SWEET SPOT

Hot Sauce 6

Nyla

A soft knock sounded on my door before it creaked open.

“Hey, little sister… are you okay?” Garrett asked gently.

I was curled up on my bed, face buried in my pillow, tears still streaming down my cheeks. I hadn’t expected him to come in. I sat up quickly, heart racing with embarrassment.

“Why didn’t you knock?!” I yelled, my voice thick and broken from crying.

“Damn, sorry about that,” he said, stepping inside and closing the door behind him. His eyes softened when he saw my tear-streaked face. “Wanna talk about why you’re crying? Who the heck made my sister cry? I’ll go talk to them right now.”

I didn’t answer. Instead, I reached behind my neck with shaky fingers, unclasped the beautiful necklace Ezekiel had given me, and threw it across the room. It hit the wall with a small clink and fell to the floor.

Garrett’s eyes widened. “What? Why? Isn’t that the necklace Ezekiel gifted you?”

“I don’t want it anymore,” I whispered bitterly.

“Huh?” He looked genuinely confused. “Do you want to explain why? Tell me… did you and my friend have a fight or something?”

Tears kept falling no matter how hard I tried to stop them. “Just go away, Garrett. Please.”

He stood there for a second, looking like he wanted to say more, but eventually he sighed. He walked over, picked up the necklace from the floor, and held it carefully in his palm. Without another word, he stepped out and quietly shut the door behind him.

The moment he was gone, I broke down again. I pulled my knees to my chest and cried harder, my whole body shaking.

I couldn’t believe it. The boy I’d been crushing on so hard… the one whose photos I stared at like a fool, the one who made my heart race every time he smiled… actually liked someone else. And not just anyone — Aida. Beautiful, confident, perfect Aida. Of course he would choose her. There was no competing with someone like that.

I slapped a hand against my chest, right over my stupid, aching heart. “I shouldn’t have even liked him at all,” I whispered angrily, hitting it again like I could punish it into stopping. “You’re so dumb. So, so dumb.”

Just then, my phone started ringing on the bedside table. I sniffed loudly, wiped my face with the back of my hand, and checked the screen. It was Susie.

I let out a shaky breath before answering.

“Hello?” My voice cracked badly.

“Are you okay now?” Susie asked, worry clear in her tone.

“I am not okayyyy,” I cried out, the words turning into a sob. “Oh my God, Susie… why does this hurt so much? I’m so stupid for falling in love like this. What do I do? How do I make these feelings go away?”

Susie sighed softly on the other end. “Nyla…”

“I keep seeing his face, and then I remember he likes Aida, and it feels like someone is stabbing me in the chest. I hate this. I hate feeling like this.”

“Babe, how about you just go to bed?” she suggested gently. “Sleep and try to forget about everything for tonight.”

I nodded even though she couldn’t see me, fresh tears slipping down my cheeks. “Do you think it’ll work?”

“Oh goodness, Nyla… just sleep, please. Tomorrow might feel a little better.”

“Fine,” I whispered, my voice small and defeated.

“I’m ending the call now, okay? Try to rest.”

“Okay… goodnight, Susie.”

The line went silent. I dropped my phone onto the bed and curled up again, hugging my big brown teddy bear tightly to my chest.

I couldn’t sleep.

No matter how hard I tried, my mind wouldn’t stop replaying everything. Ezekiel’s smile. The way he looked at Aida. The sound of my own stupid heart breaking. I tossed and turned for what felt like hours, hugging my teddy bear so tightly my arms started to ache.

Eventually, I gave up. I sat up in bed, rubbing my swollen eyes, and that’s when my gaze landed on the black box still sitting on my desk. Susie’s “gift.”

My stomach twisted with shame.

I quickly stood up, walked over, and picked it up. The moment I touched the packaging, memories flashed through my mind — how I had used it earlier while thinking of Ezekiel. How desperately I had whispered his name under my breath.

Disappointment crashed over me like a wave.

How pathetic, I thought, biting my lip hard. I actually touched myself thinking about a guy who doesn’t even want me. I felt disgusted with myself. Sickened.

“I don’t need this anymore,” I whispered angrily.

I shoved the vibrator back into its box, grabbed a plastic bag, and stuffed it inside. Throwing on a hoodie over my pajamas, I quietly crept out of my room. The house was silent. Mom and Garrett were probably asleep. I tiptoed down the stairs, slipped out the back door, and made my way to the trash bins at the side of the house.

I lifted the lid and tossed the bag in, slamming it shut like I could bury my feelings along with it.

That was when I heard footsteps.

I froze. Garrett was walking up the driveway from the street. But something was wrong. He was moving unsteadily, almost swaying. My heart jumped into my throat as I stepped closer to get a better look.

Blood.

There were blood stains on his shirt. Fresh bruises covered his face, and his knuckles were raw and swollen, like he’d been punching something or someone repeatedly.

“Garrett?” I whispered, rushing toward him.

His head snapped up, eyes widening when he saw me.

“What are you doing outside?” he asked, his voice rough. “Isn’t it late? Why aren’t you in bed?”

“That’s not the question I asked you,” I shot back, my voice shaking. “What happened to you? Look at your face… your hands! Garrett, what the hell happened?!”

He wiped his bloody knuckles on his jeans and tried to shrug it off. “It’s nothing much. I just had a little scuffle, that’s all.”

“A little scuffle?” I repeated, staring at him in disbelief. “You look like you got into a war!”

“Nyla, drop it,” he said tiredly. “Let’s just go inside.”

He started walking toward the house. I stood there for a second, torn between anger and worry, before hurrying after him. We slipped back inside quietly. Garrett headed straight for the kitchen without saying another word. I watched his back as he disappeared down the hallway, my chest tight with concern.

Back in my room, I closed the door softly and leaned against it. I should have felt relieved that I’d thrown the vibrator away. Instead, all I could think about was my brother.

What had really happened tonight?