"Those, too," Yuriel told the clerk.
"Yuriel-" it was no surprise when Alison began to immediately protest, sliding the sunglasses from her face, but Yuriel just ignored her and when the clerk gave him the total, he handed him the money, taking the plastic bag in exchange.
"Excuse me," Alison spoke up. "Where's your bathroom?"
The clerk pointed towards the back and Alison looked to Yuriel.
"I'll wait for you outside," he said and she nodded, brushing past him.
Outside, the sun was completely set now and he set the food in the bag hanging at the side of the bike. He leaned against the seat and lit a cigarette, waiting for Alison and listening to the cicadas. He had absolutely no idea what he was doing. Not just here but here with her. What the hell was this girl doing to him? He wasn't exactly the kind of guy who deserved to be even breathing the same air as Alison Silver.
She came out again, her own plastic bag in her hand, and he dropped the cigarette on the ground, stubbing it out with the toe of his boot.
"Smoking next to a gas pump?" She teased him and he smirked, shrugging. "I got some water to have with our dinner and I got you something, too." With that, she pulled out a black trucker cap and he gave her a look, trying not to smirk again and she stood on her toes, dropping it onto his head. "Perfect," she smiled, almost laughing, and he frowned at her though he didn't really mean it and she must have known that because a bubble of laughter did escape past her lips that time.
He kept the hat on his head as he asked, "Where you wanna go and eat all this?"
She shrugged, her smile softening into the one it always was. "I don't really know this area…" she trailed off, looking around as if waiting for an idea to present itself.
"Come on. I know a place," he said and climbed back onto the bike.
She put the bottles of water in the bag with the other food and then climbed on behind him, her arms slipping around his waist, and he swore he could feel her palm rubbing the slightest circles around his stomach. He almost sucked it in as if that would escape her touch but he closed his eyes for a moment, reveling in it for as long as he could without making it obvious even though he knew he was just imagining it and she really wasn't touching him like that.
He drove them to the Yellow Jacket Creek – one of his favorite fishing spots – and it was dark and even though their eyes had adjusted to the darkness by now, he wound up holding her hand as he led her carefully down the side towards the water. He tried to think of something that he had ever touched that was as soft as her skin felt. The water was rushing past them and something splashed nearby – probably a frog – and he watched as she settled herself down on one of the rocks.
He watched, knowing he wouldn't be able to look away for anything, as she took one of the Funyuns and guided it to her mouth, crunching on it, taking a moment to focus on how it tasted on her tongue.
She looked at him after a moment and smiled. "Where have these been my whole life?" She asked and Yuriel had no idea why he felt so relieved that she liked them.
…
During a stint in prison, Carlos had met a woman through a prison pen-pal program and when he had talked about it, Yuriel couldn't help but be a little doubtful. He could just imagine the sorts of women who pursued men when they were locked up. But once Carlos was released, he seemed to settle down into a nice little life with his pen-pal, Annie, who became his wife two days after he was let out. They lived in a house that Annie had inherited once her grandmother had passed away and it still confused the hell out of Yuriel when he went over and saw Carlos doing yard work.
It had taken years – too much booze and too many drugs and too many laws broken – but it seemed like Carlos finally had gotten himself together. He was still rude and crude as hell, still Carlos, but he was a man who was earning his money through an actual honest-paying job – a garbage man – and who came home every night to the same woman and sometimes, Yuriel wasn't sure he even knew who his brother was anymore. Who would have ever thought that both Salas boys would turn out somewhat alright in life because they had had a hell of a reputation when they were younger.
"Hey, baby brother," Carlos grinned when he opened the door and Yuriel stepped into the house, Carlos slapping him on the back.
"Hi, Yuriel," Annie came from the kitchen, smiling, and it had taken Yuriel some getting used to but Annie was a hugger. She hugged him now as she always did every time she saw him and Yuriel never hugged back because he definitely was not a hugger but that never seemed to bother Annie. "Dinner's almost ready. You want a beer?" She asked and then without waiting for a confirmation or refusal, she went into the kitchen to get him one.
Carlos sat down in his recliner and Yuriel sat on the couch and Annie came back, handing Yuriel a can and sitting down beside him. Annie had the kind of body that Carlos loved in a woman – a large chest and a flair of hips – with red hair and too much lipstick in Yuriel's opinion but she wasn't his wife so why did he care? She had always been so nice to him and Yuriel liked her and thought she was good for Carlos. And Carlos certainly seemed happy being with her.
"Tried callin' you last night," Carlos said. "Roller Derby's next weekend and a couple of Annie's friends are in it. Wanted to see if you wanted us to get you a ticket."
Yuriel shrugged. "Yeah." He took a sip of his beer and a thought occurred to him then even with him trying to shove it out again. "Think you can get me two?" He heard himself asking even though he told himself he didn't really want to and Carlos looked at him for a minute before breaking into a slow grin.
"You got someone you're wantin' to invite along?" Carlos asked and he was smiling and from the corner of his eye, he could see Annie smiling, too.
Yuriel just shrugged and took another sip of beer.
"This the someone you were with last night instead of answerin' your phone?" Somehow, Carlos's smile seemed to grow even wider.
And again, Yuriel just shrugged, not speaking, and ignored Carlos's laughter.
"We will definitely get you two," Annie swiftly promised, her own smile big and happy and Yuriel couldn't help but frown at the both of them.
"Stop. It's just a bunch of women on skates tryin' to kill each other and I have a friend who might like it," Yuriel heard himself explain though he didn't know why he was bothering because all Carlos and Annie were hearing were wedding bells.
And maybe Alison wouldn't like it at all. Maybe he just wanted to spend even more time with her.
Chapter Eleven.
She still hadn't picked shoes when she heard the doorbell ring. She almost gasped, her eyes flying to the clock. He was there right when he said he would be and she still didn't know what shoes to wear. Downstairs, she could hear Shawn talking and she could just imagine the things he was saying to Yuriel. She grabbed her Converse sneakers and tugged them on as quickly as she could before hurrying out of her room and down the hallway.
Shawn had been oddly excited when she told her family that she was going out with a friend on Friday night and also, a little jealous when she said they would be going to the Roller Derby. Shawn had muttered something about how scary and hot those women were and he could just imagine them in bed and Alison had just given him a strange look because she hadn't been too sure how to respond to that.
Lawrence had smiled when she told them that the friend she was going with was Yuriel but he thankfully didn't insinuate anything in front of her siblings, his smile being more than enough to make her blush. And when it was just the two of them, Alison reminded him that she and Yuriel were just friends and this wasn't a date. Lawrence had just kept smiling though.
That was something she had told herself many times over the past few days ever since Yuriel had asked her during their lunch hour on Monday – his eyes not meeting hers and having to clear his throat a few times. She had certainly never been to the Roller Derby – had never even thought of going to a Roller Derby – but when Yuriel had asked her, saying his brother and sister-in-law went, that it w
as kind of their thing and were always inviting him along, she had smiled and eagerly agreed to go. It was something new and different for her to experience and she was excited to be able to experience this with Yuriel. Her friend, Yuriel. Friend. That seemed to be something she had to remind herself of more and more.
Vicky had been oddly quiet about the whole thing and Alison had almost asked her if she was alright but she was honestly too afraid to know.
"She hasn't eaten dinner so if you could…" Lawrence was saying as she came down the stairs and Alison saw Yuriel nodding his head in agreement.
Alison felt a flush rise up her neck as she felt a stone settle in her stomach. It was as if Yuriel was babysitting her for the night. She now remembered why she hadn't been out on a date in so long – as if she could forget and not that this was a date. She felt so unsure around guys now, convinced they were all looking at her and studying her and trying to figure her out so they could save her. Guys seemed to love it if they were able to save a girl.
She knew Yuriel wasn't like that and yet, she felt as if she was forcing him into the position to be.
Yuriel lifted his eyes then and saw her on the stairs and she managed to give him a small smile and his own lips twitched a little towards her in response. He was wearing jeans and a black tee-shirt and he looked almost sloppy as he always did and yet, he looked so good as he always did and she felt that flutter in her stomach that she was getting so used to feeling every time he was around no matter how hard she tried to stop herself.
"Hi," she smiled, coming down the last step.
"Hey. You all set?" He asked.
"Yep," she said and she was smiling easier now because she couldn't deny that she was excited. She had absolutely no idea what to expect tonight and she had never been the sort to just dive headfirst into something – even before she got sick. Maybe this was who she was now. A girl who did spontaneous new things.
"Maybe want to get a sweater or somethin'," he said. "It might be cold in there."
Alison smiled and nodded before going into the living room where she had left her white cardigan sweater from work earlier. She slipped it on over her blue tee-shirt and came back into the main entry hall where Shawn was now telling Yuriel that if he knew of any girl in the derby league who needed help with their sore muscles to give them his name. He had been known to give a very good massage. Yuriel just stood there and smirked and Alison rolled her eyes.
"Alright, I'm ready," she said and Yuriel moved his eyes to her.
She told herself that this wasn't a date even though that was what it felt like when Yuriel and her daddy shook hands and then daddy kissed her on the side of the head, smiling at her and telling her to have a good time. Alison found herself taking a last glance for Vicky but she wasn't anywhere to be seen and she wasn't sure why she felt disappointed. If Vicky had been there, too, she would have probably just said something that would maybe upset Alison for the rest of the night.
She smiled when she saw his bike. She had expected him to be driving his pickup truck tonight for some reason and seeing his bike, it only made her smile and feel breathless and when he climbed on and she climbed on behind him, her arms instantly sliding around his waist, she told herself that this wasn't a date. This was just an evening out with two friends. And even if she hadn't been the one to declare them to be friends, it wasn't as if he would ever want anything more.
The Roller Derby was at the recreation center and she was surprised to see that almost the entire parking lot was full. She hadn't thought Roller Derby would get that much attention but seeing the crowd there, it only made Alison feel even more excited for tonight. Yuriel parked the bike and turned it off and Alison couldn't help but practically leap off of it. Yuriel climbed off as well, looking at her with a smirk.
"Excited?" He asked.
She smiled and realized she was practically bouncing on her toes. "Is it obvious?"
He smirked a little wider, almost smiling. She wished he would smile more. He probably would never believe it but she thought Yuriel had an adorable smile. When he smiled, he looked so much younger. Not that she wanted him younger but when he smiled, he looked as if he didn't carry the world's problems on his face. When he smiled, it always made her smile in return.
"'m glad you wanna be here," he said, fiddling with his keys in his hands, looking at her for a moment before looking away quickly across the parking lot.
"I'm glad you invited me," she said and she wanted to hug him or even kiss him on the cheek but she bit her lower lip because he still wasn't looking at her and she couldn't just kiss Yuriel on the cheek. She could just imagine his repulsed reaction to that and she didn't want to ruin tonight. Tonight, she was all about having fun with her friend and doing something she had never done before.
"My brother and his wife… I told 'em I was bringin' someone but I didn' tell them… they're prob'ly gonna be annoyin' as hell," Yuriel warned her as they began crossing the lot towards the brightly lit building.
"That's alright," Alison smiled. "You were subjected to my brother. Sorry about him, by the way," she then quickly added.
Yuriel shrugged and reached the door first, stepping aside and holding it open for her. "He was funny. I should prob'ly apologize for my brother now."
Alison just smiled. "I'm sure he's lovely."
Yuriel snorted at that and he reached into his back pocket, pulling out a pink ticket. He handed it to her and Alison smiled wider – not only because he had gotten her a ticket and had invited her to come and she was super excited to be here but his fingers had just brushed against hers and she could feel her cheeks blushing just at the brief contact. Her hand could still feel his hand holding hers from the other night when they had gone to the Yellow Jacket Creek and had eaten their gas station dinner. His hand had been rough and warm and she could still feel the way her stomach had clenched at his touch.
Friends. Just friends, Alison, she scolded herself. She wondered if she had always been this pathetic or if this was something that just Yuriel brought out of her.
There was a man sitting at a table outside of the double doors that led into the field house and Yuriel stopped, handing him his ticket before getting a stamp on the hand and Alison followed, handing the ticket over and getting a star stamped on her hand.
Yuriel looked at her. "Wanna get somethin' to eat?" He asked.
Alison nodded but then she felt herself smile a little. "I feel like that's all I do when I'm with you. Eat."
Yuriel shrugged. "You don't got much choice when it comes to that."
Alison stared at him as his words settled over her. She told herself that he didn't mean anything by it. It was something she had to do and she didn't have any choice in it. Something everyone had to do and yet, she looked at him and she remembered the way her dad had told Yuriel about dinner and Yuriel had nodded because he knew that she, of all people, had to eat. He was her babysitter. Maybe they weren't even friends. Just a babysitter and ward.
She saw the expression passing over his face. He looked at her and looked completely ashamed that he had just said that. "I didn'-"
"Sure," Alison cut him off and quickly looked around in search of the concession stands. Spotting it and without waiting for him, she turned and began walking in that direction, pulling the money she had tucked into her jeans from her pocket. She wasn't surprised when Yuriel was at her side within seconds. "So, I was reading up on Roller Derby before coming," she said as they waited in line.
She saw him smirk. "You researched Roller Derby?" He asked.
His earlier comment forgotten (almost), she felt her cheeks warm and she smiled. "Of course," she looked at him with a shrug. "I didn't want to be completely lost."
His smirk grew almost into a full-fledged smile. "'s women tryin' to kill each other. It's actually pretty straight forward," he said.
She laughed a little. "I didn't expect you to like something like this. Not that I think about things you like and I have never thought about roller de
rby before." She felt her face grow warmer. "I'm just… surprised."
"Yeah," Yuriel said but said nothing else and Alison didn't know what else to say. She looked ahead at what sort of food there was but then she heard Yuriel mutter "Shit" and she turned her head to look at him. He was looking at something past her and she wondered if his brother was coming. She wondered why he was worried about her meeting his brother because this was what family did. Family embarrassed you. It was the whole reason families existed.
"Was wonderin' where you were," a man came up to Yuriel, slapping a hand on his shoulder. He was older, a little shorter and stockier with a shaved head, bristles of grey hair over his scalp and across his face from not shaving. He was grinning and when he turned that grin on her, Alison smiled, too. "And you're the second ticket."
"Hi," Alison didn't hesitate in sticking her hand out. "Alison Silver."
"This is my brother, Carlos," Yuriel muttered before Carlos could say anything and Carlos kept grinning, reaching out to shake her hand.
"Well, hello there, sweetness," Carlos didn't take his eyes from her and his smile didn't fade and Alison could see Yuriel shifting almost uncomfortably beside her. "Gotta tell you. You were not what I was expectin' when Yuriel asked for a second ticket so he could bring someone along."
Alison glanced at Yuriel for a moment and then looked back to Carlos. "What were you expecting?" She asked, her curiosity evident in her tone.
Carlos just shook his head and kept grinning as he looked her up and down. He then looked to Yuriel and slapped his hand on his back. "Thing's 'bout to start. Annie's savin' us all seats. Punky Bruiser's here," he then said.
"Great," Yuriel grumbled, facing forward, staring at the concession window they were just two people away from.
"Punky Bruiser?" Alison couldn't help but ask.
"One of Annie's friends," Carlos answered her as if they both knew that Yuriel never would. "Annie, my wife. Punky plays on one of the teams and has had a crush on ol' Yuriel here forever." Carlos grinned at that.
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