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Thank you all! Your comments have been very encouraging. I'm glad you've enjoyed the story, and Ulises and Fidel's journey as much as I have enjoyed writing it ☺️

FIDEL The school year ended without pomp or circumstance. Assemblies passed without glory. Speeches were held that no one would remember. Just final bells, teachers already halfway out the door, the quiet agreement that everyone was tired and ready to move on. The gaps Ulises had left closed in as if he had never been there at all. His empty desk had been reassigned.His name stopped coming up in casual conversation, then stopped coming up at all. Memory worked fast in a place like

FIDEL The gym smelled like rubber mats, sweat, and something metallic, old pipes, maybe. It was small, squeezed between a locksmith and a cellphone repair place, barely noticeable unless you were looking for it. A dented metal shutter, half open. Inside, heavy bags swung slightly even when no one was hitting them, like the room breathed on its own. The lack of aircon probably accounted for the cheap quota, but for Fidel, it was perfect. “Wrap your hands tighter,” the coach said. “

FIDEL He chewed on his anger for days. It sat in his mouth like something bitter he couldn’t swallow and couldn’t spit out. He woke up with it. It followed him to school, on the bus, at dinner with his parents. They noticed, but didn’t push too hard. The Cavallaro household was built on a strong foundation of patience and silent contemplation. The call came on a Wednesday afternoon. Fidel was in his room, lying on the bed with his phone face down on his chest, staring a

FIDEL They waited for him to be alone. That was the plan. Fidel left school later than usual that day. Finishing a lab report, a lingering talk with Lucio. Nothing important. Enough to thin out the street. Two blocks from the gate, the noise of cars faded. Trees thickened. Shadows stretched longer than they should have. The bus stop was inconveniently far. “Hey.” Fidel didn’t turn. “Hey, hood trash.” He felt it immediately. The body always knows first.

Those are the archetypes 😋

Thank you!

FIDEL Monday morning, the school looked freshly ironed. The tiles in the hall reflected the white lights like a cheap mirror. The scents were unmistakable: disinfectant, expensive perfume, a hint of pain. Fidel passed through the turnstile with his backpack cinched tight. He checked his phone for the tenth time in the half hour since he’d arrived. Over and over again, his eyes remained on that last message he’d received: “Don’t tell anyone. Please.” Each time he felt that s

At the elite St. Patrick's high school, Ulises is a king by birthright: wealthy, adored, untouchable, ruling a court of teammates and pacts of silence. Fidel is everything Ulises is not: a knight without armor, battered by words and fists, surviving on grit and a body that has learned to endure. When a forbidden moment pulls them together, fear turns the king into a coward and leaves the knight to bleed alone.

Lauti does know about Valen's mom! They briefly talked about it in Southward 😊

“So does this mean therapy makes you horny?” “It wasn’t the therapy!” “It totally was! You weirdo!” “Oh my God, shut up!” “You shut me up!” Our lips crashed with mighty strength as we fell down on the bed. The little demon I called boyfriend had been teasing me since we got on the bus and after weeks of abstinence I was not going to hold back any longer. My shirt was off in a flash. He held me in place for a second, his skin flushed, his hair a dark mess. We’d bare

So here’s the thing about learning your boyfriend has been struggling with depression and an eating disorder for months while you’ve been oblivious to it all: it really doesn’t let you think about anything else. At least, in my case, I found myself unable to concentrate on any of my readings or at the workshop in the days that followed that afternoon when Lauti told me all the things he needed to tell me. I spent as much time as I could hanging out with Lauti, and whatever free time I coul

I was eleven when I learned what hunger felt like. After my mother’s death, my dad completely shut down. He locked himself in his room and didn’t leave the house for a whole month, during which he (of course) didn’t make a single cent. Bedridden, unresponsive, unemployed. I’d suddenly lost not just one, but both of my parents. I had to take care of myself during those four weeks. I kept going to school, which—as I attended an all-day public school—was my only source of food on the

It's definitely the first time Valen's seen Lauti act like this 😅

Pull the lever. Open the valve. Pump the gross brown fluid out. Close the valve. Release. Pull the lever. Open the valve. Pump the fluid out. Close the valve. Release. I’ve always hated bleeding brakes. “You know there are vacuums for this,” I said, facing away from Marian, who sat near behind, enjoying her hard-earned lunch break. “They’ll suck the fluid right out in a flash. Really cool stuff.” Marian answered through a mouthful of milanesa sandwich: “If you don’t mind me using