Chapter Nine
“Think, Girl,” Michelle screamed at her reflection within the walnut framed mirror hanging on the wall as she continued to pace. “There must be a way to get José to stop thinking about Maria. After all, what does the girl have that I don’t – except for a couple of parents who own half-dozen jewelry stores?”
Continuing to concentrate on this fact, Michelle instinctively frowned, and took a seat in the chair in front of her white and pink wooden desk. In carefully opening its middle drawer so it wouldn't pinch her fingers, she yanked out a hairbrush and started to repeatedly stroke her nearly waist length, brown hair.
“There just has to be a way to grab and hold on to his interest. But how? All my efforts to seduce him using good looks and charm, up to now, have failed.”
A small blue and white teddy bear sitting next to her AM/FM portable radio seemed to give a supporting smile. And after unconsciously returning its warm expression, Michelle couldn't help but reach out and warmly draw it next to her heart.
“It’s almost a shame Elena wasn’t right the other day when she mentioned to Carlita that she thought she saw José dressed as a drag queen. At least something like that would explain his lack of interest in me.”
All of a sudden, the doorbell rang and Michelle instinctively glanced in the direction of her doorway, before casually setting the teddy bear back in its spot – on top of her desk.
“Michelle,” Alita called in a cheery voice from the living room. “Carlita is here to see you, dear. Should I let her in?”
Michelle momentarily gazed into the crystal-like mirror in front of her, and her plush lips grinned. Maybe Carlita can help.
“Please ask her to come to my bedroom, Alita. Okay?”
“Yes, ma’am,” the family’s cook/housekeeper replied, before pointing Carlita towards Michelle's bedroom, even though the teen had visited numerous times before.
The moment her friend appeared inside her bedroom doorway, Michelle rose from her desk and the two of them shared a traditional Latin kiss on the cheek.
“So what are you up to, girlfriend?” Carlita asked as they both took a seat on the edge of Michelle’s princess-styled double bed.
“Just the usual,” Michelle said, before gazing at a four by six photo sitting in the corner of her desk.
Carlita’s eyes automatically followed her friend's, and discovered her best friend was now focusing on a photo of a handsome, shirtless teen standing outside his father's open-market store.
Her mouth instantly opened. “Michelle. How did you get José's picture? Does he know you have this?”
Michelle replied with an unusually large ear-to-ear grin.
“Of course, he knows about it,” she said as she twisted a couple of fingers behind her back. “Do you think I’m the type who would take someone’s picture when they’re not looking?”
Carlita nodded. “Yes. Have you forgotten I’ve known you ever since grade school? And this certainly isn't the first time I’ve seen you get fixated on someone else’s boyfriend.”
Michelle released a short, but hearty laugh. “You know that isn’t true, Carlita. I’ve never stolen anyone’s boyfriend.”
“Is that so, girlfriend?” Carlita chuckled and jumped off the side of Michelle’s bed, before turning to face her and firmly planting a hand on each side of her hips. “Then you must have one mighty short memory. Have you forgotten about Pedro? It was only a few months ago you tried to steal him from Juanita. And what about Carlos and Miguel last year?”
Michelle glanced at her friend, and her cheeks involuntarily turned a few shades of pink.
“And now, you’re after José?” Carlita continued, in an accusing manner.
Michelle sheepishly smiled. “Yes. But you can’t truthfully say I would be stealing him from Maria. After all, she IS going to be in the United States for a year. Doesn't that make him officially available?”
Carlita pursed her lips before answering. “Well. Yes and no,” she said as she sat back down. “It all depends on how José views it.”
“José?” Michelle’s eyes narrowed.
“Yes. José,” Carlita repeated. “Does he still feel like Maria is his girlfriend?”
Michelle reluctantly replied with a slow and deliberate nod. “You know he does, Carlita. But I don’t understand why.”
Quickly reaching for the yellow and white, average sized teddy bear currently sitting next to the edge of her pillow, Michelle forcefully grabbed its abdomen and crushed it between her hands – before tossing it inside her closet.
“I just can’t see what he sees in her.” she said, now rising to her feet. “Am I not better looking than her?”
Carlita watched as her angry friend did a small twirl, as if posing in a beauty contest. Then a few moments later, Michelle frowned, when her friend did not swiftly provide a positive reply.
“You are nice looking,” Carlita eventually admitted. “But...”
“But what?” Michelle bellowed so loud the words caused the bedroom door to vibrate. “Do you think Maria’s prettier than me?”
Carlita lowered her head in resignation. “You do have to admit, Michelle; Maria does have nice hair. Not to mention, anyone can easily tell she’s a bit athletic.”
“And I’m not?”
Within a flash, Michelle stormed down the hallway into the bathroom – and shut its door so hard, the resounding slam probably could have awakened the dead.
Carlita stared for a couple of seconds through her friend’s bedroom doorway and grimaced. Gee. I wonder why Michelle's so upset? She's bound to know, she's also good looking.
“Michelle. Please open the bathroom door,” she asked, when she started to lightly pound the walnut stained plywood. “You know I didn’t mean to hurt you. And countless boys DO consider you to be a ‘babe.’”
For almost a full minute, Carlita’s request only met dead silence. Then unexpectedly, she heard the distinct sound of a toilet flushing.
It was followed by the echo of gurgling water running in a sink and the whoosh of a towel being pulled from a rack, before the bathroom door opened.