house. We're carefree and not worried about our parents. What an awesome dream. I wake up in a _very_ good mood.

During lunch, we glance at one another, our eyes locking. Our wonderful secret only shared by the two of us. He's sitting with Peebo, and I'm with Lorena and Suzy. They're going on and on about the upcoming cheerleading tryouts. I politely hear them out, but am bored to death. It's a good thing I have Benjamin to daydream about.

Chantilly steps out of the food line with her tray and a salad and moves towards Benjamin. The cafeteria turns quiet. Everyone wants to see what she's about to do. She plops down next to Benjamin. Both Peebo and Benjamin stare at her with surprise.

Chantilly starts some kind of a conversation with Peebo. Of course I can't hear it since I'm far away from them and the cafeteria starts buzzing again. It seems like a casual conversation, though. Benjamin eyes me with a frown and an apology as if he's sorry about what just happened.

"Look at that!" Suzy gushes excitedly.

"They must be back together again," Lorena blurts.

Suzy nods vehemently. "I hope so. That would be so great to have our prince and princess together again."

I frown and stay very quiet.

_Sorry about lunch,_ Benjamin texted me after I had left the cafeteria and was on break before the bell rung.

_Not your fault,_ I type.

Remember that I don't love her. I love U.

I feel all giddy. When he steps into Social Studies, I give him a huge grin. He returns it. It's difficult to concentrate on the class with Benjamin being so close to me. If I really stretch my arm to my right I can touch him. I won't of course, but it freaks me out that I can.

Between classes he texts me to meet him right after school at the same place as yesterday. When classes are finally over, I call my mom to tell her I'm going to be late. Today is my turn to help with dinner but because Carina has a slumber party this weekend, I'm going to do laundry for her, and she'll help mom with supper today. Everything for Benjamin and me seems to be falling into place.

Lupita's Ice Cream is practically empty when I get there. There's only a woman I don't know and her three children enjoying dessert. Benjamin is in the same private back booth that is shut off from view with a partial pretty pink wall in front. He's standing up again so I can see him, and he grins as he ushers me to where he's at.

"Hi, Zuri," he murmurs, his eyes on me.

I nervously slide in the booth when I notice that a banana split and a shake are on the same side. He notices my puzzled expression and chuckles.

"Scoot over, I want to sit next to you today," he tells me.

I scoot down, my stomach fluttering like crazy. I can't believe I'll be so close to him!

"Thank you," he murmurs, plopping down next to me.

The side of his body is touching mine. He's the one who has completely invaded my space, but it's me who won't scoot further down. His amazing presence intoxicates my senses—all of them.

"I just wanted to make sure we were okay after what happened at lunch," he says softly as he turns to look at me.

It's so difficult to be so near him and breathing him in, but I do want to talk to him about his ex-girlfriend. I'm compelled to.

"What happened with Chantilly?" I blurt.

He frowns deeply. "I had to have another talk with her."

"What about?" I snap. I don't like the thought of him being alone with her!!! The sharp possessiveness I feel toward him freaks me out. I'm being so jealous when I don't even know if this thing between us is real.

"Are you jealous?" he asks, smiling.

"Maybe a little," I mutter.

He chuckles. "So you _like_ me more than a tiny bit?"

"Don't change the subject," I demand. "What did you and Chantilly talk about?"

His playfulness turns solemn. "She's having a hard time accepting that we broke up."

"That's a no brainer," I spurt out.

"I feel bad—I really do," he sighs. "I just can't be with her anymore."

"I've got to ask you something," I blurt.

"What do you need to know?"

I have to be blunt. "Why would you rather be with me than with her?"

He eyes me and frowns. "Why would you ask me something like that?"

"That's what a lot of people are going to be asking when we go out in the open."

"I don't care what anybody thinks," he snaps.

"I just want to make sure you're not confused about your feelings and will leave me stranded to go back to Chantilly," I rush. _There I said it._ "I'm not nearly as tough as I look on the outside." I'm not like my Aunt Letty. I wish I was, but I'm not.

He smiles tenderly at me and strokes my cheek. "Okay, I'll tell you why I fell for you and not Chantilly."

I smile at him.

"When we were kids there was a special bond between us."

I nod. So far so good.

"Then our parents fought, and we couldn't be friends anymore. I _really_ missed you."

"I did too," I interject.

"We kept growing up, and you were on your side of the fence and so was I. I kept wanting to talk to you, to be near you. Then one day I realized that what I really wanted to do was kiss you."

"You wanted to kiss me?" I ask incredulously.

He stares at my lips for a few seconds. "Oh, yeah."

I couldn't help flushing.

His hazel eyes shift back to my own. "I was enthralled by everything about you."

"Enthralled?"

"Yes, enthralled with the way you'd discipline your little sisters, with the way you were so responsible, with the way you wouldn't let Suzy take over everything, with the way you became one of the smartest girls in school, with the way you blossomed into a beautiful girl...I can go on and on."

"I didn't know you were noticing my life," I sigh.

"I was noticing everything about you, but I couldn't do anything about it."

I frown. "I know. Our childish parents."

"I started going out with Chantilly to see if I could get over you, but it didn't work. I realized I loved you more than anything."

"I love you too, Benjamin!" I blurt before I can put the brakes on my tongue.

### Chapter 13

His eyes widen in surprise. "What?"

"I...I..."

"You were lying to me yesterday?" he murmurs.

"Yes."

His sight sweeps over me. "How long have you loved me?"

"Probably as long as you've loved me—maybe longer."

His eyes land intently on of mine. Tilting his head, his lips start nearing me. My stomach flutters uncontrollably with the anticipation. I can't believe that after so many years of anguished unrequited love, he's going to kiss me. His lips touch mine softly, like a raindrop from a slow shower. I take a deep breath in as we connect with each other. Wow. Incredible. Amazing. His lips submerge me under the water that is his world. I had kissed other boys, but not one of them had made me feel like this—like a limp rag doll with a completely mushy head.

When we disengage, I have to catch my breath before I do something as ridiculous as fainting. But I'm soooo light headed.

"That was _something,_ " he utters. **"** Something pretty _awesome_."

"I would say so," I murmur.

His eyes shoot to mine. "We're together now, Zuri, right? No insecurities about our parents or Chantilly will keep us apart, right?"

"Right."

And he kisses me all over again. It's every bit as delicious as the first one.

For the next few weeks, we handle our secret love very well. No one suspects. Mom thinks I'm acting weird, but she can't even begin to imagine what's going on with me. The person I really have to be careful around is Aunt Letty. Her intuition is so sharp that I tread on water when I'm with her.

If she suspects something, she doesn't say anything to me. I do, however, catch her eyeing me oddly sometimes. But I prefer that no one knows for now. I'm convinced it's for the best until Benjamin and I can figure out how to tell our parents.

My BFF's, however, are getting on my nerves with their constant lamentations over Benjamin and Chantilly. Sometimes I want to snap at them.

"Chantilly is just so heartbroken," mentions Suzy when we're at her house. "I caught her crying in the girls' bathroom at school yesterday."

"I can't believe Benjamin hasn't come to his senses."

In order not to give myself away, I shut up. Good thing that Lorena and Suzy are too caught up in their _lamentations_ to pay attention to me.

"I felt so sorry for her," mumbles Suzy. "She told me to get lost, but I didn't mind."

Chantilly is so stuck up. I doubt that she knows our names even if we've been in the same school together since children. Having been caught crying by Suzy must've been embarrassing for her.

"Doesn't Benjamin know what he's doing to her?" Lorena snaps.

I sigh. My secret weighs heavily on me. While I know that he didn't leave Chantilly just to be with me, he broke up with her before knowing how I felt for him, I still feel bad about the whole situation.

"Maybe he's going out with someone else in secret," mumbles Suzy, shifting one eyebrow up.

I almost completely lose my composure!

"What do you mean?" asks Lorena.

"Daniela Lopez has been sniffing around him."

"She has?" I blurt, breaking my silence.

"Oh, yeah. You know they've got two periods together. She exchanged seats in each class to sit next to him."

"She did?" I croak out. Thankfully, no one seems to notice my discombobulated presence.

"She's so beautiful," comments Lorena. "I wouldn't be surprised if they've started going out."

"I think they are and so does Chantilly. That's why she was crying in the bathroom."

Lorena's face is puzzled. "But if Benjamin and Daniela are together then why are they keeping it a secret?"

"That's easy," states Suzy, "Daniela is trying out for the cheerleading squad and doesn't want to mess up her chances."

Lorena nods. "That makes sense! Chantilly is the head cheerleader after all."

"Rumors are that Benjamin and Daniela look very cozy talking to one another in their classes."

By the time I get home, I'm sick to my stomach. Is Benjamin two-timing me with Daniela?!

_Pathetic! Pathetic! Pathetic!_ I scold myself. Why had I confessed to Benjamin that I love him? He's probably been laughing about it since I opened my big mouth.

I rush upstairs. Luckily, no one is here to see my grief stricken face. Everyone in my family is out. Pacing the floors in my bedroom, I try to figure out what to do. I had been so upset that I hadn't even looked up to Benjamin's room while coming home from Suzy's.

I get a text message. When I pull out my cell from my purse, I realize it's from Benjamin.

Saw you rushing past my house. Everything OK?

Taking a deep breath to calm myself, I decide it's time to clear the air.

_No, not OK. Need to see U,_ I punch in.

Sounds serious. Should I be worried?

I ignore his question. _R your parents home?_

No.

I didn't want to ask him to meet me at our usual hangout at Lupita's. It's the weekend and probably full. _Meet me in backyard._

OK.

I would be able to talk to him through the chain link fence. Fortunately, the neighbors on the other side of us are hardly ever in their backyards, and it's Saturday so the landscapers aren't working today. By the time I make it to my backyard, Benjamin is already impatiently waiting next to the chain link fence.

"What's going on?" he asks me with concern.

I exhale a long breath. "Daniela Lopez."

"What?"

"Rumor has it that you're seeing her in secret," I snap.

His reaction completely throws me for a loop. He starts chuckling as if it's a joke. I glare at him.

"Benjamin, why are you laughing?"

"Me and Daniela Lopez? Really, Zuri! How can you believe that?"

"I don't know what to believe," I mumble.

"Believe that the only girl I'm crazy about is you," he murmurs quietly. "I don't know why you're having such a hard time accepting it."

He looks so sincere. I'm starting to question the silly rumor. "It's just that Suzy said that Daniela has the _hots_ for you _and_ has two classes with you _and_ made sure to sit next to you."

Benjamin rolls his eyes. "Well, _I_ made sure _I_ sat with the girl I wanted to sit next to. I didn't wait for her to come to me." He grins at me.

I smile back. "Yeah, you picked the desk next to mine."

"Peebo wanted to sit at the other side of the class, but I insisted we sit next to the girl I love." He places his fingers on the chain link fence as if wanting his hands closer to mine.

I put my hand on his, our fingers linking together through the fence. Tingles run up my spine. His touch sets my fluttering butterflies in my stomach in a frenzy. "Poor Peebo."

"He's very understanding."

"Understanding?" I blurt.

"He knows about us," he mentions nonchalantly.

"What?"

"He's known for a long time how I feel about you."

"Why didn't you tell me that he knows our secret?!" I question.

"Because I knew you'd freak out like you're freaking out now."

I scrunch my face. He has a point. "Peebo's kept our secret?"

"Yep, and he kept _my_ secret love for you quiet before we got together."

I wish I had the kind of relationships with Suzy and Lorena that Benjamin has with Peebo. I just have felt I couldn't confide my deepest secret to them.

"Zuri, are you done being mad at me for something I didn't do?" asks Benjamin sheepishly.

"Yes."

"Come closer." I do and we kiss through the chain link fence. Gosh, I could smooch this guy for hours and hours. His lips are so sweet and breathtaking.

### Chapter 14

Dad is so happy with the results of our backyard that he decides to have a party. Inviting friends, relatives, and the whole neighborhood except the Quintanillas, he's beside himself. I brace myself for the blow-out _fiesta._ Unfortunately, neither Lorena nor Suzy will be able to come because their families have prior commitments.

I brace myself for the huge hoopla my dad is eagerly looking forward to. The landscaping in the backyard really does look awesome. Flowers, trees, and shrubbery are everywhere. In the middle is a huge round fountain with water splashing down from a cupid's bow in the center of it. We can stick our feet in and be cooled down from the heated summers.

My maternal grandparents arrive first. They speak Spanish to me so I can practice. My parents weren't going to teach me the language because they had seen plenty of discrimination in their youth when they spoke it. My Aunt Letty, however, had dressed them down, telling them that it would practically be a sin not gifting their kids with a second language.

"Don't let the boneheads determine your children's destiny," my favorite aunt had snapped. "Knowing more than one language is like knowing different worlds. Besides, Spanish is their heritage."

I'm thankful that my Aunt Letty convinced my parents to teach me Spanish. It's pretty cool knowing more than one language.

My paternal grandparents arrive next. It gets interesting. My dad's parents are kinda _different._

"Zuria!" Grandmother Gloria exclaims, taking me in a bear hug. "You've grown since the last time I saw you!"

Dad's parents don't just speak—they holler with frenzied excitement. My dad had to get his personality somewhere.

"You've grown so much, Zuria!" Grandfather Chemo yelps, hugging me after my grandmother releases me.

I smile. They had seen me just last week since they also live in El Paso. While they live on the other side of El Paso from where we are, unlike my other grandparents that live only a few blocks away, I still try to visit them often.

"And soooo pretty!" Grandmother Gloria remarks. "When are we meeting your boyfriend?!"

Mom growls. "She doesn't have a boyfriend," she states, her voice irritated.

I stay really quiet.

"Why not?" Grandfather Chemo asks, puzzled.

My mom folds her hands in front of her. "She doesn't need a distraction like that. She needs to study to keep up her straight A's."

"Well, Mirta, I'd have to disagree with you," says Grandmother Gloria. "You know what they say about all work and no play."

Mom lets out an exasperated sigh.

"Get yourself a boyfriend, Zuria," my Grandfather Chemo says, peering over his glasses. "Have fun! Life is meant to be _muy divertida_!"

My grandparents are experts at Spanglish.

" _Si_ , as long as he's a good boy," Grandmother Gloria states, trying to appease my mother in some way.

I can tell my mother is frustrated with them but would never disrespect them. To them, life should be full of games and laughter, and my mom is sometimes put off by them even though she's married to someone who has a lot of their personality traits. Still, even my dad isn't as gregarious as them. I adore them, of course. They remind me not to be so serious all the time.

Fortunately, they move on from me to the twins. I don't know how much longer I can keep a straight face about this boyfriend thing. I keep shifting my eyes over to Benjamin's bedroom to see if he'll open his window, so I can gaze at him.

"Where's the piñata for my girls?!" Grandfather Chemo questions.

"Grandpa," Carina says, rolling her eyes, "we're thirteen."

"We don't play with piñatas anymore," grumbles Casandra. "We're too old."

My grandparents start twisting their faces comically. "What?!!!!" Grandmother Gloria exclaims. "Since when are you too old for fun?!"

"There's no age limit for whacking a toy with candies. _Muchos dulces!_ I _insist_ on a piñata!"

"Okay, Grandpa," Carina says. She knows she can't beat his whacky ideas. She might as well go with the flow.

"Let's go pick it out," declares Casandra, also resigning herself to the children's game.

Dad finishes preparing the new brick grill for the cookout and steps over to me with a quizzical expression. He asks me where his parents and daughters are going.

"They're going to get a piñata," I say nonchalantly.

"A piñata?!!!" my dad exclaims. "What a great idea! Why didn't I think of it?" He only needs to be in the vicinity of his parents to be completely influenced by them.

My mom shakes her head. "Aren't we going overboard with this party?"

"No, Mirta, no!" he yelps excitedly. "This fiesta is going to be the best!!!"

My mother eyes him with fond indulgence. He's like a little boy with his new backyard and wants to show it off.

As the guests start arriving, I help my mom take the food to the large picnic table outside. Dad is beside himself by the new grill with a white apron and chef's hat as he grills the steaks.

"Your dad looks so happy," my mother murmurs with a smile as she sets her potato salad on the table.

"Very happy," I agree, also smiling as I place the huge dish of guacamole next to the potato salad.

I had helped her all morning and had actually made the _guac_ with ripe avocadoes. The twins had made a _tres leches_ cake for desert. It looks absolutely delicious with the white frosting and the cake dripping with three types of milk. I'm really looking forward to eating a slice.

Extended family members arrive bringing specialty dishes. They weren't asked to but they bring them anyway. Aunt Dora brings her ranchero beans with bacon and ham floating with the spicy pinto beans. Uncle Piri brings his deliciously hot salsas. My favorite is the red. Cousin Josie brings her _chocoflan_ —the special custard baked over the chocolate cake makes my stomach grumble.

All the guests compliment our new backyard. Dad is over the moon. The steaks he's cooking smell delicious as people are taking off their shoes and wading in the large fountain. Mexican music blares from the new sound system installed for the outside.

I can't help but feel a little sadness. I wish with all my heart that Benjamin could be here with me. It seems that most of the neighborhood is here—almost everyone except the Quintanillas. I wonder about Benjamin's parents. Do they feel left out?

My Aunt Letty, who had been spending time with her parents, steps over to me. "Quite a fiesta," she states.

"You know my dad."

She smiles. "You seem a little off, Zuria. Everything okay?"

How does she do it?

"Everything's fine, Aunt Letty."

She glances over to Benjamin's quiet home. _How in the world does she do it?!!_

Her eyes shift back to me and she groans. "It's too bad your neighbors weren't invited."

I shrug my shoulders. "You know dad," I mumble.

She rolls her eyes and nods. "Yes, as stubborn as a mule."

"Yep."

"There's Benjamin," she murmurs.

Chapter 15

My eyes automatically shift to his house. He's taking out the trash, and his eyes meet mine. I gasp.

Aunt Letty chuckles. I pull my eyes away from him, and he does the same with me. We've got to learn to fake it better.

"His presence surprised me," I mumble quickly.

"I'm sure," she states with a grin on her face. "Such a handsome young man, right, Zuria?"

"I haven't noticed," I blurt.

"How can you not notice?" she questions with the irritation of someone who knows she's being lied to. "He lives next door to you." Benjamin nonchalantly steps back into his house.

"Well, uh, well." I'm jabbering like a fool.

"Admit that he's attractive. Admit it, Zuria," Aunt Letty insists.

"Okay," I blurt, "I admit it."

She grins with mischief. "Admitting it didn't hurt too much, did it?"

"Zuria," my mom says, stepping up to me. "Your cousin Kirsten is looking for you. She's in the house."

"I'll be right there." Phewwww—saved by the bell! Aunt Letty eyes me with a sly grin as I step away. Trying not to think about the conversation I just had with her, I find my cousin in the kitchen. Kirsten had volunteered to make the jalapeño poppers at my house since Aunt Gina's kitchen is being remodeled. Her little green peppers stuffed with cream cheese and covered in batter are the best.

"Need any help?" I ask her.

"No, thanks," she says, putting the cookie sheet with the spicy appetizers in the oven. We sit, waiting for them to bake. They won't take long.

"How have you been, cousin?" she asks me.

"Good. How about you?"

"Good too. How's school?"

Unfortunately, we were in different school districts. I would've loved for her to go to my school. Kirsten is pretty cool.

"So far so good."

She grins. "Your life is about to get even better. I've got a surprise for you, Zuria."

I eye her with curiosity. "What do you mean?"

"I've invited a boy over."

"What?"

"And he wants to meet you! I showed him a picture of you!"

I frown deeply. "Why'd you do that?"

"You're much too serious, cousin. You need a boyfriend."

I gasp with frustration. "Kirsten—"

"You're going to thank me! He's in my English class. He's sooo cute."

"I don't need a boyfriend," I snap.

"Don't be upset, Zuria. All I ask is that you meet him."

I sigh with frustration. "Do I have a choice?"

"Not really."

As if on cue, the doorbell rings. Standing at my door is a very clean cut boy with a wide smile. He stands almost as tall as Benjamin, has a stocky build, dark-blond hair, and dark-blue eyes.

"I'm so happy to meet you," he tells me. Kirsten winks at me. "I'm Jerry."

"Hi, Jerry."

"Why don't you take Jerry to meet everyone?" she tells me with a wide grin. "I've got to stay here with the poppers."

I don't know how to get myself out of this one, so I decide it's best to get it over with. I'm going to kill my cousin when this is over.

"Kirsten showed me a picture of you, and I just had to meet you," he says as we're stepping to the backyard.

I don't know what to say to that, so I shut up.

"You're very pretty, Zuria. _And_ I love your name."

"Thank you."

I start introducing him to the guests as an acquaintance. Everyone looks at us with sly smiles as if we're an item. Grandfather Chemo, who had just returned with a huge, colorful, burro piñata, pumps Jerry's hand when I introduce them.

"So my granddaughter _does_ have a boyfriend?!"

"Grandpa," I rush, "I just met Jerry. He's a friend of Kirsten's."

He's puzzled. "You're Kirsten's boyfriend?"

"No, sir. I came to meet Zuria."

Grandfather Chemo's face turns animated again. "My boy, my boy, _que bien_."

"What?"

"Spanglish," I explain.

"I said, how great!" Grandfather Chemo gushes. "My granddaughter is _very_ smart, _very_ wonderful, and _very_ beautiful, but I'm sure you already realize it."

This is completely getting out of hand!

"Yes, I've already realized it," says Jerry, eyeing me with a smile.

Mom steps over to us with a tight face. Thank goodness! She'll save the day with her strictness. "Who's this, Zuria?" she grumbles, her rigid sight sweeping over Jerry.

"This is Jerry. Kristen invited him."

He pumps my mom's hand. "I'm very pleased to meet you. Thank you so much for allowing me in your beautiful home and wonderful party."

I frown. He's a charmer all right. My mom's tight line of a mouth upturns. Shoot! She was supposed to be my salvation.

"Very nice manners, young man," she comments.

"My parents taught me to be on my best behavior all the time."

"Sounds like you have great parents, Jerry," my mom states. I'm a gonner!

"They're the best."

"Take him to meet your father," my mom tells me.

I frown.

"Yes, he has to meet Fulgencio!" Grandfather Chemo chirps.

"Okay," I mumble.

As I'm walking over to the grill, Jerry turns to me. "You've got a great family."

"Thank you."

Dad is busy with friends as he barbeques the steaks. They're comparing recipes. They quiet down as we near them, and dad's eyebrows go up.

"Everyone, this is Jerry. He came to the party with Kirsten."

Jerry shakes the men's hands. Dad eyes him suspiciously until Jerry asks him about the secret to his mouthwatering steaks. He's such a charmer! Dad immediately warms up to him.

When we walk away to go find Kirsten, dad is already telling him to visit us when he wants. This is getting so complicated! I'm really going to kill my cousin!

We find Kirsten already in the backyard with a group of people and in an animated conversation about how she makes her jalapeño poppers. I wait for her to finish to pass off Jerry back to her.

"Maybe our parents could meet each other someday," comments Jerry. "I'm sure they'd like one another," he tells me.

I smile politely, wanting my meddling cousin to stop talking so I can get away.

"Who's that?" Jerry asks, looking at a distance behind me.

"What?"

"Your next door neighbor is mad dogging us," Jerry states as he looks towards Benjamin's house.

Chapter 16

My stomach does a few flips of anxiety. _Is Jerry talking about Benjamin? Is Benjamin witnessing all this?_ I really don't want to turn around and see for myself.

"Does he _like_ you?" Jerry questions with spikes of irritation in his voice.

I have no choice but to turn around and see if my worst fears are true. _Yes, it's Benjamin!_ He's in his yard by the chain link fence furiously glaring at us.

"He's just upset because his family wasn't invited to the party," I rush to say, thinking of a quick cover.

"With his twisted face, I don't blame your parents for not inviting him," mumbles Jerry.

Kirsten thankfully finishes her conversation and turns to us. "I've got to go," I blurt. "I need to make a very important phone call. I'll see you two later."

I rush away before Kristen can stop me. She stares at me dumbfounded, and Jerry's expression is also puzzled. But I have to do something _now._ Benjamin looks as if he's about to come over and start a fight with Jerry. I eye him and mouth cell phone and step into my house.

I had forgotten my cell in my bedroom. When I get it, I find several text messages from Benjamin. He seems very upset.

Who's the idiot with U?

Why aren't U texting me back? Too busy with the idiot?

Zuria, what's with U and that guy? Answer me! I'm going nuts!

The texts stop there. I guess he figured out I didn't have my cell phone. Instead of texting him back, I decide it's better to talk to him. His fuse seems about to pop.

"Zuria, what the heck is going on?!" he answers his cell without even greeting me.

"Hi, Benjamin,' I mutter.

"Cut the small talk," he snaps furiously. "You've got a few seconds to tell me why you've been walking all over your yard with some guy before I come over and break his face!!!"

"Calm down, Benjamin."

"Don't tell me to calm down!"

"He's a friend of my cousin Kirsten. That's all."

"Why were _you_ introducing him to everybody?"

"Kirsten was making the jalapeño poppers," I state.

"Is he your cousin's boyfriend?" Benjamin demands to know.

I can't lie to him. "No."

"I didn't think so," he snaps. "The guy _likes_ you."

"Benjamin—"

"The way he was looking at you!—I ought to beat the crap out of him!"

"Benjamin!" I chide him. "I'm not going out with him! I'm with you."

The line goes quiet for a few seconds.

I continue calming him down. "Just like you told me you didn't want anything with Chantilly _or_ Daniela, I don't want anything with Jerry."

He sighs. "This really sucks, Zuria. Girls after me and guys after you," he grumbles, "when we should be able to tell the world hands off. We're together!"

"I know," I murmur. "I wish you were here with me at the party."

"I don't care about the party, but I really want to be near you."

Tingles rush up my spine. Benjamin can be so romantic.

"I miss you too."

"I really hate all this secrecy as if we're doing something wrong," he states, frustrated.

"We're not doing anything wrong."

"Loving one another isn't wrong."

"No, definitely not," I murmur.

"We have to stop letting our parents' childishness affect us," he snaps.

"How do we do that?"

"By taking the bull by the horns," he asserts.

"What?"

"Zuri, I'm tired of all this secrecy. Too many misunderstandings come up."

"What do we do about our situation?"

"It's time to go out in the open," he affirms.

"But—"

"Zuri, let's just talk to our parents."

"They're going to freak!" I blurt.

"Probably, but we have to stand up for ourselves."

"They're going to be furious with us."

Zuri, do you love me enough to stand up to your parents?" he asks quietly. "I love you enough to face mine."

"Yes, Benjamin, I love you enough," I say without missing a beat.

### Chapter 17

Having planned some sort of a strategy, I go to my Aunt Letty's house after school on Monday. Having seen Benjamin a few hours ago in Social Studies gives me the strength to come clean.

My favorite aunt is glad to see me, but I can't fool her. She knows something's up and eyes me suspiciously as I try to make small talk. I exhale with relief when her doorbell rings. She stares at me quizzically when she answers it.

"Benjamin," she says when she opens the door, "what a surprise." Eyeing me, she chuckles.

"Thank you, ma'am."

"Come in, come in." She leads him to the sofa where I'm at and indicates for him to sit next to me. "Want a soda or something, Benjamin?"

"No, thank you."

She sits on her beige recliner. "I imagine that this isn't a coincidence."

Benjamin takes my hand and intertwines his fingers in mine. Tingles rush up my arm. Aunt Letty's right eyebrow rises.

"No, it's not a coincidence," Benjamin states. He doesn't sound at all nervous. I'm the one freaking out inside.

"Didn't think so," she smirks.

"Zuria and I care about each other and we're tired of hiding."

Aunt Letty's eyebrows shoot up. "So you've been seeing each other in secret."

Benjamin nods. "We have, but we don't want to do it anymore."

"I told Benjamin that we needed to ask for your advice and your help with dealing with our parents," I state, breathing somewhat raggedy.

"Of course I'll help you," Aunt Letty remarks. "The silly feud between your parents has gone on long enough."

"Dad will be furious," I mutter.

"Yeah, and so what?" Aunt Letty smirks. "Don't worry about him. I can handle both your mother and him."

"What about _my_ parents?" asks Benjamin.

"I can handle them too, but the both of you have to stay strong and firm."

Benjamin puts my hand to his lips and kisses it. "We will."

"What I'm afraid of is that our parents will order us not to see each other," I murmur.

Aunt Letty nods. "That _can_ happen."

"What'll we do then?" I blurt.

"Talk."

"Talk?" Benjamin asks.

"The world is full of eggheads. You have to choose the right words and the right tones to make them understand. I'm convinced that your parents will iron out their differences if they have the right arbitrator."

"That would be you, Aunt Letty," I burst.

"Yes," she states with confidence. "Believe me, I've gotten people to see sense who were a lot more stubborn than you parents."

It isn't that Aunt Letty is an annoying braggart or hugely egotistical. She's in no way a snob. She's just very aware of her abilities. We set up the talk for this coming weekend.

That evening, I breathe a lot better before going to bed. Benjamin texts me. I read my screen before hitting the pillow.

Nothing 2 worry about. A few more days and everyone will know and have to accept us. Luv ya.

Suzy and Lorena have more gossip about Daniela Lopez. During lunch I just listen but decide not to get upset no matter what they say. I mean, of the three of us, I'm the only one who knows what's really going on with Benjamin.

"Daniela says she doesn't care if she makes the cheerleading squad," murmurs Suzy, in full gossip mode. "She told Shanika Whitaker that she finally has a shot at Benjamin and isn't going to let Chantilly ruin it for her."

"Oh, that Daniela!" snaps Lorena. "Why is she trying to get in between Benjamin and Chantilly?"

"I hope that she realizes that the whole school is going to hate her for it!"

My mouth turns dry. I wonder what will happen after this week when my relationship with Benjamin is out. _Will everyone hate me? Will my BFF's despise me?_ I know for certain that both Lorena and Suzy will freak out, but will they be the friends I'll need? I had been concentrating so much on my parents that I hadn't allowed myself to think about the other people who would have to accept us too.

In Social Studies, Peebo arrives before Benjamin. He gives me a huge grin.

"I think what you're going to do this weekend is a great idea," he whispers to me.

So Benjamin had already told him. I wish so much that I had that kind of relationship with my best friends. One thing for certain, after this week I'll get to see what they're made of.

"I hope everything will be okay," I whisper back. Luckily, there isn't anyone else sitting close to us.

"Sure it will."

"I'm worried about our parents, and I'm worried about the school. It's—"

"The school?" Peebo asks, puzzled.

"A lot of students want Benjamin together with Chantilly," I blurt.

He frowns deeply. "Well, too bad for them. They'll have to get over it."

Benjamin arrives then, and his special smile for me eases my tension. He's so awesome. I realize that I'm willing to confront anything for him.

After school, we see each other at _Lupita's_. As usual, he has my banana split ready for me as I slip into our private booth. Sitting next to me, he pulls my face towards his and kisses me.

A melting kiss.

Wow.

Had I been missing this all these years?

When we disengage, he gently flicks my cheek. "Peebo told me you were worried about how the school would take us."

I nod. I should've known Peebo would tell him. These best friends confide everything to one another.

"You should hear the stuff Suzy and Lorena say about Daniela Lopez because they think she wants to take you away from Chantilly," I blurt.

Benjamin rolls his eyes and shakes his head. "That's really stupid on so many levels. First, I'm no longer with Chantilly. People need to get that through their thick heads. No one's taking me away from her! Second, I'm not interested at all in Daniela. Why is the student body so interested in my love life?" he snarls.

"Because you're Benjamin Quintanilla—that's why," I mutter.

"So what?"

I sigh. "Benjamin, you've always been very popular. Boys want to be you and girls want to date you."

He exhales, exasperated. "Look, I left the basketball team and changed myself. Can't they just ignore me?"

"They're more fascinated by you than ever," I murmur.

"Well, that sucks."

I shrug. "When the students hear that you're with me—who knows what'll happen."

"What do you mean?" he asks, puzzled.

"Everyone wants you with Chantilly and not me."

"Too bad for them," he blurts angrily.

"Even my best friends want you with Chantilly."

He eyes me carefully a few seconds before speaking. "Zuri, don't take this wrong, but if your friends turn on you because they want me to be dating someone else, then I think you should dump them. Who needs friends like that?"

I nod solemnly. He hadn't said anything I hadn't already thought about.

"Peebo would never ask me to go back to Chantilly," Benjamin states. "He knows the way I feel about you. He's happy for us. If your friends can't be happy for us then it's time to make some new ones."

I nod again. He's right of course. I can almost hear my Aunt Letty telling me the exact same thing. "I can't hold on to friendships only because they're old, right?" I murmur.

"Right."

"I've got to let them go if they're toxic, right?"

"I'll be with you every step of the way," he says quietly as he kisses my forehead. "You won't be alone in this. We're in it together."

I smile at him. "Love you, Benjamin."

"Love you, Zuri."

### Chapter 18

The day is already here! It's Saturday, and I don't want to get out of bed. I try to poke at my inner great grandmother warrior soldier and Katniss Everdeen, but I don't know where either of them is at. I'm a coward. I get a text from Benjamin as I'm trying to get out of bed.

Today's the day! Be brave.

I tell myself to get myself together. Benjamin's and my love is on the line. That's all the motivation I need. Checking the clock, I see that it's half an hour till show time. The countdown has begun. I jump out of bed, shower, and make it downstairs with five minutes to spare. Luckily, the twins are at a sleepover with a cousin, and I don't have to contend with their snide remarks. Mom and dad are in the living room watching the _telenovela_. They hadn't had time last night to watch their favorite Mexican soap opera, so they had DVR'd it.

"Zuria, you look different," my dad states. "Is that a new outfit?"

"No, Dad."

"Well, you look very pretty."

"Thanks, Dad."

"Breakfast is in the fridge," mom says. "I made pancakes."

"Thanks, Mom." But I don't go towards the kitchen. I wait, and as if on cue, the doorbell rings.

I'm already standing up, so I tell my parents I'll answer it.

"Who could be coming over on a Saturday morning?" my mom questions.

I let Aunt Letty in the door. She winks at me.

"I need to speak to all three of you," she says.

My mother's face immediately becomes concerned. "Is everything okay, Leticia?"

"Everything's fine, Mirta."

Dad turns off the TV and invites my aunt to sit down on the sofa.

"I have to talk to you outside," she asserts.

"Outside?" my mom questions, puzzled.

"In your backyard to be more precise."

Mom's face becomes more bewildered. "Why the back—"

My Aunt Letty makes an exasperated face. "Are you going to argue with me or are you going to come out, so I can tell you what I need to tell you?"

Mom and dad stand up from the sofa. My nerves are really raggedy, but I'm actually relieved to be getting this over with. I'm really sick and tired of hiding my relationship with Benjamin.

_Be brave,_ I tell myself. _Be great grandmother. Be Katniss Everdeen._

Be Crazy Aunt Letty.

My parents carry quizzical expressions as my favorite aunt leads us to the backyard. Benjamin is waiting in his own yard by the chain link fence with his own baffled parents. When they see us going towards them, they balk.

"What's the meaning of this, Benjamin?!" Mr. Quintanilla bursts.

"You're taking us to _them,_ Leticia?" my dad snaps, stopping in his tracks. We're only a few yards away from the chain link fence.

"It's time to end the silly fight," Aunt Letty states nonchalantly.

"I can never be friends with _him,"_ my dad jeers.

"Same for me," snorts Mr. Quintanilla.

Benjamin speaks up. "We're next door neighbors, and we should be friends."

"Never!" my dad snaps.

"Never, ever!" Mr. Quintanilla retorts.

"But our families used to be good friends," I chime in. " _Very_ good friends."

"That's all in the past," my mom blurts.

"Yes, past," Mrs. Quintanilla assures.

"All four of you," Aunt Letty snarls as she indicates the parents, "should be ashamed of yourselves! You're a horrible example to your kids."

The parents look to the ground. My Aunt Letty has the ability of making people see their own foolishness.

"We don't mean to be a bad example," my dad murmurs, "but I've got to show them to defend what's theirs."

"What do you mean, Fulgencio?" questions Mr. Quintanilla.

"You know what I mean!" retorts dad.

"I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Yes, you do!" my dad insists.

"No, I don't!"

"Yes, you do!"

"No, I don't!"

"You do know!"

"I don't!"

"Stop this!" Aunt Letty interjects.

"I can't believe you had a huge party, and we were the only ones on the block not invited," Mr. Quintanilla snarls.

"Why should I invite _you,"_ retorts dad.

"It would've been the polite thing to do!"

"What do _you_ know about manners?!

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Mr. Quintanilla snaps.

"You know what it means!"

"No, I don't!"

"Yes, you do!" my dad insists.

"No, I don't!"

Yes, you do!"

Aunt Leticia takes a sharp breath. "Not this again!" she snaps. "Stop it!"

"This is useless," Mr. Quintanilla states. "I'm going back inside." He starts to leave with a furious expression on his face.

"Yes, useless," Mrs. Quintanilla growls, also starting to leave.

"Wait, Mom and Dad," blurts Benjamin. "I've got something to tell you."

The Quintanillas halt their stride and turn to their son. "Tell us inside the house," demands Mrs. Quintanilla.

Benjamin shakes his head. "I need to tell you out here."

"What is it?" Mr. Quintanilla questions impatiently. "You'd better make it quick."

Uh-oh. Here it comes.

Without missing a beat, Benjamin looks straight into their eyes and starts speaking. "Zuria and I are dating."

"What?!!!" all four parents say at the same time.

"We're in love."

"What?!!!"

### Chapter 19

"Zuria, you can't be in love with my enemy's son!" dad snaps.

"Benjamin, you can't be in love with my enemy's daughter!" Mr. Quintanilla roars.

"And what do you mean you've been dating?—behind our backs?" my mom snaps.

"How could you, Benjamin?" Mrs. Quintanilla asks, hurt.

"You didn't leave us much of a choice," explains Benjamin, frustrated.

"Yeah, all four of you have been acting like buttheads," my Aunt Letty chimes in.

"Buttheads?" dad murmurs.

Aunt Letty stands her ground. "Yes, big-time buttheads."

"Is Zuria why you left basketball?!" Mr. Quintanilla questions Benjamin with unbridled fury. "Now I understand everything!"

"No, I didn't leave basketball because of Zuria," Benjamin states, frustrated. "We've already gone over this a million times."

"You haven't given me a good explanation, son. Why would you leave a sport you were so good at? There was no question that you were going to get a full scholarship to a university because of it. For heaven's sake, Benjamin, you had the ability to turn pro someday! You were my pride and joy. I just don't understand what happened!"

I can see that Benjamin's frustration is about to explode. If the chain link fence wasn't between us, I would go to him. "Dad!" Benjamin roars. "I already told you that I don't like playing basketball!"

"What does that have to do with anything?" snaps Mr. Quintanilla. "All of us have to do things we don't like. It's called life."

"No, Bartolomeo," Aunt Letty chimes in. "It's called trying to live _your_ dreams through your son."

"With all due respect, Letty," Mr. Quintanilla states," I think you should stay out of this."

"No, she shouldn't!" roars Benjamin.

"But, son—"

"Dad, she's here because I asked her to."

"Letty shouldn't be intervening in our family problems," Mr. Quintanilla murmurs.

"I can't get through to you, Dad," Benjamin mutters. "Maybe she can."

"Bartolomeo, do you want your son to be happy?" asks my aunt.

"Of course I do!" Mr. Quintanilla says defensively. "What parent doesn't?"

"But basketball doesn't make him happy."

"But he'll be set up for life," rushes Mr. Quintanilla.

"You're not set up for life if you're doing something you hate," Aunt Letty says quietly.

"But—"

"Look at you and Grimalda doing all those pro-bono cases. You could be raking in the dough, but instead you're helping people. You could be set up for life. Why aren't _you_ doing it?"

"I just want my son not to be struggling like we are," Mr. Quintanilla blurts.

"You may be struggling, but you're happy, aren't you?—Or else you'd be in some prestigious law firm making a ton of money."

"He was _so_ good at basketball. I was never able to have anywhere near that kind of success when I used to play." Mr. Quintanilla mutters, his voice full of regret.

"Bartolomeo, do you want to live vicariously through your son or do you want your son to be happy? It's as simple as that," asserts my Aunt Letty.

Mr. Quintanilla eyes Benjamin with anguish, taking a few pensive seconds before speaking. "I want you to be happy, son."

"Okay, Dad. Playing basketball doesn't make me happy. Being with Zuria does."

My parents who were very quiet during the whole exchange between Benjamin and his parents suddenly become animated.

"You can't date Benjamin!" my dad snaps at me. I can't help being taken aback. My father had rarely ever spoken to me that way.

"No, you can't," my mom chimes in. "And we still need to talk about this secretly dating business!"

Aunt Letty's stern eyes fall on them. I almost feel sorry for my parents who are about to come up against her. "So, you don't want your daughter to be happy!"

"Leticia," my mom states, her voice shaky. "Be reasonable."

"Of course we want her to be happy," blurts my dad. That's why I kill myself at work everyday, so my children have what I never had."

"Humpf," Aunt Letty lets out, "you want her to be happy on _your_ terms."

"What's that supposed to mean?" dad questions.

"You're angry at Bartolomeo, so you punish your daughter by not letting her date his son. Benjamin hasn't done anything to you, right?"

"No, but..."

"But what?" Aunt Letty demands to know.

"But...but...but he's the son of my enemy!"

"And you're daughter has to pay for that?"

"Zuria," interjects my mom, "why don't you go out with that nice young man at the party? Jerry seemed very interested in you."

Benjamin's eyes become angry slats.

"I want to be with Benjamin, Mom—not with Jerry."

"What about Chantilly, son?" asks Mr. Quintanilla.

"What about her?" questions Benjamin, irritated.

"She seems very in love with you," Mrs. Quintanilla murmurs.

"But I don't love her."

"Son, sometimes love takes time to grow. Give it some time."

"I don't need to give it some time," retorts Benjamin. "I love someone else. I love Zuria."

"And I love Benjamin," I tell my parents.

"No!" snaps my dad. "I won't let you love him."

"I won't let you love Zuria!" Mr. Quintanilla bursts at Benjamin.

"Too late!" Benjamin snaps.

"You'll have to date someone else," Mrs. Quintanilla insists.

"That goes double for you, Zuria," retorts my mom.

"So all four of you want your kids to date who _you_ want only because _you_ refuse to get along?" Aunt Letty chides, scoffing. "How very selfish of you. Selfish, selfish, selfish!"

All four parents hang their heads. The air is crackling with tension.

"You know, I've never been a parent, but you're making it look easy," Aunt Letty states. "If I had realized that all it took was to force my selfish will on my children, maybe I would've popped out a few."

"That's mean, sister," my mom grumbles.

"Not any meaner than what all of you are subjecting your kids to," Aunt Letty smirks. "Your children have a right to be happy and not get in between your silly war."

Mr. Quintanilla sighs. "Maybe you're right, Letty."

"Of course I'm right," Aunt Letty states, indignant.

"Benjamin, you can go out with Zuria," Mr. Quintanilla declares, frowning. The rest of the parents follow his lead, muttering their consent with grumblings but still giving in.

I can hardly believe my ears!

Benjamin eyes me with relief and a grin.

We owe my Aunt Letty _big time!_ She's a miracle worker! Maybe she ought to go work for the United Nations. Yes, she's that good! At the very least she ought to be some kind of a diplomat.

"Now that we've settled this," Mrs. Quintanilla remarks, "I'd better get back to my briefs. I've got a new client that needs lots of help."

"We're _not_ done yet," Aunt Letty declares.

"What?" asks my dad.

"We're settling this feud between you once and for all," Aunt Letty states, her voice very strong, clear, and determined.

### Chapter 20

I almost want to tell my favorite aunt to leave well enough alone, but inside of myself I know what she's saying is the right thing to do.

"There's no way to settle it!" my dad snaps.

"No way!" Mr. Quintanilla agrees.

"One thing is allowing our children to date, and it's entirely another thing for us to make up," states my mom.

"Very true!" snaps Mrs. Quintanilla.

Mr. Quintanilla nods vehemently. "I can't forgive Fulgencio's insults! His constant rudeness is too much."

"Me—rude?" questions my dad incredulously.

"What else is it when you make faces at me, spit out ugly remarks, and don't invite me to neighborhood parties?!" roars Mr. Quintanilla.

"After what you did to me, how can you expect me to act as if nothing?"

"After what I did to you?" questions Mr. Quintanilla. "What are you talking about?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about!" my dad snaps.

"No, I don't!"

"Yes, you do!"

"No, I don't!"

"Yes, you do!"

"Here we go again!" retorts Aunt Letty. " _STOP!_ You two five-year-olds are giving me a headache."

"Letty," Mr. Quintanilla says, "I just don't know what Fulgencio is talking about. What did I supposedly do to him?"

"Fulgencio," Aunt Letty mutters sternly, "you've never told Bartolomeo why you're angry with him?"

"Why should I?" my dad questions petulantly. "He knows what he did."

"No, I don't!"

"Yes, you do!"

" _STOP,_ children," Aunt Letty demands. "We're going to clear this whole thing up _today_."

"Please shed some light on this, Letty," states Mr. Quintanilla. "I'm completely in the dark about what Fulgencio is talking about."

My dad glares at him furiously, but doesn't say anything. He probably fears Aunt Letty biting his head off.

"My dear brother-in-law has been upset all these years that you borrowed a water hose and never returned it," Aunt Letty states.

"You wanted me to lose best lawn of the month!—admit it!" snarls my dad.

"What do I care if you win best lawn of the month?!" snaps Mr. Quintanilla.

My dad eyes him with fury. "Jealousy!"

"I've never been jealous of you, Fulgencio!"

"Then why didn't you return the water hose?" questions my dad.

"Fulgencio, I've always returned your stuff," asserts Mr. Quintanilla. "Always."

"Not the last time you borrowed my water hose!"

Mr. Quintanilla sighs and becomes pensive. It seems he's thinking back to when he last borrowed my dad's water hose.

"It was many years ago when Benjamin was around ten," Mr. Quintanilla mumbles, still in a pensive mode.

"Yeah, Zuria was the same age."

"It was in July. You handed me the hose and told me to just put it back in your garage when you finished with it."

"You never returned it," snaps my dad.

"Yes, I did."

"No, you didn't."

"Yes, I most certainly did."

"No—"

"Here we go again!" Aunt Letty snaps. "Bartolomeo, are you sure you put the hose in my brother-in-law's garage?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Benjamin was with me, right, son?"

"Dad, was it the day we put in the roses for mom?"

"That's the day."

"Mr. Gomez," Benjamin tells my dad, "I can assure you that my dad returned the water hose. I was with him when we went into your garage and hung it on the holder on the wall where you always kept it."

My dad is flabbergasted. "Can this be true?" he mumbles to himself.

Mr. Quintanilla's face twists in anger, but Aunt Letty jumps in before he can say anything. "Fulgencio, why would Bartolomeo _and_ Benjamin lie? If they say they put it in your garage then they did."

"How did it disappear then?" my dad demands to know.

"I wasn't the only one who would borrow your stuff, was I?!" snaps Mr. Quintanilla.

"Tony also borrows my things sometimes, but he couldn't have taken my hose without returning it," my dad mumbles.

Tony is the neighbor across the street.

"Why do you give Tony the benefit of the doubt but not me," Mr. Quintanilla fumes.

"Call Tony over right now," Mrs. Quintanilla snaps. "Let's clear the air. I won't have you calling my husband a thief."

"I'll go get him," volunteers Benjamin.

Everybody is very quiet as Benjamin rushes across the street. Dad's face is in disbelief. Mr. Quintanilla is smirking. My Aunt Letty shakes her head as if she can't believe the whole situation.

I concur with her. What a ridiculous situation! And probably over a simple misunderstanding! If dad and Mr. Quintanilla had had this conversation years ago, they'd still be good friends.

Benjamin and I wouldn't have had to suffer without each other!

I'm really _FUMING!_ Thank goodness Benjamin and I had come to our senses because our childish parents certainly had not.

Benjamin finally makes it back with Tony. Tony has a bewildered look on his face as he stands next to Mr. Quintanilla. All these years he's maintained a friendship with both families.

"What's this about?" Tony questions, perplexed.

"Benjamin hasn't told you?" asks my dad.

Benjamin shakes his head. "I thought it'd be better if you and my dad were the ones to tell him what's happening."

"Bartolomeo says that he returned my water hose many years ago. He says someone else must've gotten it. Do you know anything about it?"

Tony's face completely crumbles. "Geez, well, I...I..."

"Spit it out," Aunt Letty demands, eyeing him sternly.

Tony drops his face. "I took it! _I_ took it!"

### Chapter 21

"What?!" burst all the parents.

Tony starts babbling. "I'm the villain here, the monster, the horrible person, the mean-spirited—"

"Save it!" snaps Aunt Letty. "Tell us what happened." Her face is very stern.

"When I saw Bartolomeo return the hose that day, I decided to water my lawn, so I grabbed it from the garage."

"Why didn't you return it?" my dad questions.

"I swear I meant to, but I forgot. When I remembered I had it, you were already furious with Bartolomeo, and I didn't want you to be angry with me, so I never told you the truth."

Dad is speechless.

Aunt Letty shakes her head with incensed indignation. "So what you're saying, Tony, is that you witnessed your friends' feud, and you did nothing to stop it even when you had the truth in your hands?"

"That's right," Tony mumbles, hanging his head in shame.

"You preferred to save you own hide instead of righting a wrong," snaps Aunt Letty.

"I'm not proud of it," Tony sighs. "In fact, the guilt was eating me up alive. I'm glad the truth finally came out. Maybe now I can get a good night's sleep."

"Go home, Tony," Aunt Letty orders. "We'll deal with _you_ later."

He nods as if he can't wait to get out of here. "Sorry," he keeps murmuring as he leaves. All of us stare at his back and shake our heads.

Aunt Letty turns her stern eyes to my dad. "Fulgencio, is there something you want to say to Bartolomeo?"

Mr. Quintanilla crosses his hands over his chest, and looks at my dad with expectant indignation. "Yes, Fulgencio, is there anything you want to tell me?" he chortles.

My dad clears his throat. "I'm sorry," he murmurs.

"What?" asks Mr. Quintanilla.

"I'm sorry." This time my dad's voice is a decibel higher.

"What?"

"I'm sorry," my dad says louder.

"What?"

Aunt Letty rolls her eyes. "For Pete's sake, Bartolomeo, I think the whole neighborhood heard that last apology! What do you want Fulgencio to do? —stop the ice cream truck and use its sound system?"

"That would be a good start!"

"Dad, be reasonable," Benjamin blurts.

"Fulgencio has accused me of being a thief! He's been rude to me over the years! He—"

"Bartolomeo," Mrs. Quintanilla bursts impatiently, "if you _boys_ don't make up then so be it! I miss my good friend Mirta!"

"I miss you too, Grimalda. I'm so sorry," my mom expresses.

"I can't believe we let our husbands' stupid fight get in the way of our friendship!" Mrs. Quintanilla remarks.

"Yeah, you ladies should've known better than to condone such ridiculousness," Aunt Letty snaps. "Really?!"

"Why was it ridiculous on my part?" retorts Mr. Quintanilla. "I'm not the one to jump to conclusions!"

Aunt Letty sighs deeply and shakes her head. "Why didn't you ask Fulgencio why he was being rude to you?"

Bartolomeo looks indignant. "I didn't feel it was my place."

"It wasn't your place to clear up the situation you're involved in?" Aunt Letty questions incredulously.

"Well...when you put it that way..."

"Fulgencio," Aunt Letty says, turning to him. "Is your apology sincere towards Bartolomeo?"

"Of course it is," my dad asserts quietly. "I'm very sorry for thinking you took my water hose and not returning it. I'm sorry for the rudeness and the parties I didn't invite you to, Bartolomeo."

"Do you accept that apology, Bartolomeo?" my Aunt Letty asks.

"Do you think it's going to be so easy?" he snaps.

"Bartolomeo!" chides Mrs. Quintanilla.

"Dad!" snaps Benjamin.

"He doesn't want to accept my apology," my dad mutters forlornly.

"Okay, Bartolomeo," Aunt Letty says sternly, "you have the choice of either ending this feud today and getting your good friend back or feeding your overblown ego."

"My overblown ego?" Mr. Quintanilla snaps with indignation.

Aunt Letty eyes him with a steady, chiding sight. "What else can I call it if you're bent on wading into the crap of the past when Fulgencio has sincerely apologized to you? With all the help you give people, I thought you were a very _big_ person. I guess I was mistaken."

"Don't be so hard on Bartolomeo," my dad mutters. "He's right. Why should he forgive me when I was so ugly to him?"

Mr. Quintanilla eyes my dad with surprise. "You really think that?" he mumbles.

"Yes, I do."

Mr. Quintanilla exhales heavily. "Maybe, just maybe, I'm being a _little_ harsh with you."

"No, Bartolomeo," dad states, "it's me who really messed up our friendship, and I have to pay for it."

Mr. Quintanilla shakes his head. "It took two of us to sabotage our friendship. Letty is right like always. I can either bury the past and be your friend again, or I can carry my enormous ego around and let it trip me. I forgive you, Fulgencio."

"Thank you, Bartolomeo," my dad bursts with emotion.

"Now, let's put the feud in the past!" Mr. Quintanilla gushes.

Benjamin and I go on our first out-in-the-open date. We decide to take in a movie. It's Saturday, we're carefree, and our parents had made up. Life couldn't be better. We decide we've had enough drama for the day, so we choose a comedy. I hardly pay attention to it with Benjamin seated next to me. His soothing but electrifying presence sends tiny needle pricks of bubbling joy through me. I place my head on his solid shoulder. He kisses the top of my head. He holds my hand through the entire film. I squeeze his fingers, and he squeezes back. I can hardly believe that our parents are okay with our relationship.

After the movie, when we're in his car, he pulls my face to his and deliciously kisses me. His lips are full of warmth and tenderness. He puts his forehead to mind and exhales deeply.

"We're really living this," he murmurs.

"We're free," I state.

When we're getting back home, I hear music all the way down the block. Someone's having one heck of a party. As we near my home I realize with shock that the music is coming from _my_ house!

My parents are the ones having the fiesta!

### Chapter 22

"What's going on?" I ask my dad as Benjamin and I step in my house.

"Party! Party!" my dad gushes with giddiness.

"I can see that, Dad, but what are we celebrating?"

"Benjamin, I'm having this party to honor your parents. It's the least I can do after the misunderstanding," he states, swinging the front door open. "I've got to get some more steaks to grill. More guests showed up than I thought." Dad steps out the house to get to his car.

I glance at Benjamin and shrug. He grins at me. "Looks like we got back in time for the party," I comment.

"Looks like it," he says, chuckling.

We find our moms in the kitchen preparing the potato salad.

"There you are, kids," my mom tells Benjamin and me. "We've tried calling you, but your phones are off."

"We were at the movies," Benjamin explains.

"Sorry," I say, "we must've forgotten to turn them back on when we got out of the movie."

"Zuria, could you make the _guac_?" mom asks.

"Sure."

"I'll help her," Benjamin volunteers. "By the way, Mom, where's dad?"

"He's outside taking care of the steaks on the grill."

I step to the refrigerator and pull out the avocadoes and the other necessary ingredients. My mom and Mrs. Quintanilla chatter about how great the party's going.

"How did you pull this together so fast?" I ask my mom as I cut the avocadoes in half and start spooning the insides into a large bowl.

My mom smiles at me. "Zuria, we're of Mexican descent. Gathering people and sharing friendship is in our blood."

I smile.

"True, very true," Mrs. Quintanilla murmurs.

Benjamin grins as he dices the tomatoes. As soon as he finishes, I stir them into the guacamole mixture.

My mom stops mashing the potatoes to stare at us. She places her hand to her heart. Mrs. Quintanilla follows her lead and stops peeling the eggs. Both have tears in their eyes.

"What's wrong?" asks Benjamin, concerned.

"Ask us what's right," Mrs. Quintanilla murmurs, a tear slips down her face.

"Huh?" asks Benjamin.

"After you were born, Benjamin, a month after Zuria," my mom explains, "your mother and I had this hope that one day the two of you would get together."

"Now it's happened!" Mrs. Quintanilla gushes.

"I'm just so happy that the two of you are much smarter than us," my mom states. "That you didn't let our silly feud come between you."

"It's such a beautiful love story," Mrs. Quintanilla sighs.

Benjamin smiles at me. "Yes, it is."

Dad gets back in record time and slaps some more steaks on the grill. Mr. Quintanilla is beside himself grilling next to my dad. They both wear white aprons, chef hats, and silly grins. Meanwhile more and more people are arriving at the party. The fact that it had been a spur of the moment fiesta doesn't seem to bother anybody. The funny thing about all of this is that Tony was invited to the festivities. Benjamin's parents and my own decided to forgive him.

When Aunt Letty gets here and sees Tony, she says, "Forgiveness is good for the soul."

"It is?" I ask.

"Definitely. Sometimes it's best to just let things go, so you can enjoy the moment."

Boy am I enjoying the moment! Taking Benjamin to my Grandmother Gloria and Grandfather Chemo, I announce that Benjamin is my boyfriend.

"Isn't that wonderful!" my grandmother says.

"Young man, are you deserving of my granddaughter?" my grandfather asks trying to sound stern, but his overall jolliness preventing it.

"Probably not," Benjamin states, "but I'm lucky that she keeps me around anyway."

My grandparents roar with laughter.

"Young man," my grandfather says, "how do you like piñatas?"

"Love them."

"Aren't you too old for them?" my grandfather mischievously questions.

"Can you ever be too old for piñatas?"

My grandfather slaps Benjamin on the back and chuckles. Benjamin just completely won over my grandparents.

"I stopped at the store and brought one with me," grandfather informs.

"Does it have plenty of candies?" Benjamin questions.

Grandmother Gloria nods excitedly. "It's packed with Mexican candies!"

"Then I'll have to be the first one to hit the piñata," Benjamin says, chuckling.

I smile at him. Who knew that Benjamin could be sooooo charming?

When my cousin Kirsten arrives with her parents, I sigh with relief. Luckily, she hadn't invited Jerry.

"Your mom told me not to bring Jerry," she tells me as she eyes Benjamin and me.

"Good," Benjamin blurts.

"You're with Benjamin now?" she asks slyly. Benjamin and I hardly separate from each other. I guess that in a weird way we're trying to make up for the time we had had to be in secret.

"Yes, she is," Benjamin answers Kirsten.

"Jerry is going to be heartbroken," she murmurs.

" _Tough_!" Benjamin snaps. I smile at him.

"But I'm glad you're with someone, cousin," Kirsten tells me.

"Me too," I say and Benjamin bends his neck to smack my lips with his. I know—we're disgustingly lovey dovey. As Benjamin is disengaging from my lips, my Aunt Tila answers a knock on the front door. We're in the living room.

Suzy and Lorena stand on the other side of the door with their parents _and_ mouths wide open.

Chapter 23

"Come in to the party," Aunt Tila says. "Everyone is in the backyard."

Benjamin and I greet the new guests with a casual hello. Lorena and Suzy look at me oddly. While I'm sure they hadn't seen the actual kiss, they had seen Benjamin close to me as he disengaged from me. Benjamin eyes me with one eyebrow up.

"Hi, Lorena. Hi, Suzy," Benjamin says, greeting them by name. Their parents follow my Aunt Tila and Kirsten to the backyard.

"I'm glad you could come to this last minute party," I state, my voice somewhat shaky.

"What's this party for?" questions Suzy.

"My parents are friends with Benjamin's parents again," I inform them.

"Oh," blurts Suzy, her face with a baffled expression as her curious eyes shift from Benjamin to me.

I decide that enough is enough. It's as good of a time as any to bring everything out in the open. "Girls," I say, "let's go to my room, okay?"

Benjamin's right eyebrow shoots up.

"Yeah, let's," Suzy mutters.

"I'll see you in a short while," I tell Benjamin.

"All right," he says, his hazel eyes reaching for mine. He seems concerned for me. I try to tell him with my expression that everything's okay.

Leading Suzy and Lorena up to my bedroom, I find myself dreading the conversation I'm about to have with them. At the same time, I'm relieved. Telling my parents was the most stressful, but it had felt so good when I had gotten over it. In all honesty, I'm really tired of hiding my relationship with Benjamin while my best friends go on and on about him and Chantilly.

"There's a strange vibe between you and Benjamin," Suzy announces as I close the door of my bedroom. Suzy and Lorena sit on my bed as I take the chair that's in front of my desk and plop down after I turn it to face them.

"There's something you oughta know," I say.

"I hope it's not what I think it is," Suzy pushes out.

"I hope not!" Lorena blurts.

I find my inner warrior great grandmother and Katniss Everdeen. "Benjamin and I are dating," I state matter-of-factly.

"What?!" Suzy snaps.

"No!" Lorena blurts.

"Why not?" I challenge.

"What about Chantilly?" Lorena questions furiously.

I jerk my arms in front of me defensively. "What about her?"

"You can't take him away from her!" Suzy retorts.

I exhale with frustration. "I'm not taking him away from her! He already broke up with her some time ago! You two know that!"

"Still, Zuria," Suzy states, "it's so not cool to invade another girl's territory."

"Benjamin is _not_ Chantilly's territory!" I snap. "He doesn't want to be with her."

"You honestly think her prefers you over Chantilly," snarls Suzy. "He's probably just using you."

"Yeah, using you," Lorena agrees.

This is way too much! I'm getting insulted by my best friends in my own home! Who needs enemies?! "Why would he be using me?" I hurl fire.

"To teach Chantilly a lesson," Suzy sneers matter-of-factly.

My furious eyes bore into her smug face. "What are you talking about?!"

"Chantilly cheated on Benjamin during the summer."

"What?!" This is completely news to me.

"It turns out that poor Chantilly was so lonely with Benjamin being gone for the summer that the poor thing turned to Gustavo Morales."

Lorena nods. "Yeah, poor Chantilly."

"What?!" I explode. "She cheated on Benjamin, and you're taking _her_ side?!"

"She was loaded with loneliness," explains Suzy.

Lorena nods vehemently. "Yes, loneliness."

"Can you see what we're trying to save you from?" asks Suzy.

"What are you talking about?!" I snap.

Suzy sighs with exasperation. "Benjamin found out about Chantilly's little hiccup and is trying to get back at her by using you," Suzy announces crisply. "It's obvious."

"Yes, obvious," Lorena murmurs.

"Lorena," I say with impatience, "can you stop being Suzy's shadow?!"

Lorena stares at me with hurt eyes.

"We're only trying to be good friends to you, Zuria! That's all!" Suzy snaps.

"Well, I don't appreciate you insulting me!"

Suzy's eyes grow wide with an indignant glare. "We're _not_ insulting you!"

"I don't appreciate you telling me that Benjamin can't possibly prefer me to Chantilly!" I roar.

Suzy's face flushes. She knows she screwed up. "I was only trying to say that Benjamin must prefer Chantilly because they've been together for a while," she says quietly. Of course, she's trying to cover up her insult, but I'm not falling for it.

My eyes bore into hers. "Look, regardless of whether you think I'm good enough for Benjamin or not, he's now with me. Accept it!"

"But, Zuria—" Suzy starts to say, but I cut off her poison.

"But nothing! Either you accept me being with Benjamin or you don't."

"Don't you care that he could be using you to get back at Chantilly?" Suzy asks.

"He's not."

"How can you be so sure?" questions Suzy, her right hand on her hip.

"I'm sure," I declare.

"But, Zuria—"

"I'm with Benjamin," I state, between my teeth. "Do you accept it or not?"

"Would it matter if we don't?' announces Suzy.

"No," I reply firmly.

"You'd still go out with him even if it could mess up your best friends?" questions Suzy with a hurt voice.

"Mess you up?—what are you talking about?"

"Cheerleading," states Suzy matter-of-factly.

"Cheerleading?" I question incredulously.

"Get out of the bubble you're in, Zuria, and see what you're doing to those around you," Suzy grumbles.

"Stop talking in puzzles and say what you mean," I declare.

Suzy sighs with exasperation. "Chantilly knows we're best friends. Do you honestly think she's going to let us on the cheerleading squad when she finds out you're dating her boyfriend?"

So this is what it's been all about! About Suzy and Lorena getting chosen for cheerleaders. All the compassion for Chantilly had been for that ultimate purpose. I'm really disappointed with my friends.

"Benjamin isn't Chantilly's boyfriend anymore," I state. "He's mine."

"Why's he hiding you?" Suzy challenges.

"We had our reasons, but we're not hiding anymore," I announce. "Just watch us on Monday."

"But what about Chantilly and the cheerleading squad?" murmurs Lorena, finally speaking up. She had been staring at us like an audience watching a ping pong match.

"If she doesn't choose you just because I'm dating Benjamin then she'd be very wrong. Heck!—I'm not even the one trying out."

"You're being _very_ selfish, Zuria," blurts Suzy.

My eyebrows shoot up. "Excuse me?"

"You know how important it is for Lorena and me to get on the cheerleading squad. How could you do this to us?" she snaps.

"How about how important Benjamin is to _me_?—and that you're the ones being selfish by telling me to give him up?"

Suzy stares at me with surprise. She hadn't thought of that angle.

"Don't try to twist things," Suzy retorts.

My eyes bore into hers. "I'm not twisting things—you are."

"Well then, let me make everything very clear to you," she announces, "you need to pick between Benjamin and your best friends." Her eyes challenge me with flaming arrows smoldering in red heat.

### Chapter 24

"You're asking me to pick?!" I burst incredulously. "Really?"

"It's the only way to have you come to your senses," Suzy states matter-of-factly.

I'm furious at her for trying to manipulate me. She's not the friend I thought she was if she's asking such a thing of me. "If that's the way you want it then I pick Benjamin."

Her mouth flies wide open along with Lorena's. "You really pick Benjamin over us?!!" she questions with disbelief.

I don't like being put in a corner," I announce.

"I thought we were best friends but I was wrong about you," Suzy snaps. "You have no loyalty,"

"I could say the same of you," I return.

"I'm not going to stay anymore and listen to this," declares Suzy. "Let's go, Lorena. We'll go to my house and try to recover."

"Bye," I simply say.

As Suzy opens the door to my bedroom, she turns to me. "You'll live to regret this when Benjamin dumps you to go back to Chantilly."

"You'd like that wouldn't you?" I growl. "That's why we can't be friends anymore."

When the door shuts behind them, I rush to my bathroom. Splashing water on my face, I tell myself that I have to pull myself together. This whole situation has really thrown me off. I knew that things would get sticky with Suzy and Lorena when I told them about Benjamin, but I thought it would blow over. I certainly never expected them to make me choose.

As I step out of my bedroom, Benjamin is waiting outside the door. I'm so happy to see him that I fling myself into his arms. He hugs me tightly.

"Everything okay?" he asks.

I shake my head. Speaking is difficult with my throat constricting.

"I figured something was messed up when Suzy and Lorena flew downstairs and told me to get my head straight."

"They told you that?" I ask, finally able to loosen my throat enough to ask him.

"Yeah. I guess things didn't go well with you and them."

"No."

"That sucks."

"Benjamin," I murmur. I have to clear something up in my own head. "Did you know that Chantilly had cheated on you this summer with Gustavo Morales?"

"What?" he asks, surprised.

"Chantilly cheated on you with Gustavo," I murmur.

"I had no idea," he states, his face bewildered.

"Suzy and Lorena seem to think that you're getting back at Chantilly by going out with me," I blurt.

He frowns. "What do _you_ think, Zuria?" He takes in a breath.

I think you're with me because you want to be and not for anything else."

He smiles at me. "Thank you or not believing their crap—and for believing in me."

I smile back at him. I have no doubts whatsoever in my having chosen him over the two people who I had thought were my best friends. His tender kiss only serves to confirm the _rightness_ in my decision. Besides, his lips make me feel a lot, _a whole lot,_ better.

The next day is Sunday, and one more day till the bomb of my relationship with Benjamin explodes at school. I decide I need to pay my Aunt Letty a visit. This thing that happened with Suzy and Lorena has me really freaked out.

My favorite aunt listens carefully as I tell her the story of what happened yesterday. Her calm and attentive face gives no indication of what she's thinking.

"Do you think it was bad for me to choose my boyfriend over my best friends?" I ask.

"You're having doubts?"

I shake my head. "No, not really. I just don't want to be one of those girls who forgets everyone and everything around her because of a guy."

"This is a completely different situation."

I exhale deeply. "I thought so."

"You're not mistreating or ignoring your friends because of Benjamin."

"Of course not."

"I'd go as far as to say that your decision yesterday had actually very little to do with Benjamin, and I'm proud of you."

"Proud of me?"

She nods. "Suzy and Lorena were trying to manipulate you for their own purposes, and you stood your ground. Well done! There are a lot of people who would fold under such pressure."

"I don't like to be squeezed into a corner," I growl.

"Zuria, it's important to do the right thing even if you have to go up against a whole bunch of people."

"I'll remember that when I'm in school tomorrow."

"And don't cave in to Suzy and Lorena."

"We were best friends for such a long time."

"Yeah, but when they gave you that ultimatum, they stopped being your friends."

I nod solemnly. "That's how it felt when they were telling me to choose between Benjamin and them."

"Let me tell you something I want you to always to remember."

"Tell me," I say anxiously. Her advice is always awesome and never the _hit-you-over-the-head_ kind.

"You're on your very own team—team Zuria. It's your space—your place in the world. Even though you're an individual in it, you're also responsible for others. Because this is _your_ team, you decide who plays on it. You decide if your teammates are playing fair, or if they're just out for themselves. You have a right to bounce anybody off because it's _your_ team. If someone on it is playing against you, you have the right and responsibility to yourself to show them the door. _Off the team!_ Even though you're sometimes forced to play in games you don't want to play, your space is yours and you don't have to let anyone in your thoughts or your self-esteem. Life is too short to be around those who damage us. Letting go of bad situations, harmful advice, revenge fantasies, and insecurities are some of the hardest lessons you'll ever have to learn. Having said this, don't do away with those persons trying to help you by telling you the truth. Don't just have _yes_ people on your team, or it's as bad as having instigators on it. Learn to tell the difference between those who love you and want to help and those who are envious and want to do you damage. Love yourself enough to know the difference. Love will deaden the impulse to pull others to your insecurities. It'll lift others to the love you feel for yourself and spread like wildfire. Then you'll reach _real_ happiness."

_Wow!_ My Aunt Letty sure knows her stuff.

### Chapter 25

Benjamin and I decide to carpool to school. There's no use taking two cars when we live next door to each other and want to be together. We flip a coin, and I win the toss with a heads up, so I'll drive us to school the first week.

"Nervous?" he asks as we're nearing school.

"Aren't you?"

"No."

I quickly glance at him from the driver's seat. He certainly looks calm and carefree.

"I just hate the idea of people gossiping about us," I state.

"It's really nobody's business that we're together," he declares.

I sigh. "I know." After that talk yesterday with my Aunt Letty, I have it pretty straight about _my_ team and if the audience in the bleachers doesn't want to cheer me on then so be it. I'm playing _my_ game the best I can.

When we arrive at school and step out of my car, Benjamin holds my hand as if to connect us. And...well...the reaction is unfortunately predictable. You know that part in _Twilight_ when Bella and Edward just start dating and arrive to school with everyone staring at them? That's pretty much the same scenario with Benjamin and me. Mouths are dropping all over the place. Gasps are reverberating in the air. Disbelief grinds into the atmosphere.

Suzy and Lorena are already at school and roll their eyes when they see us. Suzy grimaces as she glares at us. _Off the team_ — _my team,_ I grumble to myself, and then I glare back at her to show her she doesn't intimidate me. She quickly shifts her eyes. Apparently, _I_ intimidate _her_.

As our first class comes up, Benjamin and I have to separate but agree to meet up for lunch. During my first period, whispers abound all around me but no one is brave enough to come up to me and ask about Benjamin. I have both Suzy and Lorena for second period World History. They keep pointing their fingers at me and whispering to one another. Finally, I have enough.

"If you want to say something to me then say it in front of my face," I growl when the teacher leaves the room for a few moments.

"We don't talk to traitors," states Suzy.

"No, we don't," Lorena chimes in.

"You're the traitors," I state, glaring at them. My sight bores into them with fierce arrows.

They shift their eyes and shut up. During the rest of the period, I occasionally throw ugly glances at them, and they continue to behave. I hate having to resort to such things, but I'm not going to sit the whole hour with them bullying me.

Lunch finally arrives and I'm immensely relieved to see a smiling Benjamin and a friendly Peebo. We pick our food, hamburgers, and sit at a round table by ourselves. It's irritating how everybody's eyes seem to be on us, but Benjamin does a great job of ignoring them and giving me his full attention.

"You've got to be _kidding_!" snaps Chantilly, who had surprised us by walking up to us. "Is _this_ who you replaced me with?!" She twists her face at me. The whole cafeteria turns graveyard quiet. There are no teachers or adults anywhere in sight. Just students.

Benjamin furiously glares at her. "Don't even go there, Chantilly," he warns, growling.

"Really, Benjamin! You could've at least replaced me with someone worth it. Even Daniela Lopez would've been better than this dweeb."

Furious, I'm about to stand up when Benjamin puts his hand on my shoulder as if to tell me to let him handle this. He pushes to his feet to face her eye to eye even though he's much taller than her. "Really, Chantilly," he says, imitating her nasal voice, "having to insult someone just because they make you feel insecure is way beneath you."

"Way beneath you," chortles Peebo.

Chantilly turns bright red. "She doesn't—"

"Of course she does!" Benjamin snaps. "Zuria is much smarter and prettier than you. Of course you're freaked out!"

Her face is crestfallen. Jeers towards her from students who've always hated her superior attitude reverberate from the walls. "I'm not—" she starts.

"Zuria is the whole package," sniffs Peebo, "unlike you. I've never liked you and have always wondered what my friend was doing with you. I'm glad he's come to his senses."

I never knew that Peebo didn't care for Chantilly. But in a way, it makes sense. Come to think of it, he never sat with them during lunch the way he sits with Benjamin and me.

"I never liked you either!" snaps Chantilly.

"Awwww," Peebo ridicules sarcastically, "that hurts my feelings."

She glares at him. "You geek!"

"It's better to be a geek than a cold hearted witch like you," Peebo states matter-of-factly.

It's obvious that Chantilly doesn't know how to handle him, so she turns back to Benjamin. "Leaving me is the worst mistake you've ever made."

Benjamin rolls his eyes. "Chantilly, why don't you stop while you have a tiny bit of dignity left? You're embarrassing yourself," he mumbles.

"You're the one embarrassing _yourself_ going out with this _thing_ here," she retorts, pointing at me. It's hard to keep quiet but Benjamin keeps his hand on my arm, silently telling me to please let him handle this.

His eyes sit on Chantilly with disgust. "I was embarrassing myself going out with _you,"_ he snaps.

"Yeah, you were," Peebo snickers.

"But I've come to my senses like Peebo said."

Peebo nods. "Yeah, you have,"

Chantilly shakes her head. "What do you see in her?" she questions with a whiny voice.

"For your information, Zuria is a much better girlfriend than you would ever dream of being," Benjamin declares. "She'd never cheat on me with another guy,"

"Had a good time with Gustavo Morales this summer, Chantilly?" asks Peebo.

Guffaws sound throughout the cafeteria. Many students are ridiculing Chantilly.

"Cheater Chantilly! Cheater Chantilly!" starts resonating throughout the room..

Chantilly stares around her with horror in her eyes. She's not used to being the butt of jokes.

"Leave Zuria and me alone, Chantilly," demands Benjamin. "You've got Gustavo."

Chantilly rushes out of the cafeteria, leaving her tray of food intact on the table with her friends. Benjamin sits down again and smiles at me as if to tell me that everything's going to be all right. The cafeteria soon starts buzzing again.

"Have the two of you done your Social Studies project yet?" asks Peebo. I'm so grateful for the change in subject.

It's evening. I'm in my bedroom breathing deep breaths of relief at having gotten through the day. I check my Facebook.

Eeeeeek! _OMG!_ The cyberbullying begins.

Chapter 26

You're ugly, fat, and ridiculous.

What makes you think you're good enough for Benjamin?

He just feels sorry for you.

Ha, ha! All the school is laughing at you!

You're ugly, ugly, ugly!

Ha! Ha!

You're ridiculous like a clown!

You'll pay for everything you've done!

Benjamin is only using you!

How stupid can you be?

Stupid, stupid, stupid!

UGLY!

MEGA-UGLY!

These horrible anonymous messages come at me on my Facebook and are texted to my phone. Whoever is doing it doesn't have the guts to put their name on it. I'm furious of course and if they think they can intimidate me just like that, they've got another thing coming.

I decide not to tell anybody and ignore it. But the following days, the messages keep coming steadily. I'm starting to feel paranoid as I ask myself who is sending them. I'm fairly sure it's Chantilly but what if more people are involved?

I start wondering about laughing students as I pass them in the hallways. Are they laughing at me? I know that Chantilly and her friends are, but is everyone else too? Benjamin starts noticing something strange in my behavior.

"What's wrong?" he asks.

I shake my head. "Nothing," I mumble.

He eyes me carefully. "If Chantilly is being a jerk don't let her bother you."

"Okay."

But it all starts to get to me. School becomes a torture with me wondering who's doing this to me. I get rid of my Facebook account, feeling much better when I do. I also convince my parents to let me change my cell number. They wonder why, but I still don't tell them the real reason. I'm embarrassed about what's happening to me. I give my parents a lame excuse, telling them I need to change the number because people keep calling it by mistake, that a store must be using a similar number. I'm just thrilled they buy it.

Feeling as if a load is off of me, I tell Benjamin to please not give the new number to anybody. He eyes me suspiciously.

"What's going on, Zuri?" he questions, worried.

"Everything's fine, Benjamin. Now it is."

His face is exasperated. "Why won't you talk to me?"

"Don't worry, Benjamin. Everything's okay."

I still refuse to tell him about the cyberbullying. Why go into it if I just solved it? But how naïve I am because everything's fine for only a few days. Then it happens! Students laugh at me, and I'm certain I'm not being just paranoid. They're pointing at me and chortling. They're loud sneers reverberate from the walls.

They call me _ugloid monster_.

Ugloid Monster!!!

Of course, students don't call me that name when I'm with Benjamin. They aren't brave enough to face his six feet presence. My stomach starts hurting viciously. I don't know how to handle this.

I find out by accident while I'm passing by some girls that don't see me by them that there is a website dedicated to degrading me. It's called the _Ugloid Monster_ website. When I check it, I freak out. It has a picture of me that someone took with their phone, and has arrows all around it with the ugliest words like fat b****, stupid whore, fu-ugly, and other very degrading things.

I'm absolutely furious. At this point, I'm more on fire than embarrassed! I realize that I can't handle what's happening to me alone. I have to do something, and I have to get other people involved. School has become too tortuous for me, and I'm not going to let the bullies win!

My inner warrior great grandmother and Katniss Everdeen are in full swing!

I put together a website using the _Ugloid Monster Speaks_ heading and tag. At the top, I type in huge red letters: _It's easy to insult someone in the dark! SHOW YOUR FACE, YOU COWARDLY BULLY!_ Then I put a silhouette of a sneaky figure that looks slimy and silly.

Underneath it I write, _NO GUTS! Just stupidity and more cowardice than brains._

From: The Ugloid Monster who has the guts not to hide.

Some of the girls who were previously laughing at me give me a thumbs up as I pass by their lockers. "Good web, Zuria," they say.

During World History, I go deep within myself to figure out how to best handle the situation. All I know is that I'm not going to put my face down in shame because some jerk is ridiculing me. _I'M NOT!_ _That person isn't getting the best of me,_ I tell myself.

When Mr. Greydog steps out of the classroom, the class comes alive. The students seem to want to talk to me about my new website.

"I'm glad you put it up," says one student.

"Yeah," says another student.

"Being bullied really sucks," states a boy from the back of the class.

"Zuria asked for it," states Suzy. The whole class grows quiet.

"How can someone ask to be bullied?" I question, spikes in my voice.

"You shouldn't be going out with Benjamin and making a fool out of yourself," Suzy snickers. "He's Chantilly's man."

Lately, I had noticed she's been hanging around Chantilly a lot. She had made the cheerleading squad. Unfortunately, Lorena hadn't. Lorena hangs out with them but looks like a third wheel and uncomfortable most of the time.

My eyes bore into hers. "How can he be Chantilly's man if he wants to be with me and not her? Everyone heard what he said in the cafeteria the other day, right?"

Noises of agreement fill the room.

"He's having a mental breakdown or something," she snaps.

"Really?" I retort sarcastically. "That's original! How convenient for you to make something like that up!"

Snickers echo through the classroom.

Suzy looks around with horror. She's being laughed at. "That website is right! You're an ugloid monster!" she hurls at me.

Lorena pushes to her feet from her chair. "I've had _ENOUGH_ of this! Stop insulting Zuria."

No one is more surprised than I am that she's defending me.

"Lorena, sit down," demands Suzy.

"Stop telling me what to do," Lorena growls.

"Lorena—" starts Suzy with a warning tone.

"It's time the truth comes out," Lorena snarls.

"Lorena, shut up!" demands Suzy, a nervous timbre in her voice.

"Why don't you stop being a coward, Suzy?!"

" _SHUT UP_!" Suzy blurts, her voice shakier than ever.

Lorena's disgusted eyes bore into Suzy. "Zuria, Suzy is the one who was harassing you on your Facebook and phone and put up the ugloid monster website."

Chapter 27

I'm completely freaked out.

"Don't listen to her," Suzy cries. "She's demented."

"First you say that Benjamin is demented," states Lorena, "Now you say it's me. Do you really think people believe your lies?"

"You'll never be my friend again," Suzy snaps.

"I'm sick and tired of being your _friend._ "

Suzy's eyes widen. "Lorena—"

"You're a snake and a coward!" announces Lorena. "Look at what you did to Zuria after all three of us were friends for so long!"

"Yeah!" I blurt, getting out of my surprised stupor. I really didn't expect Suzy to be the one to do this to me. "What you did to me really sucks after we had been best friends."

"And you didn't even have the guts to put your name on the bullying!" retorts Lorena. "You won't even do it now that I've forced you out of hiding."

"I wasn't hiding," she rushes, her voice small.

Sarcastic guffaws sound throughout the room.

"Zuria," Lorena says quietly, "I hope you know I didn't have anything to do with it. In fact, I refused to participate in it with Chantilly and Suzy. That's why Suzy got in the cheerleading squad and I didn't."

Gasps reverberate from the classroom.

"I hope being a cheerleader was worth selling out your friend, Suzy," Lorena retorts.

But Suzy doesn't get a chance to respond. The door opens, and Mr. Greydog steps in. The classroom normalizes again. Suzy looks enormously relieved. I glare at her. She avoids my stare, but I know she's aware of it because her cheek twitches.

After the explosive day at school, I decide to talk to my Aunt Letty about it to give me perspective on everything. I'm still freaked out about my former best friend being capable of such horrible cruelty.

When had the Suzy I knew died and this monstrous creature emerged?

What's the price of a soul these days?

Had she felt even a little remorse at what she was doing to me?

My favorite aunt is happy to see me. I had been distancing myself even from her when this whole cyberbullying nightmare had begun for fear that she would guess what was happening to me. The entire ugly story comes tumbling out of my mouth without brakes. It feels so good to be telling someone about it after I had kept it such a secret. I hadn't realized that it had started rotting inside of me.

She listens carefully, but her face betrays her feelings. She's pissed—totally furious at what I'm telling her. After I finish, she grabs my arm and pushes herself and me to our feet from the sofa.

"We're talking to your parents about this _right now_!" she snaps.

"But, Aunt Letty—"

"Don't _but_ me. I don't know why you kept this to yourself so long, young lady! We're doing something about it _now._ "

I have no choice but to do what she says. She gets in my car, and I drive us to my house. She mutters unintelligible words the entire way. I knew that she'd be upset about the bullying, but I didn't think she'd be this furious.

We arrive at my house, and I take a breath. I don't know what's going to happen, but I know that my parents aren't going to take the bullying well. They're overprotective. Aunt Letty storms in the door. The twins and my parents are in the living room watching TV.

"You two," Aunt Letty says, pointing at my sisters, "Out!"

"What?" they ask in unison.

"I have not patience to deal with you right now. Go to your rooms."

I'm relieved. No telling what the _terrible thirteen_ girls are going to say when they find out I've been cyberbullied. Carina and Casandra make faces but leave the room.

"What's this about?" my mother questions, worried.

"Is everything okay?" my father asks me.

"No!" Aunt Letty answers for me. She goes on to tell the story I had just told her. My parents' expressions turn to horror and disgust. When she finishes, my mother rushes to me and throws her arms around me.

"Why didn't you tell us?" she asks, her voice very upset.

"I wanted to see if I could handle it on my own," I explain.

My dad rushes to us and throws his arms around my mom and me. "I wish you had told us, Zuria."

I've got to admit I'm relieved that my parents took the bullying seriously. I had heard of parents taking it as harmless child's play.

Aunt Letty and my parents decide on a strategy while I just listen. They call the Quintanillas, thank goodness Benjamin is with Peebo, and Lorena to come over to the house. From here all of us go to Suzy's house. She looks really freaked out when all of us show up, and my parents demand to speak to her mom and dad. My parents don't hesitate to tell the Smiths about the cyberbullying in full detail.

"This story is ridiculous," states Mr. Smith. "My daughter would never do something like that."

"Of course I wouldn't," blurts Suzy nervously.

"She did," Lorena speaks up with a firm voice. "Check her computer. You'll see."

"You'll find the horrible person she's been to me," I state.

"I'm not putting up with this in my own house," retorts Mr. Smith.

"Ignore it now, Ted," Ms. Quintanilla snaps, "and we'll see you in court."

"For what?" he snorts, "for some girls having a little fight?"

"Believe me, we'll _find_ a reason to take your daughter to court," Mr. Quintanilla menaces.

Mr. Smith eyes him with fear. Everyone in the neighborhood knows that the Quintanillas are brilliant lawyers.

"Wait a minute," he grumbles, "why are we getting involved in a little catfight between girls?"

Aunt Letty wants to explode. Her face is completely enraged. "This isn't a _little catfight_ as you call it. Your daughter has been cyberbullying my niece, and she doesn't even have the guts to admit it!"

"I'm sure it's not as serious as you say it is," Mr. Smith guffaws.

"Yes, it is!" snaps my mother.

"Besides, I believe my daughter when she says she didn't do it," he states.

"Well, I have my doubts!" Mrs. Smith speaks up angrily. "Suzy, you may lie to your father but not to me. Did you do this?!"

### Chapter 28

"Mom," Suzy says nervously, "maybe I wrote a little thing or two about her on Facebook but that's all."

"You see, Linda, nothing serious," Mr. Smith states.

"A little thing or two?" I blurt sarcastically.

"Give me a break, Suzy!" Lorena chimes in. "You may lie to everyone here, but I was there, remember? I witnessed all the poison you wrote about her! If you want to close your eyes to your daughter's cruelty, Mr. Smith, then that's your business. _But_ I'll testify in court if I have to about what I saw."

Mrs. Smith steps up to her daughter and eyes her as if dissecting her. "You've been acting strange for a while. Every time I go to your room, you change the screen. You _look_ guilty. You've been hanging out with that Chantilly girl. I don't like her at all. You two speak in whispers. Something's up!"

"Linda—" Mr. Smith starts to say before he's interrupted by Mrs. Smith.

"Don't defend bullying!" Mrs. Smith snaps. "I'm _not_ going to do it even when it comes from my own daughter. I know how it feels! I was bullied in school. You were too, Ted. Don't you remember how awful it felt?"

Mr. Smith hangs his head.

"Please forgive what my daughter has done," Mrs. Smith murmurs.

"Mom—"

"Apologize to Zuria, Suzy! Apologize _now!_ "

"I really don't want a forced apology," I interject.

"I understand, Zuria," Mrs. Smith states gently. "I hope you know how embarrassed and mortified I am over this whole thing. I should've acted on my suspicions earlier. I'm so sorry. I hope you accept _my_ apology."

I nod. "I accept it."

Back at my house, I thank the Quintanillas and Lorena for having joined us. The Quintanillas leave telling my parents and me to call them if they can help with anything. Lorena wants to speak to me in the privacy of my bedroom.

"Zuria, I'm so sorry," she murmurs.

'Don't be sorry about something you didn't do," I say.

"I should've stopped it before it got this far."

"At least you stopped it now," I state.

Lorena sighs. "I'm also sorry for having chosen Suzy over you. What a stupid choice I made."

"We can be friends again," I inform her.

Her eyes light up. "Really?'

"Of course."

She throws her arms around me. "I've missed you, my friend."

"So have I."

When she leaves with both of us grinning from ear to ear at having our special friendship back, my Aunt Letty also asks to speak to me in private. We sit on lawn chairs in the backyard. It's dark out, but the flood lighting is on.

"You've got a big decision to make, young lady," Aunt Letty announces.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean with this cyberbullying business," she states matter-of-factly.

I look at her, puzzled. "Everything's okay now."

"Is it?" she questions with a slightly chiding tone.

"I'm sure that the cyberbullying towards me is over now that everything is out in the open."

"What about what's happening to other students?" she asks, her eyes steadily on me.

I'm struck speechless. I don't know what she's getting at.

"You can help them," she announces.

"I can?"

"You can put a face and a limelight on cyberbullying in your school. I know that you'd love nothing better than to forget this whole episode, but then you wouldn't be my favorite niece—the one I admire the most."

"What can I do?" I ask.

"Do the right thing. This is what's wrong with the world. Too many people knowing what the right thing is and doing nothing—letting the bullies thrive."

"I can't let that happen," I blurt.

She smiles at me. "This world is a mess," she mutters. "A big mess, and it's largely, if not all, due to ugly words. When I was a kid we used to have this rhyme, ' _Sticks and stones can break my bones but words can never hurt me.'_ It was actually a lie because words can hurt a lot. They hurt so much that wars are happening because of them."

"Wars?"

"Wars, explosions, and horrifying abuses."

"Gee, Aunt Letty, I never thought about the power of words."

"Words are the most powerful thing we have on earth. Yes, more powerful than weapons, more powerful than gold, and much more powerful than money."

"Really?" I ask, surprised.

"Yes. Words are everything to human beings. Unfortunately, we often use them to destroy one another instead of to build bridges to each other."

"That's a shame."

"You can help from your little corner of the world."

"Tell me how to help," I state.

"Cyberbullying is an epidemic. There was bullying in my day, but with technology, it's taken a whole new disgusting direction. One that's much bigger. All over the world, kids are being beaten to the ground with it. Some even commit suicide. What a shame that a valuable human life gets rubbed out like that because of cruelty. One of those lives could even be the one that comes up with the cure for cancer, diabetes, or other sicknesses."

"It's so sad for someone to take their lives because of cyberbullying."

"What we can do, especially with your help, is talk to your principal. Your parents will be with us, of course, and we can get the school to do its part to get rid of bullying."

"Count me in," I state.

She smiles again. "Good."

"I'll do whatever it takes to stop bullying at my school," I murmur.

"I'm proud of you, Zuria."

"Hi," a voice sounds from behind us.

It's Benjamin.

### Chapter 29

I guess Benjamin's parents already told him about what happened tonight. I was going to call him, so I could be the one to tell him, but I hadn't had a chance to with both Lorena and my Aunt Letty needing to speak to me.

"Hello, Benjamin," Aunt Letty greets, her head turning to him. Then she turns back to me. "I'll go talk to your parents about what we were just talking about," she says, pushing to her feet.

"Hi, Benjamin," I murmur as he sits next to me.

He sighs. "Why didn't you tell me?" he questions, his eyes on me.

I don't know where to begin. "I...I..."

"I thought we trusted each other," he continues, traces of hurt in his voice. "Was I wrong?"

"We _do_ trust each other," I rush.

His hazel eyes are leveled on me. "Then why didn't you trust me with what was happening to you?"

"I was scared?"

His expression turns puzzled. "Scared of what?"

"Scared that all those ugly things being said about me would somehow get you to see me differently," rushes out of my mouth.

He gasps in frustration. "That's pretty silly, Zuri."

"If you had seen all the horrible stuff—"

"I saw it," he states.

"What?"

"My parents made a copy of it before the Smiths had Suzy took the website down. They wanted to keep it as evidence in case you'd need it. I saw it."

I'm devastated. "I wish you wouldn't have."

"Why not?" he asks gently.

"It's embarrassing."

He snorts furiously. "It shouldn't be embarrassing to you! It's embarrassing for Suzy and Chantilly!"

"I know but still..."

"Still nothing! Are we in this relationship together or not?"

"Of course we are."

"Then we're in it in good and bad, okay?" he challenges me.

I nod.

"Don't keep stuff from me. I don't like to get the news that someone's hurting you from my parents. I should get it from you."

Putting my arms around him, I squeeze tightly. The kiss he gives me makes the whole strange day today seem far away. What an awesome boyfriend I have.

In the morning before Benjamin picks me up—it's his turn to drive us to school—the twins come up to me with strange expressions on their faces. Uh-oh!

"So, you were being cyberbullied," states Casandra.

"Yep," I answer, getting my defenses up.

"That really stinks," blurts Carina.

My eyebrows shoot up. Had she really said that?

"If you need our help just tell us, big sister," offers Casandra.

My surprise is growing by the minute.

"Really?" I ask.

"We can bully you—we're your sisters," announces Carina, "but no one else better do it!"

"No! No one else better make fun of you," blurts Casandra.

I'm touched beyond words. When Benjamin picks me up, I find myself in a very good mood. Even though I'm a little apprehensive about what's going to happen today with Suzy's and Chantilly's covers blasted wide open, I still feel great. My sisters demonstrated they actually care for me, one of my best friends has returned, and my boyfriend has demonstrated he's with me through thick and thin. Along the way, I may be able to help with bully awareness at my school.

During World History, Suzy seems completely subdued. She barely makes a peep, trying to melt into the walls. Even the beige clothes she's wearing is nondescript and boring. It's as if she doesn't want to be noticed.

Lorena is the total opposite. She's chatty and smiley. She keeps telling me how thrilled she is to be my friend again. The feeling is mutual.

At lunch, I invite Lorena to sit with Benjamin, Peebo, and myself. Suzy sits with Chantilly. They're left alone at their table. It's as if no one wants to be associated with them.

Suddenly, Benjamin pushes to his feet where he's sitting next to me. He strides over to Suzy's table. I take in a breath. I have absolutely no idea what he's going to do. There are no adults in the room, so the sky is the limit. Suzy looks at him with bewilderment while Chantilly's lips upturn in a hopeful gesture.

"So, you two were messing with my girlfriend," he retorts.

The ghost of a smile vanishes from Chantilly's lips. The whole cafeteria grows silent.

His eyes dart to the whole room. "Just so everyone in here knows—you mess with my girlfriend and you mess with me! I may not be a basketball player anymore, but I have a gym at my house that I use every day!"

"No one wants to get on your bad side, Benjamin," a boy's voice reverberates through the cafeteria.

"Good, because I'm tired of all of you in my business. How would you like it if someone was trying to tell you what to do or who to date?"

"We'd hate it," another boy announces.

"This summer I went to a very poor place in Mexico. I saw stuff that will haunt me for the rest of my life. There were teenagers my age and even younger trying to do what they could to help support their families—to do what we're doing now—stuffing our faces. We take food for granted. We take our toys for granted. We take everything that makes us lucky for granted. After what I saw, it seems pretty ridiculous to me that _we_ spend our time being mean to each other," he snickers, looking straight at Suzy and Chantilly, their eyes downcast. " _We_ spend our time doing meaningless crap! Watching meaningless videos. Stuffing our stomachs. Finding ways to be superior to others. I don't know about you, but I'm off that idiotic game. If you have time to post vicious stuff about someone else over the internet, then you have too much time on your hands. You should use it to do something good," he retorts, glaring at Suzy and Chantilly. He steps over to me. When he doesn't sit down, I wonder what he's going to do. His head bends down and he smooches my mouth loudly. " _Don't_ mess with my girl," he announces.

A light applause starts reverberating from the walls. Then it gets stronger and stronger until it gets deafening. I smile at my boyfriend. During all those lonely years of being in love with him, I hadn't even begun to imagine the extent of how great being with him would be.

Chapter 30

My parents, my Aunt Letty, and I meet with Principal Hernandez. She listens intently. Aunt Letty talks to her about the effects of cyberbullying at a school. Fear, self-esteem issues, frustration, desperation, thoughts of suicide. If students don't feel safe in their environments then it's much harder for them to learn. She tells the principal that unfortunately many schools don't take it seriously enough, thinking being bullied is a natural part of growing up.

"It's not!" Aunt Letty emphasizes.

Principal Hernandez says she'll take immediate action. She meets with Lorena who tells her how everything happened. Then she meets with Suzy and Chantilly _and_ their parents. It's decided by the principal and the parents that it's best that Suzy and Chantilly resign from the cheerleading squad since students are upset with the way Suzy was allegedly chosen for it.

Suzy and Chantilly are humiliated with having had to quit being cheerleaders and with their cyberbullying out in the open. Their parents decide it's best to pull them out of _Tierra_ High and place them in private school. Suzy's mother wants to be certain that her daughter doesn't hang out with Chantilly anymore, so she makes sure it isn't the same private school.

Meanwhile, in our high school, much is happening. Police officers come to our classrooms and talk about cyberstalking and bullying. The principal holds a general meeting to inform us that there will be zero tolerance for cruel behavior. Special meetings are held with teachers and school employees to talk about identifying different types of bullying.

Students start walking up to me and thanking me for having started this open discussion and movement towards bully prevention. I hadn't been aware that this issue was affecting so many.

My Aunt Letty was right about the importance of doing something about this issue. Right as usual.

### Chapter 31

Benjamin wants to speak to me in private. We agree to meet in my backyard. I'm a little worried at his solemn tone. Yesterday, I kind of had a fit. I know—it's stupid to still be upset over Chantilly, but she's still texting and calling him. She's at another school, but she refuses to give up.

Benjamin had had to admit it to me when I accidentally saw one of her texts come in. He told me that he doesn't even read them but just erases them. He hadn't considered them important, so he hadn't told me about them.

I had a mini-hissy fit then. I told him that he had been upset with me with the cyberbullying thing because I hadn't been transparent, and he was doing the same to me. He apologized and told me that Chantilly had been calling him and begging to come back to his life.

"I don't know why she's embarrassing herself like that," he had sighed.

"I know why," I murmured. Benjamin is incredibly special and she's having a hard time letting go, but the smart thing for her to do is move on. I mean, she's the one who cheated on him in the first place.

As I sit in my backyard waiting for Benjamin, I wonder what he wants to tell me. He sounded very serious at school today. And quiet. When he steps over to me and sits down next to me on the bench of the picnic table, I feel better because he automatically smooches my mouth.

"So what's going on?" I ask him, my voice thick with curiosity.

He smiles. "I changed my cell number."

I return his smile. "Great!"

"I told Chantilly to stop calling me. I admit that I was feeling sorry for her and taking her calls, but I'm not going to do it anymore. I've also changed my email account."

"Thank you, Benjamin."

"There's also something else I want to talk to you about."

"What is it?" I question.

"Zuri, I feel we haven't had that much _quality_ time together."

I eye him with bewilderment. "What do you mean?"

"We've been together a lot, but we seem to always be dealing with problems."

I nod. "True."

"We've either been dealing with our secret relationship—how our families would react to it and how our school would take it—and then the cyberbullying. Oh, and there's this thing with Chantilly still not accepting my break up with her. You and I have been dealing with a lot."

"Yeah, a lot," I sigh.

"How about we concentrate on _us_ for a while."

I like the sound of that. "How do we do that?"

"Let's go out Friday night on a date with just the two of us and leaving all the crap behind. How about it, Zuri?"

I grin. "It sounds great," I murmur, looking deep into his hazel eyes. It would be Friday in just a few days, and we'll be able to have an awesome evening together without having to think about school the next day.

During lunch at school, Benjamin and I decide that on Friday we'll have dinner at a Mexican restaurant that we've never been to before and then go to Scenic Drive. It'll be a very romantic date. Scenic Drive overlooks El Paso and its Mexican twin city of Juarez. I haven't been there for ages and am looking forward to it.

Lorena and Peebo say our plans sound pretty special. They're getting along amazingly well. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if they start dating. That would be awesome because I adore both of them.

After we finish eating, Benjamin has to speak to one of his teachers. This leaves Lorena, Peebo, and I hanging out for the remainder of the lunch hour. We are seated outside on a concrete bench in front of a concrete picnic table.

"I'm glad to have this chance to talk to you, Zuria," Peebo says.

My eyebrows lift with curiosity. "Oh?"

"Yeah."

"But we talk all the time," I state.

"I want to say some stuff without Benjamin being here."

Both Lorena and I look at him in surprise.

"Don't worry," Peebo rushes, "It's nothing bad."

"Okay," I say, bubbling with curiosity at what he wants to tell me.

"Should I leave?" asks Lorena.

"No, of course not," states Peebo. "I want you here."

Lorena smiles at him. There's definitely some kind of vibe going on between them.

His dark eyes shift back to me. "Zuria, I've been wanting to tell you for a while that I really appreciate how happy you're making my good _paisano._ "

I'm moved beyond words that he would thank me for such a thing.

"Benjamin used to be so miserable," Peebo continues.

"He was?" I ask.

"He didn't want to play basketball anymore, but he did it for his dad."

I nod. "I know."

"And about Chantilly," he groans, rolling his eyes. "The only reason he started going out with her was to see if he could get over you."

"Really?" I blurt. Benjamin had already told me this, but it's still great to hear it from someone else.

"It's totally true. I told him he was crazy for getting involved with her."

"You told Benjamin that?" questions Lorena, her full focus on Peebo.

"Of course I did. I could never stand her. She's such a snob."

"What did Benjamin say?" I ask.

"By the time he realized I was right, peer pressure wouldn't let him break up with her."

"Unfortunately, everyone wanted them together," mutters Lorena, a guilty tone to her voice.

"Zuria, he never loved her at all—not like he loves you. He actually did try to break up with her several times, but then she'd freak out, and he'd succumb to her and peer pressure. I guess that's why she keeps trying with him—it worked before. _But_ _before_ he didn't have you _and_ he hadn't gone on his summer journey yet."

"That trip with his parents to help the poor in Mexico really turned him around," I state.

"Boy, did it ever," blurts Peebo.

"Thank you for telling me all this, Peebo," I say.

"Yes, Peebo, you're awesome," Lorena gushes. "Benjamin is lucky to have you as a friend.

"I'm lucky to have him as one," states Peebo with a grin.

### Chapter 32

When Benjamin returns from talking to his teacher, Peebo asks to speak to Lorena alone. I'm really excited. I think he's going to ask her out! Imagine!—my best friend hooking up with Benjamin's best friend! It doesn't get any better than that.

"Think he's going to ask her out?' I ask Benjamin once we leave them by themselves.

Benjamin grins. "Yeah!"

When Benjamin and I go to Social Studies, Peebo is already there. He's all smiles. I get a text message from Lorena before the bell rings.

Peebo N I R going out tonite!!!

I'm so happy for my friend.

It's about nine o'clock at night when Lorena calls me. Her voice sounds very upset, and I try to calm her down.

"It was a horrible date!" she blurts. "Just horrible."

"Why?"

"I don't want to explain over the phone," she states, her voice shaky as if she's been sobbing.

"You want me to come over?"

"It's late right now, but would you call your Crazy Aunt Letty and ask her to meet with Peebo and me tomorrow? You and Benjamin should be there too—you know for moral support."

"Of course I'll call my Aunt Letty, and Benjamin and I will be there too."

"Thanks, you're a true friend."

After I hang up, I call my aunt. She says she'll be happy to meet with us. I text Lorena that everything's been set up. I call Benjamin. He had a similar phone call from Peebo and is also in the dark about what could've happened on their date.

The next day at school, Lorena and Peebo are very unlike themselves. They're withdrawn and a little spacey. They won't say a word about their date. I'm getting more and more worried. I just can't imagine what could've happened that left them like this.

When school is finally over, I ask Benjamin to drop me off at my aunt's house. Even though Lorena, Peebo, Benjamin and I are set to meet in an hour, I want to talk to her first.

"Something's really wrong with Peebo and Lorena," I blurt.

"We'll find out what's happening with them shortly," she states with certainty. "Is there something else you want to talk to me about?"

The woman can read my mind.

"I want to thank you for convincing me to go public with the cyberbullying."

She smiles at me. "I had no doubt that you'd do the right thing."

"Aunt Letty, you should see how things are at school now. The atmosphere is a lot better. _And_ every day at least one student will come up to me and thank me."

"You see what a difference you can make when you do the right thing?"

"I used to think that only people like Cesar Chavez, Martin Luther King, or Gandhi could make a difference. Ordinary people can make a difference too!"

"Of course they can!" Aunt Letty states. "That's where greatness comes from—the ordinary becoming extraordinary!"

"People working together is quite an amazing thing. I mean, look at how many people got involved with the anti-bullying campaign including yourself, Aunt Letty."

"It only takes a spark," she asserts.

By the time Lorena and Peebo arrive, I've finished my own private conversation with my favorite aunt. Benjamin calls saying that he's going to be late, to start without him, but Peebo wants to wait for him. My aunt offers us appetizers while we wait. Mrs. Balderrama had brought chicken wings earlier. My aunt is tutoring her, so she can get her GED. The wings are very spicy and delicious, but I notice that Lorena and Peebo hardly touch them. Both are withdrawn and speak only short words. Whatever went wrong on their date must've been pretty awful.

Finally Peebo blurts, "Crazy Aunt Letty, you've been around the world, right?"

My aunt eyes him with curiosity. "Yes, right."

"You must've seen a lot of things."

"I did," she murmurs as if she's wondering what he's getting at.

"You must've seen people treat one another very badly."

"Unfortunately, yes," she sighs. "Peebo, why all these questions?"

"Why are people like that?" blurts Lorena.

"It's for a number of reasons," states my aunt, dissecting Lorena and Peebo with her eyes.

Benjamin arrives. He apologizes but his dad really needed him to deliver a brief. Peebo tells him not to worry about it and that we had waited for him to start the conversation.

"Let me start by saying that our date started off very well," Peebo informs us.

"Very well," agrees Lorena.

I stopped by her house and spoke to her parents a bit before we left for our date," he says. "They're really nice people. I told them how great their daughter was, and they told me they appreciated me saying it."

Lorena smiles. "Then Peebo and I left my house."

"Because it was a school night, we couldn't do a lot. We decided to have dinner somewhere. We went to a fancy steak restaurant."

"We heard the food there was really good," says Lorena.

"Everything was great at first. The gourmet food on the menu sounded delicious, and the service was great."

Lorena nods. "The chips and salsa we were given before our entrées were out of this world!"

"Then..." Peebo mumbles but can't quite finish.

"It was awful!" Lorena starts to cry, and I pat her back. I don't know how else to help her.

"What happened then?" my aunt asks gently.

Peebo stares at the ground as if he can't speak. Lorena's sobs prevent her from saying anything.

"Please tell us what happened," Benjamin murmurs.

I nod. "Yeah, you're with friends."

"You're in a safe zone," my aunt states firmly.

"There was an older couple next to our table," informs Peebo. "They kept staring at us. Glaring at us actually. I was about to tell the waiter to move us when the man said look at the...the..."

"What?" asks my aunt softly, her face horrified like she knows what comes next.

"He said, look at the n-word!" blurts Lorena.

"Yeah, he called me the n-word!" Peebo states furiously.

### Chapter 33

I'm one hundred percent horrified and furious. So is Benjamin. My aunt pushes to her feet in a fit of pure anger.

"The wife of the man started telling me that how dare I, a white girl, go out with a n-word," Lorena snarls. "I snapped that I was of Mexican descent." People often confuse Lorena for being Caucasian because she has very light skin, hair, and eyes even though in our culture, there are all colors of the spectrum.

Peebo twists in fury as if living it again. "Then the man called her a _wetback_."

"I told him I was every bit as American as he was. I was born in this country!"

Peebo nods. "I told him he shouldn't be using any derogatory terms anyway like _wetback_ and the n-word."

"He said he lived in a free country and could speak the way he wanted," snarls Lorena.

"Well, by this time, the whole restaurant was staring at us."

"The manager came and asked all of us to leave. She actually apologized to Peebo and me for kicking us out. She said it was strict policy to ask all parties involved in an argument to vacate the premises. She assured us that the racist man and woman would never be allowed back into the restaurant. She also gave us coupons to go back and have dinner on them."

Peebo sighs heavily. "The whole experience really freaked us out."

"Of course it did," snapped my aunt who was pacing the floor in front of us in a frenzy.

"We were just minding our own business when all that happened," Lorena states, her voice still shaky.

"I can't believe this happened in El Paso!" I retort. "A city on the border with so much Latino population. Where does that couple come off being prejudice here of all places?"

"Stupidity is everywhere," my Aunt Letty murmurs with authority. "Everywhere!"

"Is this what Peebo and I have to look forward to when we go out?" asks Lorena with a trembling voice.

"Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who don't want to see people of different cultures together," my aunt announces. "It rattles their low self esteem. They want to protect their little corner of the universe by not letting anyone inside, not realizing that we're on this tiny globe together and we'd better start working and understanding one another."

"But Peebo and I don't have this kind of problem at school. No one stares or says nasty things to us," Lorena comments.

"That's because your generation is different," informs my Aunt Letty, " _THANKFULLY DIFFERENT_!"

"We're different?' asks Benjamin.

"Very. You're much more at ease with one another. You talk around the world on the internet. You watch TV shows with different cultures working comfortably together. You eat different foods and listen to different kinds of music without much problem. My generation was much more segregated. _And_ the one before mine was even worse. I'm not saying there's not any racism amongst you, but usually it's the twisted ideas of the parents seeping into fresh minds."

"That sucks," states Benjamin.

"It sure does," agrees my Aunt Letty. "But you can't let the racism and discrimination out there prevent you from your greatness."

"What can we do about it?" asks Peebo.

"Stand up to it," states my Aunt Letty. "If you and Lorena stop dating because of what happened at the restaurant, you'll be giving in to stupidity. Never, ever give in to stupidity!"

"We can double date," I offer, "and if we bump into more people like you did, they'll have to deal with the four of us."

"Especially with me," booms Benjamin, pushing to his feet. His height and muscled body definitely intimidates a lot of people.

"Thanks, guys," Peebo murmurs.

"I've been around the world and this type of idiocy never fails to surprise me or make me sick to my stomach," Aunt Letty declares.

"You can imagine how Peebo and I felt," mutters Lorena.

My aunt takes her seat again. Benjamin does the same. "The world is full of idiotic ideas that should've been thrown away a long time ago," my aunt announces. "They're used to keep people in their tiny spaces of supposed superiority, but all they do is gather like still, poisoned water and start killing humanity little by little."

"That's scary," murmurs Benjamin.

"Yeah," I mutter.

"It's terrifying," states my Aunt Letty softly.

### Chapter 34

"Yeah, terrifying. You know, I've had to stop wearing hoodies after what happened to Trayvon Martin," explains Peebo. "My parents begged me to stop."

"They must've been terrified that the same would happen to you," my aunt Letty states.

"I don't see anyone asking Zuckerberg to stop wearing hoodies," he snaps angrily.

Of course he was talking about Mark Zuckerberg, who was instrumental in inventing Facebook. He uses hoodies all the time but he's white and doesn't have to give up his hoodies. It's unlikely he'll be accused of being a thug.

"It's so idiotic for you to be considered a thug just because you like to wear hoodies," snaps Lorena. "You're the smartest student in school. Why do you have to change the way you dress?"

"It's so unfair," snarls Peebo. "I know that life's unfair, but it still sucks."

"People use that line about life being unfair too much," my Aunt Letty states. "It often gives an excuse for people not to even try to make it fair."

I can see what she's getting at.

"Don't buy into it—not for something like this," explains Aunt Letty. "It's this world you'll soon be inheriting from us old dinosaurs, and we'll be dying off. You guys go all out to try to make it fair."

"You know, I really hate it that my parents had to have _the_ talk with me," states Peebo.

"The talk?" asks Benjamin, puzzled.

"Yes, _the_ talk," states my Aunt Letty. She seems to know exactly what Peebo is saying. "It would be good for you to listen to it, Benjamin. It could also affect you."

"What is _the_ talk?" he asks.

"It's the talk about how to handle yourself with authority figures," states my aunt. "Right, Peebo?"

"Right."

"You see, there are a disproportionate amount of black and brown people in prison," informs my Aunt Letty. "If you're black _or_ brown you're more likely to be stopped and frisked by authority figures like police, guards, and the like."

"You can't make sudden movements or put your hands in your pockets," states Peebo. "You have to stay calm no matter the situation. Don't be belligerent. Don't yell. Tell the authority figures calmly what you're about to do like pull out your wallet to show them your I.D."

"Even justice is disproportionate," Aunt Letty snaps angrily. "If you're black or brown you're more likely be dumped in prison and given longer sentences. That's why your parents, Benjamin, are such heroes for fighting for people's rights."

"Yeah, they're pretty awesome," I say.

"I don't know why they haven't had _the_ talk with me. I mean I'm brown and a _big_ guy. I may be perceived as a threat by some people."

"It's probably that your parents don't want to think that you're in any kind of danger," states my Aunt Letty.

"That's gotta be it," Benjamin says.

On Friday, I prepare for my long awaited date with Benjamin. What a week it's been! After we had learned about what had happened to Lorena and Peebo, Benjamin and I try to be there for them. They're still pretty shaken up. So are Benjamin and I. Talking to my aunt helped a lot, though. A lot. Lorena and Peebo are now convinced that they can't let some jerks come between them and their blossoming relationship.

I put on a dress I rarely wear because it's very fancy and I hardly ever have occasion to wear it. My mom had practically forced me to buy it, telling me I needed a dress for a special time. I'm glad she had convinced me.

The chiffon dress is light purple, frilly, and what you would call feminine. I wear a pair of brown small heels with it. I have never been able to wear high heels, so my low ones will have to suffice. I curl my shoulder length, dark brown hair. My mom tells me it looks really good.

As I come down the stairs Benjamin is talking to my dad. Both stop talking and look up to see me.

"You're beautiful," Benjamin murmurs, his hazel eyes on me.

"Thank you," I say quietly.

My dad, the emotional type, has tears in his eyes. "My little girl is all grown up and so gorgeous," he murmurs.

"Aw, dad," I say, stepping up to him, "I'll always be your little girl."

"Promise?" he asks.

"Promise," I say.

Benjamin and I step out of my house to his car. He looks amazing! He wears black slacks and a green dress shirt.

"You're really beautiful," he murmurs as he starts his car.

"You're beautiful yourself," I say.

Tomorrow, we'll be double dating with Lorena and Peebo, but tonight is just _our_ night. I'm tingly all over. I realize how much we needed a night without drama but just dedicated to our relationship.

"Look in the backseat," he murmurs.

I gasp. A radiant bouquet of flowers in a pink, shimmering wrap sits there. I grab it and immediately put it to my nose. The sweet scent of the red roses with baby breath fills my nostrils.

"Thank you, Benjamin," I murmur.

He smiles. "I'm glad you like them."

"I love them."

We arrive at the Mexican restaurant, _Mariachi,_ and immediately feel comfortable in the place. Bright candles burn on every table along with vases with flowers. Some walls are painted teal while others are just plain beige. But the beige walls have paintings of Mexican scenery on them. Outside is a courtyard with a giant fountain in the middle. The water flows through a giant ceramic sombrero in the center. Benjamin asks that we be seated outside.

When we're settled, I smile at him and he returns the smile. I order a taco plate and he an enchilada one. We both drink melon beverages and eat crispy chips with red hot salsa.

"I like it here," he says.

"I do too."

For the moment, we're the only ones outside, and he decides to give me a kiss. Wow. Very delicious.

After his lips leave my own, he puts his forehead to mine. "It feels so good to be together."

" _And_ without all the drama that usually surrounds us."

He frowns. "We'll deal with whatever comes our way, okay?"

"Okay." He kisses me again. I try not to melt.

Savoring the tasty food slowly when we get it, our stomachs are full and our hearts content when we leave. As planned, we go to Scenic Drive. It's already dark now and while I love it during the day too, I prefer it at night. To me, cities look like glistening jewels at night.

We step out of his car, and go down the steps to the mini-type of a park overlooking the two cities that unfold before us. There's Juarez on the Mexican side and El Paso on this side. Vibrant city noises of traveling vehicles and busy happenings travel through the air. Other people are here enjoying the sights. Benjamin hugs me from the back as we gaze at what's in front of us.

"Really beautiful," I murmur.

"Yep."

Looking at the Juarez lights, I feel compelled to ask him a question. "Benjamin, you've never told me about your summer in Mexico," I murmur.

"You want to hear about it?"

"Very much. You said some very interesting things at the cafeteria when you tore into everybody."

He chuckles. "Okay."

"Benjamin, I'm curious as to what exactly caused you to change your whole life."

"I almost died, Zuri."

### Chapter 35

"What?!" I gasp, my stomach folding into itself.

"I tumbled down a hill. It had rained and was very muddy. The boy with me was used to the place but I, of course, wasn't. I stepped wrong and found myself sliding down fast."

"How terrifying to be falling like that!" I blurt, my heart pounding hard.

"As I was slipping to what I was sure would be my death because there was a precipice that suddenly dropped off and giant rocks were at the bottom, I kept thinking how I hadn't done what I wanted to do and was about to die."

"What a realization!" I mutter.

"I didn't want to play basketball anymore. I didn't want to date Chantilly. I wanted you, Zuri."

"You really thought of me?" I ask, surprised.

"There was nothing strange about it. I've been in love with you for a long time."

"Same with me," I say. He squeezes me tightly.

"At the last minute I grabbed onto a fallen tree. It was huge, so I managed to stop myself from continuing to fall."

I exhale deeply. "Thank goodness."

"I never told my mom and dad about that because I didn't want them to freak out, but that fall was one of the things that changed my life."

"What are the other things?" I question with curiosity.

He sighs as if catching his breath to tell me a story. "When we went to Mexico for the summer, we were very careful."

"All that drug dealing and violent crime stuff by certain elements across the border is horrible."

"My parents took me to a very small village in Mexico. Only a dot on the map if at all actually. My mom didn't like how I was acting. She was right. The most valuable player stuff was getting to my head—it didn't help that Chantilly was reminding me what a popular couple we were all the time."

"I never saw you act like a jerk," I say with astonishment at what he's telling me.

"Well, I was bad enough to my parents. I was asking them to take more paying clients and stuff like that. The thing is is that I was acting up because I was so unhappy with my life that I criticized everything including them constantly."

"This really surprises me."

"Peebo was the one who was trying to wake me up. He knew right away what was wrong with me and told me I needed to straighten out my life."

"What did you do?"

"At that time, my parents decided that we should help out the poor in Mexico. To be honest, I was relieved to leave for the summer and have time to myself to decide what to do. Once I had my near fatal accident and saw what I saw amongst the poor, deciding what course my life should take was easy."

"It was?"

"It freaks me out how much food there is in this world while others are starving for it. All my life, I've taken for granted that if I'm hungry I can just open the refrigerator or buy myself something. There are so many people in this world who struggle for food. Even in our own rich country, there are kids going to bed with growling stomachs."

"That's really sad."

" _And_ what I said in the cafeteria was true. There are so many teenagers our age and younger who help support their families. They don't even buy themselves a single soda to be able to help feed their parents and siblings."

"Wow, that's pretty huge."

"All the superficial stuff we're sometimes into seems stupid to me now."

"I can see why."

"You know, Zuri, that some of the little kids in the village used to be fascinated by our laundry?"

"How is that?"

"I'd help my mom do laundry since there were no laundromats in the little village. Heck, we were lucky that with the little house we rented we also got an old fashioned washing machine. Anyway, I'd help hang the clothes with clothespins."

I chuckle. "I would've loved to have seen that."

He chuckles too. "I'm sure I made quite a sight trying to figure out how to best use the clothespins. A whole slew of kids would watch me and laugh. I didn't mind since I'm sure I was giving them quite a show in clumsiness. To my surprise, I realized that they weren't just there to be entertained by me. They were fascinated with how many clothes we owned. I could see them counting the clothing."

"Counting the clothing?" I ask, surprised.

"Yeah, their little fingers would be pointing and they'd be counting _uno, dos, tres_ and so on."

"Wow," I murmur.

"I got so used to them following me around and stuff that I decided to give them some sort of classes—to make my time useful with them."

"What kind of classes?" I ask, fascinated.

"I started reading stories to them and doing other stuff. My parents had given me books on Mexican folktales, traditions, and crafts before we had left to Mexico. My parents were so happy with what I had started doing on my own that they provided materials and even a lunch meal for the kids."

"How awesome, Benjamin!" I'm so proud of my boyfriend that I tilt my face and smack his lips with my own.

"I had so much fun—it's one of the most rewarding things I've ever done. You know that none of those kids ever missed a class? They were always quiet and respectful towards me. When we'd finish, they didn't want to go home!" he states, chuckling. "I had to convince them to go or I'd be in trouble with their parents."

"How funny."

"They were _amazing_ kids."

"What an _amazing_ experience you had, Benjamin."

"You think I could ever share this story with Chantilly?—that she could ever even begin to understand?"

"Probably not."

"All she ever thinks about are clothes, looks, and popularity," he sneers.

"Some people are built like that."

"But _you_ _get_ it."

"I sure do," I sigh.

"I love you, Zuria."

"I love you, Benjamin."

### Chapter 36

I've been going over what Benjamin told me at Scenic Drive all weekend—about his change of attitude, his near death experience, and his helping those kids. It's Sunday, and I'm doing a lot of thinking. We went out on Saturday with Lorena and Peebo. They seemed nervous when we entered the Italian restaurant but soon relaxed when Benjamin and I kept pulling words out of them. It's difficult to go through what they went through and forget it just like that.

Overall it was a pleasant evening, but I couldn't help thinking about how some people can be so mean and misguided. The thought of people criticizing Lorena and Peebo for dating shouldn't even be entering their heads, much less affecting them.

_Is this type of intolerance what we, the young, are going to inherit?_ I wonder. My Aunt Letty's ideas are drilling into me with hard strokes. _Are we doomed to live on the planet that_ _haters_ _created?_

Then _the_ idea hits me. The cyberbullying prevention mobilization inspires me. Ordinary people _can_ make a difference. I rush to my favorite aunt's home to tell her my idea.

"You want to start a club?" Aunt Letty questions.

"A _Teens for a Better World_ club," I state. "Is that hokey?"

My Letty aunt smiles and shakes her head. "It's a great idea."

"You really think so?" I ask excitedly.

"Being proactive about making your world a better place is just great. The problem would be if your heart is in the wrong place—if you were doing it just for popularity or in disguise of intolerant and damaging attitudes, but I know that's not the case with you, Zuria so full speed ahead."

I smile. "Thanks, Aunt Letty."

"Count on me for all the help you need."

"I'm going to take you up on that," I rush. I'm going to need all the help I can get.

"Please do."

When Benjamin comes over to my house that evening to have dinner, I'm anxious to tell him, but I wait till after our meal. I'm enjoying how well he gets along with my family. Even the twins have little crushes on him.

"Thank you for having me for dinner," he tells my parents as soon as he arrives.

"Thank you for joining us," my mom responds.

He sits next to me at the dining table. After my dad says grace, we start passing the pot roast and side dishes. The twins stare at him throughout the meal. Benjamin does a good job ignoring it.

"Tell your parents to pick a day next week, so they can come have dinner with us," my dad tells Benjamin.

"I sure will."

Every since my family had made up with the Quintanillas, my parents seem happier. They really like Benjamin's family and get along perfectly with them. Laughter, fun, and pleasant words are always being exchanged between neighbors. This makes me think what a silly waste it had been all those years they didn't talk to each other. I'm more determined than ever to start my club. There are too many people out there not speaking to one another for silly reasons and ideas.

"Your parents are the best," my dad states, grinning.

Benjamin grins back. "They are."

"We should have a barbeque this weekend with just the two families," my mom announces.

Dad almost wants to bust with excitement. Grilling is such a thrill for him. "Yeah! That's what I'm talking about!"

"I'll tell my parents," Benjamin states.

After the meal, Benjamin and I go to my backyard where we sit on lawn chairs and stare at the starry sky. I tell him my idea.

"Wow, Zuria, it's a great idea."

I smile. "My Aunt Letty thinks so too."

"Count me in for any help."

I'm pleased that the people closest to me are willing to help me.

At school, after I tell Lorena and Peebo about the club, they seem excited too. When I set my plan into motion, the administrators like the idea behind the club, so they okay it.

Together with a group of friends, we hang up posters and spread the word. There seems to be excitement about this kind of club. I'm thrilled. I talk to Aunt Letty about how to organize the club. She suggests that there be no officers but instead, I should be the coordinator for it. No formal leadership because it'll be a club of _ideas._ It should be a democracy where everyone votes on stuff. Ms. Brizz and another teacher agree to be our sponsors. The first meeting will be in a week.

A week!

I'm nervously trying to figure out who our first speaker will be. Who to ask. I get suggestions of picking amongst some politicians. Other students tell me I should ask some community leaders. I'm having a really hard time deciding. There are so many choices, and I want the first meeting to be very special. If I have a boring start to the club, students might not give it a chance.

I have to make the right move.

The speaker has to be charismatic, absorbing, and credible. The speaker will have to tell us great truths.

Benjamin tells me he doesn't know why I'm having such a hard time with choosing the speaker. He chuckles as he shakes his head.

"If it's so easy then who would _you_ pick?" I ask, irritated.

"That's easy," he says smugly.

"Easy?"

"Yes."

I eye him with disbelief. "Really?"

"Yep."

"Who?"

He smiles slyly. "You really can't guess?"

"No."

"Think."

I let out an exasperated sigh. "Just tell me, Benjamin."

"Your Aunt Letty, of course. Who else?"

### Chapter 37

I stare at him open mouthed, feeling very silly. How in the world hadn't I thought of it?

"Sometimes it's hard to see what's right in front of you," Benjamin states.

"I guess I take her for granted," I murmur.

"You get to visit with her all the time, but the rest of us aren't so lucky. She should be your first speaker, Zuri."

Calling my aunt, she readily agrees to do it. Everything is set. The pieces are all in place.

As the day starts nearing, I start having my doubts. It's not because I don't have faith in my favorite aunt's ability to speak to a crowd. It's not because I consider her anything less than brilliant. It's not because I don't adore her and admire her greatly.

It's because she's my Crazy Aunt Letty.

She may be too out-of-the-box to spring on some students at the very _first_ meeting. I mean, should I have made her the speaker somewhere down the road and play it safe for the first meetings?

"No," Benjamin tells me.

"No?"

"Shake the students up right from the beginning. It'll do them some good."

"Or it'll scare them," I say wryly.

"It's not bad to be scared about all the craziness going on in this world," states Benjamin.

"You think so?"

"Hey, slipping on mud on a hill in Mexico was one of the best things that ever happened to me. It really shook me up. Your aunt can do the same for those of us who are just rambling through life with our brains in a jail. She can challenge us to break free."

I liked that example. Benjamin really had a way with words sometimes.

"Okay," I state.

The day is here for my first meeting of _Teens for a Better World,_ and I'm very jittery. I don't know where my inner warrior great grandmother or Katniss Everdeen are, but neither seems to be with me today.

Having my favorite aunt speak today is risky at best. She's blunt and doesn't tolerate anything that remotely resembles B.S. It's anyone's guess as to what will come out of her mouth today.

I decide to let Benjamin introduce her since it might be considered a conflict of interest if I do it. People might think that I'm only saying nice things about her since she's my aunt.

"When Zuria asked me to introduce today's guest speaker, I couldn't have felt more honored. Ms. Leticia Orzo is one of the people I most admire. Yeah, she's pretty awesome. If you don't know her or about her, you're on a lucky streak right now. Ms. Orzo will challenge all your ideas about yourself, and will bring light into your brains. Sometimes our minds are full of fog, and it takes someone like her to cut through it. A lot of us who live in her neighborhood go to her for advice all the time.

"Let me give you just a little of her background. Ms. Orzo put herself through college with scholarships and has a Ph.D. in English Literature. She's taught English throughout the world. She retired and now helps at-risk students. She's a hero. Give her a warm welcome because she's going to knock your socks off."

An enthusiastic but calm applause ensues. Wow! What an introduction. I'm so proud of my boyfriend.

As my favorite aunt steps up to the front of the large crowd in the classroom wearing her usual costume of a loose jean skirt and a black T-shirt with the word _peace_ emblazoned on it in colorful, metallic letters, I take a sharp breath. She hadn't bothered to dress up. She always does things her way.

She starts speaking in comfortable tones as if she's used to being in front of groups and people. "I know Benjamin introduced me as Ms. Leticia Orzo but please call me what everyone calls me—Crazy Aunt Letty. I'd rather be considered crazy with ideas than in a box and close minded.

Several in the crowd yell, "Right!!! Crazy Aunt Letty rocks!!!"

Then she starts her speech. It only takes a few minutes for me to stare in awe at her—like everyone in the room is doing. She's right on target with everything. The world _is_ a mess. Us, the young, are going to inherit all kinds of problems and twisted ideas that should've been straightened out a long time ago. I mean, how long have we humans been on this earth and we keep doing the same idiocies over and over again? Where's the learning? Where's the expansion of the very little we actually use of our brains? Where's actual progress? Why can't the future be about learning our lessons from the past? Why are we stuck in our own ethnocentric places? What's up with that? _Really!_ —what in the world is up with it? How many times can you do the same silly thing before realizing there's a better way?

Why was that couple at that restaurant with Lorena and Peebo saying such derogatory things? Why were their brains so shut off to enlightenment? Aunt Letty is right! Us, the young, have a different experience with our ability to _connect_ to everyone in the world. We don't have to sit in our claustrophobic corners and convince ourselves that that's the only superior space there is. We're going to be the ones inheriting the earth, so we'd better start helping to straighten it _and ourselves_ out now. The adults are leaving us with a whole quagmire in our hands.

### Chapter 38

Everyone except for one of the teachers gives my Aunt Letty a standing ovation. Ms. Brizz rushes up to her when the very enthusiastic applause dies down, after a long moment. The other teacher rushes out of the room with a stricken look.

The next day, students who had been at the meeting keep coming up to me and thanking me for my aunt. Principal Hernandez asks me to her office. I know I'm in trouble but after my aunt's speech, I feel empowered. I step into her office with my head held high.

The principal tells me that I won't be able to have the club after all. I argue with her, and she gives in a little. She says I can have the club if I agree to several conditions. I'd have to put a formal leadership together with a president and so forth, and she and the other administrators will have to approve of the speakers beforehand.

I step out of her office upset. When I see Benjamin during lunch, he is as upset as I am when I tell him about what happened with the principal. So are Lorena and Peebo. During Social Studies, Ms. Brizz takes Benjamin and me out of the classroom to speak to us in private. A teacher on her free period across the hall lets us use the room.

She had heard that the principal had wanted to speak to me and asks me what happened. I tell her the whole story.

She sighs deeply. "I _thought_ that was going to happen." She's not at all surprised.

"It really sucks," Benjamin retorts.

"Look, I'm not trying to defend her," Ms. Brizz states, "but she has her hands tied on a lot of things. A lot is on her shoulders."

"Well, I'm going to fight her," I state.

Ms. Brizz eyes me carefully. "I'm sure that Crazy Aunt Letty would tell you to pick your battles."

"Yeah, she would."

"This isn't a battle worth fighting. It's better to win the war."

I have no idea what she's trying to tell me. Apparently, neither does Benjamin. He's staring at her with a strange look on his face. "I don't know what you're saying."

"You can hold the club outside of the school."

"I can?" I question.

"Yes, of course, and then you wouldn't be tied down. You can have your club the way you want it—within reason of course. No one would be able to tell you to put a muzzle on your Crazy Aunt Letty. Think about it."

After school, Benjamin and I visit my aunt to tell her about the principal and Ms. Brizz. As usual, Aunt Letty listens carefully before giving an opinion.

"There are pros and cons to having your club in school or out of it," she states.

"Yeah," I murmur.

" _But_ there's something huge about being able to do things your way without interference from caged and trapped minds."

"Ain't that the truth," blurts Benjamin.

"Where would we hold our meetings?" I ask, worried.

"I've got the perfect solution," Benjamin interjects.

"What is it?" I ask.

"My garage is huge," he states.

My eyes meet his. "You think your parents will let us use your garage?"

"Sure," he states simply.

"Okay," I say, "let's try it."

Benjamin's parents tell us they're thrilled with our persistence with the club, and are delighted to offer their garage for our use. As we spread the word, students inform me they like the idea of a club outside of the school grounds. Preparations start. My dad buys a slew of folding chairs to be put into the Quintanilla garage. He tells me he'll help with whatever is needed.

In between all the hoopla of organizing ourselves, I talk to Benjamin about a very important issue. He's all ears.

"You know, if we're going to help change the world, we're going to have to try to change what we consider our neighborhood first."

"What do you mean?" he asks with curiosity.

"Let's host a barbeque with all the new members invited and their families. That way we expand on what we consider our neighborhood."

"Great idea, Zuri."

Dad readily agrees to it. There's nothing he likes better than to host a grilling party. He's excited. My mom's excited to meet other people.

On the day of the barbeque I'm elated with the amount of people showing up. I never imagined that so many would accept. _And_ there are different cultures represented like the make up of our school—Korean, Chinese, African American, various Latin groups, Native Americans, and others. My heart is swelling.

My Aunt Letty tells me, "Good job, Zuria."

"It's a small thing, but I think it's great."

"It's not just a _small_ thing," she chides. "Remember that a beach is made up of millions of grains of sand. Each one is as important as the next for the overall picture. Besides, the _gathering_ of different peoples trying to get along is never, _ever_ a _small_ thing. You just keep doing what you're doing and you have a chance at helping save your world."

### Chapter 39

Finally, the next meeting of _Teens for a Better World_ is set. In the meantime, I encounter a very sticky problem. Suzy wants to speak to me. She called Lorena begging for forgiveness and pleaded to see me. Lorena is still smarting over what happened, and refuses to give her absolution.

"You shouldn't talk to her," Lorena tells me.

When I ask my favorite aunt about it, she asks me what I want to do.

"On the one hand, I'm still very angry with her," I growl.

"And on the other hand?" Aunt Letty asks quietly.

"I feel I should at least hear her out."

Aunt Letty nods. "That's your sense of decency."

"But does she deserve it?" I blurt. "After secretly bullying me, should I give her the time of day?"

"It's not about what she deserves," my Aunt Letty states. "It's about who _you_ are. It's about you being big enough to allow someone that hurt you to speak. If that someone is abusive towards you then of course you shut them down and stop listening. _But_ you still have to determine what they want to say and if they're being honest with you. As human beings, we have the right to at least have a court date."

"Okay, Aunt Letty."

I tell Lorena to set up the meeting. She frowns deeply. I tell her I really want her at the get-together so the three of us can say what we want to say to one another. This seems to appease her. Maybe she's got a lot stuck in her heart that needs to come out.

Lorena and I are sitting on lawn chairs in my backyard when Suzy arrives. She looks nervous and a little meek. I ask her to sit in the empty lawn chair in front of Lorena and me. She does so without hesitation.

"Who wants to speak first?" I ask.

"I will," Lorena jumps in.

"Go ahead," I say.

She furiously eyes Suzy. "I'm going say it like it is," Lorena snaps. "I had told Zuria not to meet with you."

"I understand," Suzy murmurs.

"I don't believe you _understand_ anything," retorts Lorena. "You just think of yourself. You always have."

"Lorena," I chide, "let's hear Suzy out."

Suzy sighs. "She's got a right to still be upset with me, Zuria. So do you."

Lorena's expression turns to one of surprise. "Wow, Suzy. I never expected you to say that."

"It's taken me a while to come to my senses, but I have. At my new private school, someone started to cyberbully me. Now I know how it feels."

"Good!" snaps Lorena. "I'm glad that the shoe is on the other foot!"

"Zuria, what I did to you is unforgivable."

"It was pretty bad," I murmur, wincing as I remember the whole mess.

"I was being selfish which I tend to be as Lorena pointed out. I'm selfish, bossy, and stubborn."

"I'm glad you admit it," grumbles Lorena.

"I couldn't see that before, but now that I have to hang out with girls that barely put up with me, I understand _now_ what I didn't see then."

"Sounds like the new school is doing you a lot of good," retorts Lorena.

"I really miss you guys," Suzy states, her voice cracking. "I'm so sorry I was such a terrible friend."

"I'm glad you finally appreciate us," mumbles Lorena.

"I don't have any real friends at the new school—just girls I kinda hang out with."

"That must really suck," I say.

"Big time," Suzy murmurs.

"Is that why you're here?" questions Lorena, her eyebrows scrunched together and eyes in a slit. "To have friends to put up with you again?"

"No, Lorena," Suzy rushes. "I really want to apologize, so that I can have some peace with myself. You have no idea what it's like living with what I did to the both of you—especially you, Zuria. The guilt is eating me up alive."

"Good!" snaps Lorena.

I eye her and chide her with my eyes. Then I turn back to Suzy. "You did a horrible thing to me, Suzy," I murmur.

"I know," she says, her eyes teary and voice shaky.

" _But_ if you're asking for sincere forgiveness—"

"I am! I am!" she insists with energy.

"Then I accept your apology," I state.

"You can't!" blurts Lorena. "How can you forgive the awful things she did to you? Don't you remember the picture she posted with the insults on it? How about the horrible texts and things like that?"

"Lorena—" I start to say before she interrupts me. Suzy is openly crying now. Tears travel down her face in streams.

"You _can't_ forgive her! I won't let you!"

"Lorena," I say quietly," you can't make my decisions for me."

" _But_ can't you see what a big mistake forgiving her would be. It would be like okaying what she did to you."

"Of course I wouldn't be okaying what she did to me."

"You'd be sending that exact message out," she states. "That someone can cyberbully you and then be forgiven just like that as if nothing happened."

I sigh heavily. Suzy's eyes are towards the ground as if too ashamed to look up. "That's not the message I'd be giving out."

"Yes, it is."

"The message is, as my Aunt Letty likes to say, that forgiveness is good for the soul."

"That's really lame," Lorena spouts.

"Taking the high road is never lame," I inform her.

"The high road?" she murmurs. "Forgiving is the high road?"

"Yes. Besides, I need to forgive her for _me._ "

Lorena eyes me with curiosity. "What do you mean?"

"Lorena, don't you feel weighed down with all this anger towards her?"

She considers what I just said. "Maybe a little," she grudgingly answers.

"Don't you feel all twisted inside as if you can't breathe?"

"Well..."

"Don't you feel you need to be set free from the acid in your stomach and the furious thoughts crashing in your head? It doesn't feel good. I know as much as that."

Lorena nods solemnly. "I kinda see what you mean." I'm thrilled she's giving in even a little.

"I forgive you, Suzy," I state.

Lorena sighs. "Okay, okay, I kinda forgive you too," she states, with a slightly uneven voice. "I'll take the high road."

Suzy looks up from the ground. Her eyes sparkle and a tiny relieved smile forms on her lips. "Thank you! Thank you!"

"You're welcome," states Lorena.

"Does this mean I can be your friend again?" she asks, her voice brimming with hope.

"No, you can't be our friend," Lorena states, sniffing.

### Chapter 40

Suzy's eyes drop to the ground again.

"Lorena—" I start to say.

"Suzy, all I'm saying is that you can't be our friend the same way you were before. Some things have to change."

Suzy's face lifts up again. "What do you want changed?" she murmurs.

"Your attitude. No more bossiness! While Zuria always stood her ground with you, I didn't. I'll have you know that I'm not the same girl as before. I stand up for myself now. I'm not going to be your blind follower. If you want to be friends with Zuria and myself, the three of us will decide on things equally."

I'm very proud of Lorena.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," states Suzy.

I grin. "Friends again then," I state.

"Yes, but I want for Suzy to have something clear."

"What is it?" Suzy asks, worried.

"You'll have to work yourself up to being our BFF's again, okay?"

"Yes, definitely," she states, relief in her voice. "I know that I have to earn your trust again."

"Yeah," Lorena agrees.

"I'll do whatever it takes," Suzy asserts.

The three of us hug one another. It feels really good to have reached this point and to let go of the hurt

"Thank you so much for forgiving me," she cries, tears rolling down her face.

"Let's put all that junk past us," I state.

"Yeah, let's," Lorena chimes in.

I nod vigorously. "Let's just think about our great future as friends again."

"And the great things we're going to do together," Lorena states.

"Can I join your _Teens for a Better World?"_ Suzy asks me with excitement in her voice.

I'm surprised at her question. "You heard about it?"

"Zuria, everyone's heard about it. It's the talk at my school—the club _and_ your Aunt Letty."

I chuckle. "Of course you can join."

Suzy is the first one to arrive at our second club meeting. Benjamin's garage seems to be very full. Seems my new club is gaining momentum from the last time. After several students had approached me about my favorite aunt, the second speaker seemed a no brainer. Benjamin agreed when I told him that my Aunt Letty should keep on being the featured speaker because we have so much to learn from her.

She had asked for this next meeting to be a potluck with everyone bringing a unique dish from our different cultures. My dad, as promised, bought us folding tables. As the pots of different foods pile up, we sit to hear my aunt speak first. Benjamin, as always sits next to me. He holds my hand. Lorena sits next to Peebo. He also holds her hand. Suzy smiles at us.

My Crazy Aunt Letty's second awesome speech:

Being in high school feels like being on a different planet. Your hormones are in confusion. You're not in full charge of yourselves. You live in this tiny capsule where everything you do seems to be magnified. You're constantly asking yourselves in one way or another, "Who am I? What am I doing here?"

This is probably going to be one of the toughest times in your life. I know that some people try to convince you that it's the best time, but they've forgotten what it was actually like to be a teen-ager. They've forgotten about the popularity contests, the punctured self-esteem, and the crazy types of games. Because most adults live in their own caged universe full of responsibilities and stress, they forget what it's like to live in yours.

_Even though high school_ _feels_ _like a different planet, I can assure you that it's not. You're high school experience is not only part of this earth, but it's an amazing representation of it. It's just a lot more concentrated than what you'll see as you take a few more steps into adulthood._ _But_ _it's basically the same thing._

Popularity contests? Go to almost any job and see who's trying to call attention to themselves. Power plays? Again, go to those same jobs and watch. Human beings are basically insecure creatures who try to best one another to emphasize their presence on this planet. It's not so very different from the stuff you see happening at your schools every day.

I'm here to tell you that you can get out of the rat trap that we human beings put one another into for our shaky senses of self. You can get out of damaging mindsets. You can really be your own persons.

_For all of you who don't feel good-looking enough, smart enough, and good enough, you don't have to give your power away. You don't have to let someone else tell you what to look like_ — _you don't have to participate in the illusion of beauty where movie stars and fashionistas tell you who's good enough. You don't have to admire the wrong role models_ — _those who are famous for being famous_ _or those who's sole purpose in life is to be famous. They rarely do anything but feed their fame instead of improving the world_ — _in fact they may make it a little worse by going from one chaotic drama to another._

_You don't have to pick the wrong romantic partner_ — _the one who verbally abuses or even physically abuses you, the one who cheats on you, or the one who knocks down your self-esteem to make themselves feel better._

You can take ownership of your lives. You can sign a contract with yourselves that no one will be allowed to chip at your self esteem, that you tell others what you look like and not the other way around, and that you will keep growing and learning no matter what. You can live inside out instead of outside in.

_You can take you power back in order to_ _share_ _it and use it to help your world because once you take the responsibility for power, you can spread it. Power is only good if it joins with the energy of the power of others. No matter what any misguided person tells you, true power can only work this way. It only works in conjunction with the abilities and love of others because no one human being can be totally dependent from others. We affect one another no matter what._

_Lift your power to help light the world. It's_ _your_ _choice._

Your life is yours.

It doesn't belong to fashion magazines, your favorite actors, movies, or even to friends.

Your life is yours.

It's special because no one lives it, no one else breathes through it, and no one else struggles from every pore with it.

Your life is yours.

Don't let anyone try to own it, manipulate it, or even destroy your inner you.

Your life is yours.

To be shared with those who bring gifts, growth, and connections of their own.

Make good choices for yourselves. The world is depending on it.

### Chapter 41

Wow! After the end of my favorite aunt's speech, I'm speechless. And so is everyone else in the garage including Ms. Brizz who had come to the meeting. I was surprised, but she said she couldn't pass up the chance to listen to my Crazy Aunt Letty again.

The applause starts gradually, and it becomes even more thunderous than the one at the first speech. Again, people get enthusiastically on their feet. My aunt looks embarrassed as people keep yelling, "Crazy Aunt Letty rocks!"

When we finally sit down to eat from the feast each had brought food to, we put my aunt at the head of the table. All of us want to feel the proximity of her presence by being able to look over to her. She makes it very clear to us that she'll accept our respect but not any type of adulation.

She always knows what to say!

Before any of us takes our first bite, she tells us she'll say grace. My favorite aunt says grace differently from anyone I've ever met.

She bows her head and so did we. Her voice is loud and strong. "Thank you, unifying factor of the universe for what we're about to eat. Thank you for bringing us together as every single person here has a special purpose. The other people I'd like to send out vibrations of thanks to are the ones who are not at this table, but who had a lot to do with this meal. To those hard workers who never get enough credit because they're not moneyed and in careers that are considered prestigious. Those that many people look down on because they somehow believe that the food gets to supermarkets by magic instead of much, much hard work. Thank you to those hard workers. We realize how many hands and sacrifice it takes for this food to be here today. Parents who buy the food, drivers to deliver it, farmers to grow it, and those who labor rigorously to pick it. I know it does great honor to you, unifier of us all, to give credit to _all_ your children. It also humbles us into realizing how much we need each other and how much we should love one another and feel gratitude for everyone. **Thank you."**

As we start to eat, there is an awesome vibe in the garage. We're chattering, passing food to one another, and just enjoying ourselves immensely. No one is trying to take over the conversation or brag to us about anything. Everyone just _feels_ good.

The late great and triple awesome Cesar Chavez once said, "If you really want to make a friend, go to someone's house and eat with him...the people who give you their food give you their heart." I've loved that quote ever since Aunt Letty had told it to me. It has so much wisdom about human beings.

I know that the world's problems can't be solved just like that—I'm not that naïve. It won't be easy to get hatred, greed, racism, and loopy ideas under control but one pure grain of sand on the beach is a start, isn't it?

Suzy mouths _thank you_ to me. I mouth _your welcome_ in return.

Benjamin takes my hand and grins. I grin back at him. Every person in his garage is at peace with one another. That's the way it should be.

More, More, More

### Mia's novels—some with sequels! Get to know her work. Take advantage of the price-less downloads for now!

Tween:

The Warriors Club

Young Adults:

Planet High School

Lucky Lucette

Lovestruck/ Sequel: The Key of Hearts

Paradise Abductions/ Sequel: Paradise Escape

Supernova

Adult:

Flowers For The Living

My Mama's Tamales

Pride and Preference

Broken Watermelons

Forever Hearts/ Sequel: Forever Destiny

Paranormal Revenge

A Beautiful Haunting

Spiritual:

GodQuest

A Christmas Passage/ Same series: Angel Gifts

