Chapter 21
CHAPTER 21
RACHELLE
“G ood morning, baby,” Lili says, kissing my forehead as I smile. “Happy birthday.”
“Thank you,” I murmur, my voice still filled with sleep as I wake up. “I’m so comfortable here.”
She spent the night with me, and said there was somewhere special she wanted to take me today for my birthday. It feels surreal that she wants to spend today with me, since my birthday has largely been just another day for years.
When there’s no money and your mom is stressed to the max to put a roof over your head, birthdays tend to be forgotten. There have been years where even the day didn’t mean anything.
I always remembered her birthday, though. I learned how to make extra money through hemming people’s clothes. Since I already knew how to hem or sew my own clothes, it was easy to offer to others in the apartment complex.
People were happy to pay me for the services, and Mom never found out. She wouldn’t have understood why I was hemming clothes so that I could buy her presents or have some spending money. What she didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her.
It’s kind of my mantra.
“Better get up,” she murmurs before there’s a knock on the door.
I can see from here that it’s unlocked, which means that Liliana has already been up before me. We’re trying to be respectful to my parents when Lili spends the night, but I don’t feel comfortable anymore in this house without a locked door. Not when Ignacio’s room is across from mine.
Pushing myself to a sitting position, I make sure my boobs haven’t decided to escape from my tank top. I swear, they never stay inside of it, and Lili’s snuggling tends to push them out. Finding I’m completely covered, I tell whoever it is to come inside.
“Good morning,” Emil says, opening the bedroom door to step inside with my mom. They both look really excited, making me wonder why.
“Happy birthday, Rachelle,” Mom says, making me blink in surprise. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“No reason,” I lie. I don’t want to start anything right now. If she wants to wish me a happy birthday, that’s fine. “Thank you, Mom.”
It just honestly seems odd, though.
“Yes, happy birthday, mijita ,” Emil says. “I understand that you have plans with Lili, but I figured that we could have breakfast together before you go.”
“She still doesn’t know what those plans are, Mr. Emil,” Lili says urgently, making big eyes at him to not say anything more.
I can’t help huff out a laugh, amused by all of this. From not having my birthday celebrated to being fought over. It’s not something I ever thought would happen.
“I promise not to spoil anything,” Emil says, hands up in the air with a smug smile.
“Ah, breakfast sounds good,” I finally say, feeling awkward.
“Great, we’ll let you two get dressed to come down. Emil and I may have a couple of presents for you as well,” Mom says.
“Presents? I mean, I pretty much have everything I need,” I begin to say.
“Mmhmm,” Emil says. “Needs, wants, and just because are entirely different things, Rachelle. I’ll see you downstairs.”
“This is all very different from other birthdays,” Mom says. “I also never forgot, I was just too ashamed I couldn’t get you anything.”
“I never cared, Mom,” I sigh as she bites her lip and slips out of the room.
“She struggles with how she handled your dad’s death and working all of the time,” Emil says softly. “It’s not my place to say anything else, but she wants to do this now.”
“Okay,” I say because there’s nothing else I can do without seeming ungrateful. “I’ll be down soon.”
Nodding, Emil follows my mom out, closing the door.
“Are birthdays weird for some reason?” Lili asks, brow furrowed as I groan and drop back into my pillows.
“What birthdays?” I ask. “She refused to acknowledge the day completely. It’s been very bizarre over the past few years. I understand that she’s trying, it just feels odd.”
“We won’t stay long, then,” Lili says. “We’ll eat breakfast and then bounce, okay?”
“Yeah, okay,” I agree, sitting up and crawling out of bed.
“I really love these tiny shorts on you,” Lili purrs. “God, these are such a tease. Fuerza, Lili. I have to be strong here, baby.”
Her words make me smirk, my stomach flip flops, and I want to rethink having to leave my bed. Groaning, I force myself to walk across the room to my closet.
“You’re mean,” I tease her, pouting. “What should I wear? I don’t want to wear a dress if you’re going to have me running around or something.”
“Leggings, a tank top, tennis shoes, and a jacket for any random windchill,” she says immediately.
Portland has a way of changing temperature quickly, so I don’t blame her. Pulling my shirt over my head, I enjoy Liliana’s complaints as I step into the closet to change.
I kind of enjoy knowing how much she loves my body. With Lili, there’s less pressure with all things sexual. She’s never triggered me, reminds me to stay in the room with her mentally, and constantly checks in about my feelings. I feel safe with her in a way I don’t with other people.
I am even less self conscious about my scars with her, which I didn’t think was possible.
Quickly changing, I pop my head out to find she’s already dressed. Excited to see what she has planned, I run into the bathroom to pee and brush my teeth. I don’t know if I’ll have a chance to come back up, and I need fresh breath desperately.
“Ready?” she asks with an excited grin as I come out. Lili looks gorgeous with her long, dark brown hair up in a high ponytail, ready for whatever the day will bring.
Snagging a hair tie, I pull my long hair up as well. I’ve been meaning to get it cut, but Lili’s hair stylist is on maternity leave. I told her I’d rather wait for her stylist to be available. I would hate to be impatient and mess up my hair.
“Now I am,” I tell her, nodding.
Lili opens the door, where Ignacio is walking out of his room without a shirt on and basketball shorts. My stepbrother’s muscles are all on display, and I want to tell him to get dressed. Lili stares at him for an extra beat before saying exactly that.
“No one wants to see all of that,” she says. “Find a shirt, Nacio.”
“I’m going for a run with Elijah,” he says. “Don’t stare so hard in front of your girlfriend, or she’s going to think you want me too.”
Ah, she’d be in really good company.
“Dream on,” Liliana murmurs, snagging my hand.
I can’t help but notice the way his gaze stays on our linked fingers as we walk away. Nacio appears very conflicted, but that’s not my problem. His intentions are clearly aligned somewhere else, which means the longing in his eyes will need to fuck off.
“By the way, little sister,” Ignacio says, making me twist my body to face him. We’re the same age, though months apart. I really wish he wouldn’t call me that and stare at me as if he wants to eat me alive. “I heard it’s your birthday.”
“It is,” I say, waiting for him to say something he may feel is obligatory.
“Maybe watch your back today so you can make sure you make it to your next birthday,” he says, smirking as he pushes past us.
My feet try to trip over themselves as I watch him run down the stairs to meet whoever it was. Was it Elijah? Maybe, I can’t think right now.
“Why would he say that?” I ask, shaking my head.
I’ve had enough close calls this year, even though I was never actually run over or shot. The idea of my rapist possibly getting out of prison early is making me twitchier than ever.
“No,” Lili barks out. “He doesn’t get to ruin your birthday. Not today and not ever. Nacio is an asshole. Let’s get this breakfast over with and escape.”
That sounds good to me.
Shaking off my odd encounter with my stepbrother, I walk down the stairs with Lili to the breakfast nook. It’s flooded with morning light, and smells amazing. Sitting down across from my mom and Emil, Lili and I serve ourselves food quietly. We are now on a mission to eat and leave in the most polite way possible.
“So, your mom and I have a few things we want to give to you,” Emil begins, refusing to let this get awkward. I appreciate his efforts, but it’s still probably going to end up weird. “First, I want you to have driving lessons. It’s an important skill to learn.”
I’d just been talking about this recently, and my eyes widen.
“Really?” I ask.
“Absolutely. Just because Lili is driving you around, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t learn,” Mom says. “Once you know how to drive, we’ll discuss a car.”
Opening my mouth to tell her I don’t need a car, Emil shakes his head. “You need a car,” he confirms. “I want you to be able to come and go, even if you don’t see the need.”
“Thank you,” I whisper, overwhelmed. That’s not what I expected as a present for my birthday.
Even the expectation of a car after learning how to drive feels like a lot.
“We have a lot of different cars in the garage in the meantime for you to learn with, and as I said, I’ll hire someone to teach you,” he says. “Now, for the next gift.”
“There’s more?” I ask, eyes wide as I force myself to eat my food.
God only knows what Lili has planned, and I want to make sure I have the energy for it.
“There is,” my stepfather confirms. “You were robbed this year, plain and simple in regards to your grades.”
Sighing, I nod. At least, Lili placed at the top of the class and the Kings didn’t mess with her grades.
“I want to find a trip for you and Lili to go wherever you want,” he says. “I’ll send a guard to make sure you have an adult, but honestly, that’s a simple precaution.”
“Even the beach?” I ask, remembering a conversation I had with Lili once. A few days on the beach would be really nice.
“Does it have to be Florida?” Mom asks, teasing me.
“Any beach,” I insist. I just want sand and salt water around me.
“Did you know there’s a beach in Oregon?” Lili asks with a smile.
“I did not,” I gasp. “I feel as if this is pertinent information I need to know.”
“It’s really cute there, and the beach is beautiful,” she says. “We could easily spend a few days there and have a great time.”
“Book a week trip with my credit card,” Emil insists. “Get away from all the bullshit of the Kings, and reset before school. It’s about an hour and a half drive from here.”
“Oh that sounds amazing,” I admit. “Thank you.”
“You’re very welcome. I hope it helps with how awful school has been,” he says. “I tend to overdo things, so I’ll stop there for now.”
“I can’t imagine more,” I say, shaking my head in awe. “This is seriously more than enough. Thank you, guys.”
“You deserve it all,” Mom says with a wistful smile. “This hasn’t been an easy few months, but you’ve somehow managed.”
I’d love to tell her drugs helped, but I haven’t taken any. Finishing up our breakfast, Lili and I get up from the table.
“Enjoy your day,” Emil says. “Be safe, please.”
“We will,” Lili promises. “Come on, let’s go to the car.”
“I still don’t know where we’re going,” I tease as a staff member brings her an insulated cooler. A backpack is also handed to her, and I realize she’s had all of this very well planned.
“I know,” she says with a smirk. “I’m taking you hiking, but I promise it’ll be fun. We’ll take it slow. I want to show you all the best places in Portland.”
“There is one more thing,” Mom says, leaning forward. “I got us tickets to see The Darkest Nights in concert. They’re coming to town in September.”
“Are you serious?” I ask, gasping. “Oh my god, Mom. They’re my favorite!”
“I know,” she says with a nod, hiding a smile. “That’s why we’re going.”
“Thank you!”
My feet are moving before I realize it, and I’m hugging both my mom and Emil tightly.
“This has already been an amazing birthday,” I tell them happily, backing away. “Thank you again.”
Walking with Lili, she bites her lip as she grabs my hand in the foyer.
“I also bought you a gift,” she says. “It’s not anything big?—”
“I’ll love it because you got it for me,” I tell her, and honestly mean it. Gifts are all important to me, due to how infrequently I receive them.
“Okay,” she says, looking nervous as she hands me a small pouch.
Is that jewelry?
Interest piqued, I open it and allow the item to slide out onto my hand. It’s a gold bracelet with two interconnected links, both paved with expensive diamonds. My lips part in surprise, because it’s an exquisite gift. It reminds me in a way of two people connected together on a strand.
“Wow, it’s beautiful,” I whisper. Asking about the piece is gauche, and not something I do. It feels like too much, but too beautiful to refuse. “Thank you.”
“It reminds me of us,” she says, picking it up from my palm. “We’re connected to each other, regardless of all the other things we’re doing throughout the day. This way, you’ll have a part of me with you.”
“I love this,” I breathe, watching her as she clasps it to my wrist. It’s a perfect fit, close enough to my skin that it won’t get caught on anything else, while not pinching me either. “It’s so pretty.”
“Good,” she says with a nod. “It fits the girl I bought it for. I bought one for myself, and it’s upstairs. This way, we can always wear them.”
“This is such a great gift,” I say, blinking rapidly. It really is so beautiful, and the sentiment is incredible.
“I was so nervous to give this to you,” she says, flushing. “Now, we can go.”
Lili opens the door to four boys looking pretty damn proud of themselves, and I start to feel a knot in the pit of my stomach. Fuck, what do they want now? Elijah and Ignacio are both drenched in sweat from their run, while Jared and Theo are simply dressed in a pair of shorts and long sleeved shirts.
“Ignacio says it’s your birthday,” Theo says, his eyes traveling over the two of us. “We really should come with you, make sure to keep you perfectly safe.”
“I think you should get fucked,” I say, without thinking. “Go away.”
“You heard her,” Lili says, pushing her way through. “Bye.”
“No, we’re not done here,” Elijah says darkly, turning to gaze at us. “We’ll see you at the trails, Lili. You’ve been without our guiding presence for long enough.”
“Still think Rachelle’s idea was better,” she says over her shoulder, unlocking her car doors. “Get fucked, boys. She’s mine today.”
“So territorial,” Jared says with a dark chuckle. “We want to celebrate with the birthday girl. See you soon.”
Closing the doors behind ourselves as we get inside her vehicle and put our seatbelts on, I shake my head.
“Are they serious right now?” I ask as she pulls out of the drive away.
The guys disappear into the house, coming out quickly with a cooler to climb into what I recognize as Theo’s SUV. Ugh, they piss me off.
“I guess we have tag alongs,” Lili growls under her breath. “We’ll still have fun, I promise.”
Sighing, I hope that we can. I don’t have a great track record with them.