Work Text:
The Girl Next Door
“Give it back!”
Rio sighed, putting down her book as her siblings ran into the backyard. Javi was holding Yessie’s doll over his head, snickering as she attempted to take it back from him. He was nearly half a foot taller than she was, so Rio knew that she wasn’t getting it back anytime soon.
She just wished they could be quieter about it.
“Come and get it!” Javi laughed, waving it around above his head.
Suddenly, it was snatched from his hand by Santi, their eldest brother, who was a good foot taller than Javi and six years his senior.
“Hey!” Javi whined. “Give it back!”
“I will,” Santi said, shoving him aside and handing the doll to Yessie, who clutched it against her chest.
“Thanks, Santi!” she exclaimed before skipping off to play in the sandbox, where Rosie, their eldest sister, was building a sandcastle. Yessie showed her that she’d gotten her doll back, and Rio hoped that would be the end of the noise.
Of course, though, it wasn’t.
Javi jumped on Santi’s back as soon as it was turned to him and the two began to wrestle and shout in the middle of the backyard.
Rio sighed and closed her book, pushing herself to her feet and jogging past her quarreling brothers to the back door of the house.
“Mami?” she said, poking her head inside.
“Yes, mi vida?” Marisol asked as she rolled out the dough on the kitchen table.
“I’m gonna go to Titi Lilia’s for a little bit to read, okay?” Rio informed her mother, still clutching her book to her chest.
“Okay, mija,” Marisol said. “Only for a little bit, though. Dinner will be ready in a couple hours, okay, and I need you to wash up and help set the table. It’s your turn.”
“Okay, Mami,” Rio said, nodding. “Love you.”
“Love you, too,” Marisol said, blowing her a kiss with a little flour on her hands. Rio giggled and shook her head before running back outside.
Her brothers were rolling around on the ground, hitting each other and pulling on one another’s hair and clothing. Rio jogged around them, pushing her glasses up her nose, and headed for the fence that separated her yard from their next-door neighbor’s.
There were a few loose boards that she was able to move out of the way and squeeze through to pop into Lilia’s yard, brushing a little bit of dirt off of her jeans and t-shirt. Rio checked her book to make sure that it didn’t snag on something and tear before she started toward the lone swingset in the middle of the yard, her usual favorite spot to sit and read.
She paused, however, when she saw something – or rather, someone – she wasn’t expecting to see.
There was a small, brown-haired, blue-eyed girl sitting on one of the two swings, her hands clutching the metal chains next to her head. Her toes were just barely digging into the ground beneath her seat. She wore a gray dress that had a few holes in the capped sleeves and the bottom of the skirt. Her hair was loose and fell wildly around her head, going down to nearly her butt.
Rio paused when the girl looked up at her, her eyes widening slightly.
“Oh,” Rio said, looking back at the fence as if she had opened some sort of portal to an alternate dimension. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t know anybody would be here.” She swallowed thickly and pushed her glasses up her nose. “Do you know Lilia?”
The brown-haired girl nodded, her shoulders hunched and her cheeks pink. “She’s my Nonna,” she said.
“Nonna?” Rio echoed. “Is that like an abuela? Uh, a grandma, I mean.”
The girl nodded. “Yeah,” she said. “She’s my grandma. I never met her though.”
“You never met your grandma?” Rio gasped. She knew both of her grandmas. She even knew her Mom’s grandma.
“She’s my daddy’s mom,” the girl said, blushing and looking down at the dirt on her feet. “I live–lived with my mother.”
Rio knew that Lilia had a son, but she’d never met him. There were pictures of him around her house that Rio had seen when Lilia invited her family over for dinner. He had the same blue eyes and brown hair as this girl…
“Do you live here now?” Rio asked.
The girl nodded, and Rio noticed that her eyes became wet, a tear escaping down her round cheek.
“I’m sorry!” she said, stepping forward. “I didn’t mean to make you cry. Lilia’s really nice! You’ll like living here with her!”
The girl nodded, sniffling. “I know,” she said. “She is. I just…I kinda miss my friends. And my bunny.”
“Your bunny?” Rio asked, walking forward a little more until she was in front of the other swing. “Where is it?”
“My mother gave him away,” she said, her chin quivering. “She said he was dirty, and I couldn’t have him anymore.”
“That’s awful,” Rio said. “Well, Titi Lilia has a cat! His name is Oracle. He’s really nice.” She shrugged. “For a cat.”
The girl gave her a watery chuckle and nodded. “He is,” she agreed. “I just miss Scratchy. That’s my bunny. He had really soft fur.”
“I’m sorry,” Rio said.
They were silent for a long moment. Rio sat down on the vacant swing.
“I’m Agatha, by the way,” the girl – Agatha – said after a long moment of silence. “Agatha Harkness.”
“I’m Rio Vidal,” Rio said. “Titi Lilia lets me come over sometimes to get away from my siblings.”
“Are they mean?” Agatha asked, her eyes wide.
“No,” Rio sighed. “Just loud. I don’t like loud. Especially when I’m trying to read.” She held up her book.
Agatha eyed the cover. There was a girl holding a pig on a farm. And there was a spider web. Huh.
“What’s that book about?” she asked.
“You never read it?” Rio asked, her eyes widening in surprise. Agatha shook her head. “It’s about this really cool spider named Charlotte who helps this pig not get eaten.”
“How can a spider help a pig?” Agatha asked, furrowing her brow.
“By writing words in her web!” Rio said. “I’ve read it, like, five times already, but I like it a lot! You wanna read it?” She offered the book to Agatha, who looked at it like it would bite her.
“I…” She looked away. “I can’t read,” she said.
Rio’s eyes widened at that, her mouth gaping open a little bit. Agatha had to be around her age, which meant that she was probably going into third or fourth grade soon. Rio had never met somebody her age who couldn’t read.
Even Yessenia, her baby sister, who was five, could read some books.
“Well, that’s okay,” Rio said. “That means that I can read it to you! I need to practice reading aloud anyway. Miss Danvers said that I was too quiet last year.” She rolled her eyes. There was no such thing as ‘too quiet’ in her opinion.
“You’d really read me the whole book?” Agatha asked, surprised.
Rio shrugged. “Why not?” she asked. “It’s not that long! And it’s a really good book! Trust me, you’ll like it.”
Agatha looked a little unsure for a long moment, glancing between Rio and the book in her hand, before finally nodding. “Okay,” she said. “That would be okay, I guess.”
“Awesome!” Rio said, swinging a little bit with the force of her excitement. She opened her book and cleared her throat. “‘Chapter One,’” she read, “‘Before Breakfast. Where’s Papa going with the ax?’”
As Rio read, Agatha listened, turning her body slightly in Rio’s direction and leaning against the chain on the swing, her toes still barely brushing the ground.
Rio read for as long as she could before she heard her mami’s voice calling for her over the fence: “Rio! Time to come wash up for dinner, mi alma!”
Rio got to her feet and called back: “Coming, mami!” She turned to Agatha with an apologetic smile. “Sorry,” she said, “but I gotta go help set the table for dinner.”
“Okay,” Agatha said, obviously trying to hide her disappointment. “I should probably go inside, too. I think Nonna is making spaghetti for dinner. It should be ready soon.” She stood from her swing, and Rio noticed for the first time just how skinny Agatha was. Her dress hung on her frame like it was two sizes too big for her.
“You’re gonna love Titi Lilia’s spaghetti. She makes it the best.” She dropped her voice. “Even better than my mami.”
“Rio!” Marisol called out again. “You have one minute to appear!”
“I’m coming!” Rio called back. She smiled back at Agatha. “I’ll come back tomorrow,” she promised, “so we can finish reading the book together. I’ll come back earlier, in the morning. Okay?”
Agatha nodded, giving her a small smile. “Okay,” she said. “I’ll be here. I think.” She furrowed her brow. “I don’t know what Nonna wants to do tomorrow.”
“I’ll ask my mami to ask her,” Rio said, already heading to the fence and pulling up the post. “See you tomorrow, Agatha!” she said, disappearing through the fence.
“Bye,” Agatha said with a little wave, once she was already gone.
“Mami,” Rio said, an hour later at dinner, “did you know that Titi Lilia has a nieta?”
Marisol nodded, placing her empanadilla down on her plate after taking a bite. She reached for a napkin to wipe her mouth. “Yes, I do know that,” she confirmed. “I assume you met her today when you went over?”
Rio nodded. “I did,” Rio confirmed. “Her name is Agatha, and she’s really nice.”
“That’s good to hear,” Marisol said with a soft smile. “Lilia said she’s going to be living with her from now on, so you’ll be going to school together. I expect all of you,” she looked around at her other children, as well, “to be kind to her. She’s had a rough start.”
“What does that mean?” Yessie asked. She was seated next to Rio, kicking her little legs as she ate.
“Her mami is mean,” Rio said, frowning. “She gave away her bunny!”
The thought of it made her throat tight. She didn’t have a bunny, but the thought of her mami doing that to her made her chest hurt. She thought of their dog, Benny, and how much they all loved him. She couldn’t imagine her mother giving him away.
She felt the nudge of his nose under the table and looked down to see his scruffy face and those big brown eyes staring up at her. Sneakily, she slipped him a little bit of the chicken from her empanadilla before anybody noticed. He ate it, happily, and licked her foot before flouncing away like the spoiled little mutt he was.
“Yes,” Marisol sighed, sitting back in her seat. She glanced across the table at Santiago, her husband and the children’s father, “that is very upsetting. She must be very sad about that, but we don’t bring that up to her, okay? It’s impolite.”
“Okay,” Rio said. “Well, we hung out today. I read Charlotte’s Web to her, but I didn’t get to finish it, so I was wondering…can I go back tomorrow?”
“I’ll call Lilia and see what she says,” Marisol told her. “I think she’s more focused on getting Agatha settled right now. The poor girl has been through so much in just a short amount of time.”
“Like what?” Rosie asked.
“Just…a lot,” Marisol said. “We’ll leave it at that. Eat your dinner.”
Lilia was happy to have Rio come and spend time with Agatha the next morning, she said. She liked that Agatha was already making friends. So Rio got dressed around ten AM and rushed through the backyard to meet Agatha on the swing set, her book against her chest.
Agatha was sitting on the swingset again, dressed in a nicer-looking blue dress with a daisy pattern all over it. Her hair was brushed and pulled back into a braid that fell over her shoulder. Rio paused when she looked at her.
She was so pretty…
“Hi, Agatha!” Rio greeted as she came through the fence.
Agatha turned to her and immediately gave her a soft smile that made Rio feel weirdly fuzzy inside. “Hello!” she said, waving. “Look at the dress my nonna bought me!”
She stood, showing off the daisy dress as well as a pair of matching ballet flats.
“It looks really good,” Rio said, nodding and trying not to blush. “I don’t usually like dresses, but yours is pretty.”
“Thanks!” Agatha said, looking a little more energetic than she had yesterday. “I like your shirt.”
It was technically Javi’s shirt, but it had been Santi’s before him. It had rainbow dinosaurs on a gray background. Rio really liked dinosaurs, so she had stolen it.
“Thanks,” Rio said, looking down at her shirt, tugging on the hem. “You ready to keep reading?” she asked.
“Well, I’m not really the one doing the reading,” Agatha pointed out.
“But you’re listening!” Rio said. “You’re hearing the story. My papi says that’s almost the same thing.” She trotted over to the swing and plopped down, opening her book to the marked page. “Ready?”
Agatha sat back down as well. “Yeah,” she said, angling her body in Rio’s direction.
Rio continued to read the rest of Charlotte’s Web, doing voices for all the different characters and making Agatha giggle. Rio liked the sound of Agatha’s giggle.
When she finished, Agatha frowned. “That’s it?” she asked. “She just…died?”
Rio nodded, sighing. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I knew that was going to happen. Sometimes, spiders just…die.”
“That’s dumb,” Agatha said, furrowing her brow. “I don’t like it when things die. It’s not fair.” Her eyes looked a little bit wet again.
“Everybody dies,” Rio said, “eventually. That’s what my papi said when our abuelo died. His papi. It sucks.”
“Isn’t sucks a bad word?” Agatha asked, blushing a bit and looking around like somebody was about to chastise her for repeating it.
“Don’t tell on me,” Rio said, teasingly.
“I won’t,” Agatha said, smiling. She was silent for a long moment, just swaying on her swing. “My dad died,” she said.
Rio’s eyes widened at that. “I’m so sorry,” she said. “Titi Lilia didn’t tell us that.”
“It happened a couple of years ago,” Agatha informed her. “I don’t really remember him, anyhow. I think his name was Nicholas. He was in the army.”
Rio had known that part. There were pictures of him in camouflage in Lilia’s living room. There was a flag on her mantle in a triangular box.
Why hadn’t Lilia ever told them that her son died? She wondered if her parents knew and just didn’t say anything.
“Do you have any more books?” Agatha asked.
“Uh, yeah,” Rio replied, thrown by the change in subject. “Tons. You want me to read you another?”
Agatha shrugged, her cheeks turning pink. “If you don’t mind,” she murmured.
“Of course not!” Rio said with a grin. “I’ll go get another one. Be right back!”
She made a beeline back to the fence, before pausing and turning to look at Agatha.
“Agatha?” she said.
“Yeah?” Agatha asked, tilting her head.
“I’m sorry about your dad,” Rio said.
Agatha sighed and nodded. “Me too,” she said.
Rio nodded and ducked through the fence.
10 years later…
“I’m back!” Rio announced, squeezing through the fence posts.
“Took you long enough,” Agatha laughed, swaying gently on the swing set. Her hair fell in gentle curls around her shoulders and she wore a lavender-colored dress that fell to just above her knees.
“You know,” Rio snorted, “you can read now: you don’t need me.”
“But you do all the silly voices!” Agatha complained, pouting at her. Rio was weak for that pout, and Agatha knew it. “It makes it easier to concentrate on the story.”
“I’m sure Audible narrators do the same,” Rio laughed, sitting down on her swing.
“Why pay for Audible when I can have you for free,” Agatha said, with a shrug, grinning at her. “And you read me way more than just one measly story per month.”
“True,” Rio said, rolling her eyes. “I am way undervalued.”
“Underpaid,” Agatha corrected. “I would never undervalue you.”
Rio felt warmth in her chest at that. She picked at the tear in the knee of her jeans, at the hem of her Snoopy shirt.
“Before I start,” she said, “I have a question for you, but feel totally free to say no if you want.”
“Go for it,” Agatha said, facing Rio entirely, like she always did.
Rio took a deep breath, swallowing thickly and bending the paperback in her hands a little bit. “Do you,” she said, “have a date to Prom?”
Agatha’s eyes went wide at that. “You know I don’t,” she said, “but thanks for rubbing it in.”
“Shit, no,” Rio said. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to…”
Agatha let out a little cackle. “Rio, relax,” she said. “I’m just teasing you. But, yeah, no. No date to Prom as of yet.”
“Cool,” Rio said, then grimaced. “Not cool,” she said. “Sorry. I just meant…um, would you like to go together…with me?”
“I know what ‘together’ means, Ri,” Agatha snorted.
“Right, sorry,” Rio said, feeling her face flame. “I just figured that, maybe, you and I could go…as friends?”
“Is that a question?” Agatha asked, still teasing.
“Yes?” Rio shrugged, her palms sweaty as she continued to abuse the book in her hands.
“Well,” Agatha hummed, “we’re definitely friends. Otherwise, why have I been hanging out with you for the better part of a decade.”
“I always thought that I was just nice to look at,” Rio said, striking a silly pose that made Agatha giggle.
Rio was weak for those giggles as well. She didn’t know if Agatha knew that.
“So,” Rio said, “what do you say? Wanna be my date to Prom?”
She left out the ‘as friends’ part, partly hoping that Agatha would think it was accidental, and partly hoping that she’d actually…like it.
Rio had known since she was thirteen years old that she had a crush on Agatha. It was somewhat of a shock to her the day she looked at her across a circle of teenagers playing Spin the Bottle and found herself hoping that Agatha’s spin would land on her.
It had landed on Wanda Maximoff, a red-headed dolt of a girl whom Agatha had proceeded to date for the rest of middle school.
Rio had always wondered if that could have been her holding Agatha’s hand as they walked down the hall together. She wondered if they would have broken up, like Agatha and Wanda had, and ruined their years’ long friendship.
She had been the one to pick Agatha up after Wanda broke up with her for some nerdy exchange student – a boy, at that. She couldn’t stand the thought of hurting Agatha in a similar way.
So she’d kept her feelings a secret. She continued to read books to Agatha, long after Agatha learned how to read and quickly even became one of the top students in their class, thriving in the right environment under her beloved Nonna. Lilia had treated her much better than Agatha’s own mother ever had, and had paid for tutors to help her learn what she should have in her neglectful mother’s care.
She had eaten lunch with Agatha when she finally joined a regular class – still with a student aide to help her – and hung out with her at recess and after school. She and Agatha had become almost inseparable in the last decade.
Rosie had teased Rio for her obvious crush on Agatha for years, pinching her cheek and calling Rio pobrecita whenever Rio complained about Wanda or the other girls that Agatha dated throughout the first few years of high school.
But now Agatha was single, and Prom was right around the corner. This was her chance – probably the only one she’d ever have.
“Okay,” Agatha said, grinning.
Rio blinked at her. “Really?” she asked.
“You thought I’d say no?” Agatha snorted. “It’s not like I have so many other prospects. Jen’s already going with Alice.”
“Jen was an option?” Rio asked, feeling a small surge of jealousy.
It was ridiculous to feel that way, considering Jen and Alice had been dating for well over a year at that point. She and Agatha had only kissed once, in ninth grade, on a dare, and they’d immediately made disgusted faces at each other. Jen had pretended to gag while Agatha gave her the finger.
They were best friends, naturally.
Still not as close as Agatha and Rio.
“Probably not,” Agatha sighed. “She did invite me to share a limo with her and Alice, though, so I wouldn’t be alone. Because, you know, I’m apparently such a loser.”
Rio snorted at that. “You’re not a loser,” she said. “You’re just…intimidating.”
“You’re not intimidated by me,” Agatha pointed out, then furrowed her brow. “Are you?”
“No,” Rio lied. “Not at all. But that’s because I know how sweet you really are when nobody else is looking.”
“Take that back!” Agatha gasped, mockingly. “I am not sweet! I’m a stone-cold bitch!”
“Agatha, darling,” Lilia called, opening the sliding glass door to the house. “Would you and Rio like some cookies and milk? They’re fresh out of the oven!”
“Ooh,” Agatha said, smiling like a little kid. “Yes, we would!” She stood from the swing with a cute little hop, and Rio snorted.
“Absolutely,” Rio said, “a stone. Cold. Bitch.”
Agatha flipped her off the second Lilia’s back was turned, then she took her hand and tugged her into the house.
Rio’s heart was pounding in her ear as she looked at herself in the mirror.
She had opted for a suit for Prom, but she didn’t want to look like some boring penguin in simple black and white. Her suit was dark green with a silky vine pattern going through it in an almost metallic purple color. She had sent a picture of it to Agatha when she was trying it on inside the store, and Agatha had sent back a bunch of fire emojis, so, obviously, she’d approved.
In turn, Agatha had sent her a picture of her dress, which was long and flowy, with a full skirt that had a layer of lace over it with a floral pattern. The dress was sleeveless, which Rio had seen when Agatha took a picture in the mirror at the store, showing off her bare collarbone.
Rio had nearly crushed the phone in her fist.
She sent back a thumbs up.
Rio had opted to go without a shirt beneath her suit. The neckline didn’t plunge too deep, and she thought it looked better without the light green button-down. She did, however, wear the purple vest that matched the vine pattern. She paired it with a metallic purple pocket square.
“You look so handsome,” a voice said from behind her. Rio turned to see her mother and her eldest sister, Rosie, standing in the doorway, smiling at her with wet eyes.
“You think so?” Rio asked, self-consciously, playing with her lapels. “You think Agatha will like it?”
“I think she’s going to like it a lot,” Rosie said with a teasing grin. “She’s gonna be on the floor when she sees you.”
“Rosita,” Marisol huffed, nudging her in the arm. “Callete! You’re gonna make her nervous.”
“Ay, Mami,” Rio snorted. “I’ve been nervous since the second I asked her.”
“There’s nothing to be nervous about,” she said, cupping Rio’s cheek. “You two have been kindred spirits since the day you met. This is just the natural next step.”
“What if she doesn’t feel the same?” Rio asked, frowning, her throat tight and eyes starting to burn.
“Then you remain friends,” Marisol said, her voice gentle, “and you move on.”
Rio couldn’t fathom moving on after that, but Agatha was more important to her than a stupid crush, so she nodded. She’d find a way.
“Now,” Marisol said, “let us do something about this hair.”
Rio’s hair fell to just below her chin. It was long enough to put up in a decently high ponytail, showing off her undercut. She’d caught Agatha staring at her a couple of times the first time she’d gotten the haircut. She knew that she liked it by the way Agatha’s cheeks had bloomed pink when she was caught.
Rio felt her stomach flutter when she thought about it.
“I think we should put it up,” she said, decisively.
“Okay,” Marisol said, with a nod. “I’ll go grab a comb.” She pressed a kiss to Rio’s temple then fluttered out of the room.
“So,” Rosie said, once their mother was out of the room, “you’re planning on telling her how you feel tonight?”
“No,” Rio huffed, turning back to the mirror and messing with her hair. She saw her sister watching her in the reflection. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “It could ruin everything.”
“Or it could make things infinitely better,” Rosie said, smirking. “You owe it to yourself to give it a shot.”
“But what if–”
“What if, what if,” Rosie snorted. “Rio, you gotta stop worrying about the what ifs. You’ll never accomplish anything if you let them hold you back. Besides,” she added, “it’s obvious that Agatha feels the same way.”
Rio scoffed. “What?” she asked. “How could you possibly know that?”
“Because I’m not oblivious like you, tonta,” Rosie huffed, poking her in the forehead. “Seriously, is there anything in there or is it just a bunch of rocks and dinosaur facts.”
“Fuck you,” Rio retorted. “Dinosaurs are cool.”
“Language!” Marisol chastised as she entered the room again.
“Lo siento, Mami,” Rio said, hunching her shoulders as Marisol moved her to sit on the bed. She sat behind her and started to comb back her hair as Rosie took a seat at Rio’s desk, watching them.
“Tonight’s going to be great,” Rosie promised, watching Rio gnaw on her bottom lip. “You’re going to have a lot of fun, dance like a dork with a pretty girl, and probably stay out all night as is tradition. No matter what happens between you and Agatha, you’re gonna be alright. I promise.”
“You can’t promise that,” Rio muttered.
“Five bucks says I can,” Rosie huffed.
“You’re on,” Rio said.
“Where did you two come from?” Marisol snorted, pinning most of Rio’s hair back neatly and leaving a few wavy strands to frame her face.
“Outer space,” Rosie and Rio answered in unison. It was an answer they’d given since they were little girls. They grinned at each other while their mother rolled her eyes.
“Agatha’s here!” Yessie said, poking her head inside Rio’s bedroom. “Aww, Riri! You look so dashing!”
“Thanks, Yoyo,” Rio said, grinning at her baby sister. Yessie was fifteen, brace-faced, and temperamental. She immediately frowned at the childish nickname. Rio only gave her a cheesy grin.
“Done,” Marisol said, tugging gently on Rio’s ponytail. “Now, for makeup…”
“I have eyeliner and mascara on,” Rio said. “I don’t need anything else.”
“Not even a little lipstick?” Marisol practically whined.
“Oh, she’ll be wearing it by the end of the night,” Rosie said with a knowing smirk.
“Shut up,” Rio huffed, surging to her feet and shoving her sister’s shoulder as she slipped into her black Keds (because she was not about to grimace her way through a night in pinchy dress shoes). “Ten dollars says you’re wrong.”
“I’ll take that bet,” Rosie said, shaking her hand. “Now, go. Greet your date. Give her a kiss from me.”
“Pendeja,” Rio muttered under her breath, as she made her way out of the bedroom.
“Language!” Marisol chastised.
“Lo siento!” Rio called back, jogging down the steps.
Agatha was standing in the foyer with Jen and Alice. Like Rio, Alice was wearing a dark suit, but hers was black with a pink dress shirt underneath that matched the baby pink of Jen’s gown. Jen was already tall, but she towered over them all in her heels, looking like a tall, puffy cupcake in her princess-style dress. There was a jeweled headband on her bald head and long, white gloves on her hands.
“Hello, Princess Peach,” Rio greeted, receiving a middle finger from the other girl. “Mario,” she said, looking down at Alice, offering her a fist to bump.
“Luigi,” Alice retorted, matching her energy as she returned the bump.
“You two are ridiculous,” Jen muttered. “Nice suit, though.” She grinned, glancing at the girl standing next to her. “Wouldn’t you say so, Agatha?” she asked, nudging her arm with her elbow.
Rio turned her gaze to Agatha, who had been partially hidden by the giant that was Jennifer Kale, and her knees nearly gave out.
The photos that Agatha had sent her of her dress didn’t do it justice. The skirt was fuller than it had seemed in the photos, and the floral pattern on the lace was enchanting. Rio found herself wanting to reach out and trace the delicate-looking petals with her fingers.
The bodice of the dress had a similar pattern, but there was no lace – only silk. Silk like the vines on Rio’s suit. She didn’t know how she hadn’t realized that before. Her hands itched to reach out and feel that, as well.
Jen was giving her a knowing grin as Rio took in Agatha’s dress, then her hair, which looked professionally done. Her waves and curls had been piled on her head and held back with bobby pins and clips, braided in some places. It looked intricate and as gorgeous as the girl wearing it. There was a clip at the base of it that looked like an azalea, which Rio knew was Agatha’s favorite flower.
It went really well with the dress.
Also, she was wearing heels, which made her taller than Rio for a change. Rio had to actually look up to see Agatha’s smiling face looking down at her. She took note of the deep red lipstick she was wearing, feeling her own cheeks begin to burn.
Like Rio, Agatha was wearing eyeliner. Eyeliner that made her ocean-blue eyes stand out even more than usual. Rio’s mouth went dry just looking at her. She opened her mouth to say something, but words failed her.
“Wow,” she croaked instead, clearing her throat, “you look…whoa.”
“Real articulate,” Agatha teased, her cheeks turning a deeper red than the blush she was wearing. “You don’t look too bad yourself.” Her gaze raked up and down Rio’s body, making her suddenly feel naked.
She swallowed thickly. “Thanks,” she said, reaching up to push her glasses up her nose…only to remember that she’d opted for contacts tonight.
Fantastic, she thought as Agatha giggled.
“Agatha!” Marisol’s voice floated down the steps. “Mi amor!” She practically shoved Rio to the side, opening her arms to wrap them around Agatha. Agatha sank into her embrace, wrapping her own arms around Marisol’s waist and pressing a light kiss to the older woman’s cheek. “Look at you!” Marisol said, pulling back. “¡Muy guapa, princesa!”
“Gracias,” Agatha said, flushing. She pushed back a piece of hair from her face, sparing a glance at Rio before looking back down at Marisol, who continued to fuss over her.
“Okay, mami,” Rio said, placing her hand on her mother’s shoulder in an attempt to rescue her date(!) from her. “We have to get going.”
“Not before pictures!” Marisol said, tugging her phone from her jeans pockets. “Get in front of the mantle, right now!”
“Mami,” Rio sighed, “we don’t have time.”
“You’re gonna make the time,” Marisol said, a warning tone in her voice. “Come on!”
She herded the four girls into the family room, setting them up in front of the mantle. She had Jen and Agatha stand in the middle, next to their respective dates. Alice immediately wrapped her arms around Jen’s middle, stretching up to place her chin on Jen’s shoulder, the two of them giggling together as Jen laced her fingers between Alice’s.
“Aww,” Marisol said, capturing a few photos of just them together. “Que preciosa,” she said. “Rio, you do that, too.”
“Mami,” Rio huffed, turning bright red, “don’t–”
“It’s fine,” Agatha said, offering her a shy smile over her shoulder. “It’ll be cute for the pictures.”
“You sure?” Rio asked, swallowing thickly.
Agatha nodded, motioning her to mirror Alice’s stance.
So Rio did, placing her chin on Agatha’s bare shoulder, feeling the skin burn where they touched. She wrapped her arms around Agatha’s waist and pressed her lips together when Agatha laced their fingers the way Alice and Jen had.
Agatha leaned back in Rio’s embrace, smiling brightly for the photo. Rio did the same, taking a deep breath as she allowed her body to relax.
“Say cheese!” Marisol instructed.
Rio snorted. “Cheese!” she said.
“Cheese!” her friends all echoed, the four of them giggling like children.
They took more photos outside. Lilia had one of those old-fashioned instant cameras, shaking the prints and handing them off to Santiago, who was attempting to remain stoic even though Rio could see the tears in his eyes as he looked at her.
She approached him and he immediately pulled her into a tight hug, brushing a kiss to her temple. “You look gorgeous, mijita,” he said, smiling down at her.
“Don’t make me cry now, Papi,” Rio said, grinning up at him. “I’m wearing mascara.”
Santiago snorted. “Go,” he said. “Have a good time.” He lowered his voice. “Tell her how you feel.”
“Jesu Christo,” Rio huffed. “Does everybody know except for Agatha?”
“She knows,” Santiago said. “She’s just waiting on you.”
“You think?” Rio asked, glancing over at Agatha, who was having the life squeezed out of her by Lilia, who was a sobbing mess.
“I know,” Santiago said with a glint in his eye. He kissed her cheek. “Don’t be scared,” he whispered, gently nudging Rio in the direction of her date.
Rio nodded, steeling herself before approaching Lilia and Agatha, gently attempting to pry the older woman off of her granddaughter. “Titi Lilia,” she said, “we really have to–oof!”
Before she knew what was happening, Lilia’s vice-like grip was wrapped around her as she sobbed. Rio awkwardly patted her back.
“I can’t believe how grown-up you are!” Lilia sobbed. “My little Rio!”
“It’s okay, Titi,” Rio croaked. “I’m not that grown up. I also can’t breathe, so if you could just…”
“Nonna, let go,” Agatha laughed, placing her hands on Lilia’s shoulders. “We have to go. The dance is starting soon.”
Lilia sniffled, loosening her grip and allowing Agatha to pull her back. She reached for Rio’s hand, then for Agatha’s, placing both against her chest.
“My darlings,” she said. “You two go and have the best night of your lives. Live every moment like it was your last.”
“Nonna, are you okay?” Agatha asked.
“I’m fine,” Lilia sniffled. “Just emotional. I remember when it was your father leaving for his Prom…” She let go of their hands and swiped at the tears under her eyes. “Go on,” she said. “I’ll be fine. I’m just being a batty old woman.”
Agatha rolled her eyes and leaned down, pressing a kiss to her grandmother’s cheek. She whispered something in Lilia’s ear that Rio couldn’t hear, making Lilia shed a whole new wave of tears. She smiled up at Agatha, patting her cheek, and blew her a kiss.
“Go,” she said. “Have fun.” She looked at Rio. “Be good.”
“Why are you directing that at me?” Rio huffed. “I’m always good!”
“Uh-huh,” Lilia said, skeptically, before walking off to stand with Marisol and Santiago, along with all of Rio’s siblings, on the curb.
More pictures were taken as they entered the limousine, but that all stopped the second the door closed, Rio sliding in after Agatha, their sides pressed together even in the wide space of the backseat.
Neither of them made any move to separate.
By the time they arrived at the country club where the Prom was being held, the music was already blaring, the bass pumping through the walls. Rio grimaced as she stepped out of the car first, painting on a smile as she turned to offer a hand to Agatha, helping her out of the car.
Agatha gave her a thankful smile before reaching into a pocket on her skirt, which made Rio’s eyes go wide.
“It has pockets?” she gasped.
“Of course,” Agatha snorted, pulling out a small case and offering it to Rio.
Rio furrowed her brow as she took it, her eyes widening at the sight of a pair of ear buds that were her favorite shade of green. She looked down at Agatha, who was grinning up at her.
“They’re noise-cancelling,” Agatha said, leaning in so that Rio could hear her over the pounding music and the chatter of the other teens standing outside as they, too, exited their limos and town cars. She shrugged. “To a point,” she added. “I don’t know how much they’ll do for the bass.”
Rio nodded. She could feel the bass in her chest just from the vibrations. Still. This was…something.
She popped the earbuds in and connected them to her phone. The noise around them didn’t completely disappear, but it was enough. She breathed a sigh of relief, her shoulders relaxing as she smiled down at Agatha.
“You are the best,” she said, barely able to hear herself talk.
Agatha gave her a brilliant smile that made Rio weak in the knees. She took Rio’s hand and led her toward the entrance to the country club, the two of them handing the doorman their tickets for entrance. He nodded to them then directed them to where they could take their photos.
The photo corner was set up with a green screen. Rio watched as couples took photos embracing each other. Some were in the classic back-to-front Prom pose, usually with the guy (or taller partner) behind their date. Some preferred to stand facing one another, gazing into each other’s eyes with their foreheads pressed together.
A few couples even kissed as the photographer snapped their picture. Rio felt her heart flutter at that.
Agatha’s hand tightened on hers and she looked down, her eyes widening as Agatha’s lips moved.
Rio removed one of her earbuds, wincing slightly at the loud EDM music surrounding them. “Sorry?” she said. “What did you say?”
“I asked,” Agatha chuckled, “how do you want to stand? Back-to-front or facing one another?”
“Um,” Rio said, “normally, I’d say back-to-front, but, uh, you’re taller than me today. Would you be behind?”
Agatha laughed at that. “Maybe face-to-face would be better,” she said. “I’ll need proof that I was taller than you at one point, after all, but I don’t want my dress hidden by your big head.”
“Hey!” Rio mock-complained, grinning up at her. Agatha wrinkled her nose at her, and Rio laughed, feeling warmth in her chest that was nothing new at this point.
They stepped forward in line, still holding hands, and watched as couple after couple stepped up to the green screen, wrapping themselves around one another. They, along with Alice and Jen, weren’t the only queer couple there. There were plenty of same-sex couples, along with couples that had non-binary and trans partners, all looking comfortable and free in their own skin.
Rio felt proud that she was part of such an open and accepting community. Her hand tightened around Agatha’s as they got closer.
She felt Agatha’s hand tighten around hers in turn. But it was different. Agatha didn’t give her a quick squeeze-and-release. Instead, she was holding on with a near-viselike grip.
“You okay?” Rio asked, looking down at her. For the first time, she noticed that Agatha was pale and staring straight ahead at the couple that was currently taking photos.
Rio followed her gaze and her lips pressed together when she saw Wanda Maximoff, dressed in a long, red, almost-skintight gown, hanging off of Natasha Romanoff’s arm. Natasha was in a red suit, her hair a mix of red and blonde, shaved on one side. She had three hoops in each ear and a stud in her right nostril. She grinned down at Wanda like she was the only person in the world.
Rio furrowed her brow. The last she’d heard, Wanda was still with that foreign exchange guy, who was away at college. What was she doing with Nat?
“She told me she was straight,” Agatha said, when Rio took out her earbud to hear what she was saying. “When we broke up, she said she’d had a lot of fun with me, but she was definitely straight.”
Natasha Romanoff was decidedly not straight, though, nor was she a guy. And she also wasn’t the type to encroach on another person’s relationship.
Had Wanda broken up with her boyfriend and switched sides again?
“I guess she just didn’t want me,” Agatha murmured, her voice tight.
“Hey,” Rio said, squeezing her hand. “Agatha, anybody would be lucky to have you,” she insisted, looking up at her.
The way Agatha’s eyes shimmered in the low light of the room made her heart ache. There were tears brimming in those ocean-blue depths.
“Then why am I alone?” she asked, sniffling.
Rio turned so that they were facing each other fully, looking up into Agatha’s eyes as she cupped her cheek. “You’re not,” she said, her thumb swiping away a stray tear. “You’re not alone. I’m right here.”
Agatha’s nose bumped hers as she leaned down, surprising Rio, who stupidly moved back, away from her lips.
Agatha immediately pulled away again, heartbreak in her eyes.
“Right,” she said, nodding as she extracted herself from Rio’s grasp. “Right.”
She turned away, leaving the line.
“Agatha, wait!” Rio said, following after her. She took out the other earbud and tucked both into the case, shoving it into her pocket as she followed after Agatha.
She moved surprisingly quickly in those heels.
To her surprise, instead of going directly into the catering hall, where dinner would be served in a little bit, Agatha moved past it, going toward the back exit, which led onto a deck overlooking the water. There were a few couples out there already, taking pictures in front of the sun setting over the horizon. Agatha moved past them all and found a secluded corner where she hoped nobody would bother her.
Of course, Rio was still hot on her trail.
“Agatha,” she said, stopping a few feet away from where Agatha was leaning against a wood railing, her tears dripping into the water below them, “please talk to me.”
“Why?” Agatha huffed. “We have nothing to talk about. It’s fine. You don’t want me. Nobody wants me.” She choked out a sob. “My own parents didn’t even want me.”
“What?” Rio asked. “What are you talking about? Your dad didn’t choose to die.”
“He chose to leave me with her, though,” Agatha sniffled. “With my mother. She told me every day for years how much she regretted having me. She said that’s why my dad went back to war when I was so young: he didn’t want to deal with me.”
“That’s not true,” Rio said, taking a tentative step forward. Agatha was facing away from her still.
“How would you know?” Agatha huffed. “You have the best parents. And you have siblings. You have a whole family who loves you. I have…nothing.”
“You have Lilia,” Rio pointed out. “And you have Jen. And Alice.” She moved forward, so close that she could reach out and touch Agatha. “And you have me,” she added.
“You don’t want me, either,” Agatha sniffed. “Not the way that I…” she trailed off, hanging her head, and Rio’s heart practically broke.
“Why do you think that?” she asked, genuinely confused. “Why do you think that I don’t want you?”
Agatha’s back stiffened slightly but noticeably. “You would have said something,” she said, “if you did. You wouldn’t have just rejected me like that.”
“Agatha, I was surprised,” Rio huffed, feeling a surge of annoyance. “I didn’t expect for you to try and kiss me right there.” She swallowed thickly. “And I don’t want our first kiss to be out of jealousy.”
At this, Agatha finally turned around. “What are you talking about?” she asked, furrowing her brow. “What jealousy? Jealousy over who?!”
“Jealousy over Wanda,” Rio pointed out. “You’re upset because she didn’t want you and you just wanted to be wanted. It didn’t matter if it was me or not.”
Agatha was silent for a long moment, just staring at Rio with her intense blue gaze, looking beautiful and angry as ever. Rio began to squirm.
“You’re an idiot,” she said.
“What?” Rio asked, eyes wide.
“You think I was jealous of Wanda?” Agatha scoffed. “No! I was pissed off! The bitch told me that she didn’t want me because she was straight, and I was just an experiment to her. No way would I want to go anywhere near that hypocrite. It’s not my fault that she’s never heard of bisexuality.”
Rio snickered at that, but the intensity of Agatha’s gaze shut her up real quick. She cleared her throat. “Then what was all that?” Rio asked. “Why did you try to kiss me right then?”
“Because I like you?” Agatha said, lifting one brow. “Why else?”
“Could you not have picked a better time?” Rio sighed. “That was very confusing for me. You know I don’t handle social cues well.”
“Do I really have to spell it out for you?” Agatha asked, tilting her head in annoyance.
“You know you do,” Rio retorted.
“Fine,” Agatha said, between gritted teeth. “I like you, Rio Vidal. As more than just a friend. And I would like to kiss you not out of jealousy or want for anybody else but because I want you. Happy now?”
“Not really,” Rio said.
Agatha frowned. “Why not?” she asked, sounding suddenly very self-conscious.
Rio shrugged. “Because you still haven’t done it. You still haven’t kissed me.”
Agatha rolled her eyes, taking a step forward. “You are such a pain in my ass,” she huffed, reaching forward to take Rio’s face in her hands, bringing their lips together in a kiss that legitimately stole the breath from her lungs. Rio immediately wrapped her arms around Agatha’s waist, pulling her body closer as they kissed. She felt Agatha smiling against her lips, and Rio was unable to keep herself from returning it as she pulled back for air.
“So,” she said, “you like-like me?”
“Yes, you dumbass,” Agatha said, flicking her in the forehead.
Rio pouted, then smiled when Agatha kissed the pout off her lips.
They spent the rest of the night practically glued at the hip.
Rio led Agatha back to the photo corner because “Mami and Lilia would kill us if we didn’t give them a picture.” Agatha readily agreed to it this time.
They stood face-to-face, their foreheads pressed together, Agatha’s hands on Rio’s cheeks and Rio’s hands clasping Agatha’s wrists. Their noses were brushing as they gazed into each other’s eyes.
When they walked into the catering hall, they found Jen and Alice right away, sitting at a table near the dance floor and talking. When Agatha and Rio approached holding hands and smiling bashfully at each other, Jen grabbed Alice’s arm and started shaking her.
“What?” Alice asked.
“Are you blind?” Jen huffed. “Look!”
Alice turned to look at Agatha and Rio, tilting her head in confusion. “What about them?” she asked her girlfriend.
“I love you and your two brain cells,” Jen sighed, pressing a kiss to Alice’s forehead.
“Hey!” Alice huffed. “I have at least five, thank you very much.” She pouted, and Jen kissed that as well.
“Just look at them,” she murmured as Rio pulled out a chair for Agatha to sit, then sat herself next to her, relinking their fingers on the table between them and blushing. “What do you see?”
Alice stared at them, her gaze shifting from their joined hands to their blushing faces and bashful smiles and the way their heads were tilting sort of in the other’s direction. Her eyes widened and her lips parted, gaping a bit as she turned back to Jen, subtly pointing at them.
“Agatha and Rio,” she said.
“Uh-huh,” Jen confirmed, nodding. “Agatha and Rio.” She looked up at her friends. “Congrats, you two!” she exclaimed, obnoxiously. “Should we order Champagne?”
Agatha rolled her eyes, but Rio frowned in confusion, reaching up to pull an earbud out of her ear. “Huh?” she asked.
“Nothing,” Jen snorted. “I’m just happy for you two.”
Rio’s cheeks went pink and she attempted to push her glasses up her nose before she realized, once again, that they weren’t there. “Whatever,” she grumbled. “Thanks.” She replaced the earbud and pressed her face into Agatha’s shoulder while the other girl giggled, her arm wrapping around her waist.
They ate as the music continued to blast out of the speakers. Rio pushed her carrots onto Agatha’s plate in exchange for Agatha’s broccoli. They clinked their glasses of sparkling cider while Jen watched on and fake-gagged. Agatha gave her the finger as she leaned in to kiss Rio’s lips.
“Awww,” Alice said, her hands over her heart. “They’re cute.”
“Yeah,” Jen said, wryly. “They are.”
After eating, Agatha pulled Rio onto the dance floor by her lapels, spinning around with her to the beat of whatever song was playing. Rio could only really hear the bass with her earbuds in. She wasn’t paying that much attention to it, however, as Agatha pulled her in close and wrapped her arms around Rio’s shoulders.
They spent pretty much the rest of the night holding each other close on the dance floor, occasionally trading kisses. Agatha’s arms stayed slung around Rio’s shoulders and Rio’s hands stayed planted on her hips as they swayed together, regardless of the music that was playing overhead.
When everybody was asked to vacate the dance floor to announce the Prom king and queen, Rio and Agatha didn’t even bother to stay in the same room. Neither them nor any of their friends were nominated, so they returned to the deck overlooking the water, joined soon after by Jen, Alice, and a few of their other friends. None of them cared much for the popularity contest.
Even Nat and Wanda had come outside. Wanda was eyeing Rio and Agatha and the way they kept their hands on one another. She narrowed her eyes at them, suspiciously, even as Nat pressed kisses to her shoulders, swaying with her as she looked out at the water.
“What are you looking at?” Nat asked, placing her chin on Wanda’s shoulder.
Wanda nodded in Agatha and Rio’s direction. They were in a similar position, leaning against the railing with Agatha, though taller in heels, held securely in Rio’s arms as they talked to their friends.
“Oh them?” Nat snorted. “That’s been a long time coming. Since we were all little, I think. They were inevitable.” She furrowed her brow at Wanda. “Isn’t that why you two broke up?”
“Um…” Wanda said, avoiding eye contact, “not exactly…”
“Wanda’s staring at us,” Rio murmured against the shell of Agatha’s ear, making her shiver.
“Hmm?” she asked, genuinely having missed her words.
Rio snorted and gently turned Agatha’s head in Wanda and Nat’s direction. Wanda’s gaze flew away from her the second their eyes met, incredibly bad at pretense.
Agatha snorted and turned back to Rio. “What a loser,” she said, pressing another kiss to Rio’s lips. Rio cupped her cheeks, grinning against her mouth as the whole world melted away around them.
A couple hours later, they sat in Lilia’s backyard, on their swingset, slowly swaying as they held each other’s chains, pulling themselves closer together, their legs intertwined and their foreheads nearly brushing.
“So,” Rio asked, “how long have you been harboring these feelings for me?”
“Jesus Christ,” Agatha groaned, pushing her swing away. Too bad their ankles were still locked together and Rio’s hand was still holding onto her swing as she laughed.
“Come on,” Rio said. “Tell me.”
Agatha shrugged, a flush appearing on her face. “Since…the second day I met you,” she admitted. “When you came back to finish reading that book.”
“Wow,” Rio murmured. “That’s a long time.”
“Yeah, well,” Agatha murmured, shrugging her shoulders as she reached back for Rio’s swing chain, “I was eight. Sue me.”
“I’ve had a crush on you since the moment we met,” Rio admitted.
Agatha’s eyes widened at that. “Really?” she asked.
Rio nodded. “Obviously,” she said, “I couldn’t really recognize it as a crush. I was eight. But I knew that I liked you and wanted to spend more time with you. I thought it was just because you were quieter than my siblings.”
Agatha snorted at that. “Did you lose feelings when I got louder?” she asked.
“Nope!” Rio retorted, popping the ‘p’ with a grin. “That is kind of how I knew it was serious.”
Agatha shook her head, affectionately. “You’re ridiculous,” she said.
“And yet you still like me,” Rio pointed out, grinning triumphantly.
“Honestly, I think that’s one of the reasons I like you,” Agatha admitted, rolling her eyes. “Crushes are weird.”
Rio grinned and pulled her swing closer, leaning in to press a kiss to her lips, reveling in the sigh of relief that relaxed Agatha’s shoulders as she did.
When they pulled back, Rio suddenly frowned, making Agatha frown in response. “What?” she asked.
“I owe Rosie ten dollars,” Rio grumbled. Then she looked at Agatha, with her lipstick smudged and her brows furrowed and a tiny, confused smirk on her face, and she smiled, leaning in again. “Worth it,” she said, just as their lips met.