Chapter 21
ALEJANDRA
Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol
It had always been normal for them to drive from Conil, Spain, to Ericeira, Portugal.
Since they were little, the idea of taking the car to go to Portugal had been completely normal, because that meant they could stop whenever they saw good swells and surf the rest of the day if the schedule wasn’t tight.
It never made sense to drive to Seville, take a flight, land in Lisbon, and then rent a car.
That was a ridiculous amount of unnecessary steps.
And yet, now she was reconsidering her life choices, stuck in the back seat as she witnessed Carlos flirting—very badly—with Ester.
The very surprising thing was that Ester seemed entertained by it.
She kept arguing back as they bickered about songs to choose for the drive, flamenco music versus pop music, and even politics.
Their voices rose and fell in that familiar rhythm of teasing that made Alejandra want to bang her head against the window.
Maybe it would have been better to walk there alone.
Not that she didn’t want to see her brother happy. She did. Of course she did.
She just… didn’t want to see anyone happy right now.
She had woken up in a foul mood, and not being able to sleep—as she always did on any kind of transportation—was turning her horrible mood into something far worse. Probably Satan himself could have been better company than her at the moment. That sling was turning her into her worst nightmare.
Una amargada.
And she wasn’t someone who didn’t enjoy life and hated everything. Quite the opposite. She loved life. She loved the ocean, the sun, the ridiculous road trips, the freedom of it all.
But fuck her if driving more than six hours to go to a tournament she wasn’t even going to compete in—thanks to the sling hanging from her left arm—wasn’t part of her own personal circle of hell.
“Can’t sleep?” Carlos asked, searching her eyes through the rearview mirror.
“Clearly I can. I’m like a horse, I sleep with my eyes open. Can’t you see?” Sarcasm spilled from every pore as she let her head rest against the headrest, her gaze drifting toward the vast expanse of nothingness that was the Portuguese interior.
Flat land. Pale sky. Endless road.
“Do they really, though?” Ester turned around in her seat to look at her. “Do horses really sleep with their eyes open?”
Alejandra deadpanned. “No idea, Esterilla. I’ve no idea.”
“Terrible mood, I see,” Carlos stated. “Is the sling hurting you?”
“It’s just very impossible to sleep in a car when every freaking bump makes the shoulder hurt.”
“Did you take any painkillers?” Ester asked.
“Yes, but clearly, my brother still has to learn how to drive at this point.”
“Ignore her, Ester. When she’s like that, not even the funniest comedian could make her laugh.”
Alejandra rolled her eyes. He wasn’t wrong. Sometimes it was better to just let her be, but somehow Ester had absolutely no intention of letting her sulk quietly in her own pool of misery.
“Is this because of the event?”
“Don’t use your psychology degree with me,” Alejandra warned her.
God, she sounded like a demon. A truly unlikable person when she wanted to be.
“Talking would definitely help,” Carlos interjected.
“Plus, you’re stuck in the car with us for the foreseeable future,” Ester added. “And you can’t sleep… so… why not talk with me and your brother about what’s going on in your head?”
“You can continue ignoring me and flirting with each other,” Alejandra muttered. “I can sulk right here. No problem.”
Ester’s face suddenly turned a shade of red Alejandra had never seen before. Was she going to combust right there in the passenger seat? Carlos, meanwhile, was throwing daggers at her through the rearview mirror.
“If I’m getting psychoanalyzed, then you two should too,” Alejandra wiggled her eyebrows, a devilish smirk spreading across her face.
“Gosh, you were right,” Ester said, turning back toward the front seat in defeat. “She’s horrible when she’s in a terrible mood.”
“I didn’t even say anything bad,” Alejandra defended herself. “I was just stating the truth.”
Carlos flipped her off while Ester turned an even more worrying shade of purple.
So she was right. They were indeed flirting. Had they already fucked? Had Carlos finally forgotten Amira?
The thought made her eyebrows lift slightly.
Somehow, that interested her. Gossip had always been an excellent distraction, and right now she could use one. But she didn’t want to hurt Ester by asking something so bluntly.
She was in a terrible mood.
She wasn’t a terrible person.
Silence settled inside the car after that, interrupted only by their occasional whispered comments that she tried not to listen to.
She tried to sleep again, but every bump sent a sharp protest through her shoulder, and eventually she gave up.
Unfortunately, the universe clearly hated her because she couldn’t even read in the car without throwing up.
She had always considered herself lucky because the moment her ass touched any form of transportation, she fell asleep instantly.
Apparently that superpower only worked when she wasn’t wearing a sling.
As the Portuguese landscape passed in a blur outside the window, dread slowly filled her bones. She was going to have to explain it. Over and over again. Every person would ask what had happened.
Because it was polite.
Because they were curious.
Because she had been running toward her third title and another Olympic medal, and now Amira’s path had suddenly cleared.
If Amira played her cards right, she could take it.
Maybe it was her time to shine.
Maybe she deserved it.
Maybe the universe had simply needed Alejandra to get injured to make space for someone else. Presumptuous, maybe. And maybe that was exactly why Mother Nature had decided to humble her down, reminding her who truly set the rules.
Not Alejandra.
Definitely not.
“I didn’t mean to hurt you,” Alejandra finally said quietly as they passed Lisbon.
“Don’t worry,” Ester replied, turning slightly with a soft smile. “You’re going through a lot. I understand.”
Carlos nodded through the rearview mirror.
“Sofia asked if we should meet right away…” Carlos added, gesturing toward the car’s screen where the message had popped up.
Alejandra exhaled slowly.
“I’ll need to rest a bit. Just a one-hour nap. I really don’t want to turn into a headline by insulting the entire event because I didn’t sleep.”
They both nodded, leaving her to her own devices once more.
Her heart began to thunder softly in her chest.
Why had she even agreed to be there?
Sofia owed her one for this. That was for damn sure.