I was very hesitant to have a drunk teenager in this chapter. I know Brianna was much too young to drink, but it felt much more real and raw in the end.
This chapter starts off on a happy note. It’s New Year’s Eve. Ricardo is at home with his parents, and Brianna would be spending the rest of the evening with her mom. All was well in their worlds.
Unfortunately, that was short-lived as Brianna’s mom left her hanging for the night. I tried to think of what she would do in that situation. Earlier, Ricard had asked her to come over and spend the New Year with him and his family, but she kindly passed to be with her mom–something she had been looking forward to. That had to have caused so much pain in her heart. Alcohol was something that would be easy for her to get to and wasn’t too extreme and outside of her character.
We see Ricardo make it to her home and help her through the situation. It sours soon after without giving away too much, and she asks Ricardo to leave. But, of course, Ricardo refuses to give up on her and stays. The following morning she realizes that Ricardo has not left.
This chapter was one of my favorites because of everything going on in this story. There is so much pain, love, and grace in one chapter. This is also a high climax before a very steep downfall in the chapter to come.
She slowly walked back down the hallway toward the couch, keeping her eyes closed as much as she could, feeling her way toward the couch. As she got close, she hit something with her toes. What the heck? She had no clue what was on the ground. She turned her phone away from her, facing the ground, and unlocked it, allowing the phone’s light to reveal the culprit.
No One Knows About You (Chapter 30) by Paco Montoya
He looked so peaceful laying there. She could hear him breathing. Ricardo had stayed. She felt horrible about how she had treated him. Her eyes watered thinking of him, there on the floor, no covers, only a small decorative pillow from the couch. Brianna walked over and pulled the covers from where she was and knelt next to him. She put the covers over his legs and then snuggled herself next to him to where he was spooning her. She pulled the covers over them both, laid her head down next to his, and then reached over to pull his arm around her. How was he still so warm? At least she felt warm with him. It felt so great laying there in his arms. His warmth immediately hit her, and it spread its way over her and inside her. She couldn’t fight this feeling anymore. She couldn’t deny it any longer. “I love you, Ricardo.”