Revenge Scheme

It took little time, and Lola's doorbell was on fire. She padded around the house barefoot and bounded towards the door. She unlocked the door without checking who was at the door. There was only one person who would want to break down her door with knocking and try to bring down the entire house with the door bell.

"Lolalita!" Sofia screamed in glee, tackling Lola in a hug. Both of them crashed to the floor. The floorboards creaked at the impact, and Lola winced. But the woman's joy was infectious. It's been almost a month since they last saw each other. They were busy with their respective lives and hadn't come around hanging out. And after today, God knows when they would be free to do something of this nature again.

"Get off me, you monster." Lola nuzzled Sofia off her and scrambled off the floor. Sofia rolled to the side, giggling, not making any attempts to get up. Carmen stood by the door, giving them both a dirty look. Lola caught her eyes and tried to keep a straight face. They both burst into laughter, clutching their stomachs at the failed attempt. Carmen raised a bottle with a pure clear colored liquid.

"Tequila night!" She yelled, pushing past Lola and making her way to the kitchen to get the glasses. Lola helped Sofia off the floor before locking the door. They followed behind Carmen, each making themselves comfortable on the high stools around the kitchen counter while the mother hen went about making sure everything was in place for tequila shots.

Lola stared at Carmen as she moved around effortlessly in her home, serving her and Sofia and making sure they were comfortable. She laid a series of lemon wedge and salt on the table for tequila shots. Sofia shuddered at the sight. She wasn't one to dwell on strong drinks, but it was a girls' night. She was going to indulge.

Finally, Carmen took a seat on the other side of the table and opened the floor for them to hit it off. Sofia raised her glass into the air and clinked it with the girls.

"To our future." She hooted. Simultaneously, they licked off the pinch of salt from their fingers and smacked down shots. They snagged the lime from the table and bit down on it. Lola's head felt light for some seconds, but the daze faded and she joined in the laughter. It all felt good.

"We've got new hot guys at the printing press," Sofia began. "You won't believe the incredible asses those guys have on them."

"Ew, Sof, you're such a perv." Carmen sounded disgusted.

"Shut it, Cam. You're worse. You're a pedophile." Sofia retorted. Lola couldn't help it. She keeled over in laughter. It always felt good being in the company of these two. They knew how to lift her spirit.

The banter went in back and forth between those two. Lola zoned out after a while. She still had a lot of things on her mind.

"Lolalita." Carmen called. Carmen looked up sharply at the sound. She looked around, feeling a little lost. Like they had gone a long way without her. Sofia gave her a curious glance. Lola couldn't help but wonder how long she had spaced out.

"Is everything alright?" Carmen asked. Lola sighed and put down her glass. She didn't relish in dredging up her old pains and take of woes. But these were her friends, and the only people she could trust. She had to let them know of her plans. She didn't know if her plans would go down well with them, but she had already laid it in her heart that no one would stop her. This was her one chance to take her life back.

"Luis is coming home." She announced. Carmen choked on her drink and spilled the tequila everywhere. Worse, she sprayed Sofia with tequila from her mouth.

"Way to go, Cam." Sofia complained, wiping down her face and trying to keep the disgust out of her voice. Carmen clamped down on her lips with her eyes threatening to bulge out of their sockets.

"Sorry, Sof." She choked out the words through her surprise. She turned to Lola, who was looking at everything in the room except Carmen.

"Luis?" Carmen asked. Lola nodded once, looking down at her glass. "As in the Luis?" She asked again. Lola gave her another nod. "As in Luis Ortega?" Carmen asked yet again. Lola shit her a look of exasperation and placed her elbows on the table.

"Yes, Cam. The Luis Ortega." She announced, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, my fricking God!" Carmen exclaimed, putting her hand to her chest. Carmen was one person who could curse like a sailor, but she preferred not to use the f word and substituted with the look alike. Her reason for using the f word was beyond Lola. But she had grown accustomed to her friend's weird ways.

"Who the fuck is Luis Ortega?" Sofia asked, looking between the two women. She had come into their lives when the whole family feud and love drama was already over. And Lola had closed up on everything that had to do with that part of her. Sofia did not know what her life was really like in the past, except for the little bone she threw her.

Carmen shook her head at Sofia, trying to give her a sign not to push the issue. Lola shot her a grateful look. She didn't want to open her old wounds. With a heavy heart, she picked up her glass and did another shit of tequila. Carmen stared at her, saying no more words.

"Will someone tell me what's going on?" Sofia asked. Lola sighed, hearing the frustration in her friend's voice at being kept in the dark. Lola gave Carmen a look. Carmen understood her need at once. She took just a few seconds to bring Sofia up to date, on the history between Lola and Luis Ortega, as well as the bad blood between their families.

"Oh well," Sofia began, "that's the problem with rich people. Why can't we just have a peaceful, normal life? She asked, running her hands through her face. Lola shrugged at her words. She had wondered the same thing when her life fell apart.

"What do you plan to do?" Carmen asked. "I mean, can you coexist under the same sun with him, knowing he will be in Spain too?" Lola shrugged and drummed her fingers on the table. She didn't say the obvious because it felt like she was offering a piece of herself she wasn't ready for the world to see yet. Instead, she waited for Carmen to see through her like she always does. Realization dawned on Carmen, and she looked at Sofia with wild eyes.

"No way." She exclaimed. "You're not planning to." Lola gave her a sinister smile that suggest she was hell bent on doing so.

"Planning what?" Sofia asked. "Hello? Lost girl here." Carmen pinned her with those wild eyes again.

"She's planning to get him back," she said, addressing Sofia.

"Not unless she's mad." Sofia countered. Both Carmen and Lola looked at Sofia with amusement written all over their face. It wasn't news to either of them that Lola was strong-willed and did whatever she deemed fit.

Resignation came over Carmen. Lola.knee the minute her friend gave up on advising her against her plans. She wouldn't have been able to stop her, no matter how hard she tried.

"So, what are you going to do?" Carmen asked. Sofia still hadn't gotten over the fact that her best friends were indeed mad. She shook her head wittily and went back to her tequila shots. Lola shot her a look, and she gave Lola an encouraging smile. Lola delved into disclosing her plans to the two women.

Sofia's mouth hung open, and Carmen couldn't stop blinking. Lola shrugged and drummed her fingers on the table, waiting for either of them to say something. They were both speechless. It was hard for Lola to keep the triumph off her face. She wore a smug smile that suggested she knew exactly what she was doing.

"Oh my God, Lola. There are so many things wrong with that plan." Sofia finally breathed out. Lola nodded. She knew her plans were insane, but her mind had already splintered into a million pieces, and there was no going back. Carmen still hadn't gotten over her confusion. She kept her gaze on Lola and continued blinking.

"Well?" Lola asked getting slightly irritated with her speechlessness. Carmen sighed deeply and poured a glass of tequila into her mouth, forgetting to follow the usual process. The displease on her face from the drink almost caused Lola to laugh.

"I really have no words to quantify the depth of this insanity." Carmen began. "But Lola, one thing is certain. I've been with you every step of the way, even as we became adults together, and I can testify that no one deserves to pass through everything you've been through. And if anyone deserves all the best things in life, then that someone should be you. Lolalita," she pursed. Whenever she used Lola's full name, it was always because she wanted to say something very important that needed immediate attention. Lola paused the movement of her fingers on the kitchen counter and looked at Carmen with all seriousness. Carmen took her hands in between hers.

"If this is really what you want, then I'm with you all the way." The loyalty in her eyes melted Lola's heart. Sofia's heart joined theirs on the table and she flashed them a warm smile. Sofia was the positivity in their little group.

"I'm here for you, too. And even though this plan is as sick as they come, we'll make it work." She winked at Lola.

Lola's heart swelled with pride and happiness. This was the family she was denied. They were ready to see her through, and it fueled her strength. Now all she had to do was wait. Luis Ortega wouldn't know what hit him.