Chapter 5 A Kiss, A Mistake, A Breaking Point

Bárbara Hendler

I felt the icy taste of beer sliding over my tongue, a strong hand pulling me closer until my body was pressed against his, spread at the base of my spine, squeezing me lightly.

Nicolas was tall, very tall, and even standing on the steps I had to stretch to reach him, lifting the hand that held his jacket to steady myself as I cupped his face. I was drunk enough to let my fingers trace his sculpted jaw while his tongue moved against mine. Slow, very slow, unhurried, while his fingers slid to the back of my neck, tangling in my hair.

I ran out of breath, so I pulled away, blinking and finally processing what I had just done. Nicolas didn’t let me go right away, holding me in place so his lips could press against mine again in a lingering, soft kiss.

I locked my eyes on his. The flashing lights around us hit his face in a way that made the brown of his eyes shift in different shades, and I could see every detail of his long lashes, the freckles scattered across his nose, and…

"I need to throw up," I said abruptly, pulling my hand away from his face.

Nicolas blinked, confused, taking a step back as his hands left me, leaving a ghost of his touch on my skin. That smug smile returned to his face, and he raised his brows, taking a sip of his beer after picking it up from the step below.

"You really know how to compliment a man’s kiss," he said, shaking his head.

"That’s not it, it’s…" I groaned, turning my head toward Declan, staring at him with burning eyes. "Shit," I muttered.

Nicolas followed my gaze, then looked back at me.

"Oh, now I get it." He let out an ironic laugh. "You used me."

"I didn’t…" I started, nervous, as my stomach twisted. "Fuck, I’m going to throw up."

I turned my back on him and ran up the stairs. There were people lined up for the bathroom, but as soon as I got there, a girl was coming out and I shoved her aside, pushing past her to reach the toilet and throw up everything I had drunk.

I heard curses behind me, but they seemed more relieved that I made it to the toilet instead of vomiting on them.

All the alcohol came rushing out at once, making me tremble as my body convulsed. The bitter taste of bile spread across my tongue, and both my chest and stomach ached as I pulled away from the toilet, stepping back until I leaned against the cold tile wall.

What the hell had I done?

I took a shaky breath, trying to steady myself and the burning in my eyes, but I was interrupted by the door opening.

I opened my mouth to complain, but no sound came out when Declan stopped in front of me.

He was beautiful. His hair was cut in a military style, his shoulders broad, and he was tall, not as tall as Nicolas, but still much taller than me. He was big, strong, perfectly… beautiful.

"Declan…" I started, but he raised his hand, stopping me immediately.

"Was this how you wanted to fix things?" he asked, and my eyes filled with tears. There was something in his gaze, anger I had never seen before. "Is this how you thought we’d work things out, Bárbara?"

"I didn’t…" I started, taking a step toward him, but he stepped back. "I didn’t mean to do that, I just… wanted your attention."

"You kissed another guy in front of the entire college!" he nearly shouted, making me freeze. A tear fell, the first of many I knew were coming. "You kept texting me trying to fix things, Bárbara, and then you go and kiss someone in front of everyone?"

"I’m sorry, I’m sorry!" I cried, tears streaming down my face. "I didn’t mean to, I was jealous and…"

"Enough, Bárbara!" His tone was firm. "After today, you’re dead to me!"

He didn’t let me speak, just stormed out of the bathroom, leaving me behind.

I followed him, forcing my unsteady legs to move while the alcohol still pulsed through my body. I ran after him, grabbing his wrist and pulling him to face me.

"No, please! Please don’t do this," I begged, holding onto him. "I’m begging you, forgive me, I didn’t mean… I…"

"Let me go, Bárbara," he said firmly.

I shook my head, tears falling freely.

"Let me go or I’ll push you."

"Don’t throw everything we built away, we’re perfect for each other. It was a mistake, just one mistake! I love you, Declan, please," I pleaded, and he yanked his arm, trying to break free.

"Bárbara, let me go!" he ordered. "Let go now or I will push you!"

"No! Declan, please…"

The fury in his eyes didn’t fade, and I knew he would do it. But I didn’t care. I couldn’t let him go, couldn’t lose him, not after everything we had.

Then small but firm hands grabbed my shoulders, pulling me back. Declan took the chance to free himself and walked down the stairs. The strength left my legs.

I stayed standing only because someone was holding me, and as I let myself cry, I heard Jéssica’s voice in my ear.

"That’s enough," she said firmly. "Let’s go back to the dorm."

I nodded weakly, and she guided me down the stairs, keeping me steady while I stared at the floor, seeing nothing.

"Hey," Jéssica stopped. "Here."

I didn’t recognize the voice, but I felt something being placed over my cold arms.

She thanked them curtly, then pulled me away from that place, letting the cold night wind sweep away my tears.

---

Nicolas Herrera

The idea that “this party turned into a funeral” couldn’t have been more accurate after what happened with Bárbara.

Okay, I did have my share of the blame, but as far as I knew, she was single and unattached. It was fine to kiss her.

Well, I was wrong.

That kiss triggered a huge chain reaction. First, Bárbara ran upstairs, and I only saw through the stair railing gap when she rushed into the bathroom. I was grateful she hadn’t thrown up on me, because I don’t know how many showers it would’ve taken for me to feel clean again, but it would’ve been nice for my self-esteem if she had waited at least five minutes after kissing me. Though it probably had a lot more to do with the vodka on her tongue than with me.

Then, Declan Hawkins, one of the Bruins players who spent more time warming the bench and the target audience of the kiss scene, went upstairs after Bárbara like a bloodhound that had just found a shipment of drugs.

I guess he had, in fact, been affected by the kiss. Maybe because he liked her, maybe because it was with a Triton. It wasn’t news to anyone that Bruins and Tritons didn’t get along. Maybe…

"Finally realized kissing Nicolas is disgusting," Graham said, laughing with a red plastic cup in hand, raising it when he saw me. "My kisses are delicious!"

Then he got distracted when someone poured something that wasn’t cheap beer into his cup, and let it go. Gabe, on the other hand, approached me with confusion written all over his face, especially in the crease between his blond eyebrows.

"What happened?" he asked. The half-empty vodka bottle in his hands matched his breath, which could’ve knocked me over if he had spoken any closer.

That question, of course, probably came from the fact that everyone had seen the kiss, but Gabe knew about our nightly ritual, which consisted of Bárbara yelling at our door and me opening it with a shameless grin, inviting her into my bed because her problem with me was repressed love. I knew it wasn’t, but it pissed her off.

Nothing in our relationship suggested we would eventually end up kissing, especially not with an audience.

On the other hand, Gabe was also looking toward the second floor, watching Declan’s movement.

"Being a virgin must suck, Gabe, but I think you know how kissing works in theory," I shot back, and my friend didn’t take his eyes off the second floor as he flipped me off. "Even though you got her drunk, I didn’t attack Barbie or anything."

"I know, idiot," he replied, shoving my shoulder hard enough that it would’ve knocked me off the stairs if I hadn’t expected it. "It’s just that some stuff was going on and…"

Gabe was cut off, and suddenly the “stuff” became very clear.

"I’m begging you, forgive me, I didn’t mean to… I…"

Bárbara’s voice sounded broken as she followed Declan and grabbed his arm. He looked at her like she was an insect, as if deciding whether she was worth dirtying his shoe to crush her, before finally turning to face her.

My angle was bad, but I could see the tears in her eyes and it was… fuck, it was weird, because she didn’t look anything like the girl who banged on my door every day while I opened it half-expecting her to be holding a knife.

No, she looked defenseless. Vulnerable. I don’t know, regretful. And apparently that shit was my fault too, for not thinking it through and going along with her request.

I mean, I wasn’t some altruist and I had already figured out I’d been used to make Declan jealous, but still, I didn’t expect him to confront her in the middle of the party or to make a scene where Bárbara Hendler would end up crying and begging for forgiveness.

"Bárbara, let go of me! Let go now or I’ll push you!"

She didn’t shrink back, didn’t even seem scared of the threat. Maybe she didn’t believe him, maybe she thought that mediocre piece of shit player was worth the risk.

But he wasn’t. That’s why I shoved Gabe’s huge body aside and started up the stairs. If that guy laid a hand on her just because he was pissed she kissed someone slightly less of an asshole than him, then he’d have a problem with me, not with some small, overly in-love girl who, like a chihuahua, thought she had the same lethal potential as a rottweiler.

Before I could push through everyone crowding those steps, a line either for the bathroom or for quick hookups in the bedrooms, I couldn’t tell, Gabe yanked me back with the delicacy of a mammoth and nodded toward Barbie, who had been pulled out of the situation by Jéssica Gallagher.

I didn’t know Jéssica very well. Actually, all I knew was her reputation at UCLA, but based on the fact that she got Bárbara out of there and was helping her down the stairs, maybe she wasn’t the antichrist people made her out to be.

"She likes him," Gabe said beside me, as if explaining, though I already knew.

"I think this shit is my fault," I said, searching for Jéssica’s blonde head on the stairs, since Bárbara was too small to spot.

"Yeah," Gabe, my best friend, said before taking a long swig of vodka.

Technically, it wasn’t my fault. I mean, Bárbara had asked me to kiss her, and I loved the idea of having my annoyed neighbor owe me something. But maybe I should’ve realized sooner she wasn’t exactly sober and that she wouldn’t ask me for a kiss because she had suddenly realized I was hot.

No, she just wanted to make that benchwarmer jealous.

Apparently, it backfired, since she was being escorted by Jéssica, who glared at anyone who looked at her roommate, who kept her head down with tears dripping and arms wrapped around herself, not caring where she was going.

Should I say something?

That shit… well, she was crying because of the kiss. Not directly, of course, it had been a good kiss, but that’s not how a kiss with me should end.

I…

I don’t know. I didn’t think much when I saw her rubbing her trembling hands over her arms at the bottom of the stairs, and I took off my Tritons jacket.

"Hey," I called, and after checking who it was, Jessica stopped. Her look told me that if I somehow made things worse, she’d personally stab a stiletto heel into my eye. "Take this."

I draped the jacket over Bárbara’s shoulders. She didn’t even look at me, probably didn’t know who it was and didn’t want to look at anyone, just pulled it tighter around herself.

With one last sharp look in my direction, Jéssica wrapped an arm around her shoulders and headed for the exit, all eyes following them until they stepped outside, then the chaos resumed.

Drunken kisses, sloppy dancing, grinding against the wall that the couple in the corner thought no one noticed, even though the hand inside the pants was perfectly visible, drinks and shouting.

And Josh’s arm over my shoulders, followed by the rest of the Tritons.

"Nice gentleman move with the jacket, love," he said, flashing a blue-stained smile. God, I didn’t want to know what the hell that was, but it smelled strong. "Never did that for me, I’m jealous."

I rolled my eyes, finishing my beer and shoving the bottle into his chest, which he caught on reflex.

"Hey, you son of a bitch!" A voice rose above the others, drawing our attention.

I noticed Clint charging up the stairs toward Declan, shoving everyone out of his way. Francis Justice followed behind, asking him to calm down, but the captain didn’t seem to hear him, brushing off his hand every time it reached his shoulder.

He grabbed Declan’s collar so hard I’d bet the seams tore, but that wasn’t relevant when hellfire seemed to be burning in his eyes.

"What the fuck, Clint?" Declan tried to pull free, unsuccessfully.

With his free hand, the Bruins captain pointed straight at Hawkins’ nose.

"You know you were screwing up and you think you’re in a position to be an asshole to Barbie?" People nearby started backing away. "She likes you, you piece of shit, and if I hear you were anything less than extremely decent to her, you’ll have a problem with me, got it? Consider this your first and only warning."

Declan clenched his jaw and shoved Clint, freeing his shirt only because the captain let go.

"And what the hell does that have to do with you? Mad because she didn’t stick her tongue in your mouth?" he shot back. "Call her, apparently she’s into anyone now that we’re over, but remember it’s me she likes, the slut."

Clint didn’t throw the punch, not for lack of will, but because Justice got there first. The crack of his fist hitting Declan’s face, along with the blood pouring from his nose, told me Hawkins’ nose was completely fucked.

Well, Bruins already had a history of breaking each other’s noses, even during Frozen Four games.

"She’s too good for you, you piece of shit!" Justice snarled.

Declan spat a mouthful of blood on the floor before launching himself at the Bruins’ main forward. Then came the punches, kicks, and blood flying everywhere. People formed a circle around them, some cheering the fight, others just trying to stay as far away as possible since the staircase access was a mess.

"Should we break it up?" Graham appeared, looking up. There was a red lipstick stain from his mouth to his ear, and part of his shirt was caught in his zipper, probably after closing it in a hurry. "I think Justice might get arrested if this keeps going. I know what happens when a Black guy throws hands at some white asshole."

Graham pointed at himself but didn’t elaborate.

"I think we should get Nicolas out of here before one of these idiots remembers it was his tongue that started all this," Gabe said. "I’m not in the mood to make enemies with the Bruins off the rink or to have to protect Josh when he starts yelling."

"Hey!" Joshua protested.

"It’s true, man, you can’t fight," Graham reminded him.

I rolled my eyes again, grabbing the bottle from Gabe’s hand and heading outside. Sooner or later, this shit would reach me, and it was better not to be there. Besides, with how pissed Justice and Clint were, that asshole was going to get beaten plenty.