"So, Indigo... we're getting pretty close to Costa Rica," said Jolie in a flirty, curious tone, gently tracing her fingers along my back.
"Alright, alright—just stop flirting with me, Jolie. You're making me nervous," I replied, feeling tense.
"For starters, it's not an island. And it's a really beautiful place—even if that one show, where a hooded kid dies more often than Krillin from Dragon Ball, says we're poor."
I said that while driving, brushing her fingers off my back to try and set the record straight.
"That show is South Park, you idiot. The reason they made fun of your country is because the show's creator had a terrible experience there with his partner," Jolie replied with an unimpressed glare.
"Plus, don't forget Costa Rica went through an economic crisis in the '80s."
"Ah, right... I forgot. Sometimes I can be a bit naïve," I admitted, scratching the back of my head with my eyes closed.
"Clearly. Anyway, how much longer till we get there? This afternoon sun is killing me," Jolie said, clearly struggling with the heat as she pulled out a fan to cool herself off.
"Exactly 50 minutes. I'm tired too, but bear with it—my anti-gravity bike's still busted from our fight with Trumpete. Right now it's slower than a computer with water damage."
I was trying to stay calm, even as the heat made everything worse.
"Fine, I'll try to endure it. But you really need to give this thing a proper repair. That damn Doña Trompas wrecked it in her goddamn orange orangutan form—and don't forget, it was you who recklessly tried to kill her with this thing, Indigo."
Jolie crossed her arms, visibly annoyed but holding back.
"Don't remind me. That was one of my lowest moments...
Right after I said I wanted to die for a girl during my last year of high school," I muttered bitterly, remembering it vividly in my mind.
After those 50 long minutes, we finally arrived in Costa Rica—specifically, to Llanos de Santa Lucía.
"Ah, finally. We made it," I said, stretching my arms behind my back.
"So this is Costa Rica... Good thing it's not an island. But what's this place called?" Jolie asked, placing her thumb thoughtfully on her chin.
"This is Llanos de Santa Lucía, Jolie. It's the fifth district of the Paraíso canton in the province of Cartago," I explained.
"Cartago? I think I saw it on the way here... but I dozed off from exhaustion. Anyway, let's stop chatting and get your keys. I need to rest after this hot, exhausting trip," Jolie said, clearly drained.
"Alright. But we also need to figure out how we're going to settle in and start looking for those threads," I said.
"Don't pressure yourself too much, Indigo. First, let's rest," she said, trying to ease my nerves.
I opened the front door and called out:
"Hey, Mom—we're home! And I brought someone with me!"
"Oh, so you finally show up late again without telling me anything, Indigo," said my mom, arms crossed.
"I can explain!" I said, lifting my hands in panic—
But suddenly, she hugged me tight.
"I was really worried, my sweet skinny boy... and I see you brought company," she said, eyes misty with tears.
"This is my new friend and partner, Jolie Ávila. She's from Mexico, from the city of Tampico in the state of Tamaulipas," I introduced.
"It's a pleasure, ma'am. I've been protecting your son—though he does get into stupid stuff from time to time," Jolie said respectfully, bowing slightly.
"I see. But with that lipstick and that hairstyle, you look way older than you are. How old are you, carajilla?" my mom asked, suspicious.
"Don't go calling me names, you rude forty-something señora! I'm 17, same as Indigo!" Jolie snapped, clenching her fists in anger.
"Whoa, that was harsh, Güilita. In this house, you better show respect. I had my reasons to be cautious—
Pretty girls like you don't always mean well with boys like my Indigo."
"But... since that scrawny son of mine has a lot to explain, I'll let it slide for now," my mom said, still with arms crossed and a stern look.
"Alright, let's call a truce. I don't want to cause problems as a guest. And... what's your name, señora?" Jolie asked, a bit calmer now.
"My name's Graciela—but you can call me Graciel. Nice to have a foreigner who speaks almost the same way we do around here."
"But just be ready to put up with the neighbor's annoying noise every damn day when I get home from work," my mom added, extending her hand firmly.
"That's fine. I'm already used to Indigo's racket whenever he's repairing his anti-gravity bike," Jolie replied, shaking her hand.
"By the way, Indigo, you better explain to your mom everything we got ourselves into—so she understands our mission," Jolie said, still a bit guarded.
"Okay... but I'll explain it over dinner," I said, nervous and trembling.
"Dinner can wait. Tell me now. Straightforward."
My mom slammed her hand on the living room couch.
"Okay, Mom... I'll tell you everything."
So I took a deep breath and began:
"It all started when I left on my anti-gravity bike to stop Trump's deportations at the US-Mexico border. I wandered through the desert for two weeks and reached an airport in Tijuana. That's where Jolie found me passed out. She saved me. I fixed my bike, and we went back to the border. Trump's granddaughter stopped us while we were saving some illegal immigrants. She beat us."
"We went to Tampico. I met Jolie's mom. We danced together at the plaza. Then we trained with her grandpa. I learned two martial arts styles and even a bit of telekinesis. We accepted Trump's challenge to face him in battle before he imposed tariffs on imports from Mexico and Costa Rica."
"But during the fight... he transformed into a giant orange orangutan using his chi. He took us down, but we kicked him back to his normal form. I was about to finish him off with my bike, but Jolie stopped me."
"Then he explained... Vladimir Putin and a group of corrupt dictators are trying to gather some mysterious threads that can fuse two lovers and give them massive power to carry out evil plans."
"So Jolie and I... we have to find those threads before they do.
And... that's the whole story."
I was exhausted, my mouth dry, my head down.
"So that's why you left the house and missed two weeks of university..."
"But if those dictators are after those threads, then it's dangerous for you two to get involved. Still... at least you finally have a purpose—because here at home, you do nothing but build chi gadgets and binge YouTube," my mom said, clearly annoyed at my laziness.
"I know, Mom. But right now, what's important is...
Where's Jolie going to sleep tonight?" I asked.
"That's easy. She can sleep in your bed.
There's no room for anyone else here unless she wants to crash on a mattress upstairs."
"But forget that for now—go eat and rest," my mom said, waving her hands around to settle the matter.
"I don't mind sleeping with Indigo... even if it's awkward. I helped him adjust to Mexico, now it's his turn to help me adjust to this country."
"But enough introductions for now.
Let's just eat already—this scene is taking up way too many pages," Jolie added, randomly breaking the fourth wall for some reason.
So we had dinner. An hour passed. Before going to bed, Jolie and I had a serious conversation.
"I still don't get why you hid that you're 17," I said, a bit upset, as she put on a purple robe for bed.
"It didn't really matter. You should've figured it out after my mom told you about my aunt's death," she replied, adjusting her robe and removing her purple hair tie.
"Yeah... I completely forgot. I tend to zone out during important explanations."
"I've always wondered—why do you always wear that red rose in your hair?" I asked again, pointing at it.
"That's way too personal, so don't ask.
Just shut it."
"I'm putting on my Incineroar sleep mask now," Jolie said firmly, moving her arms in irritation.
"I don't get why you use a mask of that Pokémon.
You look so pretty and curvy—you should wear something like Milotic or Florges," I said honestly.
"It's to stay alert at night like a badass tigress—
Not to be some sex object for men, just because of my looks."
"Now let's sleep. You have to go back to university tomorrow to make up for two weeks and four days of missed classes."
"And keep it down—we don't want to wake your grandpa or your little brother," Jolie said, making claw motions like a tiger while adjusting her mask.
"You're right... I missed a lot of classes.
Goodnight, Jolie," I said, raising my hand to wave as I lay down.
"Goodnight, Indigo. Just remember—don't toss and turn so much in bed," Jolie said, waving her hand behind her head playfully.
Six hours later, it was the next day.
We had to get up at 5:30 a.m. because I needed to take Jolie to her part-time job at Juan Santamaría International Airport.
But I also remembered that around that same hour, my younger half-brother José Santini would be awake. Just as we were about to leave, he said:
"Hope you enjoy taking your girlfriend to work. I'm sure you two will sneak in a few kisses on that fifty-cent anti-gravity bike of yours,"
he said with a weird look.
"Quit it, Santini! She's not my girlfriend, just my friend and partner!" I said angrily, pointing at Jolie.
"Yeah, your brother's totally right. It's not like one bump and we'd kiss or anything," Jolie said sarcastically—
But right after that, my brother actually hit me in the leg, causing me to stumble into Jolie.
And yep—we kissed.
It was super awkward, and both of us were red as tomatoes. Nervously, she said:
"I'll buy you a shaved ice after I get off work at 2 p.m.
Let's just pretend this never happened."
She placed her hand over my chest.
"Yeah... agreed. Let's get going before my brother tries something else," I said, panicked and ready to run.
After that, I dropped Jolie off at the airport.
The moment she arrived, her new coworkers immediately started teasing her, saying we were a couple.
We both denied it, red as tomatoes again.
Then I made my way to Rosanelda del Palacio University, at the downtown Cartago campus.
Climbing the stairs, I felt nervous about returning. I saw one of my friends and said:
"Hey Steven, long time no see.
About two weeks, right?"
"Same here, Indigo.
I saw on Instagram how you faced the president of my country at the U.S.-Mexico border. And even part of it in Tijuana!" Steven said, amazed.
"Yeah, that was probably the coolest thing I've done in three years, man...
But it was exhausting dealing with that racist tariff-loving old man," I replied, still tired from the trip.
"Hey, what's that lipstick mark on your mouth?" he asked, pointing at me.
"Oh... it's nothing. My little brother hit my leg, and I tripped into Jolie... and we... accidentally kissed."
"But let's go—class is starting," I said, pretending like it never happened.
Meanwhile, at the exact same time...
"Hey, new girl—what's with the lipstick smeared on your lips?
You probably made out with that cute morenito who dropped you off, huh?" a random flight attendant laughed.
"Stop laughing! It was an accident, caused by my friend's little brother right before he dropped me off," Jolie replied, annoyed while stacking some luggage.
"Still... a girl with your body shouldn't be hanging with someone like him.
But whatever, stop chatting and help us with these passenger forms—unless you wanna punch me like you did in that fight with Trump I saw on Insta," the flight attendant teased.
"It would be an honor, you bougie little tica dumbass," Jolie muttered angrily.
"EXCUSE ME?! What did you just call me?!" the flight attendant snapped.
"I didn't say anything~ Just saying pura vida, my sweet little Costa Rican comadre~"
Jolie said, fake smiling while carrying documents—though in her mind she was definitely planning to punch her.
After that, we both started realizing how hard it would be to adjust to everyday life.
I struggled with flowcharts at school, while Jolie had trouble with her coworkers and boss.
Still, we tried to push through.
After classes, totally worn out, I said goodbye to Steven, Darwin, and my friend Sara.
But then I told a classmate about defeating Trump—and he just laughed at me.
"Yeah, yeah, so you beat up orange Trump—big deal.
Who do you even think you are? You should call yourself The Autistic Technopath or something."
"I'd rather play shooting games and hack stuff than listen to that."
"Hey, that really happened! I faced Trump—stop calling me that!" I shouted, clenching my fist.
"Relax, man. I was just joking. But seriously, you should try to improve your chi powers.
Right now, they're basic and boring.
Anyway—I'm out. Don't wanna waste time talking,"
he said, giving me a smug look and walking away.
After class, I went home to wait for Jolie so we could grab those shaved ices.
While I waited, I sketched blueprints for new inventions to boost my technopathic chi.
Then I realized... I was late.
I raced to the airport on my anti-gravity bike.
When I got there, Jolie was tapping her heel against the floor and said:
"You're super late. Let's go get those raspados, Indigo."
"Okay, okay. Let's go," I said, nervous from her look.
We got on the bike and headed to the Basílica de los Ángeles for some snow cones. While enjoying the treat, we had a short convo:
"So, how was your first day at your new job, Jolie?" I asked while sipping my green ice.
"Well... it sucked.
Some bougie chick wouldn't stop teasing me about our accidental kiss—thanks to your brother."
"But at least this grape snow cone makes up for it," she said, smiling a little.
"Glad you like it.
And about my day... it was weird.
Also, some dude called me 'The Autistic Technopath.'
God, I hate that guy," I said, annoyed.
"Maybe it's 'cause you didn't leave a good impression, Indigo.
And wait—why did you say Mae instead of wey?" Jolie asked curiously.
"That's just what we say here in Costa Rica instead of wey. It's the local slang for 'dude,'" I explained.
"Oh, I see.
Even though I just got here yesterday, I'm still adjusting to all these customs and phrases," Jolie admitted, nervously sipping her ice.
"You'll get used to it. This country's pretty chill and happy... well, most of the time."
"But hold up—your Aztec-themed choker is glowing," I said, suddenly noticing it.
"I don't know, Indigo... My grandpa gave it to me before we went to fight Doña Trompas two days ago.
He said it was supposed to help unlock my chi...
But nothing's happened yet," Jolie said, bouncing her legs, clearly anxious.
"What?! You haven't unlocked your chi yet?!
How could you hide something like that?" I said, shocked, almost dropping my snow cone.
"I tried to tell you, but we were so focused on stopping Doña Trompas before she hit us with tariffs... I just forgot.
But I still don't know what my chi is, so promise me you'll help me unlock it, Indigo," Jolie said, holding my hand with a sad expression.
"Okay. I promise—for you, my best friend," I said, reaching back with my hand.
"Thanks, Indigo. You might be naïve sometimes, but you really are super kind," Jolie said, smiling wide with her eyes closed.
"But still...
Finding the threads and stopping those dictators is gonna be a whole other problem.
Where should we start?" I asked, counting objectives on my fingers.
"I know! Let's start with Daniel Ortega. I heard he's cracking down even harder on his people.
So that'd be a good first target."
"But you need to gather the intel this time, Indigo.
That way I won't be a burden, and you won't hog all the action," Jolie said, getting excited.
"Alright then—it's settled.
We'll start with Ortega. And I'll help you unlock your chi and get used to this country," I said confidently.
Meanwhile, somewhere else...
"It looks like that rude diva's already caught onto part of my plan... my dear Rosario," Daniel Ortega said, frowning as he stared at one of his cybernetic toucans.
"Yes, my love.
But now that we've been found out, what will you do?" Rosario asked calmly.
"I have no choice, sweetheart.
I'll need someone to hack that light-skinned little punk before he finds info about me and exposes us."
"Hey—you!
You little twerp who loves shooter games and hacking...
Think you're up for the job?" Ortega asked, glaring at the boy.
"Of course.
I know way more about cyberhacking than that Autistic Technopath Indigo."
"So this'll be... too easy." the boy said, smirking wickedly.