Spoiler
Sorry to spoil your fun, but I am gonna post ten chapters of this story- don't worry, they're short chapters anyway. Just bear with me. 
Corrections/Suggestions are welcome! :3
Corrections/Suggestions are welcome! :3CHAPTER ONE
“She must be the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen,” said fifteen-year-old Ruiz, staring at the dark-haired meztiza girl.
As they sat under the mango tree, the lovely brunette next to him followed his gaze. Brenda LLenado may have been his best friend for years but that didn’t mean she was immune to the competition.
“What? Her? What about this face?” she asked, grabbing her chin and tilting her head towards him.
Ruiz glanced at her, then he returned his look at that girl, "Brenda, don't mess around. If your face is your problem you don't have to involve me."
She rolled her eyes,“I was voted Ms. Campus, remember? Somebody clearly finds me smart and sexy.”
“Yeah, last year,” he teased.
She shot him a fake glare, pretending to be offended.
He grinned and whispered in her ear. “How about being a good friend and telling me how to win that girl over there?”
She tossed her head dramatically and turned her back to him, all the while trying not to laugh.
He nudged her playfully. “Aw, is somebody jealous?”
She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right. What do I care who you like? You’re not my boyfriend or anything.” But deep down, she was surprised to feel a touch of jealously. She quickly brushed it away.
He looked into her eyes and smiled. “No, but I still find you the most beautiful girl in the world.”
She pushed him away. “Ugh. Try that line on somebody else. It’s not going to work on me!”
He grinned but deep inside, Ruiz meant every word he said about Brenda. She was the type of girl who could be called liberated and smart. A girl with a dangerous beauty.
As they got inside the classroom, the two took their chairs which were very far from each other. The teacher introduced a new student in their class. Susane Perez. She was that meztiza girl with a black straight hair that Ruiz admired.
"Hi," Susane confidently introduced herself to the class. "My name's Susane Perez. Anyway, I'm the best at cooking and painting."
CHAPTER TWO
The other day..
"Class, I have a very important announcement," Mrs. Basil, their class adviser announced. "By August, there will be a painting contest! The winner will have her and her painting be featured in the school paper and also, she will be our school's representative in the municipal painting competition on October."
Brenda smiled. If it was painting, she was sure that she would win that.
During recess, Ruiz was on a queue at the canteen with Brenda who stood behind him.
"What do you think about the contest, Ruiz?" she asked. "Exciting, isn't it? Why don't you join too?"
They paid at the counter and carried their food tray.
"We're poor, Brends," Ruiz replied. "I don't even have my own canvass, watercolor, paint tubes.."
"I can lend you my tools," she said cheerfully.
"No, Brends," he took a seat. "You make me feel so small everytime you provide everything for me."
"You? So small? Oh, C'mon! You're so tall. You're even taller than me," she laughed.
"Brenda, I'm serious," he scooped some food in his spoon.
"Okay. Okay," she raised her hands and looked serious now. "But I'm your best friend. Friends give their friends what they need, right? I can even give you a cellphone if you want."
"That's the matter, Brenda. You keep on giving me a lot of things.", he remembered the underwear set that she gave him last year on his birthday. He shook his head. He still felt so embarrassed that Brenda thought of giving him that.
"Look.", Ruiz continued, "You even give me things that you don't have to give. You even paid for my tuition fee and we're not relatives!"
Brenda fell silent, but she grinned as she listened to him. Ruiz stopped talking. Alright, this girl wasn't listening anymore.
"Guess what?", she spoke, "I really like you."
His eyes shimmered, "Y-You like me?"
"Of course!" she answered, "Because you're an honest person. Maybe, you sound unappreciative because you don't want me to give you a lot of things but I know that you don't want people to think that you're taking advantage of our friendship. Most of all, you don't ask for presents from me. All you wanted is friendship. You are a very good friend, Ruiz."
He sighed. She liked him as a friend. He faked a smile. "Can we eat our lunch now?"
"Oh!" She gasped as she stood up, "Eat these, Ruiz. I've got no time to lose, I'll register myself for the painting contest! See you later!"
She left him there.
CHAPTER THREE
After the classes, Ruiz noticed Brenda's exaggerated frown.
"Hey, looks like you woke up on the wrong bed." Ruiz grinned.
"You mean, wrong side of the bed?" she corrected.
Ruiz shrugged his shoulders as he carried his bag "What's the frown all about?"
"Your dream girl. She joined the contest," Brenda sighed.
"Dream girl?" Ruiz looked confused. "W-Who's that? Who's that dream girl?"
"Susane Perez!" Her eyes widened. "Who else?"
"You're getting jealous again," he smirked.
"Ruiz, I'm serious," she glared at him. "You know how good she is at painting! We had art class yesterday and she got a high score!"
"So?"
"Hello! I usually get the highest scores and she got the highest grade in art yesterday for drawing the Pied Piper!" she said loudly. Brenda talked and didn't care who heard her talk.
"Don't tell me that Susane threatens your confidence in making a perfect art."
"I'm not threatened! I just hate the possibility that I'll lose the contest." She closed her eyes for some seconds.
"You're afraid?" He stared at her.
"Yeah. I don't know, but I have an instinct that something bad's gonna happen if I lose the contest."
"Your instincts frighten me, Brends. They come true." Ruiz believed that Brenda's instincts were wonderful and precise. When Brenda got instincts about something, it usually happen.
"Well!" Brenda's mom said in an angry tone as she got home. Brenda should have been at home before 4 PM and it was already 7 PM.
"Oh, Mama, I just went to the computer shop. No big deal!" Brenda explained as she threw her back pack down the blue carpet and she sat lazily on the sofa.
"I'm fed up of this Brenda." her mom spoke. "That's why I called up your dad in America."
"What?" Brenda exclaimed.
"I told him that you're going to finish your studies in America. I'll take you there next week!"
"But mom! I have friends here! I even joined a painting contest..." she trailed off.
"Wow. After your beauty pageant, thank God, you did something worthwhile again." She clucked her tongue thrice after she said that.
Brenda yawned and controlled her irritation to her mother.
"Here's the deal, Brenda Llenado. If you won, you'll stay here for good. If you lose, it's 'Hello, America' for you, darling," her mom challenged.
Brenda didn't want to go to America and leave her friends, especially Ruiz. She had realized that he meant more than just a best friend. She could't specify it now, but she knew it inside. She knew that Ruiz was more than just a best friend.
CHAPTER FOUR
Brenda saw Ruiz talked to Aslan. Aslan was her major crush who used to be the school's MVP. When Aslan left Ruiz, she walked towards her best friend.
"Hi, Ruiz!" Brenda greeted as she sat beside Ruiz on the bleachers at the basketball court in their school. Brenda pulled out her sketch pad and pencil.
"Hello," he greeted but not as enthusiastic as Brenda.
"You ha! You didn't told me that you're close with Aslan." She gently pushed his arm.
"Uh, y-yeah." He stammered. "H-He .. He asked me if his assignments were done.."
"Ha? I don't get it."
"Aslan is Señor Juan Monteverde's son."
"I know," Brenda got more curious.
"I'm the son of their maid."
Brenda screwed up her mouth for a little while. Suddenly, she realized what Ruiz tried to say.
"That fool!" She squealed. "He's making you do all his assignments? That brute! He's not my crush anymore!"
Brenda looked around and was relieved when she saw that no one heard what she said.
"Really huh?" Ruiz smiled. "I thought you're so dead over that guy."
"He will really be dead, because he's taking advantage of you!" she hit him very hard in the arm.
"Ouch!" he yelled.
"And you're letting him take advantage of you!" she scolded him.
"He's our Señor's son!" he defensed himself.
"Whatever!"
That afternoon, they went to the school garden and a talked a lot.
"You know what, Brenda? I love their hacienda.", Ruiz spoke like a storyteller about Hacienda Monteverde, "Aslan's really lucky. I am sure that he'll inherit that when he grow up. Senor Juan's so kind! One time, he allowed me to touch one of his favorite stallions. Her name is Thunder."
As he narrated his story, Brenda kept glancing at him then she drew on her sketch pad.
"Okay. Tell me some more," Brenda said when Ruiz fell silent.
"It's your turn to talk, Brends. What are you sketching there?" he said. He attempted to peek at Brenda's sketch pad but she hid it.
"I don't like to show it!" she smiled.
"Oh, C'mon! I thought you are my best friend? What's that?" he said like a whining child.
"It's a secret! But It's gonna be a pleasant surprise." Brenda winked at him.
CHAPTER FIVE
At the Llenado mansion, Brenda painted at the piano room. That was the only vacant place where she could paint. She copied her sketch on her canvass. She finished that for just two weeks! She gazed at it with glittering eyes. Brenda placed the palette on the table.
"Wow!" She spoke to herself. "I never knew that Ruiz looks so good on the canvass!"
She painted Ruiz on his side view pose. That was the sketch that she made when they talked at the school garden about Hacienda Monteverde some weeks ago. She smiled at the result of her work. It came out perfectly. She leaned closer to give it some finishing touches.
"There!" she said at last. "You, Ruiz Cavella, will be my masterpiece!"
The image looked so real and lively. That grin on his lips hypnotized her to lean closer and as Brenda intended to kiss thatt picture, she opened her eyes and laughed at herself.
"What's happening to me? Trying to kiss a painted guy?" She chuckled. "I guess, I am a good painter after all! Even my masterpiece have made me believe that it was alive."
Brenda stared at the painting, suddenly, she heard a knock on the door.
"Come in!" She smiled as she opened the door.
Her patented smile switched to a gasp. "Brandy?"
The smaller girl grinned at her. Brandy enjoyed her shock. She was Brenda's sister who was one year younger than her. The brunette haired girl who looked alike a younger version of the 80s German singer, Nena, raised her eyebrow when a long silence took place between them. Brenda felt a little embarrassed. She forced out that smile alá Gloria Romero and said, "What time have you been in here?"
Brandy looked at her wrist watch and looked back to Brenda. "Just fifteen minutes ago. 4: 20 PM to be exact."
Brenda nodded while her sister looked irritated. "Can you please, let me get inside, Brenda?"
She opened the door widely to let Brandy get inside the piano room. Before she could sit near the piano, Brandy saw the painting that Brenda made. How she made her surly sister smile! Brandy gently touched the face of the boy at the canvass.
"Who's.. Who's this guy?" she asked tenderly.
"My BF, my boyfriend!" Brenda joked. "What I mean is, my best friend."
Brandy's smile faded away and changed back to her natural glare-like look. "Nice painting. Nice looking guy. I'd like to meet him."
"Don't worry, Brandy! I'll introduce you to my best friend this Wednesday!" Brenda smiled. How she loved her sister although she was a mean brat.
"Yeah. Good." She walked towards the black Steinway&Sons piano. "Now, leave me alone. I need to compose my new music, Brenda."
Brenda obediently did what her sister said, she left her sister and gently closed the door. As Brandy sat on the black leather piano chair, she glanced at the painting again. She smirked as she gazed at the piano keys and started to play a soft music.
CHAPTER SIX
Wednesday
3 PM
Recess
After he met Brandy, Ruiz decided to go back to the classroom to get ready for the next class subject. Brenda agreed and told her sister to go home. She kept her promise to Brandy that she would introduce her best friend to her. How surprised she was when she saw Brandy went to their table at the canteen while they ate their recess snacks. Her sister was determined to see Ruiz and she looked so smitten when they shook each other's hands! She felt pity for Ruiz. He was red than a ripe tomato and looked afraid of her sister than enthusiastic to meet her! He looked so surprised. Brenda felt a little guilt for she didn't tell him about her plan of introducing him to her sister.
"Your sister acts like a brat, Brends," he spoke as they walked at the school lobby.
"She really is," she said honestly as she smiled about what happened lately. She could remember how her sister blushed when Ruiz told her an unadorned 'Nice meeting you too, Brandy.' How Ruiz looked like a guy that saw a girl with a leprosy and wanted to run away.
"How could you bear that girl? She talked a lot about nonsense! She bragged about her taste in fashion and how beautiful and trendy she was." He shrugged his shoulders and glanced at Brandy. He copied her smile when he saw it.
"Seriously, we don't get along very well. It got worse so our parents decided to separate us. My dad kept Brandy with him in America and I stayed here with my mom. She has returned now. I am hoping that things will get better soon."
"You impress me, Brends," Ruiz spoke as he stopped walking to stare at her beautiful face. "You have a golden heart."
"That's how I love her." She smiled.
Ruiz gasped. "What the-? You're not a lesbian, are you Brends?"
She slapped his shoulder that made him say 'Ouch' and she laughed. "You bird brain! Of course not! What I mean is that I love her as a sister! Don't get that weird and use your common sense!"
"I'm just joking!" He laughed as he tried to avoid Brenda's hand from hitting his arm again.
"Just be a little nice to her, I think she really likes you." Brenda said in a persuasive tone that didn't persuade him anyway.
"Oh, C'mon! Don't make me do that! She's not my type!" He swatted her like a bee before he continued to walk. She followed him.
"Fine! Fine!" she raised her hands as if she was a criminal who surrendered herself to the cops. "I know that Susane was your type of girl."
"No!" Ruiz quickly defensed that he didn't manage to think before he speaks. "You!"
"It's me?" Brenda was shocked.
Ruiz coughed as he tried to think of an alibi. "I mean no! You? Who's your type of guy?" he replied as he made the statement of 'You!' appear as a interrogation than an answer to a question.
Brenda calmed down. "My type of guy? No one. You know that I hate Aslan for taking advantage of you and there's no other guy in this school that interests me."
"Am I not that interesting?" Ruiz grinned.
She smiled. "Of course, you are. But you're an exemption. You're already my best friend."
He patented his own fake smile as he changed the topic. "Anyway, the painting contest will be on Friday."
"And guess what?" Brenda smiled as she walked inside the classroom and paused near the teacher's table. "I'm done with my painting!"
"So that means I can see it! Hooray!" Ruiz exclaimed and was about to jump when Brenda stopped him.
"No! Not yet!" she said.
His shoulders dropped. "Why? Do you really have to make a suspense about it? C'mon, Brends, I'll just take a peek and I'll never tell anyone how it looks like!"
"Not now, Ruiz. But I assure you, he's beautiful." She said the last words with dreamy eyes and a dreamy voice.
"He? Who could that be?" he started to fall to a deep thinking.
"Don't guess! You'll know it at the right time!" Brenda walked towards her arm chair and placed her backpack there. Ruiz stood in front of her.
"Who is it?"
"I told you to stop guessing, Ruiz." How she enjoyed to see his curiousity.
"Wait. That's your celebrity crush, right? That German band lead vocalist, right?" Ruiz snapped.
Brenda laughed. "Na-uh-uh! It's not him!"
"Fine! I'll stop guessing!" Ruiz gave up but quickly changed his mind. "Oh! Oh! He must be Dieter Bohlen!"
"Nope!" Brenda replied. "And hey! You told me that you're going to stop guessing!"
"I said that?" Ruiz scratched his head as he sighed heavily. "Yeah, I said that."
CHAPTER SEVEN
"What?" Brandy exclaimed as she went to Ruiz' table at the canteen during their lunch break. Brenda went to her locker so Ruiz had to wait for her at that table.
Brenda's sister decided to return to their school to bring the lunch meal that she asked their maid to cook for Ruiz. It was a scrumpsious steak with a slice of a sweet cheese cake for his dessert.
"Sorry, Brandy." Ruiz was so confused at that moment. He didn't want to hurt her feelings because she was Brenda's sister but he didn't know that this younger girl was aggresive and bold enough to ask him to be her boyfriend! As far as he remembered, they've just met this morning!
"You like somebody else, don't you?" she said accusingly. "Who's that girl? You should know that I'm prettier than that bitch!"
He blinked his eyes and looked around. Brandy's loud voice caught the people's attention inside that canteen. He was thankful that they only glanced at them, ignored them and went back to eating.
"Brandy, please, you don't have to know who that girl is," he said in a calm voice.
"Tell me, Ruiz! Tell me or I'll tell Brenda about this!" she threatened him.
"How could you blackmail me in this way?" His voice raised a little. The people at that canteen glanced at them and whispered to each other.
Ruiz pulled her down to sit at an empty chair beside him. "Keep this a secret, Brandy Llenado," he spoke in a whisper.
"Just say it," she said. The ill-tempered girl's head still boiled to 100 degrees celcius.
"I love Brenda," he spoke.
"Who's that particular Brenda?"
"Your sister," he confessed after he sighed.
Her eyes burned in fire. A fire that resembled the hate that she felt for Brenda.
Brandy left before Brenda went to the canteen to eat her lunch with Ruiz. His silence bothered her.
"What happened?" she asked him.
"Huh?" he spoke as he lowered down his head.
"Cut that crap, Ruiz. Look up to my face and talk to me," Brenda said that made him obey her.
As he raised his head, Brenda spoke again. "What drama was that?"
"Please, try to be careful of your painting. Make sure that no one could sabotage that." The sound of his voice threatened Brenda. She felt that bad instinct but she decided to ignore it.
"What the-? Now you're concerned about my painting?" Brenda smirked. "Don't worry. I will take good care of your.. I mean.. the portrait."
Ruiz sighed. Brandy's threat still bothered him. He couldn't tell Brenda that he rejected her sister's love for him! She would hate him for breaking Brandy's heart!
Brenda?, he remembered Brandy spoke after he confessed that he loves Brenda. You're such an unlucky guy. She has a deal with mom. If she lose that painting contest, she'll be sent to USA to finish her studies there. That means, Goodbye, Brenda.
He saw Brandy's evil grin in his flashback as she said Oh, How if I accidentally or should I say, un-accidentally, broke her painting?'
CHAPTER EIGHT
Ruiz decided to go to the Llenado mansion that afternoon when they got home after school. Mrs. Llenado welcomed him.
"Hijo, Brandy's in the piano room. She's been waiting for you." She smiled as she lead him inside the mansion.
He nodded and flinched as he climbed the grand staircase. Brandy expected his arrival. She must have planned this all along.
As he reached the piano room, the canvass revealed what was painted there.
"Gorgeous, isn't it?" Brandy spoke sarcastically as she stood up from the piano chair and walked towards the painting that Brenda left in that room.
"S-She painted me?" he stammered. His heart melted that easy when he saw himself in that painting. He was the sketch that Brenda hid from him when they talked at the school garden.
"So sweet, isn't it?" Brandy held the painting and lifted it up.
"Let go of that!", Ruiz ran to grab the painting but he automatically walked backwards when she suddenly smashed it at the grand piano. The canvass gently broke to pieces.
"You know what should be done with this painting?" she yelled. "It should be terminated!"
Ruiz couldn't move. Brandy quickly threw the piece of it that her hand held lately. It was the biggest part of the painting that remained unbroken.
"There," she said with satisfaction. "I couldn't kill you, so I tortured the painting where your beautiful face was."
Ruiz shook his head. Brandy acted like crazy when she didn't get what she wanted! She was psychologically insane!
"Oops, I guess I have to call the maid." Now, she acted like a frightened little cat as she ran out of that room.
Ruiz picked up the biggest piece of the painting that wasn't yet completely destroyed. It was the part of the painting where his face was painted.
Brandy was about to run downstairs when she saw Brenda walked inside the mansion. She quickly ran down the stairs and shrieked like a scared little girl.
"Brenda! Brenda!" she called like a paranoid.
Brenda looked at her with disbelief. "Brandy?"
"Brenda, listen!" She held her arm. "Go to the piano room! Ruiz was there!"
"He's your crush, right? Then, why are you acting like you saw a gorilla?"
"Brenda! He broke your painting! He smashed it on the piano!"
Brenda felt the panic as she ran to the piano room. Brandy winced her hair as she smirked and watched her sister ran upstairs.
CHAPTER NINE
It all happened seven years ago, Brenda!, she thought as she opened her eyes. She was inside an airplane that landed at the runway of the Philippine Airlines.
Because of Ruiz, I was sent to America against my will but I finally realized that among all these consequences, I got all the benefits. I should thank him, whatever his reason was for breaking the painting where I painted him.
But, how could he ruin the painting where I painted his face? Didn't he like it? Does he find it embarrassing? There's nothing wrong with my painting.. How could he.. Why?'
As she went out of the airplane, Brenda found herself in Aslan's car. Years have really passed by so fast. She used to have a crush on Aslan and when she was sent to America, her mother have been close to Aslan's mother, Doña Maria. These women loved to go to jewelry auctions and decided to handle a partnership business for the jewelry store that brought millions in their bank accounts. Brenda looked at the picture that she kept in her wallet for all her life. It was the picture of that piece of canvass where Ruiz' face was painted. It was too big to be brought in USA so she decided to take a picture of it before she left seven years ago.
God, I missed him!,she thought.
"So, how's your seven years in USA?" Aslan asked as he looked at her through the viewing mirror above his head.
"Just fine," she replied. "At first, I have to adjust but everything went out smoothly."
She looked at him for a minute. Aslan used to be that cute basketball player in their school. Now, he looked fat but the fact that he looked handsome was undeniable. He caught her looking at the picture in her wallet.
"What are you looking at your wallet?" he asked.
"Nothing," she smiled as she closed her wallet and kept it in her shoulder bag.
As they arrived at the Llenado mansion, everybody welcomed her warmly. She gave some gifts to the maid who enthusiastically welcomed her back home. Even her mother was so happy that she saw her again but Brandy was not in the house. Aslan's mother was there anyway.
"Oh, Mama, where is Brandy?",she asked when she noticed her sister's absence.
"She's at a party. You know that she doesn't like you." Her mother looked irritated. "Your sister was really a head ache and a painful kick in the ass."
Her bratty little sister was still the same trouble-maker. Brenda sighed at the thought.
"Señora Maria, nice meeting you again." She glanced at the respectable lady who sat at the sofa beside her mother.
"Me too, hija!" The lady smiled. "You're a very impressive woman. You finished a managerial course in Harvard and made millions at your fashion designing firm in the US! You are even so beautiful! No wonder, Aslan likes you."
"Mama," Aslan whined. He felt embarrassed when his interest for her was revealed.
A maid came to tell Doña Riza (Brenda's mother) that a guest arrived. She told the maid to let him get inside the mansion.
"That's Thomas, I'm sure of it," Doña Maria shook her head. "That's my womanizer son, Brenda. Stringing a lot of girls in his arms. Oh, If only he will ever find a sensible lady like you."
"Thomas? Who's Thomas?" she asked.
CHAPTER TEN
Before anyone could answer her question, a man appeared on the scene. He wore a pair of black boots, black pants and his white polo that had it's long sleeves folded up to his elbows.
"Looking for me?" he spoke in a deep husky voice.
Aslan shook his head. He was too insecure because of this guy. Too bad, Thomas Monteverde have inherited Zeus' powerful authority character and Adonis' irresistable charms. The Greek gods must have loved this mortal. Athena granted him wisdom and intelligence. Aprodite gave him the gift of that alluring aprodisiac body and his devilish aggresive character came from Mars. That was the exaggerated description about who Thomas Monteverde was. It could be made simple by the words: handsome, smart, sexy, and bold.
Doña Maria and Doña Riza stood up to embrace him. Aslan left without anyone's notice. Brenda looked at him with admiration. Who wouldn't? Every woman that Thomas met already looked at him like that.
"Take a seat," said Doña Riza. Thomas sat beside Brenda. He looked at her eyes and smirked when he saw her blushed. He pulled out his hand to offer her a handshake. She accepted it. Her hand suffered a lot of electric shock from his warm hands. His hand was a hard granite around her petal-soft hand.
"I'm Brenda," she gulped.
"Thomas," he replied. "Does it ring a bell?"
She couldn't remember him that well. She even couldn't remember that she met a Thomas that looked like him.
"No. Uh.. eh.. I really don't ring bells, y'know," she replied as she realized that what she said was nonesense.
He chuckled, "I didn't know that seven years can give you amnesia."
Doña Riza cleared her throat which caught their attention. "What were you whispering to each other, huh?"
"As you can see Doña Riza, your monte niña can't remember me anymore," he said in a way that insulted Brenda.
Who was this guy to call her a little girl? How she wanted to slit this man's throat! That proud man! How important was he to be remembered anyway?
"Oh, hija, don't you remember him?", her mother asked.
"Obviously.", she rolled her eyes and crossed her arms across her stomach.
"You see," Doña Maria began to narrate. "Señor Juan, my husband, had a son from our maid. Oh, well, that maid died some years ago and Juan confessed everything to me. It's hard for me to accept that my husband betrayed me, but this man.."
She glanced at Thomas lovingly."He's heart melting."
Brenda looked at them with disbelief! She already had a very bad instinct about this man. He was a womanizer and how dare he to call him a little girl! This woman who made her millions at the age of 22 and was a respectable famous figure in USA was being belittled by this proud smirking guy!
She sighed. "He still doesn't ring a bell to me." She rolled her eyes when she saw Thomas displayed an insulting grin. This guy might thought that she was a bird brain for being unable to remember things easily.
"Someone call me a bell ringer," she added sarcastically.
Thomas cleared his throat and introduced himself. "I'm Thomas Ruiz Monteverde, the former Ruiz Cavella."
