Chapter Three

Ana found herself walking down the street alone. Andreu had been picked up early for a doctor’s appointment for an MRI scan to check the progress of recovery in his spine. Dani had managed to land herself detention after shouting in class because she remembered the tall boy from La Masia.

Thus she walked the stretch alone, portfolio tucked under her arm.

She reached the fence, and she saw the tall boy was waiting. She paused, arching a brow at him, seeing the confusion in his eyes.

“Where’s your friend?” he asked, a slight challenge in his tone. The corner of her lip tugged upward, “Avoiding you.” His eyes narrowed, “Really?” She shrugged, “I’m not her mom.” “You should keep track of your friends,” he said, folding his arms over his chest.

“You should mind your own business,” she replied coolly. She was about to continue when the quiet boy ran up, cheeks pink from exercise. “Wait,” he called softly.

She froze, mid-step, looking over her shoulder at him. “Is your friend alright?” he asked, out of breath. She nodded, “Only her pride is wounded.” He smiled, “I’m glad. Um…I thought your brother might want a jersey for all of the trouble we put you through.” She noticed in his hands he had a spare shirt. “You don’t have to,” she said softly, but he’d already lopped it over the top, and it fell neatly into her hands. The polyester blend material was silky in her hands, and she glanced back up.

“Thank you,” she said, the most genuine smile she’d shared in months to a stranger stretching over her features.

“I’m Leo,” the boy said, looking down in embarrassment. “I’m Ana,” she returned, feeling comfortable sharing her name. She glanced at the tall boy, who was observing them silently. He let out a dramatic sigh, “I’m Gerard.” She nodded, and glanced down when her phone beeped, signaling a text message. She flipped the cell phone open, and read the message, groaning softly.

“Dani is on her way,” she announced softly. “Who…?” the tall boy asked. “My friend,” she answered sullenly, knowing drama was
going to occur if they were still talking.

“Is your brother alright?” Leo asked as they waited. She glanced at him in surprise, “Yes…why?” “Normally you walk with him too,” he answered, his cheeks reddening in embarrassment. She found herself surprised when he answered. This boy who was so quiet was more attentive than she had ever imagined. He still looked like he was a kid about to be punished, which confused her slightly.

With a bright smile, which felt strange, she pushed off from the fence. “Thank you for caring. Not many people do,” she said. His head jerked up, and she waved before pushing off the fence. “Where are you going?” Gerard asked.

She glanced back at him, “Nowhere, but if Dani thinks that we’re friends, I’m never going to hear the end of it.” Both boys chuckled, and watched as she slipped the training shirt into her backpack. After several minutes, the other girl came jogging over the hill, and grinned upon spotting her friend, “There you are!”

Her eyes then fell on Gerard, “You!”


~~

Dani pouted – of course the tall idiot would be there.

Ana folded her arms over her chest, “Don’t start. I think you’ve already pushed it enough today.” She pouted further, “It was his fault!” “He wasn’t the one in detention,” her friend shot back. That shut her up, and her gloomy glare swiveled over to the two boys.

The tall boy was smirking, his eyes glued onto her. The other boy was looking shyly between the two girls, his cheeks stained pink as he ran his hand through his long hair nervously.

The third boy from the other day ran up. “What’s going on? You two getting into another fight?” he questioned. Ana laughed, “Almost and the day’s not over!” He smiled, “I haven’t introduced myself. I’m Cesc Fàbregas.” His hand barely fit through the fence, but he managed to shake their hands. Dani shook his too, offering him a small smile, one that hadn’t been given to either of the other boys.

The tall one seemed to notice, “Gerard Piqué, if you care.” She snorted, “I don’t. I doubt you care that I’m Daniyah Blanxart, not like you care either.” “I don’t,” he agreed. They both huffed, and glanced away from each other.

“Nice to meet you Cesc, I’m Ana,” the other girl said, ignoring the two teens to her right. They were acting like toddlers.

Realizing that the situation would not get better, she grabbed Dani’s shoulder, and started dragging her away, “Come on. We have homework to do and they have practice.” The struggling stopped, and the two girls resumed walking normally.

“What were you talking to them about?” she asked after a while, her curiosity getting the best of her. “Leo – the shy one – wanted to ask if my brother was alright since he wasn’t with me,” Ana replied. That surprised her, but she didn’t push it. She could tell her friend was worried about her sibling, even if she didn’t bring it up. But that was Ana – worry about others and not herself – but don’t let anyone know about the worrying.

Dani was the opposite. She knew she wore her heart on her sleeve, but she wasn’t ashamed of it. She prided herself in being open and emotional.

She was the one to start conversations, Ana was reserved, but she didn’t mind.

Subtle differences were what separated them. Extroversion was her domain, and while her friend wasn’t super shy, she was introverted. Dani was the type to say ‘go’ to a driver, whereas Ana would point out ‘the light’s green’. Direct versus informing, another difference – yet definitions were meaningless to the two friends.

She didn’t understand people like the tall idiot – Gerard was his name. People like him, they liked feeling superior. Sure, he was in a really good football school, and sure he was cute, but that didn’t make him better than anyone.

Confidence, she decided, wasn’t something that all people had that was a positive trait. She was confident, but she showed it in her actions, not boasting words. Even Ana was confident in a quiet way, a silent self-assurance about her. But neither of them would go out and say, “I can do this better than you!” They would just do it.

She shook her head. She was thinking about that stupid boy far too much. Curse her brain for getting stuck on things.

At least it was the weekend, so that meant two days without seeing the tall boy. That would give her some peace. Besides, she and her friend were going to one of the coolest art museums in the city, and that was reason to be excited. She forced Gerard Piqué out of her mind – she was determined to keep him out – and thought only of the day to come. She was determined to have a good time, and no big-lipped, too tall jerk was going to ruin that.