VIVIANA
The following morning when I awoke I had a massive cramp in my neck and back, from sleeping on the sofa bed in the basement. I stood up and stretched my body in an effort to work out the kinks. Now that Grandmother Esmeralda was gone I was sleeping on the sofa bed, but I didn’t know how many more nights I could take with a metal bar stabbing me in my back. I went to the bathroom, flipped the light switch, stood in front of the mirror and ran some water. I opened the cupboard and retrieved a fresh facecloth.
I was really messed up emotionally after Aunt Raven had gone off on me about the stolen jewelry that I picked up at the party. She nailed everyone for it with an all-family drug talk, but I knew that her comments were really meant for me. I was totally ready to own up to doing that, but the weed didn’t belong to me. The fact that she thought I did drugs and would even think of introducing something like that to Paul or Anna really hurt. It meant that she really had a very low opinion of me and that she’d never fully trust me. I mean, to a certain degree I could have lied about the stolen jewelry and said that I found it or something, but the pot I just couldn’t explain. The only thing I knew for sure was that it didn’t belong to me. But that didn’t matter now because everyone in the house now viewed me as a drug user. I felt like I wanted to crawl under a rock and never show my face again.
After I washed my face and brushed my teeth I took a long look at myself in the mirror and was about to beat myself up some more when everything became clear.
“Maya!” I spoke her name. “Maya set me up. She’s the one who put the weed in my bag and left it laying around so her mother would find it when she was cleaning up. Ugh!” I slapped my forehead with the palm of my hand. “Why didn’t I see that it was Maya who did this to get even with me? That’s why she told me to grow eyes in the back of my head. It was because she was always going to be in the shadows setting me up.” I punched the palm of my left hand with my right fist a few times out of anger and revenge.
“Okay, Maya, you want to play like that,” I murmured to myself. “If you want to play that dirty, then you got it! I’m going to be just as cruel!”
Later that day I found myself once again hanging out at the pool with Anna. I was fuming on the inside just waiting for the right opportunity to do what I needed to do. The usual suspects were there. Keysha was on duty. Maya was sitting on the other side reading, and there were a number of kids, teens and parents enjoying the weather and water.
“Are you okay?” Anna asked. “You seem really tense. I know my mom came down really hard on you and all, but she’ll forgive you. Trust me, I know.”
“I’m cool, Anna,” I said, remaining as calm, cool and collected as I could. I had a plan that I needed to execute and I was just waiting for the right moment.
“Okay, I was just making sure,” she said as she relaxed and continued to sunbathe.
About twenty minutes went by before Carlo arrived. I tapped Anna and said, “Carlo is here.”
“Really? Where?” Anna immediately sat upright and scanned the pool until she found him. As soon as Carlo entered the pool he walked directly over to Maya.
“Ugh, why doesn’t she leave him alone? Why does she keep sending him mixed signals!” Anna grumbled.
“I won’t tell you what I really think because she’s your sister,” I said.
“She’s a freaking slut.” Anna said it for me. “Look at her. She’s freaking giving him the okay to rub suntan oil on her. What the hell!”
“Wait a minute, look over there.” I pointed to the far right.
“Oh, here comes Misalo. Oh, I can’t wait for him to see this,” Anna said.
Misalo was on his cell phone talking to someone and wasn’t really paying attention to what was happening on the pool deck.
“Oh, no! Aw, man!” Anna whined.
“What?” I asked.
“Look. Keysha must’ve spotted Misalo and is telling Carlo to stop.”
“I really don’t like her at all,” I said, biting down on my bottom lip.
“And I really don’t like the fact that Maya is toying with Carlo,” Anna said. “Something needs to be done about that.”
“You’re right,” I said as I reached for my cell phone and stood up.
“Where are you going?” Anna asked.
“Well, little cousin. Sometimes a girl has got to do what a girl has got to do. I’m about to go raise some hell.”
“Wait! I’ll walk with you. Carlo is leaving and I want to talk to him,” Anna said.
Anna and I walked through the clubhouse and out onto the sidewalk. Anna rushed after Carlo while I waited to intercept Misalo.
“Hello.” I smiled at him.
“Hi,” he said and was about to continue on, but I stood in his path and got his full attention.
“Can I talk to you for a minute? It’s really important,” I said with a nice pretty-girl smile.
“Dude, let me holler back at you,” Misalo said to the person he was talking to. He closed his phone and tucked it inside his front shirt pocket.
“What’s up?” Misalo asked.
“You remember me, right? I’m Viviana, Maya’s cousin.”
“Yes, I know who you are,” Misalo said.
“Good.” I paused as I opened my cell phone and searched for the video clip I was looking for. “I know it’s none of my business, but I thought you should know that Maya is playing you for a complete idiot.”
“What are you talking about? Maya and I love each other. She’d never do anything to hurt me,” Misalo said confidently.
“That’s not entirely true. You see, the other night she and I were at a party together and she invited Carlo instead of you,” I said, feeling justifiably wicked.
“Bull!” Misalo said, totally unconvinced that Princess Maya could do any wrong.
“I thought you might say that. Here, take a look.” I showed Misalo the video of Maya and Carlo dancing together. The way she held on to him and the way she melted in Carlo’s embrace when he started singing in her ear was too much for Misalo to take. He began pacing back and forth and calling Maya every name in the book. I got a twisted joy out of pulling Misalo’s strings. I felt as if I were shooting my own personal episode of Cheaters.
“There is more,” I said as I recalled the clip I’d just taken. I showed Maya allowing Carlo to put oil on her body and how they’d stopped when they knew Misalo was approaching.
“Oh, hell no! You’ve got to be freaking kidding me!” Misalo punched the palm of his left hand with his right fist.
“Wait a minute. Calm down,” I said, placing one hand on his shoulder. I couldn’t help it—the opportunity was there so I took it, and while slipping my hand into his shirt pocket I took out his phone. “If I were you I’d march onto the pool deck and let her have it!”
Misalo’s chest heaved with anger and contempt. He’d turned into a scorned lover filled with jealousy, rage and betrayal. “Thank you, Viviana.” Misalo hugged me briefly and then, like a shooting comet, rushed toward Maya. I stood smiling at the madness that I’d caused. I opened up Misalo’s phone and to my delight it had not relocked itself yet. I took the liberty of scrolling through his pictures and was blown away when I came across several photos of Maya posing in her underwear.
“Oh, this is just too easy,” I said, laughing to myself. “Maya, you truly are a tramp. So, you want to plant pot on me, aye. Well, let me show you how evil I can be.” I attached her underwear photos to a text message and sent it to all of Misalo’s contacts.
By the time I walked back onto the pool deck and took my seat, all hell had broken loose. Misalo was going ballistic. He had his finger pointed between her eyes. He looked as if he were about to pimp slap her. When Maya tried to move, he grabbed her and forced her into a seat. Maya couldn’t charm her way out of her own deception. I took great joy in watching her run away from Misalo, crying uncontrollably. Keysha, being the dutiful friend she was, followed her. I wonder if I can report her for leaving the pool unattended while people are still in the pool swimming, I thought to myself as I powered Misalo’s phone off. I rushed over to him so that I could return it.
“Hey, I’m really sorry, but I thought you should know,” I said.
“Thank you,” Misalo said as he swallowed hard.
“Look, you dropped your cell phone,” I said as I handed it back to him.
“Thank you,” he said once again before leaving.