I’d gone with plain vanilla. Across from me, Yesenia was eating her ice cream, but there wasn’t a hint of joy on her face.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
She frowned. “This isn’t working. Tanner’s been gone for so long, and we’ve already hung up his picture in so many places.”
Seeing her just as down as Regan ate at me. I wished there was something more I could do, but there was no denying the time that had passed.
I licked my cone, thinking. “I mean, you’ve pretty much been all over this side of the city at least twice... What if we checked some of the shelters on the west side?”
Hope raised Yesenia’s mood. “Okay!”
I pulled out my phone and began looking up animal clinics. The first one on the list was Kind Paws, on the west side of Akron. The name rang a bell, making it as good a place to start.
Yesenia and I dropped off her leftover ice cream at home and told our parents what we were up to. Unsurprisingly, they approved. She and I were going on an adventure, something that boosted my energy and caused me to smile. Going above and beyond to look for Tanner said a lot about my sister. Her eagerness to help Regan made me love her more.
At Kind Paws, we showed the receptionist our flyer, hoping to spark a memory.
“He’s been missin’ for about a month, any chance someone brought him in?” I asked.
The receptionist eyed the glossy image, no hint of recollection on her freckled face. “I haven’t seen him.”
Yesenia pouted, her tiny shoulders sagging.
The receptionist, whose name tag said Felicity, noted her defeat, and sympathy colored her green eyes. She leaned back in her chair, angling her head toward the open door behind her. “Hey, Leonie?”
A girl walked out in lavender scrubs, her box braids up in a bun and a purple headband around her head. “What’s up?”
“They’re here looking for a missing dog. Mind showing them the pets in case one of our rescues is theirs?”
Leonie perked up. “Absolutely.” She came around the front counter, which was covered in photos of dogs, cats, kittens, and puppies. Colorful hearts were taped here and there for added effect.
The smell of animals was prominent as Leonie took us to where they kept the dogs. The bright room had sparkling white floors and clean steel cages, offering a sense of hope. A male volunteer, a tall Black boy, was walking around strumming an acoustic guitar, playing for the dogs, bobbing his head, and grinning at each one.
If Tanner was at a rescue clinic, I hoped he was in a place like this.
“What’s your dog look like?” Leonie asked me.
I handed her a flyer. “He’s got his own look goin’ for himself. Cute guy.”
Leonie agreed and began scanning the cages as Yesenia did the same. I took off, too, seeing all kinds of dogs but no Tanner.
“Memo! Look, there’s puppies.” Yesenia was at the end of the room, kneeling down at one cage and sticking her finger through the chain link.
“One of our rescues was a pregnant black Lab,” Leonie told me as we walked over to Yesenia. “Her puppies are ready to find their forever homes.”
Inside the cage a mom was resting while five black Labrador puppies were caught between eating, playing with squeaky toys, or entertaining Yesenia’s finger. She’d wanted a dog for so long, and I hated to wave this in front of her.
“How much are adoption fees?” I wondered. I had a little of my stash from my trip to Mexico and from before left. I definitely needed a job once my community service gig was up.
“Puppies are a bit on the pricey side versus dogs seven months and up,” Leonie warned me. “We’re talking $350 and up. There’s an application and interview process as well.”
Looking at Yesenia being so gentle with the puppies, I knew the idea was priceless.
I started to get closer, but something in the next cage caught my eye. A familiar face. My heart threatened to explode out of my chest.
“Yesi,” I said, not taking my eyes off him, “call Mom, she’s about to kill us.”
The biggest smile lit up her face, and I knew there was no going back.
Regan
Between struggling with my accounting homework and feeding Troy the attention he came over for, I wasn’t sure which was a more tiring task.
Probably Troy. I just couldn’t focus on anything he was saying.
My mother came into the kitchen to check on the oven. She’d baked fish, yet another meal that wasn’t to Troy’s taste. He wasn’t alone; my mother always had to fry certain fish for my father or he wouldn’t eat it.
“You helping that girl with her work, Troy?” my mother asked as she opened the oven and peeked inside.
Troy eyed my work, spread out before me on the kitchen table. “Nah, I’m not the math genius like Rey here.”
I blinked. I was far from a math genius. Not that anyone ever asked. Not that I ever found the guts to speak up.
I had to do better.
“Tomorrow’s the big day, you nervous?” my mother asked him.
The idea of having nerves made Troy snort. “Nah, we gon’ win and end it on a good note.”
My whole family, apart from Avery, was going to support Troy’s last game. His family was talking about meeting up, and I was cringing at the pressure both parties would present. I had to act like his biggest cheerleader when they were around.
My shoulders sagged at the weight of it all.
Ding dong.
The front doorbell was a welcome distraction. I rose from my chair and led the way to the front door, my mother and Troy filing behind me.
At the door, to my surprise, was Guillermo. Goose bumps lit my skin on fire at the sight of him standing on our porch, saving me from my stress.
Blinking, I realized he wasn’t alone. Yesenia stood beside him, holding a tiny black puppy. But my focus wasn’t on her long before I noticed the leash in Guillermo’s hand...and who was attached to the other end of it.
Simba.
Guillermo almost seemed to be blushing. “We went to a rescue clinic to look for Tanner yesterday, and Yesenia was lookin’ at puppies. That’s when I saw this guy.” He leaned down and petted Simba’s head, earning a tongue bath that had him wrinkling his nose and grinning. “I’m not trying to replace Tanner, and I’m sorry if this is oversteppin’, I just know how much Simba meant to you. It felt like fate, seein’ him again. I thought...you might want him.”
My heart melted into a pool of awe.
He’d gone out of his way to do this for me. When I was at my lowest about all my expectations, he really came through to cheer me up.
There were no words.
“Guillermo!” Without even thinking, I threw my arms around him and embraced him tightly. He stumbled just a little as I mumbled thank-yous into his chest. For just a sliver of a moment, he wrapped his arms around me, and it felt oh so cozy.
He soon stepped back and handed over the leash. “All you.”
I knelt down and hugged Simba, instantly hit with his dog-shampoo scent. He was here, he was clean, and his leg was healing nicely.
“He’s so much better,” I let out.
Yesenia reached down and petted him. “I named mine Smokey. Smokey and Simba, they gotta be close, Rey, like us.”
I loved the idea of that. Yesenia had been going on and on about a dog, and now she had one of her own. Playdates were definitely in our future.
My mother cleared her throat. “Well, this was thoughtful, Guillermo.”
Troy said nothing as he stood taking in the scene. His gaze lingered where I held Simba against my chest.
Guillermo stepped farther away from me. “This is the dog Regan and I rescued that day. I know how much he meant to her, and I thought it would make her a little happy while the search goes on.”
“How big of you,”
Troy commented dryly.
I was hoping no one caught it, but it seemed as though Guillermo did. He angled a thumb over his shoulder. “We should get going.”
“You got him a collar,” I said, spotting the strip of fabric around Simba’s neck.
“Red’s your favorite color, right?” Guillermo said.
I couldn’t contain my smile. He noticed. “Right.”
“How’d you know that?” Troy asked.
Guillermo tipped his head toward the red furry slides on my feet.
Troy glanced down, examining my shoes. “Huh.”
Guillermo’s eyes met mine, and then they were on my mother. “I hope you don’t mind, ma’am.”
My mother offered a smile. “Regan’s been so gloomy over Tanner, and it’s nice to put a face to the name Regan’s been talking about ever since that day.”
Guillermo’s gaze flickered to me. “Glad I could help.”
My mother came past me, standing in front of me as she reached out to shake hands with him. “And it’s much appreciated.”
He faced his sister. “You about ready?”
They took off for their house across the street, and my mother shut the door behind them.
She looked curious as she turned and faced me. “How nice.”
I tucked some hair behind my ear, hopeful she was being sincere. The last thing I wanted to do was cause trouble for Guillermo when he was doing so well in her program. “You’ve had a good influence on him. The program has.”
With my mother’s sternness, and Daren’s backing, the Respect program saw a good success rate. There were those few who didn’t adjust and went back to their previous ways, but a lot of the kids took to my mother, warmed up to her approach of believing in them, and owned up to their mistakes when she held them accountable. I was glad Guillermo was another success story.
“That’s what I’m here for.” She said no more as she walked by me, but the look in her eye let me know she wasn’t exactly thrilled about what Guillermo had done.
I hung back with Troy, putting off facing my mother until after he left. It was more fun to think about what I might need now to take care of Simba.
He had to be about seven months old now; I wondered if the dog food we had for Tanner was okay for him. We would definitely have to go out and buy him his own things, because Tanner was coming home. He had to.
Troy was standing casually where he’d been ever since I’d opened the door. He watched me unleash Simba and stroke his fur. “That was nice of Con, wasn’t it?”
The name didn’t register. “Con?”
“Con, you know, short for convict. Ain’t that what ol’ boy is?”
I narrowed my eyes. “That’s not funny, and no, he isn’t.”
“Oh, word? Then he’s just volunteering his time at the center then, huh?”
Troy was being a jerk and I wasn’t in the mood. “He’s not some two-bit criminal, Troy, these are kids who made mistakes. We all make mistakes.”
He rolled his eyes as his full lips formed a careless smirk. “Anyway. Let’s just focus on Friday night.”
“The party?”
He stepped closer, placing his hand on my shoulder. “Yeah. Wear something sexy.”
His hand fell from my shoulder, measuring me out, caressing my curves gently.
It made me want to squirm.
His request was simple, but I wasn’t comfortable. I felt safer with the idea of wearing something cute.
I buried this discomfort and pasted a smile on my face. “Okay.”
An easy grin spread across his face. “Good. And make sure Con doesn’t get you anything else. Matter fact, dead that, ain’t he friends with Jenaya? He need to be gettin’ her dogs and shit.”
He cupped my chin, lifting my face to give me a kiss.
Only, when his lips pressed against mine, I didn’t respond. Now he was telling me who to hang out with?
Troy didn’t seem to notice my attitude as he made his exit, promising to text me later before slipping through the front door.
My brows furrowed as I scowled.
Simba was more than just a dog; he was someone Guillermo had helped me save. Something that would never leave my heart. My first real victory in life.
Who was Troy to tell me to dead anything with Guillermo?
Avery came down the steps just then and I let it go as he set eyes on Simba. “Whoa.”
“This is the dog Guillermo and I rescued at the center last month. He actually found him again while he was out looking for Tanner,” I explained as Avery approached.
He knelt down, hovering his hand over Simba’s head, hesitating so as not to scare him. “Mom and Dad cool with this?”
Our father was at work, but given he was the cause of Tanner being lost, his say didn’t too much matter to me. “Mom seems cool with it.”
“We’re gonna have two dogs now, huh?”
My heart ached. “Yes, we will.”
Avery stood. “I’m going to Mo’s.”
I nodded and tried to ignore how I wanted to go with him. Instead, I gathered Simba and led him into the kitchen, where I intended to finish my homework.
My mother turned the stove-top eye off as she finished cooking. From the look and smell, it was some sort of butter-and-herb rice. “Guillermo is thoughtful.” There was no missing the way she was side-eyeing me as she made this remark. The way her gaze bounced to Simba and back to me.
“Yeah, I’m glad he cared. Troy’s being a jerk about it.” I filled Tanner’s water dish in case Simba was thirsty.
“How is he supposed to feel when a cute boy shows up at your door offering presents?”
“You think Guillermo’s cute?” I found myself asking.
There was no denying it really. Why did he have to be so gorgeous? It wasn’t just his physical appearance either, all his trash talk while we played pool was sorta cute, too. Really, his whole presence was downright electrifying.
I wasn’t supposed to think Guillermo Lozano was cute, but he was.
There wasn’t a hint of humor on my mother’s face.
I rolled my eyes. “It’s not that big a deal.”
She angled her head, studying me. “Just how close are you and Guillermo?”
Her curious gaze caused my cheeks to get hot. “Outside of class, we barely talk. We’re more acquaintances than friends even.”
“Yet he’s coming over with a dog.” She wasn’t convinced.
“Mom.” I groaned as I massaged my temples and rested my elbows on the tabletop. “Yesenia’s been wanting a dog forever, and Guillermo was just trying to be nice by pleasing us both. Okay?”
“I’m going to have a talk with him about boundaries. As soon as I saw his address, I was worried this would be an issue.”
“So he can’t be friends with Avery?”
My mother paused. “Usually I would be against it, but there’s no denying the positive influence Guillermo has on your brother.”
These days, Avery would often go to the Lozanos’ house, or Guillermo would come by our house. They seemed completely different, but unlike Troy and my father, Guillermo wasn’t trying to make Avery be anything other than himself, and I appreciated him for it.
“Please don’t be mad, Mom,” I begged. “Guillermo barely speaks to me any other time. I’ve just been bummed about Tanner and he wanted to step up and help. Honest, he’s not relapsing or whatever.”
My mother gave me a smile as she joined me at the table. “Well then, on that note, I’m happy you’re happy.”
Happy. Was I happy? Tanner was still gone. I was still in accounting. I was still stressing over it all.
I gathered my homework and frowned at what all was left. “Would...would you totally hate me if I dropped out of accounting?”
“And have you break your father�
�s heart?”
Her sarcasm took me by surprise.
She gave me a come on look. “Regan, the only person who talks about accounting in this house is your father. I’ve been holding my breath waiting on you to say anything about it.”
“Dad’s just so pushy,” I confessed.
“That’s his way. He wants the best for you.”
In my life, my parents dictated so much, from accounting, to my volunteering, and even to my relationship with Troy. To make my own decisions based on what I wanted would be a dream. But knowing my reality, I was better off accepting that not all dreams come true.
“I know, it’s just that I can’t get into it. I’m trying, but my heart’s not there.” Accounting wasn’t the only place my heart wasn’t, but I kept that to myself for now.
“So what are you going to do?” my mother asked.
“You wouldn’t be upset if I dropped the class?”
“I wouldn’t,” she said. “I want you to choose a path you enjoy.”
My gaze fell on my accounting book and the ugly homework that still lay before me. “I’m not sure what I want,” I admitted.
“Then it’s important you figure it out, on your own terms, because that’s what’s most important, Rey.”
I didn’t have any answers, but to know I had my mother’s support gave me hope.
Guillermo
Turns out our mother didn’t kill us over my impulsive choice to adopt not one, but two dogs. She’d showed up at the clinic Wednesday, heard me out, seen Yesenia’s puppy eyes, and caved.
But not without warning us that pets were a big responsibility.
The sound of Smokey whining Friday morning was a taunting reminder.
“Yesi!” I called as I nearly tripped over the tiny black Lab on my way out of my bedroom. “I gotta go pick up Jenaya, it’s your turn to take Smokey out.”
We’d established a system taking turns letting him out in the mornings and evenings to do his business, and we’d gotten a baby gate to fence him in the kitchen while we were all gone during the day. I didn’t mind the night walks or trips to the backyard, and Yesenia was all too eager to get up early to walk him in the mornings. Our father had even softened up and said he’d chip in on weekends.
The Right Side of Reckless Page 22