Carson leant back on one of the metal bars that ran down from the highest row of the bleachers to the bottom, acting as a divider for each block of seats.
His eyes dropped from hers, travelling down the length of her body as the ends of his mouth stretched into a barely-there kind of smirk.
“So, Asa huh,” he commented in a low voice, looking back up at her again. “What is it with you? You prefer Hispanic meat?”
“Excuse me?”
“You know,” he said in a dismissive tone. “Out of everyone in the school, you go for the Mexican trash—”
“All right, let me stop you right there.” Carmen’s eyes narrowed, her voice firm. “You’re not even half the man that Mexican trash is. So before you open your mouth and spit out opinions that aren’t required, I suggest you take a good look at the mirror and start worrying about what kind of person you are.”
Carson’s smirk widened and he cocked his head to the side before taking a step closer to Carmen. “You talk to Asa that way?”
Carmen stood her ground, not backing away even though she felt her stomach coil into a ball of discomfort. “No,” she said matter-of-factly. “Then again, when Asa starts to speak, it isn’t utter bullshit that spills out.”
Carson’s eyes narrowed now, and he took one more step closer to her. “You know, for someone who’s supposed to be a goody-two-shoes, you sure have a mouth.”
An incredulous laugh fell past Carmen’s lips. “I choose to be kind because I want to, Carson. Because it makes me happy.” She looked him straight in the eyes then, making sure he felt the promise behind her next words. “But if you think I’m going to stand by and watch someone have a go at the people I love, you have no idea who I am. I can be fierce, and I’ll be so without apology.”
Carson seemed like he was about to say something else but an unfamiliar feminine voice cut through the air, grabbing both his and Carmen’s attention.
“Coach needs you,” the girl with shoulder-length honey hair and small, round grey-green eyes told Carson, walking towards them in one of those full body swimsuits, “now.”
Carson muttered something under his breath, shot a glance towards Carmen, and then began walking in the direction of the changing rooms reluctantly.
“Sorry about that,” the girl said with a small smile, approaching Carmen and dropping down on the nearest seat on the bleachers. “He’s a dick.”
Carmen’s eyes widened with mild surprise as she blinked at the girl. “You did that on purpose?” she asked. “So the coach didn’t really call for him?”
The girl grinned and shook her head. “A girl’s gotta do what she’s gotta do. I’m Marlene, by the way.”
Carmen laughed lightly, shooting her a smile of gratitude. “Thanks, Marlene. I’m Carm—”
“—Carmen.” She nodded. “I know. You here for Asa?”
Something fluttered in Carmen’s stomach at the mention of him, taking her by complete surprise.
“Yeah,” Carmen replied, her voice carrying an odd softness. “Yeah, I’m here for Asa.”
Marlene smiled, her eyes examining Carmen’s face for a moment. “You know.” She chuckled lightly. “I actually used to have a major crush on him.”
“Oh?” Carmen blinked, taken aback and completely unsure how to react.
“Yeah… Maybe more than a crush, I don’t know. He’s the kind of guy you could actually get into a steady relationship with so that was like a bonus.”
“Bonus?”
Marlene’s face flushed and her cheeks turned a beet red. “Um, well, you know…we, uh…Asa and I— we sort of…” She shrugged awkwardly. “You know…”
Oh, Carmen thought.
“You’ve got nothing to be worried about,” Marlene said hastily. “That was long before you were in the picture. Besides, I haven’t fallen so low that I’d actually go after another girl’s man.” She smiled warmly at Carmen. “I’m just saying that he’s a good guy. A little bit of a magnet for trouble obviously, but you know, he has a good heart. I’m just happy he’s found someone.”
“Uh…” Carmen hesitated. “We’re not really together anymore.”
Surprise flashed across Marlene’s eyes, and her mouth dropped open slightly. “Oh,” she muttered, sounding a little disappointed. “That sucks. I mean, I don’t know you personally, but I’ve seen you around before and you seem like a really nice person. I was happy that Asa found someone like that, you know.”
Carmen shifted on her feet, eyes flickering towards the pool, wondering when Asa was going to show.
“Um, thanks I guess?” Carmen smiled uncertainly, adjusting the strap of her bag on her shoulder. “If—if you don’t mind me asking. Why is it that you never made a move to ask him out? If you knew you’d have liked to be involved with him on a more serious level?”
“Isla.” Marlene sighed, shrugging and running a hand through her short hair. “I mean, she was such a toxic presence in his life, you know? And I didn’t want that baggage following him into my life too. My older sister fell into an unhealthy relationship, and it took her a really long time to finally get away from it. I just didn’t want to have to deal with any kind of toxic shit after seeing what she went through.”
Carmen frowned, letting Marlene’s words float around in her mind, not really understanding how one thing led to the other.
“But…” Carmen furrowed her brows. “But your relationship would have been with Asa, not Isla.”
A scoff escaped Marlene’s mouth. “Come on. Back then, there was no Asa without Isla. The two were a freaking package deal. If you wanted one in your life, the other came along. No questions asked.” She shook her head, a small sigh leaving her lips. “I’m not the kind who does half measures. If I’m going to get involved in
