Page 42 of Game Changer (Hidden Attractions #2)

Maya

“Are you sure you’re ready to do this?” Ethan, who offered to drive me to my parents, slides his eyes to mine as a form of reassurance.

I insisted I could take the bus back home, but he refused and wouldn’t take no for an answer.

And when I panicked and said he couldn’t come inside because I was planning on telling them about my decision to pursue cosmetology—I didn’t have the heart to tell him about the other reason—he didn’t mind one bit.

He only wanted to drive me for emotional support .

He claimed it worked out because he wanted to see his parents anyway, but sitting outside my house now makes everything real .

“We agreed on me not coming inside, but if you need someone . . .”

“No, it’s fine. I’ve got this.” I open the passenger-side door with a deep breath and give him a weak smile. “I’ll call to let you know how it goes, okay?”

Something flickers in his blue irises, telling me he’s aware something is up, but rather than push me on it, he dips his chin and leans over to squeeze my hand. “Sure.”

On my way up the gravel path to my home, I attempt to wipe my hands on the back of my jeans.

It’s weird. I assumed things would be different when I left for college, but nothing seems to have changed.

The flower beds are still flourishing, and the tiny windmill by the rundown porch steps is still spinning.

The only thing that’s changed is me.

“?Bambina!” The door flies open, and both of my parents nearly tackle me to the ground.

Their scent envelops me and surrounds me with a sense of home I can’t get anywhere else.

It makes me ashamed that I used to be embarrassed by this tiny trailer when it was filled with so much love.

“You got here sooner than you told us yesterday.” Even with her thick accent, I can already tell my mom’s classes have improved her English drastically.

She’s annunciating words so much better than she ever had before.

“Yeah, sorry. Change of plans.” My heart pounds when my dad glances behind me to where Ethan is still sitting in his car. Realization dawns on him before his eyes narrow into slits.

He points to the car. “?Qui?n es ese?”

“Papí. English, por favor .” It seems only my mom has been taking the classes seriously.

Don’t get me wrong, I love speaking Spanish and would never expect them to forget where they came from, but if I plan on traveling and making my dreams come true, I need to feel confident leaving them alone.

I need to know they’ll be okay here by themselves.

“Okay. Who is that ? You said you were taking the bus.”

“Can we finish this discussion inside, please?” I don’t want Ethan to see this fight go down on the front porch, especially when he’s unaware that the main subject of the disagreement will be him.

I have no clue why he hasn’t driven off yet, but his car is still idling outside, and, oddly, it feels nice knowing there’s a getaway car in case things don’t go the way I plan.

With a huff , my dad moves to the side to allow me to pass, but not before casting a lingering glare at the car. As if to ensure he can keep eyes on Ethan the entire time, he only shuts the screen door, and it’s an effort not to roll my eyes.

“Is that Maddie’s brother?” he asks. “The boy we told you not to see?”

This is the time where I could lie through my teeth and tell them we’re just friends, but I don’t want to be dishonest anymore about us when Ethan has been nothing but good to me. He doesn’t deserve to be my dirty little secret.

I take a seat on the couch, watching them sit in the chairs across from it before I reply, “Yes. We’re dating.”

My father mutters something beneath his breath—likely a curse word of some sort. “We said no, bambina.”

“Yes, but I never got the chance to explain myself then, and I want to now. He’s .

. .” I shake my head with a smile. “He’s perfect for me, and he’s going to State.

He’s majoring in sports education to become a football coach, and if you’d go with me to a game of theirs, you’d see just how passionate and incredible he is with the kids.

He treats me right, and isn’t that all you’ve ever wanted for me? ”

I’ve rarely seen my father angry, but it’s evident in the redness of his face when he leans forward and says, “No. What we wanted was for you to be taken care of. He parties too much, smokes marijuana, and what about the girls?” He scoffs.

“That will not—” He releases an aggravated breath as he struggles to find the words in English. “No. The answer is no.”

“Mamí,” I plead, tears filling my eyes. “Please. He’s important to me, and he’s nothing like you guys are painting him to be.

If you’ll just agree to meet him, I swear you’ll change your minds.

I love him.” The admission is surprising to them, but it isn’t to me.

I’ve known it for a long time, and it’s exhausting to keep holding it inside.

For the first time, I’m being truthful with myself, which is why I keep going when I should probably stop.

If the dam is already broken, why not ride out the flood?

“He’s made me realize things about myself, and I—” Fuck, here goes nothing.

“I’m meant to be a cosmetologist, and if I’m going to get a degree in business, I want to use it to pursue that.

It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do, and he believes in me, you know?

I can do this if you guys give me the chance to prove—”

My rambling stops when I notice my parents’ gazes bouncing from my mouth to my eyes. They’re having trouble keeping up, so I snap my mouth shut and wait for them to process it.

Papí is the first one to speak. “You want to struggle like us?” He waves a hand around the living room. “Is this what you want?”

“Ricardo.” Mamí tuts and cuts a glare in his direction.

“No. I’m not going to stand by and watch her throw her life away!” Tears track down my father’s face when he stands and begins to pace. “We worked too hard for this. We came here so you could be happy , and—”

“Do I look happy to you right now?” It’s been fixed in my head since I was a little girl to never cross my parents, but this is important to me, and if I don’t stand up for myself now, I never will again.

It’s now or never. “Working in finance isn’t going to make me happy.

Will it give me a paycheck? Sure. But it’s not what I want for myself. It’s what you want.”

Papí looks as if he’ll keel over at any given second from the tone of my voice, and Mamí has a sheen coating her eyes as she watches our argument unravel.

“Increíble.” He laughs like he can’t quite believe this is happening before he forgoes English altogether and switches to his native tongue.

I hold my chin high while he lists every possible reason Ethan isn’t good enough for me.

He harps about coaching not being enough to support a family.

Then he’s shouting as he insists Ethan’s personality hasn’t changed despite never getting to know him, and he tells me it’s impossible to have a future with him if both of our careers are unrealistic .

My father, who always supported my dreams as a little girl, is shooting them down one by one.

But I should have known they were just that when I was younger.

Dreams . He used to listen to me as a child gush over different nail polishes and even partook in some makeovers, probably thinking it was a phase.

It never occurred to me then that he disapproved of it.

He never thought I’d be able to make it on my own if I wanted to pursue it for a living.

But the one man who does is—

The sound of a floorboard creaking has all three of us whipping our heads to the screen door, and the sight of Ethan on the porch makes my world come to a halt.

Papí moves to tell him off, but my mother grips him by the shirt and whispers something in his ear that sounds an awful lot like a threat, just as Ethan throws his hands up placatingly.

“You forgot your bag,” he explains, setting it gently on the porch. His eyes seem adamant about not meeting mine. “Then I heard shouting and wanted to see if everything was okay, but I, uh, got my answer.”

How much of that did he overhear?

“Ethan—” My voice breaks when he shakes his head.

“I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

And then I watch him walk away from me and down the gravel path to his car. His shoulders are slumped and his body is rigid, and seeing him so devastated has a newfound rage surging through my veins.

“Is this what you wanted?” I whisper through my tears.

“Ethan is a good man, Papí, whether you choose to see it or not, and I’m not going to sit here and listen to you degrade him and attempt to prove to me he isn’t.

I’ve spent my entire life trying to please you both, but I want something for myself for once.

He is what makes me happy. Cosmetology is what makes me happy.

The only missing thing is your approval, but I refuse to continue killing myself fighting for it if it means hurting myself and the person I want to be with. ”

I am stepping toward the door when my father clears his throat. “Bambina.” A warning. Plea. I can’t decipher the agony behind the word, but there’s no time for that when the man I love is walking away from me.

“We can talk about this,” Mamí says. I’m convinced she’s the only one with a rational mindset. “Just sit back down and—”

But I’m already closing the screen door behind me.