valeria

Valeria’s arms recoiled with the force of her gun going off in succession, blasting the beer bottles into thick shards that flew all over the junkyard. As dust from the ground flew up, her fingers wrapped a little tighter around the cool steel and she could almost smell the smoke from the last time she had held a gun like this in a situation that wasn’t just target practice. Instead of shards there had been skin, and instead of the echoing silence she heard now there were screams. She was just protecting her own, he could be alive, she had to repeat the mantra in her head until maybe she started to believe it. Still, her fingers started to tremble around the trigger and she lowered the gun despite the two bottles still left. “Shit.” She breathed, pressing the grip against the head trying to center herself. Luckily, a distraction was right around the corner. She heard the bike before she saw the man, and sprung up, putting her darker thoughts behind her.

Her hand rested momentarily on the gun, but she holstered it as the man got off the bike. She wasn’t in the cartel world anymore. There was no reason to be so on guard. And, she recognized the bike. “Heard gunshots and came looking for trouble?” She asked, eyebrows raised. “Ever tried being a normal fucking person who just looks the other way?”

“I have better shoes than that that only cost four hundred,” He bragged. God, he was fucking annoying, “If you haven’t learned people are assholes by now, I’m not sure you will.” He chuckled, although realized afterwards that that was kind of rude. Watching a woman tear him apart was actually kind of hot, he wouldn’t lie about that. She seemed so ballsy, more than he was. 

“If you’re gonna let a coffee go to waste, I’ll take it. But if you’re in need of a large, I wouldn’t mind doing you a favor money-wise,” He had more then a few dollars to spare, thanks to being an anesthesiologist. “Would you throw the exact same tantrum?”

“Only need coffee when I’m severely hungover, so just wouldn’t have the energy.” She shrugged, shaking her head at the large. “Over most anything else?...Maybe.” Her sly smile betrayed the true answer. She knew she was somewhat of a hot-head, but in the cartel emotions of anger, mistrust, and irritation were commonplace. Her father was famous for his temper, though it had cooled over the years. She had been taught that she deserved the best, and when she didn’t get it, there would be hell to pay. 

As the man walked past them, she shot him a scathing glance, then looked back at the man next to her. “What about you? Bit of a temper?”

Gisele couldn’t wait to be home. It was one of those days where she was on her feet the whole day that she hadn’t had time to take a proper break. After making a pit stop to the grocery stores, she stocked up on the essentials and made up her mind that she was going to make her usual dinner for one, a wholesome meal with a glass or two of wine. Winding down was a must and she refused to have any interruptions as it was a self care kind of night. Humming to ‘Amor Prohibido’ by the late Selena, she owed it all to her group at the Studio for having it stuck in her head as she held an in memoriam night and dedicated her class to her. Now that she thought about it, maybe she should re-watch her biopic when she’s having her dinner…

Suddenly, Gigi snapped out of her thoughts the moment she entered her home. Seeing Valeria with that grin and swinging the key of her home made her stomach drop. Closing the door behind her and locking it shut, the look of shock faltered from her features as she went straight for the kitchen to drop her groceries onto the countertop before facing her sister. “I can see that Helena and Javier still adore you.” That’s how she could have gotten an extra key, because Gigi gave them one for emergencies and yet, here they were treating Sebastián’s daughters as if they were one big happy family. At the end of the day, they were just doing their job and she couldn’t blame them. With a hardened gaze, it was evident that she was not amused by Val’s presence. “I’m not here to cure your boredom Valeria. Leave, please.” 

Her eyebrows raised at the mention of Helena and Javier, names buried deep in her memory. She could only recall a few details-- Helena’s sweet singing voice and Javier’s twinkling eyes, but she did remember that they were sent to be Giselle’s guardians when she had first come to Olympus. Hence, the bitter tone wasn’t all that surprising. Must have been a cold feeling to be semi-betrayed by someone you saw as family. Valeria had to smirk at that thought. “Actually, it was Papá that gave me the key.” She said casually, knowing the ripples of unease that would set through Gigi’s spine. If her sister wanted to act all big and tough, Valeria had to remind her who really had the power in this relationship. Despite Val’s momentary fall from grace, it was still she who was the heir to the crown.

“I can’t drop in on my big sister every once in a while? C’mon Gisele, that’s cold. I was a bit offended you didn’t even invite me to see this pretty little house.” She pouted, putting on her best sulking little sister face. Technically, they didn’t have any other sisters that she knew of, just brothers back in Mexico, so she hoped this would pull on Gigi’s heartstrings a little. Why was she here? It had to be the boredom. This town was sleepier than a hibernating bear, and on top of that she had been strictly told to stay out of the game. Gisele was the only entertainment for miles. 

Valeria’s fingers drifted across the wallpaper in Gisele’s kitchen, marvelling at the kitschiness of the room. Bright colors everywhere she looked, fruit stacked up on the countertop, and sparkling clean. For a second Valeria closed her eyes and imagined what Havana must have been like, full of life and bursting with culture. Quite different from her Texas upbringing, but at the same time so similar. Five years apart, yet their childhoods mirrored each others. Until the point where Gisele had cast their family out of her heart. Her hand dropped from the wall as the resentment started to bubble up within her. It was never far from the surface, living in a town as small as this, she felt like she saw Gisele everywhere. This was supposed to be a little vacation, to get her head screwed on straight so she could serve by her father’s side. Instead, it had turned into a family reunion, with the only part of her family she didn’t want.

Her head turned as she heard the click of the lock. Gisele walked into the house, a bag of groceries in her shoulder and humming a song that abruptly stopped as she saw Valeria leaning casually against her countertop. Her look of shock said it all. “What, can’t I just drop in on my big sis every once in a while?” Valeria asked sarcastically, a grin spreading across her face. “I didn’t pick the lock, by the way.” Her sister thought she was so pious compared to the rest of the family. It drove Valeria crazy. “I have this.” She smiled, swinging a key to the front door around her finger. 

A coffee before work was like clockwork for him. Will needed coffee to survive the long shifts that the hospital forced them to work. It was what he signed up to do, of course, but it still sometimes left his eyes a little heavy towards the end, which was why he picked up another coffee afterwards. But that was besides the point. Right now, he had stopped in before work. The shop was usually quiet, but not today. There was a man throwing a fit because he had ordered a small coffee and recieved a large which he was charged for. He refused to drink it for some reason. 

“Oh, dear Lord, please tell me this is a dream,” Will mumbled as he hopped on the line with his water and saw what was happening in front of him. A water and a coffee a day can definitely keep the doctors away. He actually did that on his own. Maybe the coffee wasn’t needed. 

“You want some free coffee?” He asked to a person nearby, “I don’t mind diving in there and grabbing it if he’s not gonna drink it,” After-all, it didn’t make sense for it to go to waste, it was a large coffee. 

It took Valeria a second to hear him. She was in that post-drinking state where the world was just a little fuzzy and you needed help to keep your attention on the simplest things. Like standing in this line, for instance. Coffee at this shop had become her go-to after a night out, despite her resistance to go near anything close to settling down in this godforsaken town. As her temples pounded through her eye sockets, she nodded her head. “Much appreciated.” She mumbled, keeping her eyes only half-open. The light was making her head spin. “What an asshole. Acting like he can’t afford the coffee with the thousand dollar shoes on.”

The man stopped his shouting and looked over his shoulder at them, clearly reacting to her comment. “Want me to say it again? Asshole?” She asked, wincing with the effort it to to put on any kind of bravado at the moment. Getting into a yelling match right now really wouldn’t be worth it, but luckily he turned away and went back to berating the barista. 

“You can have the coffee if you want.” She said, turning back to the man next to her. “I was only going to get a small anyway. The larges are like, six fucking bucks and I’m not made of money.” She took a second, paused and looked back at the yelling man. “Well shit, maybe I’m actually on his side.”