"I hear your amigo has been forgotten, Ceci."

Ceci looks up from her food. "What?"

Someone else nods. "Sí. No one has seen him since three days ago."

Ceci rolls her eyes. "You guys will believe anything."

"Not true," one of the others chimes in. "Think about it. This is one of his favorite places, isn't it? And he's not here."

Ceci glares at them, trying to hide her fear.

She and her amigas are hanging out together at one of their favorite resturants. As usual, her friends are gossiping about other people, something that Ceci has always found unsettling.

Her friends seem to be in their best moods today, talking and laughing loudly. But for some reason, the talking has come to a halt, and they all have their eyes on her.

Ceci sighs. "There's no way," she tells them. "His familia woundn't have let that happen to him."

Despite her words, dread starts to build up inside of her as she thinks of her last interaction with him.

One of the girls sitting across from her smirks. "Suit yourself, but, really, think about it. Have you two talked since you last saw him?"

Ceci slowly shakes her head, fighting back an outburst in protest.

It can't be true. Héctor can't be gone.

Suddenly Ceci's aware of how quiet the world around her seems, without Héctor's excited laughter filling the space around her.

The last time she'd interacted with him, she'd been helping him and the other Riveras sneak into Ernesto's show. She hadn't gone with them to the actual place Ernesto was going to be performing.

What if it was all for nothing?

All those times her and Héctor had spent together, alone or with others. All those times she'd yelled at him for being too ambitious. The things she said about him. The ways she'd hurt him, physically and emotionally.

That's not mi amigo.

I don't even know him.

Of course those were lies, but they were still just as hurtful.

She stands up abruptly, her chair making a screeching noise on the hard floor. The noise reminds her of Héctor's excited yells and that makes her feel worse.

She runs out of the resurant, leaving her friends behind.


All day, she walks around outside, her face wet from her tears and her glasses foggy. Every step cuts deeper into her as she thinks of Héctor. All the times she yelled at him.

She's trembling with each thought. Héctor's laughter, his singing voice, his kind words and occasional words of advice, they replay themselves in her mind multiple times.

At one point she stops to clean her glasses, which makes more tears surface and spill over. She puts them back on and continues walking as Héctor's voice cuts her to pieces.

Ceci picks up speed, running full force. But no matter how far she runs, her sadness is still there.

Her steps grind to a halt once again as she spies a bench a few feet away. She walks over and sits down, burying her face in her hands. A breeze blows past her, and she shivers.

She tries to calm herself down. After all, Héctor spent more time away from her than with her. It shouldn't be such a big deal. But it is. Because she loved the times he was brave enough to be around her. The times she saw him just being himself.

"Aggressive One?"

Ceci bristles in shock as she looks up, taken out of her distraught state. Her eyes widen at the person in front of her.

The familiar unruly hairstyle. The concerned voice. The stupid nickname.

Ceci holds nothing back as she leaps up and wraps her arms around him.

Héctor gasps and tries to push her off. "Easy! You're sqeezing too tight."

Ceci lets go of him and smiles. "Sorry. I just... I thought you were-"

"Forgotten?" Héctor shrugs and half smiles. "I guess not. Clearly you missed me, though."

Ceci crosses her arms but smirks. "I wouldn't go that far."

Héctor sits down on the bench behind her. His head tilts upward and for a second, he seems like he's in pain.

Ceci looks at him. "Are you okay?"

"Just tired." Héctor shakes his head as she sits down. "I hate this," he says. "Reminds me of the feeling I have when I'm sick. Always winded."

"Definently doesn't suit you," Ceci tells him. "Mi amigas all thought you were gone. I haven't seen you since I helped you get to Ernesto."

He stares at her. "What were your friends saying?"

Ceci shrugs. "Can't remember," she lies. "They seemed happy that they hadn't seen you in a long time."

Héctor frowns. "Happy?" He practically spits the word.

Ceci rolls her eyes. "I know."

Héctor rolls his eyes. "What a way to be insensitive."

A silence hangs between them for a while before Héctor sighs.

"I can't believe Ernesto did that to me," he says.

Ceci nods. "All your dedication to him, and what do get in return?" She gestures to him, and he laughs.

"At least I have mi familia." Héctor looks at her. "And you."

Ceci smiles. Another quiet follows.

"Are you glad you helped us expose Ernesto, Aggressive One?"

Ceci nods. "The world wouldn't have been the same if he'd succeeded in getting rid of you."