Chapter 2

• He doesn't seem very convinced with my answer, but he has no choice but to accept and trust me.
• Sometimes arguing about the same thing can be stressful and tiring, but he is my father. For him I must be married with two children. No matter how much I tell him no, he starts with his lectures, and it gets tedious. I still don't feel ready for marriage. I want to live my life as I do now, free of all commitments.
• It's getting late.
• I take a short shower, get ready as quickly as I can and rush out. Seeing that I'm running out of time, I decide to wear my hair down. I start my car and put it in gear to pick up my friend Cesia. She is the only friend I have so far that I can trust. She's the one who always accompanies me on every night I go out to have fun, well, that's how I could put it. While driving, I put on my make—up, as I look anemic without make—up.
• When I feel a vibration on my legs, I lower my face for a moment to see who's calling me. I smile sideways knowing what is the first thing I will hear when I answer the call.
• —My God, Mia, where are you? I've been waiting for over an hour for you to pick me up," mumbles my staunch friend.
• —I'm sorry, Cesia. Before I knew it, I was already late," I say.
• —Yes, of course," she replies, sarcastically. Where are you now? —she asks somewhat desperately.
• —I'm a few blocks from your house," I lie again.
• —Hurry up, we'll be late," she warns and hangs up, annoyed.
• I know this delay will cost me a lot, like paying for all her consumption at the joint.
• Cesia is my best since childhood. She's a leggy girl who looks like a Victoria's Secret model. She does blonde highlights in her brown hair and her skin is white. She is very well groomed. Her blue eyes are beautiful as the sky itself. You could say she's a fairy tale princess, only, unlike that kind of princess, my friend is more sassy. She has a hell of a temper. Sometimes I can't stand her temper, but I guess when I'm like that she can't stand me either. Maybe that's why we're thick as thieves, there are no secrets between us.
• I am different from Cesia. Yes, I have long legs, but not like hers, which are infinite. Nor do I have white skin like hers. Like my mother, I have caramel skin, hazel eyes and light brown hair, but that's because I dye it.
• When I arrive at Cesia's house, her face tells me how pissed she is for waiting for me. I'm sure she waited for me for two hours. I invite her to get in the car, but she just folds her arms and cocks her hip, indignant at my tardiness. I know she'll get over it with a couple of drinks. I stop the car in front of her, since, instead of waiting for me inside her house, she waited for me in the driveway, desperate.
• —You know I was about to leave without you? —she breaks the silence between the two of them.
• —It's no big deal, don't you think? —I look straight ahead.
• —It's not a big deal?! —She raises her voice, offended. I've been waiting for you for an hour, Mia. If I were any other kind of friend, I'd be long gone.
• —And that's why you're my friend," I try to cheer her up, "because I alone put up with your temper. You put up with mine and my delays too.
• She takes off her face of an old woman bitter for lack of sex, laughs a little and forgets my delay.
• When we get to the parking lot, Cesia just waits for me to turn off the car and then gets out immediately and with great eagerness. She leaves me behind. Without even waiting for me, she takes off. I roll my eyes as I lock up and follow her. Inside, the hours are long and boring. We both drink at the bar. My company doesn't last long, for my dear friend meets a very young man. She doesn't even think twice about going with him. As she always does, she leaves me alone.
• —It would have been better if I had stayed in my apartment eating ice cream," I mutter and play with my drink, bored.
• I don't know what to do.
• I feel a little strange being alone in this place with nothing to do. I feel like I'm out of place sometimes. I don't even know at what point I started feeling this way. I'm always bothered by anything unimportant. Cesia usually tells me it's because of a lack of sex, but I don't see it that way. I grab my bag and head for the VIP area. Maybe I can find some pleasant company there. I snort in anguish as I see that there are a lot of people in the center of the place. I take a deep breath and, as best I can, continue on my way to the stairs leading to the VIP area. When I try to get out of the crowd, someone walking in the opposite direction pushes me. I fall down sitting on the floor.
• —Hey, stupid! —I yell at the idiot so he can hear me.
• —I'm sorry, excuse me," speaks a thick male voice who offers me his hand to help me up.
• I look up to thank him for his gesture. Not believing my eyes, I stand up, annoyed.
• —But who else could it be? —I raise my voice over the loud music. A fool who never sees where he's going, isn't that right "Mr. Gabriel"?
• —At least I don't have a foul mouth like yours, "Mrs. Mia". —He furrows his brow at the sight of me.
• We both look at each other with resentment and hatred. In the end, we argue without knowing the reason. It's always the same every time we meet.
• Gabriel Hoffman, my rival in everything —if I say everything, it's because it's everything—. For some reason, we are rivals in our business, but my family always comes first in everything.
• —You know what? —I wipe my butt and try to make sure it's not dirty. I already...
• When I look back to the front, he's gone.
• The bastard left me talking to myself.
• Ha, very typical of him to always run away from an argument.
• —I'll get them all someday, Gabriel. One way or another, you will.