#20:

Between one thing and the other, two months had passed since the last attack on me, and although the bizarre situation with Matt had kept my mind quite busy, one morning when I woke up I began to reflect that the murderer was still on the loose.
AHA.
And the police had no clue who he was.
AHA.
And Matt had bitten me!
Wait what…?
Are you going to give Matt's dumb bite more priority than the psycho killer with the knife?
You are right. It's just that I haven't seen the murderer again, it's possible that he got bored and went, I don't know… to stalk someone else. But Matt...
oh…
Matt had threatened to keep biting me if I misbehaved.
He's so weird!
Truth is that I was like drugged.
Like walking among the clouds, like floating.
The morning went smoothly until I went into the guard's bathroom to do number one but it quickly turned into number two and out of the blue I overheard Lizet arguing with Mildred.
"She denies it and I believe her."
"Well, you're a fool!" Mildred mumbled. "That bitch fools everyone with her 'It wasn't me" face, but when Mark was with Amalia, my friend told me that Ramona tried to steal him from her.
What's?!
“Oh please, Mildred. Who would believe that? Mark would never leave Amalia for Rosario.
Well, Liz is my friend…I think. But she's right, things are as they are.
"Well, she didn't take a “no” for an answer. Imagine that Amalia discovered a bunch of Ramona's photos in Mark's cell phone gallery and when she confronted him with them, he explained to her embarrassed that the "saint" was sending them to him on WhatsApp.
I balled my hands into fists and bit my tongue.
I have never sent photos to Mark in my life!
I don't even have his damn number.
The girls left and I sighed in relief, finishing my business with the toilet and washing my hands before leaving.
“Hygiene is health”.
***
"May I carry you?
Matt appeared out of nowhere, giving me his devilish grin. He was mounted on top of the death trap that others would call a “motorcycle”.
"Oh no. Thanks, I want to live to be seventy if you don't mind."
"Come on, don't be such a coward," he muttered, handing me the helmet.
I looked at heavens, giving up my soul.
"Here I go, San Pedro." I thought.Putting on my helmet and getting on the bike, hugging Matt Montalvo around the waist.
"Hold on, hummingbird!" he yelled, starting that beast and driving like a suicidal madman down the road in the direction of uni.
Between screams and scares, we arrived.
I jumped down, heart in my mouth, handed him his helmet and attemptwd to get away when he pulled my arm, holding me back.
"Aren't you forgetting something, Rosi?''
"Ah, Sí… Gracias…- the word died in my mouth and my heart dropped to my stomach as Matt melted his lips to mine.
Kiss! my brain screamed.
AHA. My subconscious responded.
Kiss, kiss from Matt! My brain screamed again.
Well yes. My subconscious answered again.
But the most curious thing was that while my rational mind and my subconscious were debating in an existential discussion... my body, which seems to not understand debates, stuck to Matt's as if it were a sticker, my mouth corresponded to his kiss and my arms pulled him, getting him closer to me.
"Wow!" he gasped against my mouth. "how does a virgin kiss like that?"
"It's because I'm not. Just because you've never seen me have a boyfriend doesn't mean I'm a virgin, Matt."
Matt
"He raised his eyebrows.
"Tell me, this kiss doesn't mean anything either or…"
"Okay," I whispered, recovering my composure a bit. "Let's be in the friends. You're right, I'm curious. I also want to know how you would feel inside me.
***
I said that?
Yep.
Seriously, I…said…that?!
Well yep.
It just can't be. I would not be able.
It has to be a side effect of the Montalvo virus.
A lethal virus.
Worse than Ebola.
Covid is a breast child comparwd to it.
What black plague or Nile fever?
I could'nt believe it!
I had just agreed to be Matt Montalvo's girlfriend?
And even more…
Had I just practically told him I was going to ride him like a bronco and give him a hip-shake so good he'd propose to me on his knees?
Well, no.Not in those exact words, but something like that.
Mierda!
What could I do?
Now Matt would think I was easy and on Sunday, when I went to his house, instead of the previous state tests, he would greet me with a box of condoms…or two…No, no, no…
Wake up!
I had to do something!
For God's sake, damn kiss, and damn Matt that made my mind and my subconscious argue, letting loose my body that has wanted it since the first time it saw him half naked.

***
Next morning, I went to the hospital with a very big shock.
I was on the verge of a collapse, of a sirimba, of a soponcio...
I was about to have a heart attack and a brain attack.
I got to the living room, and of course… The Montalvo twins were coming my way, and what did I do?
Well, the most sensible and logical, right?
What any person of legal age would do, and responsible for their actions.
I ran to hide in the bathroom.
"It's strange that she hasn't arrived yet," Mark commented.
"She's coming, don't worry."
I hit my forehead.
I had forgotten that the bathrooms in the living room were unisex and that they could also enter, however it seemed that they had not seen me and that they had entered after me by chance.
"So she agreed to be your girlfriend?" Mark asked.
"Yes."
"And you're sure she has no idea about the bet?"
Bet? What bet?
"No, she doesn't.
I heard the sound of falling water and imagined that someone was washing their hands.
"I can't believe it. I can't believe she fell so easily.
"Easily? What are you talking about? I've spent months chasing her, trying to cajole and soften her up. She's a tough nut to crack.
I swallowed hard.
Matt sounded so…mocking. So cruel.
"So you think she'll let you fuck her?"
The water stopped and my stomach began to burn.
"It looks like it is. I'm a little disappointed…she told me she's not a virgin, but still, you and I know how much I want that hummingbird.
"When?" Mark insisted.
"I don't know, but she wont hold up a month, im sure . I think if I had insisted, we would have done it yesterday."
I cupped my hand over my mouth to keep from releasing a mortified shriek. What Matt was saying was repulsive.
"Okay, good luck brother. You will need it."
Matt released a laugh.
"I don't need luck Mark, I already won."
I heard the door close and I stepped out of the cubicle.
Dragging my skin until I stopped in front of one of the sinks, looking at myself in the mirror and quickly bursting into tears.
I had been a fool.
I had been naive and ridiculous.
Didn't I know all along that there was no way a guy like Matt could really like a girl like me?
I turned on the faucet, spraying water on my face. I was turning red.
A bet.
It all came down to a bet.
Had the brothers bet me between them or worse, everyone in my year was into it?
Was that why everyone seemed so interested in knowing if Matt and I…?
I turned and my soul fell to the ground because looking at me with the face of a demon out of hell, was Mark Montalvo.