Falling Too Fast by Malín Alegría

out of her mind.
    He would get away, she told herself. He had to.
    Â 
    â€œMija , what happened to your cell phone? I tried calling you all morning,” her mother asked the next day at the family restaurant.
    A shiver raced down Alexis’s back. “I lost it,” she mumbled into the hot chocolate she was drinking out of a clay mug. It must have fallen out of her back pocket, she thought. What if the cops found it? She swallowed hard. Alexis had tried calling Christian several times from her home phone, but his calls went straight to voice mail. She was sick with worry, but she couldn’t tell anyone about it. Her mother would hit the roof if she found out where Alexis had been.
    â€œYou better cancel that phone right away,” her grandmother Alpha called. She sat at the counter with the morning paper in her hands. “La mafia steals phones, you know. They do all their dirty negotiations and you get hit with the bill,” she said, turning the page.
    Her mother rolled her eyes behind Abuelita’s back, making Alexis smile.
    â€œAha!” Alpha squealed with joy. “ Mira , look at that. They finally caught those rascals.” She slapped her thigh with pleasure.
    Alexis turned. “What are you talking about?”
    Her grandmother beamed. “There was a drug bust last night out near Villa, and they caught all kinds of narcos ,” she cheered. Abuelita Alpha was obsessed with the lives of major drug dealers along the border. She talked about the infighting and who did what to whom like they were characters on television soap operas and not real-life criminals. But this news was different. Alexis had been near Villa last night.
    â€œWhat happened?” Alexis asked, trying not to seem too interested.
    â€œAaah.” Her abuelita winked. She raised her magnifying glass and read, “‘US authorities uncovered a major drug-smuggling operation last night. Over twenty people were arrested at an illegal drag race, where they found over eight hundred pounds of marijuana.’ ¡Híjole! That’s a lot, no?” She looked at Alexis for confirmation.
    â€œArrested?” Alexis got up to peer at the article over her abuelita ’s shoulder. There were pictures of trucks with the back doors wide open, revealing blocks of marijuana wrapped in plastic. She shivered.
    â€œScary, no?” her abuelita said, noting her reaction.
    Alexis couldn’t help but worry about Christian. She hadn’t heard a word from him. He wasn’t mixed up in drugs. Surely, the police wouldn’t have been interested in him? Alexis knew he didn’t do anything wrong. But would the authorities believe that? For as long as she could remember, the communities along the border had been riddled with violence and drug crime. People didn’t like to talk about it, but it had seeped into all parts of their lives. “Let me see that,” Alexis said, reaching for the paper.
    â€œMy paper,” her abuelita snapped, holding the paper to her chest.
    â€œFine,” Alexis sighed in frustration. “Read me some more, then.”
    Alpha smiled triumphantly and shook the paper out in front of her with great gusto. She raised her magnifying glass and read the rest of the article. There wasn’t much more to tell. The authorities had been following a lead involving illegal drag races and drug trafficking for over two months. The roundup was considered a success and they hoped it would lead to more drug busts. Alexis sighed, feeling her heart flop. Well, at least there was no mention of Christian, she thought. That had to be a good sign. Then she thought of something.
    â€œAbuelita, what happens to the guys who get caught? The ones mentioned in the article.”
    Her abuelita shot her a curious glance. “Do you know any of them?” she asked in a shocked tone.
    â€œOf course I don’t,” Alexis said forcefully. She tried to smile. “I was just