Siempre Hay Algo Más - Chapter 3
Title: Siempre Hay Algo Más
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Pepa/Silvia
A/N: I was particularly happy with this chapter. It's nice and long, too, so I hope y'all enjoy.
Chapter 3
Silvia walked into her apartment, locking the door behind her and dropping her keys and purse on the nearby table.
The night had gone surprisingly well. She had initially agreed to the date with the thought that it would be nice to get out of the house and socialize again. And she also had to admit to herself that a small part of why she said yes was just to piss off Pepa. Okay, to be truthful with herself, it was a large part of the reason why. But, her earlier reasoning had gradually dissipated as the night wore on and she found Eva to be quite engaging.
She entered her bedroom to prepare for bed. She removed her jewelry before stepping out of her clothes and pulling on a comfortable pair of pajama pants and a tank top. Once into her sleepwear, she made her way to the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth, still contemplating the evening. Since Eva was also a doctor, she found that she could talk to her about subjects she couldn't discuss with her family or coworkers. Not that they only conversed about their work and medicine, though.
Throughout the night, the two women talked about music, movies, books, and told each other a bit about themselves. The conversation flowed easily, except when Eva brought up a funny story involving her friends and Pepa's name came up. The redhead's automatic reaction was to roll her eyes.
"I'm guessing you and Pepa are not each other's biggest fans..."
"You'd guess right," she said tersely, taking a sip of her wine.
"I don't mean to pry...but is there a reason for that?"
Silvia snorted at the question. "Let's just say she and I are a match made in hell."
"Interesting that you’d say you two are a match of any kind…I mean, a match is still a match, don’t you think?"
The redhead picked her fork back up and speared an artichoke heart with more force than necessary. "No, no, I don't think."
Eve didn’t have to be a genius to sense Silvia’s mounting irritation with the touchy subject, so she deftly directed the conversation in another direction, and the rest of the night carried on with no more hitches.
The redhead shook her head, trying to dispel the memory of the only uncomfortable part of the night's conversation. Other than that one awkward moment, things had gone really well. She found Eva to be articulate and charming...and she thought back warmly on the small kiss they shared as they said their goodbyes and goodnight.
Eva had initiated the short, but sweet kiss. It wasn't too overbearing, too demanding...but it also wasn't a passionless peck. It was...nice. Just right. And for the first time in months, the redhead found herself falling asleep with a smile on her face.
_____
Pepa sat at her desk, her long legs propped up on the desktop as she leaned back in her chair, throwing a stress ball into the air and catching it. She had paperwork to complete...but she didn't feel much like doing it.
And she was bored.
The sound of clacking heels distracted her and she missed the ball. It smacked her in the face with a flat thud before dropping to the ground. She heard the owner of the clacking heels stifling laughter.
"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, princesa, but that actually kind of hurt."
"I'm sorry...are you injured? Do you need medical attention?" Silvia asked patronizingly.
"No...but can you kiss it and make it better?"
The redhead rolled her eyes and continued her walk, heading to her lab. But she was stopped short as something popped into Pepa's mind, and she questioned, “So how did the date go??"
Silvia turned around before responding, "None of your business."
"Silvia..." Pepa jumped out of her chair and chased after the redhead. She caught up with her at the bottom of the stairway. "Silvia, in all seriousness, Eva's my friend and I know what she's like."
Silvia looked at Pepa, secretly interested but she didn’t want to give the other women that impression, so she merely raised her eyebrows and began to climb the stairs. The brunette started up the stairs after her and resumed, "I know things went well with her last night. Things always do at first...until she gets bored and moves on, usually before the relationship has even ended."
They reached the top of the stairs and Silvia turned to look at Pepa again. "Did I ask for your opinion?"
"Well, no, but before things got serious, I just wanted to warn you..."
The redhead cut her off, "If I don't ask for your opinion, I'd appreciate it if you'd keep it to yourself, vale? I don't need you to protect me."
A flash of hurt passed through Pepa's eyes before it was replaced with anger. "You know what? You're right...you're a grown woman. You can take care of yourself. Good luck to you and Eva," she said with a dismissive wave of her wand before stomping her way back down the stairs.
Silvia took a deep breath and exhaled, pushing aside any feeling of regret at her words and choosing to ignore what Pepa said.
~*~*~*~*~
14 years before
Pepa walked around the corner of the building heading towards the bench, partially hidden by a copse of trees, where she always met Silvia at the end of the school day. She briskly ambled down the path across the small field, thinking about nothing in particular, but her footsteps slowed as the sound of raised voices met her ears. She first heard a boy's voice, but couldn't quite make out his words. Then she heard a girl respond. It was definitely Silvia, and the unmistakable tight agitation in the girl's voice prompted her feet back into action.
She sprinted the rest of the way, navigating around the trees as she heard Silvia once again.
"Armando, just go away and leave me alone!"
"Hey! What's going on here?" Pepa interjected as she finally arrived at the scene.
Silvia was crouched on the ground, collecting the strewn schoolbooks and papers that Armando had callously emptied from her bag. She was trying to put it all back into her schoolbag, and Pepa wanted to lend a hand, but that would have to wait until the boy was gone. Pepa wouldn't dare back down from her tense stance, hoping her greater height would help intimidate the bully.
"I failed the final science exam because of your freckle-faced girlfriend here. I was just trying to make her understand what a mistake she made," he said with a sardonic grin. "Isn't that right, pelirroja?" The snarled appellative was meant to mock the young girl.
Pepa slowly and deliberately placed her own bag on the grass near where Silvia was rising to her own feet. Silvia hadn't finished gathering her scattered belongings, but she was preparing to have to intervene if the situation escalated anymore.
"If you don't walk away now, I'm going to make you understand what a mistake you've made," the brunette said, her hands clenching into tight fists at her sides, daring him to make the wrong move.
They were at a standstill. Armando was considering his options - back down from a girl, or fight a girl - neither was appealing, but the decision was made for him as they all heard the sound of other students heading down the path. But he wouldn't leave without feeling as though he had won, so before he ran off, he stepped on a folder near his foot, leaving behind some dirt and the deep imprint of his shoe, and shot a final pejorative at the brunette - "Freak!"
The brunette took a step forward in reaction, ready to chase after him, but she felt a small hand gently but firmly hold her back.
"Just let him go, Pepa," the redhead quietly implored her friend before sighing. "And that was my favorite folder, too." She bent over to pick it up, dusting the dirt off its covers.
Pepa gave up on the idea of following after Armando and instead focused on helping Silvia. The two girls collected the rest of Silvia's things, both using the time to calm their nerves - one from fear and the other from anger. Meanwhile, the students who had unwittingly defused the earlier situation walked down the path, talking and laughing as they passed the girls, continuing on the path until they were a significant distance away and their voices faded to silence.
Pepa and Silvia settled beside each other on the bench, the taller girl turning to take in her friend, to make sure she was alright.
"He didn't hurt you, did he?"
"No, no...he didn't want to hurt me. Just scare me I think."
"Hijo de puta..."
"Pepa," the redhead scolded.
"Well, he is. But you're okay...?"
"Yes, I'm fine now..."
"And what was that about him failing a science exam...?"
Silvia sighed tiredly, her fingers playing with the charms hanging from her bracelet, two had been added since the other girl had first given her the gift, and then she finally responded, "He wanted to cheat off of me during the test, but I wouldn't let him."
"So that makes it your fault that he failed?"
"He just likes to pick on me, so he'll blame me for anything and give me a hard time," she said with a shrug.
"So, he bothers you a lot? Why didn't you tell me anything before??" Pepa asked, a bit hurt that her friend hadn't shared this with her, but Silvia just smiled.
"Because we both know you, Pepa. And I didn't want you to get into any more trouble than you already do," she explained, her thin, arched eyebrow daring the other girl to argue.
The brunette shrugged her shoulders in defeat before continuing, "...but maybe I should start meeting you outside your classroom instead of out here," she suggested. "I don't like the idea of you being out here alone where he can corner you again, vale?"
"Vale."
The girls looked at each other, smiling, before Pepa felt another bout of uncertainty.
"And you're sure you're okay, right?" She asked, needing confirmation again.
"Yeeees, pesada," Silvia replied. "Now let's forget all about this, and you can walk me home now."
Pepa rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say...mandona."
"Hey!" The redhead shouted, and she tried to smack Pepa on the arm, but the taller girl was quick to jump up from the bench and dodge the attack.
Silvia leaped from the bench as well, ready to try and deliver the smack again, but Pepa was quite efficient at evading her flying hands.
"Pepa! Don't call me 'bossy'!"
"Whatever you say...mandona," she said with a snicker, swooping up her knapsack with one hand before taking off down the path. She shouted over her shoulder, "Come on, move those little legs, Sil! We're going to be late!"
The redhead shook her head as she watched her friend get further away, her long strides making easy work of the distance. She lifted her own bag from the floor and slung it over her shoulder, muttering to herself. "She shows up to save me from that jerk...and then ends up making fun of me herself," she snorted before adding, "of course I just tease her back, so..."
The thought trailed off, and she finally headed after her friend, shouting, "Slow down, larga! I'm sorry I wasn't born with stilts for legs like you were!"
She thought Pepa might not have heard her comment, but a few seconds later, she heard the brunette respond without turning around.
"If only that fire on your head would light a fire under your ass!"
The girls took turns teasing each other, racing, and avoiding playful slaps the rest of the way to Silvia's home.
______
The next afternoon, Pepa walked over to the building where Silvia had her last class. The redhead was standing outside, talking with a few of her friends, facing away from Pepa. When the other girls noticed the tall girl approaching, they hastily made their goodbyes and scuttled away.
Silvia was confused at their abrupt departure until she suddenly felt a pair of hands reach around her face to cover her eyes, causing her to smile.
“Guess who?”
“Hmm…the Pope.”
“Nope, guess again.”
“Marilyn Monroe.”
“No…one more guess.”
“Ahh…Alejandro Sanz!”
Pepa made the sound of a buzzer, indicating that the answer was wrong again, and finally dropped her hands away from Silvia’s face. “You really suck at the ‘Guess Who’ game, pelirroja.”
The redhead turned around, a look of disappointment on her face, “Oh, it’s only you.”
“Yes, it’s only me,” Pepa repeated, rolling her eyes. “And I have bad news actually…I can’t walk home with you today.” The redhead cocked an eyebrow in question, prompting Pepa to explain. “Mr. Arenas said he wants 'to speak to me after school’," she said the last words in a low voice, imitating her English teacher, "so I have to go to his classroom now.”
“Are you in trouble again?”
“No lectures, Silvia…please. And I really need to run or I’ll get into more trouble for being late.”
“Vaaale, go on then…and I’ll see you tomorrow?”
Pepa was already walking away, but she looked back to respond. “Of course,” she affirmed with a wink.
______
Later that evening, Silvia was home alone cooking dinner…and breakfast. Her father was going to be working all night, so while she made herself something to eat, she also prepared something that she could put away for her father to eat when he arrived home in the early morning hours, tired and hungry as he usually was.
Just as she finished serving her plate, she heard a knock on the door. She tensed in response, not expecting any guests and worrying since she was alone.
“Silvia, it’s me!” She heard, followed by another round of knocks.
When she realized that it was Pepa at the door, she quickly put her plate down on the table and went to fling open the door, wondering why her friend had come over. She opened the door and found Pepa standing at her doorstep looking at the ground, her long, dark hair fell like a curtain, obscuring her face. She was leaning her body against the doorframe, her clothes looked rumpled, and one of her hands was holding her bag in place over her shoulder while the other hung limply at her side.
“What are you doing here? Did something happen??” The redhead questioned in concern.
“You could say that,” Pepa replied, finally lifting her head.
“What? What happened? Are you okay?” Silvia fired more questions back, stepping away from the entrance to let Pepa walk inside.
The taller girl took slow steps in and dropped her bookbag on the floor. In doing so, she extended her torso a bit and hissed in pain.
“Pepa!”
“That asshole sucker punched me,” she revealed under her breath, gingerly walking to the sofa and lowering herself to the cushions.
“Did you…” she already had an idea about what happened, but she asked anyway, “did you get into a fight with Armando?”
“Don’t be mad at me,” the brunette said feebly as Silvia took a seat on the sofa next to her. “I lied about having to see Mr. Arenas today. I went to go find Armando…” She trailed off, looking away, afraid Silvia was going to give her hell. When she heard no response, she rushed on, “I just wanted to make sure he wouldn’t pick on you anymore. He’s the one who swung first!” She heard her friend sigh and finally turned around to look at her.
Silvia looked upset, but she didn’t say anything. She was always angry when Pepa did brash things, especially if they involved confrontations with others…but she knew Pepa always meant well, especially when the confrontation involved standing up for her, so she kept quiet instead of saying anything that would hurt the other girl.
Pepa misread the silence, though, and thought that Silvia was even angrier than she first thought. Though she doubted that she was going to have any luck and get a ‘yes’, she figured she had little to lose and decided to ask her friend what she had come to ask anyway.
"I didn't want to go home and deal with my parents like this. You know how my mom makes me have dinner at the table with them. And they would notice, and they'd ask questions, and I'd be grounded," the girl sighed in exasperation. "So, I was hoping....I was hoping I could stay here tonight. If...you know...if you don't mind," she said quietly.
The redhead watched Pepa sitting on her side of the sofa, squirming uncomfortably, and then she finally noticed that she was cradling her right hand in her lap. She scooted closer, gently prying the hand from its place and turned it over to inspect the back. The knuckles had a few scrapes and they looked a little swollen.
"We should take you to a doctor..."
"No, no doctors. Really, it's not that bad. I've had a lot worse," she said with a wry smile.
"Can you move your hand?"
"It hurts, but, yeah, I can." The brunette slowly flexed her fingers to prove her words.
"And where else did he get you? Your ribs?"
"Yeah, it's just a bruise though, I think."
"Vale, go to the bathroom and run your hand under some cold water. I'll go call your parents to let them know you're staying over...I'll just say we're studying or something."
The two girls stood up, but the redhead got to her feet faster and helped the other girl off the sofa.
"After you wash your hand, go to my room and lay down. I'll bring some aspirin, ice, and bandages."
Pepa started to walk back towards the front door while Silvia looked on perplexed. Then she realized that the other girl was going for the schoolbag that she had dropped at the door. "Leave that there, Pepa, I'll get it."
The brunette turned around, but before heading down the hall to the bathroom, she spoke again. "Gracias, Silvia."
"And what about Armando?" Silvia asked.
"I punched him once, and he started crying."
The girls looked looked at each other. Silvia was trying to hide her smile, but her sparkling eyes gave her away, and they soon erupted in laughter.
"Ow, pelirroja, I can't laugh. It hurts," the taller girl pouted.
"Go wash your hand already, and I'll be right there," Silvia ordered as her chuckling died down.
"Mandona." The redhead heard the whispered word as they walked their separate ways.
"Don't call me that or I'm going to change my mind!"
She heard the other girl start laughing again until it abruptly stopped with another "ow".
"That's what you get!"
Silvia walked into the kitchen and called Pepa's house to let them know she was there and to ask if she could stay over so she could tutor her. It was no problem, of course. Pepa's parents loved when their daughter spent time with Silvia considering she was so well-behaved, did well in school, and her father was the comisario. They figured if anyone could be a good influence on the troublesome girl, it would be Silvia, and she was much preferred over Pepa's other group of friends.
She put away her forgotten dinner and went to gather the supplies for Pepa, thinking to herself about her friend. She didn't like when Pepa got physical with anyone. Her father had always taught her that violence should only be used as a last result or in self-defense. She personally preferred to solve problems by talking things out or involving an authority figure if necessary. But, Pepa...Pepa, on the other hand, was not opposed to letting her fists make her argument for her. And Silvia worried about her. She didn't want her to get hurt, especially over anything that was her own problem. And yet, Silvia couldn't help feeling happy that Armando had gotten what he deserved…he had been picking on her for so long. And she couldn't help that her heart would swell whenever Pepa stood up for her. She was always there to protect her, always there to make sure she was okay.
The redhead shook her head as she walked down the hallway. "What am I supposed to do with you, Pepa..." she whispered under breath, and then she heard some rustling coming from her room along with the sliding of a drawer. "Pepa! Stop looking through my things and lay down on the bed!"
She opened the door to see Pepa trying to run to the bed, but the pain in her chest kept her from being able to move very quickly. Before Pepa reached the edge of the bed, she turned around and saluted. "Ay, ay..."
Silvia cut in. "If you call me mandona again, you're going to have a black eye to match that bruised rib." It was an empty threat, of course, but Pepa knew to zip it if she wanted her friend to be gentle in her ministrations.
But Pepa...would always be Pepa. So as she carefully sat on the bed, she mumbled the word under her breath.
"I swear, Pepa...I swear..."
"What?! You like giving orders and I like breaking them. It's a match made in heaven!"
"More like a match made in hell."
The brunette attempted to shrug with a grimace. "Either way, it's a match, pelirroja."
She laughed when Silvia flung a bandage at her head...laughter that quickly died with an "ouch".
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Pepa/Silvia
A/N: I was particularly happy with this chapter. It's nice and long, too, so I hope y'all enjoy.
Chapter 3
Silvia walked into her apartment, locking the door behind her and dropping her keys and purse on the nearby table.
The night had gone surprisingly well. She had initially agreed to the date with the thought that it would be nice to get out of the house and socialize again. And she also had to admit to herself that a small part of why she said yes was just to piss off Pepa. Okay, to be truthful with herself, it was a large part of the reason why. But, her earlier reasoning had gradually dissipated as the night wore on and she found Eva to be quite engaging.
She entered her bedroom to prepare for bed. She removed her jewelry before stepping out of her clothes and pulling on a comfortable pair of pajama pants and a tank top. Once into her sleepwear, she made her way to the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth, still contemplating the evening. Since Eva was also a doctor, she found that she could talk to her about subjects she couldn't discuss with her family or coworkers. Not that they only conversed about their work and medicine, though.
Throughout the night, the two women talked about music, movies, books, and told each other a bit about themselves. The conversation flowed easily, except when Eva brought up a funny story involving her friends and Pepa's name came up. The redhead's automatic reaction was to roll her eyes.
"I'm guessing you and Pepa are not each other's biggest fans..."
"You'd guess right," she said tersely, taking a sip of her wine.
"I don't mean to pry...but is there a reason for that?"
Silvia snorted at the question. "Let's just say she and I are a match made in hell."
"Interesting that you’d say you two are a match of any kind…I mean, a match is still a match, don’t you think?"
The redhead picked her fork back up and speared an artichoke heart with more force than necessary. "No, no, I don't think."
Eve didn’t have to be a genius to sense Silvia’s mounting irritation with the touchy subject, so she deftly directed the conversation in another direction, and the rest of the night carried on with no more hitches.
The redhead shook her head, trying to dispel the memory of the only uncomfortable part of the night's conversation. Other than that one awkward moment, things had gone really well. She found Eva to be articulate and charming...and she thought back warmly on the small kiss they shared as they said their goodbyes and goodnight.
Eva had initiated the short, but sweet kiss. It wasn't too overbearing, too demanding...but it also wasn't a passionless peck. It was...nice. Just right. And for the first time in months, the redhead found herself falling asleep with a smile on her face.
_____
Pepa sat at her desk, her long legs propped up on the desktop as she leaned back in her chair, throwing a stress ball into the air and catching it. She had paperwork to complete...but she didn't feel much like doing it.
And she was bored.
The sound of clacking heels distracted her and she missed the ball. It smacked her in the face with a flat thud before dropping to the ground. She heard the owner of the clacking heels stifling laughter.
"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, princesa, but that actually kind of hurt."
"I'm sorry...are you injured? Do you need medical attention?" Silvia asked patronizingly.
"No...but can you kiss it and make it better?"
The redhead rolled her eyes and continued her walk, heading to her lab. But she was stopped short as something popped into Pepa's mind, and she questioned, “So how did the date go??"
Silvia turned around before responding, "None of your business."
"Silvia..." Pepa jumped out of her chair and chased after the redhead. She caught up with her at the bottom of the stairway. "Silvia, in all seriousness, Eva's my friend and I know what she's like."
Silvia looked at Pepa, secretly interested but she didn’t want to give the other women that impression, so she merely raised her eyebrows and began to climb the stairs. The brunette started up the stairs after her and resumed, "I know things went well with her last night. Things always do at first...until she gets bored and moves on, usually before the relationship has even ended."
They reached the top of the stairs and Silvia turned to look at Pepa again. "Did I ask for your opinion?"
"Well, no, but before things got serious, I just wanted to warn you..."
The redhead cut her off, "If I don't ask for your opinion, I'd appreciate it if you'd keep it to yourself, vale? I don't need you to protect me."
A flash of hurt passed through Pepa's eyes before it was replaced with anger. "You know what? You're right...you're a grown woman. You can take care of yourself. Good luck to you and Eva," she said with a dismissive wave of her wand before stomping her way back down the stairs.
Silvia took a deep breath and exhaled, pushing aside any feeling of regret at her words and choosing to ignore what Pepa said.
~*~*~*~*~
14 years before
Pepa walked around the corner of the building heading towards the bench, partially hidden by a copse of trees, where she always met Silvia at the end of the school day. She briskly ambled down the path across the small field, thinking about nothing in particular, but her footsteps slowed as the sound of raised voices met her ears. She first heard a boy's voice, but couldn't quite make out his words. Then she heard a girl respond. It was definitely Silvia, and the unmistakable tight agitation in the girl's voice prompted her feet back into action.
She sprinted the rest of the way, navigating around the trees as she heard Silvia once again.
"Armando, just go away and leave me alone!"
"Hey! What's going on here?" Pepa interjected as she finally arrived at the scene.
Silvia was crouched on the ground, collecting the strewn schoolbooks and papers that Armando had callously emptied from her bag. She was trying to put it all back into her schoolbag, and Pepa wanted to lend a hand, but that would have to wait until the boy was gone. Pepa wouldn't dare back down from her tense stance, hoping her greater height would help intimidate the bully.
"I failed the final science exam because of your freckle-faced girlfriend here. I was just trying to make her understand what a mistake she made," he said with a sardonic grin. "Isn't that right, pelirroja?" The snarled appellative was meant to mock the young girl.
Pepa slowly and deliberately placed her own bag on the grass near where Silvia was rising to her own feet. Silvia hadn't finished gathering her scattered belongings, but she was preparing to have to intervene if the situation escalated anymore.
"If you don't walk away now, I'm going to make you understand what a mistake you've made," the brunette said, her hands clenching into tight fists at her sides, daring him to make the wrong move.
They were at a standstill. Armando was considering his options - back down from a girl, or fight a girl - neither was appealing, but the decision was made for him as they all heard the sound of other students heading down the path. But he wouldn't leave without feeling as though he had won, so before he ran off, he stepped on a folder near his foot, leaving behind some dirt and the deep imprint of his shoe, and shot a final pejorative at the brunette - "Freak!"
The brunette took a step forward in reaction, ready to chase after him, but she felt a small hand gently but firmly hold her back.
"Just let him go, Pepa," the redhead quietly implored her friend before sighing. "And that was my favorite folder, too." She bent over to pick it up, dusting the dirt off its covers.
Pepa gave up on the idea of following after Armando and instead focused on helping Silvia. The two girls collected the rest of Silvia's things, both using the time to calm their nerves - one from fear and the other from anger. Meanwhile, the students who had unwittingly defused the earlier situation walked down the path, talking and laughing as they passed the girls, continuing on the path until they were a significant distance away and their voices faded to silence.
Pepa and Silvia settled beside each other on the bench, the taller girl turning to take in her friend, to make sure she was alright.
"He didn't hurt you, did he?"
"No, no...he didn't want to hurt me. Just scare me I think."
"Hijo de puta..."
"Pepa," the redhead scolded.
"Well, he is. But you're okay...?"
"Yes, I'm fine now..."
"And what was that about him failing a science exam...?"
Silvia sighed tiredly, her fingers playing with the charms hanging from her bracelet, two had been added since the other girl had first given her the gift, and then she finally responded, "He wanted to cheat off of me during the test, but I wouldn't let him."
"So that makes it your fault that he failed?"
"He just likes to pick on me, so he'll blame me for anything and give me a hard time," she said with a shrug.
"So, he bothers you a lot? Why didn't you tell me anything before??" Pepa asked, a bit hurt that her friend hadn't shared this with her, but Silvia just smiled.
"Because we both know you, Pepa. And I didn't want you to get into any more trouble than you already do," she explained, her thin, arched eyebrow daring the other girl to argue.
The brunette shrugged her shoulders in defeat before continuing, "...but maybe I should start meeting you outside your classroom instead of out here," she suggested. "I don't like the idea of you being out here alone where he can corner you again, vale?"
"Vale."
The girls looked at each other, smiling, before Pepa felt another bout of uncertainty.
"And you're sure you're okay, right?" She asked, needing confirmation again.
"Yeeees, pesada," Silvia replied. "Now let's forget all about this, and you can walk me home now."
Pepa rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say...mandona."
"Hey!" The redhead shouted, and she tried to smack Pepa on the arm, but the taller girl was quick to jump up from the bench and dodge the attack.
Silvia leaped from the bench as well, ready to try and deliver the smack again, but Pepa was quite efficient at evading her flying hands.
"Pepa! Don't call me 'bossy'!"
"Whatever you say...mandona," she said with a snicker, swooping up her knapsack with one hand before taking off down the path. She shouted over her shoulder, "Come on, move those little legs, Sil! We're going to be late!"
The redhead shook her head as she watched her friend get further away, her long strides making easy work of the distance. She lifted her own bag from the floor and slung it over her shoulder, muttering to herself. "She shows up to save me from that jerk...and then ends up making fun of me herself," she snorted before adding, "of course I just tease her back, so..."
The thought trailed off, and she finally headed after her friend, shouting, "Slow down, larga! I'm sorry I wasn't born with stilts for legs like you were!"
She thought Pepa might not have heard her comment, but a few seconds later, she heard the brunette respond without turning around.
"If only that fire on your head would light a fire under your ass!"
The girls took turns teasing each other, racing, and avoiding playful slaps the rest of the way to Silvia's home.
______
The next afternoon, Pepa walked over to the building where Silvia had her last class. The redhead was standing outside, talking with a few of her friends, facing away from Pepa. When the other girls noticed the tall girl approaching, they hastily made their goodbyes and scuttled away.
Silvia was confused at their abrupt departure until she suddenly felt a pair of hands reach around her face to cover her eyes, causing her to smile.
“Guess who?”
“Hmm…the Pope.”
“Nope, guess again.”
“Marilyn Monroe.”
“No…one more guess.”
“Ahh…Alejandro Sanz!”
Pepa made the sound of a buzzer, indicating that the answer was wrong again, and finally dropped her hands away from Silvia’s face. “You really suck at the ‘Guess Who’ game, pelirroja.”
The redhead turned around, a look of disappointment on her face, “Oh, it’s only you.”
“Yes, it’s only me,” Pepa repeated, rolling her eyes. “And I have bad news actually…I can’t walk home with you today.” The redhead cocked an eyebrow in question, prompting Pepa to explain. “Mr. Arenas said he wants 'to speak to me after school’," she said the last words in a low voice, imitating her English teacher, "so I have to go to his classroom now.”
“Are you in trouble again?”
“No lectures, Silvia…please. And I really need to run or I’ll get into more trouble for being late.”
“Vaaale, go on then…and I’ll see you tomorrow?”
Pepa was already walking away, but she looked back to respond. “Of course,” she affirmed with a wink.
______
Later that evening, Silvia was home alone cooking dinner…and breakfast. Her father was going to be working all night, so while she made herself something to eat, she also prepared something that she could put away for her father to eat when he arrived home in the early morning hours, tired and hungry as he usually was.
Just as she finished serving her plate, she heard a knock on the door. She tensed in response, not expecting any guests and worrying since she was alone.
“Silvia, it’s me!” She heard, followed by another round of knocks.
When she realized that it was Pepa at the door, she quickly put her plate down on the table and went to fling open the door, wondering why her friend had come over. She opened the door and found Pepa standing at her doorstep looking at the ground, her long, dark hair fell like a curtain, obscuring her face. She was leaning her body against the doorframe, her clothes looked rumpled, and one of her hands was holding her bag in place over her shoulder while the other hung limply at her side.
“What are you doing here? Did something happen??” The redhead questioned in concern.
“You could say that,” Pepa replied, finally lifting her head.
“What? What happened? Are you okay?” Silvia fired more questions back, stepping away from the entrance to let Pepa walk inside.
The taller girl took slow steps in and dropped her bookbag on the floor. In doing so, she extended her torso a bit and hissed in pain.
“Pepa!”
“That asshole sucker punched me,” she revealed under her breath, gingerly walking to the sofa and lowering herself to the cushions.
“Did you…” she already had an idea about what happened, but she asked anyway, “did you get into a fight with Armando?”
“Don’t be mad at me,” the brunette said feebly as Silvia took a seat on the sofa next to her. “I lied about having to see Mr. Arenas today. I went to go find Armando…” She trailed off, looking away, afraid Silvia was going to give her hell. When she heard no response, she rushed on, “I just wanted to make sure he wouldn’t pick on you anymore. He’s the one who swung first!” She heard her friend sigh and finally turned around to look at her.
Silvia looked upset, but she didn’t say anything. She was always angry when Pepa did brash things, especially if they involved confrontations with others…but she knew Pepa always meant well, especially when the confrontation involved standing up for her, so she kept quiet instead of saying anything that would hurt the other girl.
Pepa misread the silence, though, and thought that Silvia was even angrier than she first thought. Though she doubted that she was going to have any luck and get a ‘yes’, she figured she had little to lose and decided to ask her friend what she had come to ask anyway.
"I didn't want to go home and deal with my parents like this. You know how my mom makes me have dinner at the table with them. And they would notice, and they'd ask questions, and I'd be grounded," the girl sighed in exasperation. "So, I was hoping....I was hoping I could stay here tonight. If...you know...if you don't mind," she said quietly.
The redhead watched Pepa sitting on her side of the sofa, squirming uncomfortably, and then she finally noticed that she was cradling her right hand in her lap. She scooted closer, gently prying the hand from its place and turned it over to inspect the back. The knuckles had a few scrapes and they looked a little swollen.
"We should take you to a doctor..."
"No, no doctors. Really, it's not that bad. I've had a lot worse," she said with a wry smile.
"Can you move your hand?"
"It hurts, but, yeah, I can." The brunette slowly flexed her fingers to prove her words.
"And where else did he get you? Your ribs?"
"Yeah, it's just a bruise though, I think."
"Vale, go to the bathroom and run your hand under some cold water. I'll go call your parents to let them know you're staying over...I'll just say we're studying or something."
The two girls stood up, but the redhead got to her feet faster and helped the other girl off the sofa.
"After you wash your hand, go to my room and lay down. I'll bring some aspirin, ice, and bandages."
Pepa started to walk back towards the front door while Silvia looked on perplexed. Then she realized that the other girl was going for the schoolbag that she had dropped at the door. "Leave that there, Pepa, I'll get it."
The brunette turned around, but before heading down the hall to the bathroom, she spoke again. "Gracias, Silvia."
"And what about Armando?" Silvia asked.
"I punched him once, and he started crying."
The girls looked looked at each other. Silvia was trying to hide her smile, but her sparkling eyes gave her away, and they soon erupted in laughter.
"Ow, pelirroja, I can't laugh. It hurts," the taller girl pouted.
"Go wash your hand already, and I'll be right there," Silvia ordered as her chuckling died down.
"Mandona." The redhead heard the whispered word as they walked their separate ways.
"Don't call me that or I'm going to change my mind!"
She heard the other girl start laughing again until it abruptly stopped with another "ow".
"That's what you get!"
Silvia walked into the kitchen and called Pepa's house to let them know she was there and to ask if she could stay over so she could tutor her. It was no problem, of course. Pepa's parents loved when their daughter spent time with Silvia considering she was so well-behaved, did well in school, and her father was the comisario. They figured if anyone could be a good influence on the troublesome girl, it would be Silvia, and she was much preferred over Pepa's other group of friends.
She put away her forgotten dinner and went to gather the supplies for Pepa, thinking to herself about her friend. She didn't like when Pepa got physical with anyone. Her father had always taught her that violence should only be used as a last result or in self-defense. She personally preferred to solve problems by talking things out or involving an authority figure if necessary. But, Pepa...Pepa, on the other hand, was not opposed to letting her fists make her argument for her. And Silvia worried about her. She didn't want her to get hurt, especially over anything that was her own problem. And yet, Silvia couldn't help feeling happy that Armando had gotten what he deserved…he had been picking on her for so long. And she couldn't help that her heart would swell whenever Pepa stood up for her. She was always there to protect her, always there to make sure she was okay.
The redhead shook her head as she walked down the hallway. "What am I supposed to do with you, Pepa..." she whispered under breath, and then she heard some rustling coming from her room along with the sliding of a drawer. "Pepa! Stop looking through my things and lay down on the bed!"
She opened the door to see Pepa trying to run to the bed, but the pain in her chest kept her from being able to move very quickly. Before Pepa reached the edge of the bed, she turned around and saluted. "Ay, ay..."
Silvia cut in. "If you call me mandona again, you're going to have a black eye to match that bruised rib." It was an empty threat, of course, but Pepa knew to zip it if she wanted her friend to be gentle in her ministrations.
But Pepa...would always be Pepa. So as she carefully sat on the bed, she mumbled the word under her breath.
"I swear, Pepa...I swear..."
"What?! You like giving orders and I like breaking them. It's a match made in heaven!"
"More like a match made in hell."
The brunette attempted to shrug with a grimace. "Either way, it's a match, pelirroja."
She laughed when Silvia flung a bandage at her head...laughter that quickly died with an "ouch".