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[color=silver][indent][indent]Santiago Fernandez took the seat the girl had offered him, and put his sweaty palms on top of the table that separated them. The idea of asking Stella to the dance wasn’t something he’d been considering in the slightest. Although he’d mostly ignored it in favor of doing his own thing, Diablo hadn’t been a stranger to the very obvious animosity the brunette felt towards him. Hell, she was probably a close second to Julie on the scale of how much they hated him. There was a history between them- and not a very good one, at that. During their first date together back in freshman year, he had strung Stella along in hopes of getting laid, but had acted rather nastily when things didn’t go his way. He hadn’t been violent or verbally degrading to her, but had tried to manipulate her into thinking his dismissal of her had been her own fault. With the years he understood that his actions had been appalling, yet had left things to fester instead of doing the right thing and offering up an apology. This dance presented the perfect opportunity to (hopefully) finally put another grudge to rest. But no matter how many times he had rehearsed the words in his head, it was always so much harder to follow through when they were face to face. 

The young man took a deep breath. Here goes nothing.  [color=D11717]“I’m sure everyone knows this by now, but Lils and I are having a baby girl,”[/color] he began with a nervous laugh, rubbing the closely-cropped hair in the back of his neck.

She looked up at him, feeling as though it was the first time she had seen him actually smile without the pompous asshole attitude that usually followed. She noticed just how ...happy, if not absolutely terrified (she was assuming) about being a father. [color=pink]“Congratulations, Santiago!”[/color] Stella meant that. Regardless how she felt about him, which even now it was less hate and more whatever, she always smiled whenever a baby was brought into the world. [color=pink]“I’m sure your daughter will be a cutie!”[/color] Stella wasn’t blind. Santiago was objectively cute and April was adorable. She knew they would have themselves a looker.

[color=D11717]“Thank you, seriously,”[/color] Santiago said appreciatively, and gave her a bashful smile. [color=D11717]“I hope she doesn’t have her momma's temper, though. I’ll be in a whole lot of trouble if she does.”[/color] 

When he mentioned April’s temper, the brunette immediately recalled the times she not only heard about their intense screaming matches from friends but she witnessed them a few times. And that’s not even including the things they did to each other (again she heard it through the grapevine). Stella used to think they were toxic, that they weren’t any good for each other. She used to think that maybe they would break up and that would be the end of that. On some level, she knew it was the opposite. For people to do the things they did to each other and at the level they probably hurt one another, Stella was aware enough to know they were the real deal and that made her smile. Not because she suddenly liked Santiago but because April was her friend.

[color=pink]“Cheer up, Santiago!”[/color] Stella placed her hand on his and waited for him to meet her gaze. [color=pink]“I’m sure she’ll have just enough of both of you. Too much and she might just rule this world.”[/color]

The young man grimaced, but immediately let out a nervous chuckle. [color=D11717]“As much as I know I’ll love her, that is terrifying to think about,”[/color] he admitted, shaking his head. [color=D11717]“But anyway, that’s not the only reason why I wanted to talk to you…”[/color] he began, taking one last moment to gather his thoughts before letting out a deep breath and embarking on the second part of his apology tour. [color=D11717]“See, having a kid right now is something I never in my life thought would happen. But it did, and it’s put a lot of things into perspective for me. I obviously wanted a boy, but things didn’t go that way. And when I found out I was having a girl, I immediately started to worry about how things would be when she grew up… What the world would be like, what [i]she[/i] would be like, what would happen if she ever came across a dude like me... And when the thought of anyone playing my little girl like I did to so many chicks before scared me, I realized what a fucking piece of shit I’ve been for so many years,”[/color] he admitted, his voice and eyes full of honesty as he looked up at Stella. [color=D11717]“And I’m sorry for that, Stella. I’m sorry I was such an asshole to you back then. You didn’t deserve any of that shit. I know I can’t take back what I did, but I can at least let you know that I really do regret acting out the way I did.”[/color]

Hearing those words escape his lips. I’m sorry. [i]He’s sorry?[/i] She immediately played it back in her head and repeated it several times and his voice echoed in her thoughts. She wasn’t sure if this was a game that he was playing. While she didn’t want to think that even Santiago was capable of such a horrible thing, especially after they were having such a sweet moment, she couldn’t stop herself from entertaining the notion. This was Santiago, after all. This was the boy who played with her heart, who made her feel like he actually cared, and then when she wouldn’t do something or when he had his fill, he dumped her like a sack of potatoes gone bad.

And that was the worst part. Sure, one could argue the worst of it came when she saw him with April and had herself a good cry after the fact, but what really made her visit Rock Bottom USA was the fact that he made her think there was a chance between them. People can talk about how it was always Santiago and April and she eventually caught on, but for a couple of weeks, hope crawled into the home of common sense and a hatred was born. This fire that had an eternal supply of gasoline fueling the intense loathing she had for him burned everything to the ground and Stella had buried it deep into the core of her being, not wanting to ever dig it up. 

She narrowed her eyes and tried her best to look for the old Santiago. She was actually hoping to find the guy who crushed her but he wasn’t there. [color=pink]“The world must be coming to an end.”[/color] Her words left her cherry lips before she even realized it and she laughed.

[color=D11717]“Tell me about it,”[/color] he chuckled, enjoying how some of the anxiousness he had been feeling over this evaporated into the atmosphere.

He wasn’t playing any games and maybe that’s the part of it all that made this too surreal for her. [color=pink]“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to hear you say those words, Santiago. Not only for you to say it but [i]mean[/i] them. It’s hard for me to admit, but I did like you. I mean, sure: I have this rep of falling for guys too quickly. But while you treated me [i]horribly[/i], during the time when you weren’t, it was so amazing. You made me feel like I was on top of the world, like I was the only person that mattered. So, when you did hurt me and didn’t even apologize, I just...didn’t want anything to do with you. And God knows I hated you for so long. But now..”[/color] Stella bit her lip and curled them in a half smile. Looking into his eyes and now not even certain what was happening, she gave into the part of her that just wanted to laugh. [color=pink]“I don’t even know. You aren’t the same guy I remember. I can tell that you mean what you said and, well,”[/color] she paused, squeezing his hand with a warmth she never thought she’d give him, [color=pink]“I forgive you!”[/color] She chipperly stated.

When he heard Stella accept his apology and felt the sincerity of her words, part of a weight he’d unknowingly been carrying on his shoulders suddenly lifted. Even when he’d made so many mistakes because of his selfishness and immaturity, this young woman sitting in front of him had still found it in her heart to forgive him, which spoke volumes about her. For someone who’d once disliked him so passionately, Stella had probably seen something in him worth forgiving and moving forwards. It filled him with hope that maybe- just maybe- he wouldn’t be as bad of a dad as he thought he would.

Now, onto the [i]other[/i] reason why he’d approached her in the first place… 

[color=D11717]“Can I make things up to you by taking you to the dance next week? As friends, of course!”[/color] he clarified, raising both his hands in front of him. Diablo felt like he needed to make it absolutely clear that he didn’t have any ulterior motives or ill intentions this time around. [color=D11717]“I know I totally ruined the only date we’ve had, so I’d really like to have a chance to try again. We can have ourselves a nice dinner at your favorite place, go to the dance and I can drive you home afterwards. Or I can ask someone else to drive you back home if you’re not comfortable with me doing it. I’m cool with whatever.”[/color]

He continued to amaze her. An apology and a redo of their date? He really has changed. There was even a part of her, a [i]really[/i] small part of her that was almost jealous of April. [color=pink]“I’d like that,”[/color] she smiled, keeping her longing gaze on him. Stella had to take a moment to get used to this new side of Santiago. [color=pink]“Here, let me give you my number.”[/color] She reached into her purse and pulled out a little pink notepad that was no bigger than her hand and it was decorated with various rose patterns. As she wrote down her number with her purple ink pen, she tore the piece of paper from the notepad, handing it to Santiago. [color=pink]“There we go!”[/color] She half-giggled. 

Grinning, Santiago took the note from her hands and slid it into the pocket of his jeans. [color=D11717]“Awesome! Thank you so much, Stella. Really,”[/color] he earnestly replied. He really [i]was[/i] grateful for the opportunity to fix his mistakes, and genuinely looking forward to giving her the best platonic time she deserved. [color=D11717]“I’ll make sure to text you as soon as I can so you can have my number, and we can hash out the details of this thing. That sound good?”[/color]

[color=pink]“Yeah! That’s perfect! Feel free to text me anytime by the way! You’ll be a breath of fresh air since the only texts I get nowadays are from my annoying family!”[/color] She rolled her eyes, glancing down at her phone and she noticed the time. [color=pink]“Wow, is it that time already?”[/color] She mused aloud and exhaled out a sigh. [color=pink]“I’m sorry. I’m really enjoying this but my next class is [i]way[/i] across campus and if I don’t leave now, I just know I’ll get an infraction for being tardy,”[/color] she said, standing up.

[color=D11717]“Oh no, that’s fine,”[/color] he said with a shrug, imitating her by standing up as well. [color=D11717]“I’ve gotta get going anyway. I try to carry Lils’ things from classroom to classroom any chance I get. I want to avoid having her carry around any more extra weight than she already does.”[/color]

[color=pink]“Aww!”[/color] Stella could feel her heart melting. Santiago and the rep often associated with him wasn’t true at all. He wasn’t some monster she thought he was. He’s a sweetheart and she knew April was lucky to have someone like that in her life. [color=pink]“You’re going to be a fantastic father, Santiago Fernandez! Mark my words!”[/color] Shooting him a short wink, Stella forced her legs to carry her and her bag into a sprint out of the cafeteria.[/indent][/indent][/color]