#fleca

Now, it’s the end of the year, summer break having started the week prior. Most of the girls had left the Bella house for vacation, leaving Beca, Flo, Lily, and Stacie in the house. The couple was in Beca’s room when she brought it up.

“Hey, babe?” Beca asked from her desk chair, spinning around to face her girlfriend, who was lying on her bed reading something.

“Hm?”  

“All those… weird things you say all the time… are those real? Like, your brother trying to sell you for a chicken or whatever? Did-did that kind of stuff really happen?” Flo froze in her place on the bed, so Beca quickly continued. “I’m only asking cuz you’ve been saying stuff forever, but we never really talked about your life before high school and I didn’t want to push but it’s been kind of freaking me out and-”

“Beca, it’s okay,” she said softly, cutting her off. She patted the bed, and Beca moved to sit with her.

“The things I’ve said about my childhood are true,” she started with a sigh. “I was born in Miami, technically, but my parents were deported right after I was born, so they took me with them back to Guatemala.”

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” Beca said, grabbing her hand and lacing their fingers.

“No, I-I want you to know. About me.” Beca nodded, so she continued. “We were… very poor. In the area we lived in, we didn’t always have access to clean water, so my family and I were sick a lot. My mami… she died when I was 11. My oldest sibling was 17 and the youngest was five, and my father disappeared when my mami died.” Beca crossed her legs under her and drew her girlfriend into her arms to finish her story.

“It was hard for a while, trying to keep all of us fed and clothed. My older brother did actually try to sell my for a few chickens once, but even in the worst conditions no one was willing to buy a child like that. Once I was old enough I started working, saving up what little I could, then I got myself a one way ticket into the states. I didn’t… I didn’t come here legally, obviously, but I was born in Florida, in a hospital, so I was technically already a citizen, since I was born in the States.” When it was clear she had finished, Beca kissed her forehead.

“I had no idea. You never… you never said anything about it before, I’m sorry.” Flo buried herself in her girlfriend’s embrace.

“When I was eight, my dad left in the middle of the night. No note or anything.” Flo looked up, but Beca was staring straight ahead at the wall.

“Him leaving like that, then having divorce papers come in the mail later that week really messed my mom up. She… she turned to drugs. I pretty much had to take care of myself after that. I basically lived in my room, trying to avoid all the drugs and druggies that were always in the house. I didn’t hear from my dad until I was almost done with high school. Not even for birthdays or holidays or anything. He calls and just demands I come out here for college like he’s been in my life the whole time or something. My mom threw a suitcase at me and told me to ‘pack my shit.’ Didn’t care what I wanted, neither of them. Then I get here, and my dad finds out that I’m gay and totally flips on me, threw me out, made me move into a dorm. Told me that I had to stay in school because all his colleagues knew about me already, so if he cut my tuition or I left it would tarnish his reputation or something, I don’t know. I didn’t even want to go to college,” she ended.

“I’m glad he forced you to go to college,” Flo said after a few moments of silence. Beca smiled, running hre hands through Flo’s long hair.

“Yeah, me too. Why did you never mention anything before?” She asked softly. Flo sighed.

“No one’s ever asked. I mention things all the time, but no one has ever cared enough to ask if they are true or not.”

“I do. I care.” Flo hugged Beca a little tighter.

“I love you.” Flo looked up, startled by the declaration.

“Wh-”

“I love you, Florencia Fuentes.” Tears filled her eyes as she threw herself against her girlfriend, kissing her with all she was worth.