CHAPTER EIGHT
Forgiveness

ARLO SAT IN Guzmán's car, leaning her head against the window as he drove her home. It was late and she was still surprised he came back for her to drop her home.

"You really didn't have to come back. I could have gotten an Uber." She breathed out.

"At this time of night and in that neighbourhood? No way." Guzmán said, shaking his head. "You can't trust Ubers nowadays. I was your ride anyway. I'm sorry I left. I wanted to check up on Marina and Nadia sort of...blackmailed me."

"About you having sex with Lu in the girl's locker room?"

Guzmán turned his head to her with wide eyes. "You know?"

"I was there when she threatened you the first time. It's not hard to figure out what she was talking about." Arlo laughed. "Don't worry, I won't say anything."

"Thank you." Guzmán smiled.

"Even if it was stupid. You're lucky no one else walked in on you two."

"As opposed to the one person who saw us and is using it against me?"

"You have a point." Arlo laughed. "Where is Nadia now anyways?"

"I got her a taxi home. Her drink was spiked."

"Is she okay?"

Guzmán nodded. "Yeah. She's fine. She's just coming off the high."

"At least it wasn't a knock out drug." Arlo sighed in relief. "But still messed up."

"I'm sorry again for leaving without you."

Arlo waved her hand. "Don't worry about it. It was only for like half an hour or forty five minutes at most."

"And what did you do in that period of time?"

"I helped Samuel to bed, he looked like he was gonna pass out and I helped Christian clean up. That was pretty much it."

"Where was Samuel's brother?"

Arlo shrugged. "I don't know. He came in about 5 minutes before you arrived and spoke to Christian privately in the kitchen. How's Marina?"

"She was just sitting on the couch when I got home. I was expecting something a lot worse. What did she say to you?"

"She was pissed." Arlo explained. "Don't think we'll be speaking for a couple of days– same with Ander."

"I don't know what's going on with him." The boy huffed. "He just won't tell me anything."

Arlo didn't reply and the two stayed quiet until Guzmán pulled up in her driveway and she turned to him, seeing just how worn out he was. "You wanna have a coffee? You look pretty tired and you still have to drive home."

The corner of Guzmán's lips pulled upwards before nodding. "Yeah, sure."

The two climbed out of the boy's car and walked up to her front door, the girl taking out her keys, unlocking it. She walked into her house and turned on the light, everyone else must have been asleep. She took off her shoes, Guzmán following her lead before she shut the door behind him.

She then put her bag down on the table in the hallway and started walking into the living room.
She looked over at Guzmán who was turning on the spot, looking in all directions with a smile on his face. The girl looked at him weirdly. "What?"

"Almost everything's the same. It's like I was here yesterday." The boy grinned.

"No time for a change in the decor." Arlo exhaled as she led him to the kitchen and grabbed two mugs.

Guzmán sat down on the stool by the island as the girl went over to the coffee machine and let it do it's job before she sat on stool opposite him, sliding the mug over to him. "Thank you." He muttered.

"You've had quite the night, huh?" Arlo mused. "Your friend cancelling on you, going to a party you weren't invited to, getting blackmailed for a late night swim and driving all across town to drop me home."

Guzmán laughed. "I'm gonna have to get more petrol tomorrow."

Arlo chortled. "I'm not surprised."

"Arlo?" A timid voice questioned and the two turned their heads to see Diego standing by the doorway in his Batman pjs, rubbing his eyes groggily.

"Diego, what's wrong?" Arlo wondered as she went over to the boy and crouched in front of him.

"I woke up and I can't go back to sleep." The boy pouted. He then noticed Guzmán and he smiled tiredly, obviously remembering Guzmán likes the same dinosaur he did. "Hi!"

Guzmán beamed. "Hi, Diego."

"Alright, buddy, come on. I'll put you back to bed." Arlo sighed as she took her brother's hand. She turned to Guzmán. "I'll be right back."

Guzmán watched as Arlo walked upstairs with Diego before he looked down at his coffee and drank from it. He sat there, fiddling with the handle of the mug with one hand as the other smoothed down his damp hair. It hadn't completely dried yet from his short swim with Nadia. He heard distant giggling and his eyebrows pinched together before he stood up, left the kitchen and slowly walked up the stairs.

He glanced down the hallway, he knew where Arlo's and Izzy's room were but the closest door to him was slightly opened. It was Diego's. He peaked in to see Arlo sat next to the boy as she tucked him in, singing silently. Guzmán smiled as Diego's eyes closed slowly before he made his way back downstairs, sitting on the stool again.

Arlo returned a couple of minutes later and huffed. "Sorry about that. He got up to use the toilet and couldn't fall back asleep."

"Don't worry about it." Guzmán dismissed. "You're a good sister."

Arlo smiled then looked down at her coffee. "Thanks."

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" A voice mused.

The two once again looked at the doorway to see Izzy standing there in her pjs, her arms folded over her chest, her phone in her hand and her hair up in a ponytail.

"Izzy." Arlo greeted. "I thought you were sleeping."

"I was about to." Izzy explained. "Then I heard you in Diego's room and wanted to ask you about the party." She then looked at Guzmán and smirked. "Hi, Guzmán. Nice to see you again. How's your girlfriend?"

Arlo closed her eyes and shook her head, she had given up. She heard Guzmán chuckle. "Nice to see you too, Isabela. And Lu is not my girlfriend."

"You can call me Izzy." Izzy shrugged. "So how was the party?"

"Hectic." Arlo breathed out. "Now go to sleep."

Izzy smirked at the two and waved at Guzmán. "Goodnight. And uh, don't have too much fun down here." The twelve year old then turned around and walked back upstairs.

"I'm sorry about that again." Arlo huffed. "Maybe one day my siblings will actually be asleep when they're supposed to."

"They've grown up a lot. Last time I saw Diego, he was one and Izzy was eight."

"Time flies." The girl exhaled.

"Yeah, yeah it does. We only have a couple of years till we're off to college."

Arlo's breath hitched in her throat. "That's crazy. I just hope that if or when that happens, my parents will be around more."

"Do you know when they're coming back?"

"If what my dad told me is true, they should be here in just over a week."

Guzmán rapped on his mug. "Do you think it's true?"

Arlo sighed. "Yeah, I mean, whenever they have told us they're coming home, they do. Sometimes they surprise us or sometimes one of them is here before the other."

"When was the last time you saw them?"

"I saw my mom when San Esteban collapsed and my dad, a few months ago I guess. What about your parents? How are they since...you know?"

"Hasn't Marina told you?"

The girl shook her head. "No. She doesn't really say anything about other than they don't really listen."

"It's hard for my mom." Guzmán breathed out. "Things in the house haven't been the same since."

Silence once again settled on the two as they stared down at their mugs, both still half full. The boy looked up at her as she moved her hair from behind her ears so strands covered her face.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

Arlo nodded. "Yeah." She smiled. "Why?"

Guzmán shook his head. "I was just wondering." He then inhaled a sharp breath as he scanned her carefully and leaned forward. "Hey, listen, I've never apologised for what happened...a few years ago."

"Guzmán," she whispered. "You were 12. That was 4 years ago, it doesn't matt–"

"Yes, it does." Guzmán interrupted as he looked her in the eyes, his full of sincerity and guilt. "I never should have done what I did. I'm sorry. I'm really sorry."

Arlo smiled, reaching her arm out as she placed a hand on his. There were other reasons why the two had stopped being friends, but at least he was making an effort. "I forgive you."

          ON MONDAY MORNING Arlo stood by locker, putting her books inside when she felt someone stand next to her. She turned her head to see Marina taking off her shades.

"Hey," she said. "How are you?"

Arlo pressed her lips together. "I'm good and you? I'm guessing you're still hungover."

Marina let out a light chuckle, taking them off. "Yeah, I am. Listen, Arlo I'm sorry about what I said at the party."

"It's okay." Arlo shook her head. "I'm sorry too. You can make your own decisions."

"Thanks."

"So, where did you disappear to during the party?"

Marina opened her mouth, ready to tell Arlo everything that happened that night but she was interrupted when Arlo's phone buzzed loudly. The girl apologised before she took a small glance at her phone and smiled, locking it and put it back in her pocket.

"Who was that?" Marina asked.

Arlo waved her hand. "It was just Samuel. He was just thanking me."

Marina hesitated. "You and Samuel have become quite close, haven't you?"

"Yeah," Arlo smiled. "He's a good person and a good friend. So why'd you leave so early?"

It was then Marina realised that no matter how much she wanted to tell Arlo about what happened the night of the party, she couldn't.

"I was tired." Marina shrugged. "After I snapped at you, I realised I had too much to drink and it was best if I just went home."

"Oh." Aro breathed out, expecting worse. "Maybe it's for the best. The cops broke up the party not long after anyway."

"Glad I didn't miss much then." The red head laughed.

Arlo shook her head in amusement. "No you didn't."

The girl then looked down the hallway to see Ander walking towards them, his hand wrapped in a cast brace. Arlo's smile instantly dropped before she shut her locker. He came up to the two and flashed a friendly smile at Marina. "Can I talk to Lo for a second?"

"Of course." Marina smiled before she walked into their next class.

Before Ander could say anything, Arlo beat him to it. "Ander, I love you, but you have to tell me what's going on. I can help you."

"No, you can't." Ander shook his head. "You can't."

"If you need to see someone about the drugs, I can go with–"

"Lo, I know I lied to you before about it being a one time thing, but I can tell you now that I am not addicted to them."

"How do I know if you're telling the truth?"

"Arlo, I swear I'm not addicted. There's something else that I can't get into right now, but I need you to trust me. Please."

Arlo took a deep breath. "Fine!" She hissed. "But I swear to god, Ander, if you're lying to me–"

"I'm not." He interrupted.

Arlo sighed then looked down at his injured hand. "Do I even wanna know?"

Ander looked down at his hand and let out an exhale of amusement. "No, you definitely do not."

"And what exactly did you tell your parents?"

"That I tripped in Guzmán's pool. They believed it, so..."

"So perfect lie?"

"Exactly."

Arlo raised her eyebrows and jerked her head towards their classroom. "C'mon."

The morning flew by quickly and Arlo found herself at a table with Rafael and Martín, the latter scolding the former about the work he had given in.

"What happened?"

Rafael sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Sorry. I was a little hungover when I did that. I can do it again."

Arlo pressed her lips together as she looked down, trying to hide her laughter at the boy's response. Martín sighed and looked between the two. "I don't think either one of you understands how important these assignments I give you are. You know how this school grades. You're both incredibly smart kids and I know neither of you wanna end up in the last 20%, especially you Raf, it's your last year."

"We're trying." Rafael defended.

"I know." Martín said. "But like I said to Arlo, you need to try harder."

"If this stupid school didn't grade on a curve, we'd be fine." Arlo grumbled.

Martín nodded. "But it does. That's the important thing. It prepares you for life and I think it's a good thing."

"It's unfair is what it is." Rafael scoffed.

"Look, guys, I know you can do this. You both have such potential, you're just not working hard enough. You're both lucky to be at this school. You know that, right?"

Arlo inhaled a sharp breath and slumped back down in her chair. She knew just how lucky and privileged she was to be in the school. She just didn't think she was good enough and she found herself wondering if she was ever going to be.

RESURFACING FROM THE water, Arlo took a deep breath and looked up to see Samuel smiling down at her. He held her arm down to her and helped her out of the water.

"Thanks." She smiled as he tossed her her towel.

"So I just wanna thank you in person for helping me to bed the night of the party." Samuel said. "And thanks for putting the bucket there. It saved my carpet from my puke."

"Anytime." Arlo chuckled.

"Oh and Christian told me you helped him clean up too. So thank you for that too." Samuel laughed.

Arlo smiled. "You are welcome. So, how did things go with Marina?"

Samuel rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I kind of threw up on her and she hasn't replied to me all weekend."

"She's still hungover from the party, I didn't speak to her all weekend either. Don't worry."

"Did you have fun at the party?" Samuel asked.

"Yeah," Arlo lied. "It was fun. But I don't think your brother likes me very much."

"He's just weird about rich people. Just ignore him."

"Noted." She then looked over his shoulder to see Marina climbing out the pool, having a rest before they'd all have to race. "Maybe try talking to her."

Samuel glanced over his shoulder and nodded. "I'll try."

Arlo then walked over to her bag and took out her phone, tapping her dad's contact. The phone rang a few times before the man answered. "Arlo, hey."

"Hi, dad." Arlo smiled, surprised he even picked up. "How are you?"

"I'm well. How are you? Aren't you supposed to be in school?" Manuel questioned.

"Yeah," the girl answered. "I am. I'm taking a break from swimming."

"How are your studies going?"

Arlo hesitated. "Yeah, um they're going–"

"Honey, I'm sorry." Manuel cut off with a sigh. "I have to go. I'm about to step into a meeting. I love and miss you and I'll see you very soon, okay?"

"Yeah, sure. That's fine. I love and miss you–"

Before Arlo could finish her sentence, the line went dead. She huffed, kicking her bag slightly before she slumped down on the window sill. She didn't know why she was getting so angry. She'd be seeing him soon anyways. Rubbing her forehead, the girl dropped her phone in her bag.

"Something wrong, sweetie?"

"I am not in the mood for you crap today, Lucrecia." Arlo deadpanned as she looked at the floor.

"Was that your dad? Did you tell him you flunked that pop quiz?" Lucrecia wondered, her voice annoyingly innocent.

Arlo turned to her and flashed a smile. "Mind your business please."

The girl returned the smile and moved in closer to Arlo, touching her damp hair. "Your hair looks better wet. It hides the split ends."

Arlo shoved Lu's hand off her hair. "Leave me alone."

Lu smiled once again before she walked away to sit with a Carla. Arlo took a before she scooted back and closed her eyes tightly, resting her head on the window behind her.

"Just ignore her." Guzmán's voice said as he sat down next to her.

"I have for 4 years. But for some reason, she's started to take more interest in me than she has in years." Arlo sighed, her eyes still closed.

"She's just mad that you and I are talking again. She'll get over it."

Arlo looked up to see Lu glaring at her and Guzmán from the other side of the pool and she quickly turned back at the boy and smiled as he started telling her a story that happened over the weekend.

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