Right In Front of Me (Finished)

Chapter 37: Fixing Merciego

Mercedes eventually was okay and no longer angry with us. Diego comes up to her in the hallway on Tuesday, about to say something, but stops once he sees her glare. He freezes, then spits out the poison that is the word slut. "Excuse you? What did you just call me?" Mercedes gasps. "Oh, nothing. Don't you have a guy to grind on something?" He tosses the hurtful words over his shoulder. She breaks. Mercedes walks over to him angrily. She shoves Diego against the lockers, and hisses, "Look, I never put myself out there for guy before you. I had only ever had one boyfriend before you. I never flirted with anyone but you.  So you can't possibly call me a slut. Now I might not be your girlfriend, but I can still beat your ass. And you know it. Leave me alone. "
         I approached Diego again later that day. I was done with his games, too. "Diego what is your problem? Leave her alone. This is not the Diego I know. You need to get your act together because this isn't you. Either try to win her back, which will be nearly impossible to do at this point, or get over her. You can't put her through this, and I know you don't want to, because you did care for her at some point. And if you still do,  you'll consider her feelings." With that, I walked away, not another word said to leave him alone with the decision.
        Later at home, I was curled up in my Soffee shorts and tee shirt from when I went rock climbing last week with my family and Greyson's family, and I was watching 'Dallas Cowboy's Cheerleaders: Making the Team', when i decided to make something to eat. I got up and sliced an apple, spread peanut butter on either side of each slice, then decorated them with chocolate chips. I put the slices on a plate, then sat down on the couch, placing the plate on the coffee table in front of me.
        Summer usually watches this show with me, but she's out with Connor, and mom and dad are with them so they can get to know him and his parents, who also decided to join them. Brian is still at school, since he has practice for the school's little league baseball team. Greyson is writing an essay and then going to his cousin's Boy Scouts Pine Wood Derby Meeting since his dad was unable to attend. So it's just me and the future Dallas Cowboy's Cheerleaders.
        At least, it was. The doorbell rang so I hopped up to answer it, instinctively calling out "I've got it!" I ran to the door and opened it to see a heavily huffing, red faced, angry- looking, black-eyed Diego. "Wha- what are you doing here? And what happened to your eye?" I question him. He pauses. "Can I come in?" He says angrily. "Yeah, yes, of course! What Happened?!" I ask letting him in. I close the door as his jaw tightens, and his eyes water. He swallows tightly, and i ask again, calmly. He just starts sobbing.
        This is so strange and just so uncommon for Diego's behavior that I am shocked and just roboticly hug him while he cries into my hair. Eventually, though, I psuh him back and say, "Okay, now seriously. What. Happened?" He answers, "Mercedes happened. I went to her house to get her back, but she wasn't home. But her mom was. When she saw me, she punched me then hit me repeatedly with her broom and told me to get the hell off her property and to leave her baby alone."
"Umm, is it bad that I really want to laugh right now?"
"Yeah! Stop it, it's not funny! You the only one i can talk to about this."
"Then talk." I say.

        I put some ice on his eye and we're sitting on the couch now. He has been telling me how he feels and how much he hates himself for what he said and did to her. I had to turn off the cheerleaders, though so that he'd focus. "So why didn't you tell her this?" I ask.
"I was gonna tell her today. You know, I'm just so mad for calling her a slut. 'Cause she's not! I's just being dumb and jealous. I was gonna talk to her and try to get her back again at school today, but then i saw how mad she was, and it just made me so mad that she was still on this. And it just slipped out. Out of anger. I woulda sounded so dumb if i just immediatly said sorry."
"Maybe, but maybe you'd still have a girlfriend if you risked sounding dumb."
"I know. I really messed up, didn't I?'
"Yeah, not necessarily. You've tried everything. You've tried going to her house, a big romantic gesture, okay? You've tried. Now it's just up to her and if she still says no, then there's nothing you can do about it, and you've already done all that you can."
"Thank you."
"Yeah totally, now maybe you wanna talk to Greyson, he's a miracle worker with words. Plus, he could use a break from writing. Just go knock on his window."
"Uh, why his window?"
"Because it's across from my window, and you can use the bridge to get there."
"Bridge? You never told me you guys built a bridge! Now this I've got to see."
I giggle and show him upstairs.

***Taylor's POV***

        "Mercedes, he's trying! You should give him a chance. He's just really confused about what you want and what  standpoint to come from. He's crazy about you." I tell Mercedes. We are sitting on my window seat talking about the whole Diego and her fighting thing. She rushed over right after her mom told her that Diego came to her house, and that her mom hit him. Why don't we have a T.V. show?
"Taylor, I don't know. If he overreacts and calls me a slut for this, then who knows what could happen if we got back together, and if I tried to break it off with him! He could seriously get violent, and I can't get caught up in that again." Mercedes says. That's true. In her freshman year, she dated this guy for a few weeks and he started to hit her. It was bad. That's why she hadn't put herself out there for a guy since, but then there was Diego. "You should tell him. Tell him what happened with Cody in freshman year. He'll understand that that's why you don't trust easily."
"I don't kno-"
"Please! If you have any hopes of this working out, that's what you need to do. He has tried all that he can; now it's your turn."
"Okay, I will. Just not now."
"You should talk with Avalon. She's closer with him then me." We hug, and I wish her good luck as she heads to Avalon's house."

***Avalon's POV***

        Mercedes showed up not too long ago and we've been talking. "He only said that to retaliate against the pain of losing you. He didn't know what else to do. And when he went to your house today, it was to see you. But you were gone, and your mom saw him and just snapped because she cares so much." I assure her. "How do you know all of this?" She asks in a hopeless tone. "Because Diego is here. He's upstairs, possibly in Greyson's room. Go talk to him." I answer. She gets up and goes upstairs. Soon after, Greyson appears next to me and says. "It worked. They're talking."
"Good! I love playing matchmaker."
"Yeah well you did a pretty nice job here." He says, intertwining our hands, referring to us.
"That, sir, was all your doing." He kisses me softly, then I ask, "Done with your essay?"
"I could really use another pair of eyes to look at it."
"I'll help you, dummy."
We go upstairs to get into Greyson's room, and in my room is a kissing Diego and Mercedes. We just rush by, trying not to ruin it for them, and we slip into Grey's room and lay out on the bed. He hands me the essay and a pencil, and I begin scanning it for errors. But knowing Greyson, it would be flawless.