20. Grandparents

I should've just gone home.

Ignored the bullshit like always. I've gotten pretty good at that. But Jackie made damn sure I wouldn't. Her loud, attention-hungry callout during the end-of-day announcements—fifteen minutes before school was over?

Classic attention whore move.

But then again... I'd probably want to fight me too if I were her. People had been whispering about her all day, clapping when they saw her. Must've stung. Probably made her itch to get even.

So when the final bell rang, I followed the crowd outside, jaw clenched, while Katy tied my hair up into a bun behind me.

"Do you have to fight Jackie?" she asked gently.

"She needs to get even with me for some reason," I said. "If she wants to do it like this, I'm not about to decline."

"Please don't do this. It's so asinine," Katy begged.

"Tell her that. She's the one who keeps starting with me. I'm just gonna make her stop."

'Please don't let Victor get involved.' Katy was thinking. That's exactly why I was handling it myself.

We reached the grassy clearing behind the basketball courts, just across the street in the park. A crowd had already gathered. That's when I saw Victor jogging toward us, eyes laser-focused, panic blooming across his face.

'If she hurts my sweet Anne, it's over for this stupid girl.'

Oh great. Now I had more pressure on me to win.

"Do you want me to handle this?" Victor asked, barely keeping his cool. "I can make it all go away."

"No way," I said, stepping forward.

"This is it!" Jackie's voice boomed across the clearing like she was announcing a Pay-Per-View special. "No more shit-talking! No more hiding the beast behind that shitty makeover! One fight—and we see who's actually better!"

Phones came out instantly. Of course.

I didn't say a word. Just raised my fists.

"GO ANNE!!!" someone yelled.

The second I turned my head to see who, Jackie lunged.

Amateur mistake.

Her first swing barely grazed my jaw. Fast, wild. No control. I ducked and slammed my shoulder into her gut, sending her stumbling back hard.

The crowd roared like someone had scored a touchdown. Jackie came back at me fast, and this time we hit the dirt. She got a fistful of my hair, but I drove a punch into her ribs that made her shriek. She clawed at my face and missed.

I got a clean punch to her cheek. She hit the ground, stunned—but not out. She grabbed at my legs, tackled me down, and we rolled through the grass, hair-pulling, kicking, teeth clenched.

It wasn't elegant at all.

And I was winning.

That's when I spotted movement—one of Jackie's stray friends charging straight for me.

Oh, so I was about to get jumped now?

Before I could brace myself, Katy ran in out of nowhere and decked the girl with a hard left hook that sent her crashing to the ground.

The crowd gasped. I did too.

"Back off!" Katy barked, her hand shaking.

The girl didn't move. She was out cold.

Meanwhile, I had Jackie pinned face-down in the dirt. She was bleeding somewhere—got it on my shirt—but she wasn't going anywhere.

"Looks like I'm better than you, Jackie," I chuckled, wiping sweat from my brow.

'Fucking bitch! How can I show my face in school again?! I was just doing this for Lara!'

Right on cue, a voice roared across the park.

"HEY! WHAT THE HELL ARE ALL YOU KIDS DOING HERE?!"

"SCATTER!!!" someone screamed.

It was chaos. Everyone sprinted like startled animals.

Victor appeared at my side in a flash. "Got you!" he said, sweeping me off my feet before I could even react. He ran, fast. Over his shoulder, I saw Katy bolting in the other direction, hair flying, eyes wide.

We disappeared into the trees as the pounding of footsteps got fainter.

***

Three blocks later, Victor finally stopped and set me down gently on the pavement. My hands were scraped. My chest burned. My legs shook from adrenaline.

But I couldn't help it.

I started laughing.

I fucked Jackie up.

And Katy can kind of fight?!

Victor stood nearby, breathing hard but beaming at me like I was a goddess.

'She looked just like a Ranger out there.' he thought.

Of course he was comparing me to the Yellow Ranger in his head.

Before I could say anything dumb, Katy came stumbling toward us, breathless and wide-eyed like she couldn't believe what just happened either.

"Holy shit," she whispered. "I just hit someone!"

"You sure did! You knocked that bitch out!" I grinned, shaking her by the shoulders.

Katy slid to the ground in a crouch, laughing nervously. "I didn't know I could do that. But let's talk about you though. You were like insanely good out there. I'd never pick a fight with you."

"I couldn't help it," I admitted.

Victor was still smiling proudly. But inside, his thoughts were darker.

'That crazy bitch hurt my Anne and tried to have her jumped for Lara? I saw it! Everyone saw it happen! Jackie tried to humiliate her! They all watched like it was a game Lara set up! Looks like my warning wasn't good enough for her.'

Warning?

"What do you think, Victor?" I asked carefully.

He looked at me and smiled warmly. "I think you should rely on me to handle the altercations from now on. But you were amazing out there. I think you handled it perfectly."

He sounded sincere.

But in his head, I could already hear the plan forming.

'I guess it's my job as her boyfriend to finish it.'

Shit.

***

I couldn't even fully enjoy my victory.

Not because of the bruises—though everything did hurt now that the adrenaline had worn off—but because of what I heard.

Victor.

'That crazy bitch hurt my Anne... Jackie really tried to humiliate her... Looks like my warning wasn't good enough for her.'

Warning?

Was the memory I saw in Lara's mind real after all? The screaming, the dragging, the stairs, the threat whispered to her like a lullaby from hell? Had Victor really been there? If he was... how the hell did he avoid thinking about it around me this whole time? Did that mean he was connected to Craig's death, too?

Maybe.

Victor had more control over his thoughts than anyone I'd ever met. Even in moments of emotion, he kept it all buried under this plastic calm. I just had to make him slip—get lazy, get smug, get sloppy. Then I'd find out.

Maybe I needed to visit Lara again.

But... whatever.

I shoved the spiral of questions away and walked up to my house. My brain still buzzed from the constant noise of everyone's thoughts—hundreds at once, all layered and pressing against my skull like static. It wasn't pleasant.

At least Katy had helped me clean up. The scratches on my hands were mostly hidden, and she even showed me how to smooth out my cheek with a touch of concealer and pull my hair back to look less like a gladiator and more like a tired teenage girl. I was grateful for her.

And even more grateful to finally be home.

No Victor.

No Jackie.

Just me and the silence.

Until I heard voices in the kitchen.

Excited ones. Not just Dad and Yesenia—two more. Heavy Spanish accents, warm and fast and animated.

Dad poked his head out of the kitchen door, breaking into a full smile when he saw me. "There's my baby girl! Just in time!"

I groaned quietly but stepped into the kitchen anyway.

Inside stood a silver-haired woman with her hair in a bun, gold bangles jingling on both wrists, her smile wide and glowing. Next to her was a tall, lean man with a thick mustache and a quiet, stern look.

"Meet Yesenia's parents," Dad said, beaming like he'd won something. "They'll be living with us until they can find a place nearby. Isn't that great?"

Living with us? Full-time?

Well. Shit.

I glanced at Yesenia. She looked... nervous. Not like them nervous—like me nervous. Bracing for impact.

"Dad?" I asked flatly.

"They're your new grandparents."

"I'm a bit old for that."

"Want them or not?"

"...Sure."

"Then make them feel at home."

I sighed, turned toward them, and gave them the most polite grin I could manage. "Grandma. Grandpa."

Their faces lit up like I'd handed them a crown and told them they ruled the house now.

"Ay, mija!" the older woman chuckled, stepping forward and cupping my cheeks. I immediately knew I'd have to start learning Spanish to read her thoughts—her head was a complete blur, her emotions like music I couldn't translate. "So pretty. You look just like your papa. Tan hermosa, like a little movie star. Come here, let me see your eye."

Not subtle at all.

The old man squinted at me. "I've seen this. Ojo velado."

"Meiga boa," she added with a serious nod.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"It means 'good witch,'" Yesenia explained gently. "Don't mind them. Their old superstitions are all about second sight, and your eye is fueling their imagination. If I'd told them earlier, they'd feel so vindicated."

"Tell us what?" the woman—Rosa, I heard her name in someone's head—turned sharply.

"That she has a boyfriend," Dad said, swooping in quickly, probably sensing I was about to start melting down.

"Of course she has one," Rosa said, smug as hell. She cupped my face again. "Look how pretty and skinny she is!"

"Careful, Rosa, you're going to scare her," the old man muttered.

"She loves it," she giggled, kissing my forehead before letting me go. "But you're a bit too skinny. We'll fatten you up."

And then it started.

The interrogation.

How was school?

Did I see spirits?

Do I like spicy food?

Can I still see out of my milky eye?

Was I going to be a doctor?

Had I ever seen things others couldn't?

Did I want some pan de leche?

Had I ever had a vision?

Had I seen the spirit world?

It was like being on a game show with no buzzer.

They were affectionate, that was for sure. Their love language was apparently food, folklore, and relentless curiosity. And they were clearly fixated on the whole "second sight" thing—especially my eye. They weren't bad people though. I could tell that much even without reading them fully.

And in their own chaotic way, they meant well.

Somewhere in the noise and the warmth, I felt something I hadn't in a long time.

Maybe I actually liked this growing family thing.

Maybe.