To the great and the petrified we all fall down

To the slaves and the civilized

We all fall down

To the lovers we left behind

The bad days, the good nights

In the great shipwreck of life

We all fall down...

IAMX, "The Great Shipwreck of Life"

Today started out like any other day, except it was my two year anniversary to my girlfriend Liliana.

I've known her since I was around eight when I moved to Hollow Creek and she ultimately became one of my closest friends

I couldn't contain as the excitement as it ran through my veins approaching her neatly colored gray two story house. The sun beamed brightly which amplified my optimism. Flowers... check. I bought her white lilies which were her favorite.

The small jewelry box felt a lot heavier in my pocket. I wanted to take our relationship to the next level. Although I was still eighteen, I knew in my mind Liliana was the girl for me.

Even meeting her at the young age of eight, she was different from the other girls.

Every memory with her is the best memory. From the first time I confessed that I was in fact, infatuated with her and she returned the feelings. From our first kiss, to our first time, all these intense feelings that I've experienced for her were never going to change

I didn't even realize that my footsteps where pulling me closer to her door, and I rang the buzzard once.

There wasn't an immediate reply and I knew that she was home because I called her over an hour ago.

Suddenly feeling anxious, I dialed her cell phone number and it went straight to voice mail. What was going on? I extended my hand towards the door knob and it was open.

Suspicion ran through me as I entered her small and cozy house, the familiar scent of lavender permeated the air. It was eerily quiet, maybe too quiet for my liking.

"Lily, are you home? " I said into the dead air, getting no response. All of a sudden I heard laughing, and it was definitely Lilianna's.

I ran up the stairs and headed towards her room. I didn't really know what to expect when I approached her room, but whoever it was or whatever happened I was up for a fight.

I edged closer and closer and her laughter became muffled, and what sounded like moaning escaped from her lips. I opened her door slightly ajar and it was like the world stopped.

It felt like the all the air out of my body was gone. I didn't know what to think when I saw what was laying before my eyes. It wasn't what I expected, because I didn't think that Liliana, the girl that meant everything to me, betrayed my trust.

This was the same person that was there when my Abuela passed, or when my brother Antonio recently got married over to his longtime girlfriend, Francesca.

But she was here before my eyes, kissing my best friend. She ran her fingers through his hair and he wrapped his hands around her waist, so engrossed in each other that my heart was bleeding inside my chest.

Everything that meant the world to me was at a loss and would never be the same.

"What's going on?" I said my tone filled with hurt and rage. Both of their eyes shot up and she quickly broke away from Marco, facing me

I quickly dropped the flowers from my hands, waiting patiently for an answer. Marco nearly jumped up from the bed, straightening his now wrinkled shirt.

"Listen, man its not-"

'I don't want to hear it from you! You're supposed to be my best friend and you're supposed to be my girl. I can't believe you two. I trusted you Marco, I had your back, but I guess you never had mine."

Liliana bit down on her lip, walking towards me but I moved further back, sending her a menacing glare.

"Listen, I can explain." She pleaded, tears welling up in her pale gray eyes.

"Explain what? Explain What! What is it that you you're to tell me that won't make a difference? What do you have to say for yourself? That you cheated on me with my best friend! Huh? Is that what you want to say?" I was yelling at the top of my lungs and she started crying.

"You didn't have to yell at her Armando." Marco said, walking towards her and she leaned her head on his chest.

"Whatever, I'm out. I hope you enjoy Liliana, she wasn't that good of a girlfriend anyways." I said, laughing bitterly as I walked out of her house.

I needed to be alone. I turned away from her house and into my black mustang, shutting the door behind me. I leaned my against the wheel, feeling angry tears well up in eyes.

"God damn it!" I yelled my frustration building. Outside I heard thunder cackle in the sky and then the pouring of heavy rain. I had to get the hell out of here before I exploded.

Revving up my engine, I drove down her street, and out of her life.

The inclement weather soaked my dark curly hair and my soaked clothes clung to me like a second skin.

I just sat there, on the top of the hood of GT, engulfing in my melancholic mood, with my fists clenched at my sides.

The front door of my house opened and my mother stood in the doorway.

She was dressed in regular clothes and she held her cars keys in her hands. Her gaze drifted to the driveway and then onto me.

Concern and confusion were in her dark eyes as she took out her umbrella and approached me.

My mother was a petite woman standing at 5'3 and I resembled her in every aspect.

I had the same pouty dark pink lips, and the same dimple that only appeared in my left cheek.

I inherited my ink black hair from her and her warm, yet mysterious dark brown eyes.

"Armando, ¿por qué estás aquí fuera así? Usted puede coger un resfriado." She said in her Spanish tongue, her tone was filled with worry. I didn't answer her at first but simply sighed.

"I didn't know it would hurt so much." I said, spiraling in my own hurt. My mother simply nodded, saying,

"Come inside and get dried off, then we can talk." I headed back inside, stripping out of my soaked clothes and trading them for a long sleeved burgundy shirt and dark grey sweat pants.

I dried my hair with a towel as I approached the kitchen, the aroma of brewing tea filling my nose.

I waited patiently as she poured tea into two mugs from the kettle, setting one front of me as she sat across from me. The room grew quiet as she waited for me to reply.

"Tell me what happened." She said softly. I leaned back in my chair, averting my gaze before replying.

"As you know, today was my two year anniversary with Liliana. I was so excited and I wanted to make sure she had the best anniversary." A sad smile lit my face as I continued,

"I bought her favorite flowers and a ring. It wasn't until I went to her house and saw and Marco kissing and didn't even do anything about it. I was so angry I yelled at both of them and then left abruptly I didn't know what else to do.

It was like someone repeatedly stabbed me in the chest and I was bleeding. It hurts like hell…. ."

She reached out her small slender hands and gripped mine, warmth radiating from them.

"I'm sorry that happened. If I could do something about I would, but maybe you should consider breaking up with her. No one should ever be put in that position."

A sudden flashback went through my mind and it felt like déjà vu. The same incident happened with my father and I swore to myself I would never talk to him again.

He was the reason for our family's suffering. He was the reason why I would sometimes catch my mother gazing off into space, her eyes watery from the unpleasant memories of when my father cheated on her.

"It was just… I loved her and that was the only thing that I lived for." I excused myself from the table and locked myself in my room, wrapped in my sadness.

The first chapter might be a little boring, but it will get better. I decided that Armando will have his point of view for the beginning, and Kiva will come in later.