“What?”The shock in my brother’s voice doesn’t get rid of the numbness spreading within me.“Why didn’t you call me, Eve?”
“Call you?”I give him a bright smile, my jaw tense.“From what?Mamá hid my phone, remember?And my jacket.And my keys, along with everything else.But you knew that already, didn’t you?”
My brother’s hands tighten around my belongings, and I see the guilt in his eyes.I scoff lightly, covering my hurt with anger.
I turn to face Caleb and Megan.“Thanks for the ride.”
Caleb is staring at Marco, looking irritated for some reason, but when he opens his mouth, his sister pinches his forearm with her nails and says quickly, “It’s no problem.We should get lunch sometime, Eve.I never get to hang out with Caleb’s friends.”
“We’re not friends.”Both of us blurt out the sentence simultaneously.
Megan looks between the two of us before slowly drawling, “Right.”
“Let’s go,” her brother says, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her out.As he does, Megan looks over her shoulder.
“I meant it about that lunch, Eve!”
The door closes behind them, and I sigh.
Turning to face my brother, I take my things from him.“Thanks for bringing my stuff. You should get back to dinner.”I glance at the wall clock and add bitingly, “Though I guess dinner’s over by now.Mamámust have finally allowed you to leave to go look for me.”
I start putting my purse on the kitchen counter, but Marco’s hand catches my wrist.
“We thought you’d cut through the backyard and left with someone.We saw a girl getting in a car when we went to check the front door.”His grip tightens slightly.“It wasn’t until you called Rafael that we realized you must have walked.”
“You realized?”I pull my hand away, my throat burning with emotion.“How was I supposed to call anybody to pick me up, Marco?You knew she took my things, didn’t you?!”
The way he avoids my gaze gives me all the answers I need.I let out a bitter laugh.“I don’t even know why I bother anymore.I’m not coming home for dinner again, Marco.I’m done.My chest hurts from breathing in all that cold air.I still can’t feel my toes completely.Don’t call me again and try to guilt me into attending Sunday dinner.I would rather stay at home from now on.”
“I didn’t know she invited Luis,” Marco says quickly, and for the first time tonight, I hear real anger in his voice.“I was furious when he showed up.”
“Really, Marco?You had no idea?You didn’t expect our mother to pull something like that?”
Before I can respond, there is a knock on the door.“Eve!Open up!”
Recognizing my youngest brother’s voice, I open the door for him just as Marco says, “You could have stayed.You could have talked it out like an adult instead of running away like?—”
“Like what?”I whirl toward him, ignoring the wide-eyed Rafael.“Say it, Marco.Like what?”
He runs a hand through his hair, looking exhausted.“Like someone who doesn’t want to fix things.”
“Fix things?”I laugh, the sound harsh.“What exactly am I supposed to fix?The fact that I don’t want to marry a man who thinks I should quit my job and pop out babies?The fact that Mamá invited him to dinner without telling me?Or maybe the fact that she literally imprisoned me in that house?”
“She didn't imprison you?—”
“She took my keys!My phone!My jacket!”I’m practically shouting now.“What would you call it?”
“She was trying to make you listen?—”
“To what?To Luis explaining why my dreams don't matter?To Mamá planning my wedding to a man I dumped months ago?”I shake my head.“You want me to fix things?Here’s how we fix things: you tell Mamá to stay out of my life.”
Marco’s jaw tightens.“She’s your mother, Eve.She loves you.”
“She loves the idea of who she wants me to be.There’s a difference.”
“You’re being dramatic.”Marco stiffens.
“Am I?Is that why you didn’t stop her tonight?Why you didn’t tell Luis to leave when I asked you to?”
