“That’s what I thought.” Monica stomps in Lia’s direction.
“Hey.” I rush to Monica and grab her arm, making her turn around to face me. “That’s not the girl I like.” It’s the one sitting next to her, I think. Fortunately, my mouth stays shut.
“No?” Monica raises a you-liar brow.
“Of course not.” I lock my eyes with hers, trying to send go-away vibes.
Monica gestures for me to follow her and marches back toward the corner. I want to turn around and leave her there, but curiosity gets the best of me. I want to know more, even if she went from a worried “Let’s practice lines in my house” to a “I want you, even if you don’t want me” jealous girl. She’s got issues.
I peer at her, and she shoots me a death glare and waves me over. By now, people nearby look in our direction, very interested in the TMZ-like story developing here. As much as I don’t want to confront Monica, I need to end this … whatever it is.
Reluctantly, I drag my feet to her.
Monica welcomes me with a stare. “So, is she here?”
On instinct, I look in Lia’s direction, but play dumb and keep moving my head. “No.”
“Who is she?” Monica asks.
Can’t keep being polite to this girl. “She is not your business.”
Scoffing, she motions her hands up and down her body. “No one is hotter than me.”
I sigh. “It’s not just about having a great body,” I say, although Lia does have one.
She rolls her eyes. “Don’t tell me it’s about the heart and all those melodramatic things.”
I don’t reply, because I think that whatever I say she’ll twist it around.
Shaking her head, she glowers at me. “¡Por diós! I even enlisted in that stupid play of yours to be near you.”
Her words hit me like a bucket of cold water on my head. “Wait, what?” I ask. “Why would you do that?”
“Because.” Her eyes scan over me. “You know.”
I’m totally confused. She’s implying I’m hot, and I’m not—just a regular theater geek, nothing special about it. “I don’t know.”
She steps closer and wraps her arms around my neck again. My skin cringes at her touch—the opposite of when Lia touched me. I try to push Monica away, but she goes for a kiss, and I turn my head to the side and her lips press against my cheek.
“I don’t know what’s going on with you,” I say, still trying to shrug her off. “Tell me why you want to be with me.”
She lets go of my neck and her expression turns stony. “You’re so dense.”
“Maybe I am.” I fold my arms across my chest. “Enlighten me.”
She bites her lower lip.
I shake my head. “Stop doing that—you’re acting. Just answer my question.”
She scowls at me for a long moment, then slumps her shoulders. “Fine.” She doesn’t add more.
“I’m waiting,” I say.
“I have a thing for Mexican-American guys.” She examines Mexican-American me, as if that explains her craziness.
I gesture for her to elaborate, and when she doesn’t, I ask, “And?”
She looks up. “Okay.” She lowers her chin. “The first time I saw you, I overheard you speaking Spanish.” She smiles. “A white guy speaking perfect Spanish is hot.”
“That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard in my life,” I say, stifling an eye roll.
“Sí. And after I found out you were Hispanic, like me, I had to have you.”
“Really.” I cannot believe this. “Just like that, huh?”
She nods.
“I can guess the rest.” I drop my extremely tense shoulders. “Since I showed no interest, you became obsessed.” I make air quotes. “And you had to have me.” I lift a brow. “What does that even mean?”
“Have you ever been in love?”
“Not really.” Yeah, I’ve had girlfriends, but they were more for fun, making out and all, but I never wanted to just hang out with them. With Lia it’s different, because I do want to hang out with her. To be honest, I’d like to make out with her, too. I squint and clear my throat. “Are you implying that you fell in love with me?”
She tucks a lock of black hair behind her ear. “Maybe.”
“No, Monica,” I say. “No. It’s simpler than that. You have an infatuation—it needs to stop.”
“But—”
“No, no, no.” I point at her forehead. “Think about what I said—you aren’t in love. Trust me.”
Monica inspects my face, then her mouth forms an “O,” as if realization came to her. “You are in love with her.” She drops her gaze for a second. “You don’t know it, do you?”
Lia’s indifference before the festival and her playfulness now come to mind in a rush. I really like her now that she’s more accessible, but being in love with her? No, it’s too soon to know that—way too soon. “The only thing I know,” I say, “is that you and me is never going to happen.” I offer her my hand and add a cringy, “Friends?”
She stares at it, as if I were offering her a pact with the devil, and brushes past me. I spin around and watch her leave the open area. I freeze, not knowing what to do next.
Letting out a sigh, I rub the back of my neck, then produce my phone. Five minutes left until next period, so sayonara lunch. I find the floor very interesting for the next few minutes then the bell rings.
As I enter a hallway, I spot Lia striding along with Barnabas. She gives me a smile, then turns her attention to him. Unlike Monica, Lia doesn’t seem to be the over-jealous type, which is excellent. I hope she didn’t pay too close attention to the psychotic scene. The detail is—Lia is a hard person to read at times.
When the last period bell rings, I pass through the school doors and stroll to the parking lot, looking for Lia. I reach my car, but she isn’t here. Instead, there’s a guy with dirty blond hair and a goofy smile sitting on its hood.
“What’s up, Cole?” I ask.
He pushes himself up and stands. “Not much, or a lot of much, or perhaps too much.”
I like that he’s back to his usual fun ways. I smile at that. “How much is a lot of much perhaps too much?”
He steps toward me and wraps his arm around my shoulder. “I conversed with your sister about the Emo situation, Mr. Kiev Jimenez.”
“Spill the beans,” I say.
Cole wrinkles his forehead. “I don’t understand the logic behind that expression.”
I throw imaginary beans onto the pavement. “You spill them, and I collect them.”
“Sounds like farming.” He gives me a dismissive wave. “But I will indulge you this time.” He points at something over my shoulder.
I crane my neck to spot Lia chatting with Barnabas near the school entrance. I turn my attention back to Cole. “Oh, that,” I say. “We’re riding together to the festival.”
Grabbing my shoulders, he pushes me aside and squints at Lia, then hauls out his phone and fiddles with it. The “Love is in the Air” tune blasts through the phone’s tiny speakers, and it’s loud.
“Dude”—I swat a hand at him—“turn that shit off.”
“What?” He curls a hand around his ear. “I can’t hear you over your love theme.”
“Turn it off!” I shout.
He stops the music. “Music can be turned off.” He bats his lashes. “But love, Mr. Kiev Jimenez, cannot be turned off.”
I roll my eyes. “I’m not in love or anything.”
“Right.” He crosses his arms. “And I dislike females.”
I frown. “You know what I mean.”
“I know.” Cole clasps his hands in front of him. “You’re denying your love for Miss Ophelia Abbie.”
Sighing, I turn to the side to have a better look at Lia and Barnabas. They’re now by his blue Prius, still talking.
“See?” Cole asks.
I face him. “See what?”
“You’re salivating over her.” He squints at my face. “Your expressio
n is that of a guy who has fluttering fireflies inside him.”
With Cole, it’s difficult to win—better off to change the topic. “So, what did you find out?”
“That you’re in love and don’t even know it—that’s what I found out recently.”
Unable to contain myself, I punch him in the arm, not hard or anything. “What did you find out about the Emo and Vi?”
He grimaces and massages his bicep. “That hurt.” He smiles. “I’m joking.”
I peer in Lia’s direction, and she gives me the universal wait-a-minute signal. I reply with a thumb in the air.
“So, tell me about my sister,” I say to Cole.
Cole rubs his double chin. “She’s about an inch shorter than me, and has tan skin, dark-brown eyes, and jet-black hair.” He squints at me. “You sure she’s your sister?”
“Dude, focus. This is important. What about the Emo?”
“Okay-okay.” He sighs. “I talked to Chris in between periods. He said Vi and him were in several classes together.” He pauses.
I peer in Lia’s direction again. Barnabas is getting into his car—she’ll be here soon. “What else?” I say to Cole.
“He said he hangs outside of the school because he misses his friends.”
That makes me tilt my head. “So, he’s not selling drugs or anything?”
Cole shakes his head. “That’s why Vi hangs out with him—it’s like an outcast reunion,” he says, and when I raise a brow, he continues, “He dropped out of school, and Vi turned all I-hate-the-world.”
“Kinda makes sense.” I rake a hand through my hair. “I saw you talking to Vi at lunch.”
“Oh, that.” He blushes a bit.
Uh-oh. “Dude, don’t tell me you—”
He holds up a hand. “Before you say whatever you have to say, I need to tell you something. I’m going to be very honest here, Mr. Kiev Jimenez.”
I give him a reluctant nod, but from the corner of my eye I spot Lia walking my way. “Make it fast,” I say.
He inhales, then exhales. “In my Emo’s investigation efforts, I decided to crosscheck Chris’s story with Vi’s. So I engaged in conversation with her. She was very approachable.”
“Vi approachable? You’re shitting me.”
He shrugs. “Bottom line—she’s cool.”
Something’s up. Cool to Cole is a whole different standard than to normal people. “Dude, don’t tell me you’re starting to like my sister.”
“Saying cool is a punishable crime now? I don’t think so—cool is cool.” Cole points his chin to the side. “Your punisher is coming, and I think she isn’t too fond of me, so hasta la vista, baby.”
I watch him hurry to Mr. Corey.
A minute later Lia shows up. “Ready for another afternoon in paradise?” she asks, her way of saying hi, I guess.
“Yes, Captain Abbie.”
She chuckles. “What were you guys talking about?”
“Dude stuff.” I open the passenger door and bow. “Welcome to my palace.”
After Lia slides in, I shut the door closed and get into the Jetta.
“Dude stuff, huh?” she asks.
“Yup.” I check the dashboard’s clock. “We start our shift in an hour. Are you hungry?”
She smiles. “Famished.”
“Cool.” I turn on the ignition. “Any food preferences?”
“Lucky’s,” she says.
“What?”
She nudges my leg. “I could go for a patty melt with a chocolate shake—let’s go to Lucky’s.”
“Sure.”
Driving out of the parking lot, I turn onto the main street.
She cranes her neck toward the backseat. “What’s with all those folders and pages?”
Shrugging, I relax my grip. “Theater plays, mostly. I like to read them.”
“You’re such a nerd, Kiev.”
“I’ve been accused of worse things,” I say, turning onto an avenue.
We arrive at Lucky’s beat-up, one-story building, which reminds me of the last time I came here. When Faith handed over the gossip about Chris and Vi. I’m glad Cole solved that for me.
“We’re here,” I say, as I park in front of Lucky’s.
Lia gasps. “Really?”
“Captain Obvious, I am,” I say, killing the ignition.
We enter the desolated restaurant.
“Hello?” I say to a waitress sitting in the back, who’s too busy chewing gum and reading a magazine.
She lowers her magazine. “Sit wherever you want.”
I guide Lia to a round booth. “Ladies first.”
She gestures for me to slide in. “Gentlemen first.”
“Gentlemen won’t let ladies enter last.” I smile.
“I insist you go first.”
The waitress shows up and clears her throat. “Are you gonna sit here or not?” she asks—such a charmer.
“I’ll meet you in the middle,” I say to Lia and move to the other side of the booth.
We enter at the same time from opposite sides and slide sideways until we crash, which makes me smile.
“What would you like to drink?” the waitress asks.
“Can we order now?” I ask.
She puts a hand on her hip. “You can order anytime you want, honey.”
I give Lia a “Ladies First” nod.
She sticks her tongue out at me. “A patty melt and a chocolate milkshake.”
The waitress scribbles on her little notepad, then turns her attention to me. “And you, honey?”
“Cheeseburger combo with a Coke,” I say. “Can you make it fast? We don’t have much time.”
“With this many people, that’s going to be impossible,” the waitress says, smirking.
I glance around at the deserted place. “Huh?”
“That was a joke, honey.” She smacks her gum without smiling.
I know her, and she never jokes or smiles.
Minutes later, the waitress comes back with our food, and I eat faster than usual, while Lia takes her sweet time. When I’m done, she has more than half of her sandwich left to go, and she hasn’t touched her milkshake.
“Hungry?” Lia bites into her melt.
“Yes.”
She gives me a playful glare, chomps, and swallows. “I feel like a zoo animal.”
I put my elbows on the table and rest my chin on my hands. “How come?”
“You’re watching me eat.” She takes a huge bite for effect.
“Awesome,” I say as she takes another big bite.
She cocks her head, mouth full and all.
“Most girls I’ve dated,” I blurt. Damn it! I pause to check her reaction, but she just chews and swallows. Phew. “I mean, most girls I hang out with order salads and just nibble at it.” I lean forward. “But secretly, they pig out on Mac and Cheese when they get home.”
Lia snorts. “Like this?” She fakes taking a huge bite into her sandwich. “Kidding.” She takes a napkin and wipes her mouth.
“For a moment, I thought you were gonna go for it and choke.”
She sips from her shake, moans, and motions at it. “If it were alive, I’d date it.”
I’d date you, I think but don’t say it. “Best shake in town.” I check the time on my phone—3:40 PM. “No rush, but we need to leave soon.”
She nods and bites into her melt.
I point at the restroom in the back and stand. “I’m gonna go ahead and put on my uniform.”
Raising a hand, Lia swallows. “Can you grab mine? I left it in my backpack.”
“Sure,” I say.
I rush to my car, open the passenger door, and rummage inside her backpack—books, notepad, Nintendo cap—until I find her festival t-shirt, black pants, and pig-ears headband. I grab my uniform from the backseat. Before leaving, I set our headbands on the dashboard.
When I get back to the table, the waitress is offering the check to Lia.
I throw our pink t-shirts and pants on the booth’s seat a
nd snatch the check. “My treat.”
Lia shakes her head. “We should split it.”
“I insist—I invited you.” I grab my wallet and hand the waitress thirty bucks. “Keep the change.”
“Thanks, honey.” The waitress turns to leave.
“Get with the times, Kiev. Ladies can pay, too, but I’ll take your generous offer.” Lia stands and smiles while grabbing her t-shirt. “And thanks for the food.”
We head to the restrooms and change, then leave the restaurant and get in the car, proudly wearing our uniforms. Again, Lia looks hot in her tight black pants and pink t-shirt. I quickly inspect her profile—her nose and mouth.
Lia swivels her head to me. “Are we leaving today?”
I blink, feeling my face grow hot. “Right.” I turn on the ignition and drive out of the parking lot.
“I dare you to drive wearing this,” Lia says, as we stop at a light.
I turn my head to her—she’s dangling my headband from her index finger. “Only if you wear yours,” I say.
She nudges my bicep with the band. “Come on, you totally look hot in it.” She laughs.
Is she flirting? No, I think I have Cole’s “All girls like me” syndrome—it’s contagious. I scan her quickly. “You look hot,” I blurt what’s on my mind. Man. “Wearing your headband, too, I mean.”
She laughs. “I look preposterous.”
I put on my pig-ears band, then turn to her and push up the tip of my nose. “Oink, oink. Do I look hot?”
“You’re such a nerd, Kiev,” Lia says as the car behind us honks. Green light.
Hitting the gas pedal, I peer at Lia from the corner of my eyes. “Put on your piggy ears,” I say.
“Nope.”
I veer to the side and park on the street. “I refuse to drive unless you wear your headband.”
She shakes her head.
“I can wait all day,” I say, tugging on a lock of her auburn hair.
“All right. Fine.” She slaps on her band.
As we leave the city and join the highway that leads to the festival, I decide this is the best time to tell her about Monica’s drama.
“So,” I say, concentrating on the road.
“Yeah?”
I’m dying to know what Lia thinks of the Monica situation, but I don’t know how to start.
I have to say something, anything. “Ready for pigs, hams, and bacon?”
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