dare. It’s better to play the stupid teenager role. “Hunter thought it would be funny if we went swimming with our clothes on,” I tell him.
Hunter opens his mouth wide in mock shock and points to me accusingly. “She made me do it.”
Mom shakes her head. “I think the party’s over, Nikki. Time to go home.”
“I’m coming with you,” Kendall says, joining us. She leaves Derek sulking by himself.
As we walk to the car, I look over at the pool area where the employees are still hanging out. Though it’s not fully lit, I can see Luis on one of the lounge chairs still talking to the hostess.
“We ran into Luis Fuentes,” Dad says when we start driving home. “You remember him, don’t you, Nikki? He’s Alex’s brother. Very smart boy.”
“I know,” I say. “He’s in my chemistry class.”
“I suspect Luis has a wild streak now that he’s moved back to the south side,” Mom says in a warning tone. “Don’t get involved with him.”
“I’ve hardly said two words to him,” I say to my overprotective mother, but really feel like moaning in defeat.
It’s been easy to reject advances from guys like Hunter because I don’t feel a connection with them. When Luis and I are in the same room, I’m so aware of him that I wonder how long I can keep the wall of protection up before he chisels through it. His swagger, his confidence, his advances … they make me weak and I have to continually remind myself that a boy like Luis can make me lose control.
Staying strong has never been so hard.
15
Luis
On Monday morning, Nikki is waiting for me at my locker the second I get to school.
“What are the chances that I can convince you to get another job?” she asks me.
She says it as if I can find another job with a snap of my fingers. “What’s the problem, chica ?”
“The problem is that I don’t want my friends questioning how we know each other or guessing that we have some unfinished business between us … because we don’t.”
“Why do you care about what other people think?”
“I just do,” she says. “Everyone knows I don’t have a boyfriend or want a boyfriend.”
I laugh. “So who was that guy you were with in the country club pool Saturday night?”
“Hunter is just a friend.” She crosses her arms on her chest, doing a pretty good imitation of our chemistry teacher. All she needs to complete the image is a glare that can melt steel.
“So you go around bonkin’ guys who aren’t your boyfriend? Nice,” I say.
“I don’t bonk.”
Marco sticks his head between us. “Yes, Nikki, you do. I’ve got firsthand knowledge.” He pats me on the chest with the back of his hand. “But she likes to call it makin’ love. Ain’t that the truth, puta ?”
“Lay off, man,” I tell Marco in a stern voice, but as I look at his eyes and see they’re completely bloodshot I know he’s wasted.
“Why should I lay off?” Marco drapes his arm around Nikki and kisses her cheek mockingly. She doesn’t move a muscle. “Nikki here likes gettin’ down and dirty, don’t you, baby?”
She winces. I push him away from her and say to him, “Come on, man. Don’t be a pendejo .”
In a flash she runs down the hall and disappears.
“Since we broke up all she does is hang out with rich white dudes. Every once in a while she needs to be reminded what it was like to be with a Latino stud,” Marco says.
I take my books out of my locker and head to class. “You should probably go home and sleep off whatever you’re on, ese .”
“Need to stay in school,” he answers. “If I’m absent, they won’t let me try out for the soccer team.”
Soccer tryouts are today and tomorrow after school. Soccer wasn’t a popular sport at Flatiron High, but at Fairfield it’s obviously big because everyone is talking about it. Even some of the girls talked about watching the tryouts.
I don’t see Nikki until the end of the day, in chemistry. She’s standing at the lab table across
Hunter opens his mouth wide in mock shock and points to me accusingly. “She made me do it.”
Mom shakes her head. “I think the party’s over, Nikki. Time to go home.”
“I’m coming with you,” Kendall says, joining us. She leaves Derek sulking by himself.
As we walk to the car, I look over at the pool area where the employees are still hanging out. Though it’s not fully lit, I can see Luis on one of the lounge chairs still talking to the hostess.
“We ran into Luis Fuentes,” Dad says when we start driving home. “You remember him, don’t you, Nikki? He’s Alex’s brother. Very smart boy.”
“I know,” I say. “He’s in my chemistry class.”
“I suspect Luis has a wild streak now that he’s moved back to the south side,” Mom says in a warning tone. “Don’t get involved with him.”
“I’ve hardly said two words to him,” I say to my overprotective mother, but really feel like moaning in defeat.
It’s been easy to reject advances from guys like Hunter because I don’t feel a connection with them. When Luis and I are in the same room, I’m so aware of him that I wonder how long I can keep the wall of protection up before he chisels through it. His swagger, his confidence, his advances … they make me weak and I have to continually remind myself that a boy like Luis can make me lose control.
Staying strong has never been so hard.
15
Luis
On Monday morning, Nikki is waiting for me at my locker the second I get to school.
“What are the chances that I can convince you to get another job?” she asks me.
She says it as if I can find another job with a snap of my fingers. “What’s the problem, chica ?”
“The problem is that I don’t want my friends questioning how we know each other or guessing that we have some unfinished business between us … because we don’t.”
“Why do you care about what other people think?”
“I just do,” she says. “Everyone knows I don’t have a boyfriend or want a boyfriend.”
I laugh. “So who was that guy you were with in the country club pool Saturday night?”
“Hunter is just a friend.” She crosses her arms on her chest, doing a pretty good imitation of our chemistry teacher. All she needs to complete the image is a glare that can melt steel.
“So you go around bonkin’ guys who aren’t your boyfriend? Nice,” I say.
“I don’t bonk.”
Marco sticks his head between us. “Yes, Nikki, you do. I’ve got firsthand knowledge.” He pats me on the chest with the back of his hand. “But she likes to call it makin’ love. Ain’t that the truth, puta ?”
“Lay off, man,” I tell Marco in a stern voice, but as I look at his eyes and see they’re completely bloodshot I know he’s wasted.
“Why should I lay off?” Marco drapes his arm around Nikki and kisses her cheek mockingly. She doesn’t move a muscle. “Nikki here likes gettin’ down and dirty, don’t you, baby?”
She winces. I push him away from her and say to him, “Come on, man. Don’t be a pendejo .”
In a flash she runs down the hall and disappears.
“Since we broke up all she does is hang out with rich white dudes. Every once in a while she needs to be reminded what it was like to be with a Latino stud,” Marco says.
I take my books out of my locker and head to class. “You should probably go home and sleep off whatever you’re on, ese .”
“Need to stay in school,” he answers. “If I’m absent, they won’t let me try out for the soccer team.”
Soccer tryouts are today and tomorrow after school. Soccer wasn’t a popular sport at Flatiron High, but at Fairfield it’s obviously big because everyone is talking about it. Even some of the girls talked about watching the tryouts.
I don’t see Nikki until the end of the day, in chemistry. She’s standing at the lab table across
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