Page 82 of The Final Rose

I've been mysteriously sick for weeks and that’s why I need her cuddles and food, and why I walk around with a blanket around my shoulders.

“I’m sick,” I say in the smallest voice.

“You’re heartbroken, baby,” Mom says, and I wince.

I don’t want to be heartbroken. I’m Callie-Fucking-Sosa. I’m a beast on the set. I’m all focused and I’m unstoppable. I don’t lose my mind because of stupid things like my heart.

“I’m sick, mami,” I tell her again, my eyes shining in her direction and being borderline pathetic.

Mom opens her mouth to say something else, but my dad stops her before the words are even formed. She holds her tongue back and the four of them stare down at me, saying nothing and everything at the same time.

They can see my bleeding heart through my lies and I left filled with shame.

I get off Dario, ignoring his sigh of relief. I sit beside him with a sniffle, as Dad, that saint of a man, gets my blanket from the ground and puts it back around my shoulders.

“No one is trying to be cruel to you, Callie.” Ben talks for the first time since ordering to turn the TV on.

He stands by the door, eyes locked on mine. Ben is tall and big, always been too big for his own good. He’s my big brother, and I always thought he was bigger than life itself.

He defended me and Dario our whole lives. He never let us go astray. His eyes pin me in place and my heart squeezes. I don’t want to hear what he has to say. I don’t care what it is, I’m going to ig—"

“You need to watch this. Do you trust me?”

I want to cry, but I nod instead.

Ben lets out a breath, and Dario readjusts beside me. Mom and Dad, who until now were frozen by the kitchen’s door, finally move to sit on my left side.

I hold my tongue so I don't question what kind of shock therapy this is.

Dario presses play.The Final Rose’stheme song starts, and I gulp.

“In the last episode of The Final Rose…”Fox’s voiceover announces, but Dario stops right in a zoom of Sebastian’s face.

“We don’t need the recap… no…” Dario murmurs with himself skipping ahead to the actual episode.

That was it, wasn’t it? I saw Sebastian’s face, and I didn’t burst into flames or tears. Or became a pile of salt or something. No. I’m still here, in my parents’ home, nursing a broken heart, with my lip quivering like life itself is taking turns hitting me in the ribs.

But the thing is, I’m still alive.

That’s why they make breakup songs saying that much. Because we do, we survive. It doesn’t matter how much it hurts and how in pieces you are afterwards.

We are more than that. I’m more than that.

“Ready?” I’m taken by surprise by Dario’s question.

I turn to him, nodding. Ready.

He points the remote to the TV.

Here we go.

Goosebumps rise on my skin, even with the blanket over my shoulders. The words coming out ofThe Final Rose’shost make little sense to me. She talks about an unforgettable season, twists and turns, and true love. It’s the first season I haven’t watched every episode religiously. Nessa and I always watch the first episode together while we joke around and check TV apps to spy on who are the public’s favorites.

“And here come our hopefuls…”Andrea Fox calls.“Maya Denver.”

I hold my breath when the camera pans to her. She’s a vision in purple, her mouth in a perfect smile. Maya had enough potential to be the season’s main girl. She’s shy, honest, funny, and just the right amount of nerdy. I give her a month before she’s snagged by someone else.

“Vera Kaur.”

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