Antonia slowly walked down the street. She felt tears forming in her eyes, and she slowed down even more, until she finally stopped. Her hands went up to her head and her tears streamed down her face for reasons even unknown to her. She started running. She ran until she reached Jason's house.
"God, what's wrong with me?" she asked herself outloud. Walking up to his front steps, she slumped down on them and noticed that his mom's car wasn't there, so he was probably stuck babysitting his younger brother, and his older brother was probably out somewhere with his girlfriend. "Being around here always makes me feel better," she thought.
Then her thoughts slipped to her best friend, Gabriella. "I really hope she isn't with her stupid boyfriend right now. He was probably pissed because she didn't submit to his every demand today. I'm surprised that he's going to allow her to go out in that tournament next weekend-" She stopped when she heard the front door creak open. She quickly wiped the tears from her face and looked around to see Ryan, Jason's younger brother.
"Toni!" he said in his adorable six year old voice.
"Hey Ryan."
"Toni, what are you doing here?"
"I, uh, just, um, well, I kind of-"
"Nough said. You make my head hurt," Ryan said and walked inside. She smiled and shook her head. "Jason!" Antonia heard Ryan yell. "Toni's here!"
"Great," Antonia whispered.
"Toni?" she heard Jason's soft voice say. She wiped her eyes even harder as he sat down next to her. "Hey, what's wrong?" he asked.
"Nothing," she said.
"No, tell me-" She stopped him from finishing his sentence. Her hands pulled his head to her and she kissed him.
"I gotta go," she said standing up.
"You just got here."
"I know, but...."
"Can I walk you home? It's at least twenty minutes from here by foot."
"No, I'll be fine."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive."
Walking slowly down his front lawn she stopped at the end, and turned around. "Do you love me?" she said to him.
"You know that I do."
She quickly smiled and headed off down the street. "Yeah well you never say it," she whispered.
"Scott, what is wrong?" Gabriella said as her and her boyfriend Scott argued in her room.
"What do you mean what is wrong?" he yelled. "Where were you today?"
"I told you, Toni and I had to practice today for the tournament next weekend."
"Oh Toni and you? You never told me that!"
"Yes I did. I told you this morning. And why do you care if I go to the course to practice or not?"
"Because you're not going in that tournament next weekend, that's why!" Scott screamed.
"Yes I am, and you can't stop me!" Gabriella said walking towards her door. Scott grabbed her arm and whipped her around to face him. "Scott let go of me!"
"No," he gripped her arm tighter. "I forbid you to go in that tournament next week," he said with daggars coming out of his eyes.
"But-" she started, but he quickly slapped her across the face. "Fine," she said with a shakey voice.
"Good, that's what I like to hear," he said in a soft voice, letting go of her arm. He gently kissed her and then walked out of her room.
Gently, Gabriella put her fingertips up to her cheek. She silently winced in pain, and sat down on her bed. She looked over at Antonia's side of the room. At the picture of her and Jason in a frame on her nightstand, and at her ring that sat in front of the nightstand. Gabriella got up and grabbed the ring.
"I wonder why she doesn't have it on-"
"Who doesn't have what on?" Candice asked as she and Sherri walked into the room. Gabriella turned her face away from them so they couldn't see her face that was probably brusing over all ready.
"Oh, um, why Toni doesn't have her ring on from, um, Jason," Gabriella said.
"Gabi, did he hurt you again?" Sherri asked her best friend.
"Uh, no, w-we just had a disagreement."
"What was it about this time?"
"Oh, um the, uh, tournament."
Candice went over to her friend and slowly turned her face around.
"Oh God, Gabi," Candice said quietly. "Why do you put up with this?"
"It's just the way that he is, but I love him. Please, please, don't tell Toni."
"Why shouldn't we tell her?" Sherri said. "She's your best friend in the whole world."
"Because you know how she gets about this-"
"Yeah and she has good reason to!" said Candice.
"You guys just please don't tell her! She'll get all mad and then she'll tell her brother Nathan. And Nathan and Scott are such good friends, I don't want-"
"You're so naive, Gabriella!" said Candice. "Toni is not stupid! She will figure it out, whether or not we tell her. And so will Nathan when he gets home later on."
Candice and Sherri took their friend downstairs to the kitchen. Antonia and her twenty three year old brother had decided to move in together when she finished high school last year. They got in some arguments and decided that they were bored just hanging out together.
So Antonia had asked Gabriella to move in, too. They had been best friends forever and there was nothing they didn't know about each other.
After that, Candice and Sherri had been living together for awhile and when Sherri finished high school a month ago, they made arrangements for them to move in also. And they hadn't finished unpacking everything yet.
"Hey Sherri do you know where we unpacked the aspirin?" Candice asked looking through all of the cupboards.
"No it's okay. I don't need pain killers," Gabriella said.
"Oh it wasn't that bad this time," Sherri said walking into the kitchen.
"What wasn't that bad this time?" Antonia asked walking in. "Oh God," she said disgusted.
"Toni, i-it's not that bad-" Gabriella tried.
"Save it, Gabi. You need to lose him-"
"Listen Toni!" Gabriella yelled standing up. "I love him, and he loves me!"
"He sure has a funny way of showing it."
"Yeah? Well so does Jason."
Candice and Sherri held their breath. They knew that Gabriella had struck a uneasy chord with Antonia.
"What are you talking about?" Antonia said, trying to stay calm.
"You're always telling us about how much you both love each other, but as I remember it, you're the only one that actually says I love you in this relationship. What does he say when you ask him if he loves you? He says you know that I do? Hmm-"
"Just shut up, Gabi!" Antonia turned to Candice. "Can I borrow your car?"
"Where are you going?" Candice asked.
"Golfing."
"Oh, more practice?"
"I dunno. Maybe you could call it that."
"Okay." Candice threw Antonia her keys. Antonia grabbed her golf bag and ran out to Candice's car. She had no intentions of actually going on the course, but maybe she'd go to the driving range that they had at the club. Not being able to figure out what was actually wrong with her, she pulled into the club's parking lot, grabbed her clubs out of the trunk and took a golf cart over to the driving range.
She chose a good spot, set up a tee, and took out her favorite club. Her driver. She was tense and angry. Angry that her best friend was so naive and so blind to what her boyfriend was doing to her. She set up the club, drew it back, and thought about how angry she was. When she went to swing the club, she tensed up and swung so hard that the club completely missed the golf ball.
The club had so much momentum, that when it swung up over her shoulder, she heard a crack in her neck. She started to mumble under her breath, but stopped when she saw two familiar faces and one that she didn't know.
"Antonia?" one said.
"Hi, Kevin, is it?" she asked.
"Yeah. You remember Alex, and this is my cousin, Brian," Kevin said introducing all of them.
"Nice to meet you," Antonia said shaking hands with Brian.
"Same here," Brian said, and smiled.
"Boy does he ever have the nicest smile!" Antonia thought to herself, but soon snapped herself out of it when she looked over at Alex. She had a plan that just might work, and she knew that she could pull it off if she did it right away. But her thought patterns were shattered by a familiar voice.
"Hey guys! Sorry, I'm late, I had to-" He stopped. "Hi," he said to her.
"Hi," she quietly said to Nick.
"Oh, are you going out with Nick?" Kevin laughed.
Antonia looked at him. "No," she said defensively. "Why?"
"Just asking!" Kevin said putting his hands up in defense. "But you could do so much better."
"Gee, thanks, Kev," Nick said, and Antonia laughed. Nick looked at her. It was the first time, since he had met her, that he had actually seen her smile. Antonia looked down and then walked back to her spot on the driving range. Brian had the spot in front of her, and she watched him hit one of the golf balls.
"Wow," she said, and he turned around. "How did you do that?" she asked in disbelief. He smiled his heart melting smile.
"It's real easy. Here, I'll show you."
Kevin looked over at his friend.
"Nick?" he asked. Nick was staring at something with cold eyes. Kevin tried to see what Nick was looking at, and he shook his head. "You're jealous," he said.
"What? What are you talking about?" Nick said, leaning on one of his clubs.
"You like her."
"Huh?"
"You're jealous because she's talking to Brian, and not you."
"No I'm not! She has a boyfriend, remember?"
"Yeah, but she's still not talking to you."
"So?" Nick said, teeing up a golf ball and getting ready to hit it. "She hates me, and I hate her."
Kevin, Brian, Nick and Alex had already packed up their golf cart and were heading back for the club house.
"I've got to catch up with them," Antonia said to herself. She threw her clubs in the seat next to her in her golf cart, and sped off down the path to try and catch up with the guys.
Just as Alex was throwing his clubs in Kevin's car, he felt someone tap him on his shoulder. "Alex?" Antonia said, her golf clubs in her bag thrown over her shoulder.
"Yeah, Antonia?"
"Please, call me Toni. Um, I was wondering if I could talk to you for a second?"
"Come on Alex!" Kevin said. "I've got to get back!"
"Now's not the best time," Alex said.
"If it's because Kevin needs to get back, then I can give you a ride home in my car. But I have a proposal for you." Alex turned around and looked at Kevin, then turned back to Antonia, and her pleading face.
He bit his lip. "Kevin, go on ahead," Alex called to Kevin. "I know you have somewhere to be. I'm gonna catch a ride with Toni."
"All right!" they heard Kevin call back.
As they were driving away, Brian stuck his head out of the window. "Ooh!"
"Shut up, Brian!" Alex yelled. Brian just laughed, but Alex had the last laugh when he saw Brian's neck almost rung when Kevin started to close the window.
"What does she want with him?" Nick asked coldly from the passanger's seat. He reached over and turned up the air condtioner, then turned back to staring blankly out of the window.
"You like her!" Brian said.
"That's what I said!" Kevin said to his cousin.
"Nick's got a crush! Nick's got a crush!" Brian teased.
"Brian, shut up! I do not! Why would I waste my time swooning over a prick, who by the way, already has a boyfriend?" Brian and Kevin were speechless, for about a second.
"Nick's in love!" Brian said, teasing his friend all over again. Nick let out a loud sigh, and Kevin only laughed.
"So why do you, uh, hate her so much?" Kevin asked.
"Because she's a bitch," Nick replied calmly.
"Oh come now," Brian said. "What did she ever do to you? She is a very nice girl, and-"
"So why don't you date her?" Nick interrupted, his voice getting louder.
"Geez man! Chill out! Just, chill!" Brian said. Then a grin came across his face. "Well, now that you say it, maybe I will date her!"
Nick bit his lip, trying to convince himself that his friend was only teasing him. Kevin looked in the rear view mirror at his cousin, and saw the grin that was on his face.
He shook his head, but Brian kept going. "Wow, you know Kevin, you should see her drive a golf ball. She's pretty fine, and did you see when she-"
"Okay Brian! Shut up!" Nick said reaching back and trying to hit Brian. Brian jumped out of the way just in time and began to laugh uncontrollably.
"Sorry to break up this touching moment up," Kevin said, "but get out. We're at the house and I need to leave right away. Take your clubs, and hurry up! Then, and only then, can you kill yourselves, and don't get any blood on our new carpet!"
Nick and Brian jumped out, grabbed their golf bags out of the trunk and watched as Kevin sped off down the road.
"Where's he have to go in such a hurry?" Nick asked.
"Oh he's got a new job offer," Brian answered.
"Oh. Now where were we?"
"Uh-" Before Brian could finish, Nick tackled Brian and they both toppled over onto the front lawn, dying of laughter.