The Right Side of Reckless Read online

  Guillermo pulled up to a red light, then stole a glance at me in the rearview mirror, his dark eyes measuring me. A thick brow raised curiously.

  “What?” I asked.

  “You okay? You’re not freaking out.”

  I smirked. “Should I be crying?” I sure wanted to.

  He snorted and turned back to the road ahead of us. “I don’t know, I’m losin’ my shit over here. I was cleanin’ the yard and I saw all those kids huddled around and I raced over thinkin’ someone was hurt, and it was a dog limpin’ around. He fell over and that girl, Emma, screamed.”

  I reached out and squeezed his shoulder. “I’m freaking out, too, but I’m trying to be strong, for the dog.”

  Guillermo removed one hand from the wheel and seized mine in his, squeezing gently.

  The light turned green and he drove on. It wasn’t much, but the shared hope between us was enough to carry us to the animal hospital.

  At Waterloo Animal Clinic, I opened the back door for him to gather the dog, then led the way inside.

  The receptionist, whose name tag read Sarah, took one look at the dog in Guillermo’s arms and her face fell awash with sympathy.

  “Aw, what’s wrong?” she asked as she sat up in her seat.

  “I think he’s real sick,” Guillermo explained. “His leg is swollen and he whines whenever I move him.”

  Sarah frowned as she gathered some paperwork. “Poor guy. What’s his name?”

  Guillermo opened his mouth but I stepped up. “Simba.” I gave him a casual shrug. It was better than sending the dog off into the world without a name. Everyone deserved a name. “We found him at work, he was limping around the playground.”

  “So he’s not your dog?” Sarah clarified.

  “No, we just found him,” Guillermo said.

  Chances were, if we didn’t help, Simba would be put to sleep. Panic set in, and I whirled around and took in the pooch’s face. He had to be a year old at the most, far too young to die.

  “I’ll pay for his medical attention,” I said, facing Sarah. Then my stomach dropped. “Oh God.” My book bag with my wallet and emergency debit card was back at the center, and I had a strong feeling the hospital wouldn’t take Apple Pay.

  “I can pay.” Guillermo’s strong and confident voice comforted me. “Can you guys help him?”

  Sarah handed me some paperwork to fill out as a nurse came and helped Guillermo place Simba on a gurney.

  I filled out the paperwork as best as I could before sitting in the open waiting area. In the center of the room was a large fish tank with a bench beneath it. I sat there, finding the luminescent blue water tranquil. In the row of chairs to my left, an elderly couple waited. The man held an empty carrier in his lap.

  The news was on the large flat screen TV hanging in the corner of the room, but I paid it no mind as I stared at the floor as my hands shook in my lap.

  Guillermo came to sit beside me. He pulled his ponytail holder from his hair, and he ran both hands through it, then exhaled as he leaned over. “Say something, I don’t want to think about Simba not makin’ it.”

  “Thank you,” I told him. “For offering to pay. I can pay you back. She said something about giving us a discount, thank God.”

  Guillermo shook his head. “Nah, I’ve got so many wrongs to right, this is nothing.”

  I could tell my mother was against us being friends, but I didn’t care. I jumped through hoops for everyone and didn’t get a say in anything, it felt. Because I wanted to be Guillermo’s friend, I reached out and rubbed his back. I sniffled as tears came to my eyes. “I think we just saved a life, and there’s nothing righter than that.”

  Guillermo peered at me, cracking a small smile. He raised a hand, about to wipe my eyes, but stopped himself, as if he were crossing a line. Instead he set his hand in his lap and squeezed and opened his fist. “Maybe we found our calling.”

  I sat back against the fish tank case, staring ahead at the news. “Accounting is my calling.” Whether I liked it or not.

  “You already got it all mapped out? What school you goin’ to?” Guillermo asked me.

  College was tricky. Sometimes Troy would hint that he wanted us to go to Ohio State together, but while the thought was nice, I just wasn’t sure.

  “I don’t know. I must’ve watched Beyoncé’s Homecoming a dozen times. I get more inspired every time, and for a while I was really set on going to an HBCU. We have Central State here, but Akron U is closer and convenient.” My cheeks warmed and I looked away. “I know it’s dumb to get motivated to go to a school because of a singer, but I don’t know, it just makes me feel pride in my skin, you know?”

  Guillermo frowned. “I don’t think you should apologize or feel weird that a Black singer inspired you to feel good in your skin and want to educate yourself. I’m proud to be Brown and nobody can take that from me, and whenever one of us wins, I feel it deep in my chest.” He pounded his heart for emphasis. “Being of color, especially Black in America, ain’t a joke, so if Bey lifts you up, you stay up. Even if you don’t go to an HBCU, I’m sure you can find a club dedicated to Black students to thrive in.”

  I loved that he was supportive. If only my own parents—my father—could be the same.

  When I began to feel chilly, Guillermo didn’t hesitate to take me under his arm, first asking if the gesture was okay. I nuzzled close to him, enjoying the faint scent of his rich spicy cologne.

  “Guillermo Lozano?” A doctor came into the waiting area wearing a long white coat over her baby blue scrubs. Her brunette hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and her young and friendly face didn’t hold an ounce of defeat. Perhaps we weren’t about to receive bad news.

  I stood along with Guillermo. “Yes?”

  “Hi, I’m Dr. Meyer.” She held her hand out and Guillermo and I both shook it. “I just wanted to let you know that Simba appears to be dehydrated and malnourished, and he’s suffered a broken leg. It’s a good thing you found him when you did, I’m not sure he would’ve made it another day out there.”

  Leaning into Guillermo for support, I felt my heart leap into my throat. “Is he going to be okay?”

  “I want to keep him here overnight for observation, but with plenty of fluids and some food, he should be fine. Do you intend to keep him?”

  A sense of excitement flooded through me at the idea of keeping Simba. Of watching him heal and grow.

  But then reality came crashing into me.

  Tanner was a friendly dog, but more than likely my parents wouldn’t allow us to take Simba in long-term. If Guillermo’s family wouldn’t take him, where would he go?

  “My family already has a dog.” I looked to Guillermo. “Will yours let you have him?”

  He shook his head. “We’re still gettin’ settled, I’m not sure my dad’s up for it right now.”

  “Well.” Dr. Meyer cleared her throat. “Our sister clinic, Kind Paws, also has a rescue service. I’d be more than happy to send Simba their way as soon as he’s more comfortable with transportation.”

  I breathed a sigh of relief, unable to stop the tears from rolling down my cheeks. “Oh my God, thank you.” Overcome with joy, I hugged Dr. Meyer. I couldn’t take Simba in, but he wouldn’t be euthanized either. Surely someone would adopt him; he was too cute not to be loved.

  Dr. Meyer gave me a gentle hug before pulling away. “It’s not a problem. We typically send unclaimed animals their way. All animals sent to Kind Paws are rescued and adopted—they are one hundred percent a no-kill shelter.”

  “That’s a relief,” Guillermo commented, and went to pay at the front desk.

  It was getting late, and a glimpse at my phone found a couple of missed texts from Troy and Malika, but not my mother.

  With Simba in good care, I promised to return the next day and followed Guillermo to his car. I wasn’t sure
what lay ahead of us back at the center, but I felt bubbly inside. We did it. We had saved a life.

  In the parking lot, not caring whether anyone was around, I did a little victory shimmy just to let out the butterflies.

  Guillermo was grinning at me over the hood of his car, squinting just slightly. “What was that?”

  Unashamed, I stood tall and proud. “My happy dance.”

  Guillermo chuckled as we climbed back into his Charger. “That has got to be the most interesting thing I’ve ever seen.”

  I elbowed him. “Don’t hate.”

  “I’m not. It was cute.” Guillermo gathered his ponytail holder and brought his hair back into its usual bun.

  I liked his hair loose, but I didn’t say that to him.

  The ride back to the center was a much happier one than the one to the hospital. I couldn’t explain it really, but I felt proud of myself. I was in control. I’d seized the moment, and I’d gotten Simba help. Nothing could take that from me.

  “Shit.”

  I came down from cloud nine at Guillermo’s curse.

  He pulled into his parking space while my mother stood in front of the center’s door with her arms crossed, as if she had sensed our arrival. The look on her face let me know she wasn’t in a good mood.

  “Let me talk to her,” Guillermo insisted.

  Bad idea, he was on probation. “No, let me.”

  He grimaced as we got out of the car and prepared to face my mother’s wrath.

  “Just where have you been?” she demanded immediately, marching up to us.

  “There was a—”

  “Inside.” She cut me off, looking to Guillermo for answers.

  “No.” I stepped up. I didn’t want him getting yelled at for driving me to the hospital, especially when he had done a good thing. This was my fault for dragging him into the rescue.

  “Regan.” It was a warning my mother was losing her patience.

  “It’s my fault, ma’am,” Guillermo said.

  I didn’t back down. He was not about to play martyr for me. “No!” They both faced me, Guillermo wishing me to be quiet with his eyes, and my mother breathing in through her nose to calm herself down. “There was an injured dog and it had the kids crying. You told me to fix whatever was wrong, you said you didn’t care how, so I had Guillermo take me to Waterloo Animal Clinic. That’s where we’ve been.”

  My mother softened just an ounce, then turned her attention to Guillermo. “Is that what happened?”

  “The dog was starvin’ and he had a broken leg. He must’ve been on the street for days. I didn’t see a collar, so I don’t think he has an owner.” Guillermo looked my mother in the eyes, standing firm. “Regan stepped up and took charge, ma’am. She saved his life. She’s a hero.”

  My mother rolled her eyes, but she lost her resolve. “You have a lot of work left to do, Guillermo, please get to it.” She shifted her gaze to me. “As for you, you could’ve called.”

  “You were handling World War III, and I just wanted to deal with it as best as possible, like you would’ve done.” My mother hadn’t been remotely overwhelmed by the disaster earlier; she’d managed it all with poise.

  She sighed. “Come on, there’s some fruit and deli sandwiches left if you want some. You can tell me all about your little rescue mission.”

  I let her go ahead of me to the front entrance so I could have a final moment with Guillermo. His mind seemed to already be elsewhere as he put on his lawn gloves once more.

  “I didn’t mean to get you in trouble.” I hoped my mother wouldn’t hold this incident against him. I’d needed him and he’d been there for me...again.

  Guillermo focused on his gloves, keeping his distance “Like I said, I’ve got a lot of wrongs, what’s one more?”

  “Well, like I told you, I don’t see any wrong in what we did.”

  “Do you always see the good in everybody?”

  I wasn’t a total optimist, but my gut told me Guillermo wasn’t someone to count out. “I do when I look at you.”

  He blinked. “I’m not in trouble, so we’re good.”

  I started to go after my mother, but turned to look back at him one final time. “Thanks for helping me today.”

  Guillermo looked at me, his full lips curling into a smile, then he gave a little shrug. “No problem. I’d be happy to drive the getaway car for you anytime.”

  I smiled back, deeply. We’d run off together on a rescue mission, done something amazing for Simba, and now he’d live to see another day.

  No, there was no shame in that.

  Guillermo

  Flying was nice. No, really—since I was acting like Icarus against my better judgment, a part of me understood the beauty of flying toward the sun and her gorgeous rays. Some might have called Icarus an idiot for taking such a risk, leading to his own demise, but they didn’t understand. It wasn’t about getting burned. It was about that tiny moment of being so close to something so beautiful that the end result didn’t matter, because that one moment was worth it.

  That was what I was telling myself as I got chewed out by Mrs. London after clocking out Tuesday afternoon. My little rescue mission with Regan had served a great deed, but Mrs. London wasn’t entirely impressed.

  “I’m sure you had good intentions, but honestly, Guillermo, what were you thinking?” Mrs. London stood in the doorway, making it impossible to leave without hearing her full reprimand. I knew it was coming, despite her daughter’s best efforts to smooth things over.

  While Mrs. London had been surprised to see I’d formed a friendship with her son, she had no interest in allowing the same to happen with Regan. Avery was the quiet, introverted loner, but with me and Jenaya, he was slowly coming out of his shell. I was a good influence in that department, she couldn’t deny that. With Regan dating the football god, there was no way Mrs. London would look at any type of relationship with me as anything other than a downgrade. If she only knew.

  “Simba was in pain and hurting, I only thought about gettin’ him help,” I said.

  “Simba?”

  “Regan named him.” I faced Mrs. London with a sheepish smile. “She’s a real sweet girl that way.”

  “I’m aware.” Mrs. London shook her head, disappointment rolling off of her in thick waves, flooding the space between us with shame. “Your purpose here is to give us your time and hours to right your wrongs. You owe it to the state and to Shad.” Fuck him. “And how fair would it be if I let you slide when it comes to the time you missed when you were going off with Regan playing Mr. Hero? No one else gets to just come and go as they please.”

  “It wouldn’t be fair at all,” I agreed.

  “Harvey sent you here in good faith, and honestly, Guillermo, I’m starting to think that maybe he spoke too highly of you.” Mrs. London folded her arms.

  I stood strong, looking her in her eyes. “I wasn’t trying to do anything bad, I just wanted to get Simba some help.”

  She wasn’t convinced. “And you didn’t think to get ahold of Daren, or me for that matter, before taking matters into your own hands?”

  “We thought you were busy.”

  Mrs. London dug into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone. She held it up. “I’m obligated to call Harvey when something like this happens. Because if I’m not getting through to you, maybe he will.”

  My stomach dropped and my heart along with it. Shit. Harvey, just like Mrs. London, wouldn’t care about the circumstances surrounding Simba’s rescue. He would be on my ass about this, and worse, he’d talk to my parents, my father. I wasn’t ready to face his wrath, wasn’t ready for him to give up on me and think of me as nothing but a failure.

  “Please.” I held my hand out as Mrs. London was scrolling through her contacts for Harvey’s info. “Regan’s got a good heart. I wasn’t thinkin’, I should’ve known b
etter than to leave without tellin’ you or Daren what was goin’ on. It won’t happen again. My next shift, I’ll come an hour early and I’ll stay an hour late to make up for the loss of time. I’ll do whatever you want, just please, don’t call Harvey.”

  Mrs. London sighed, her phone still clutched tight. “I expect a lot out of you, Guillermo. You seem like a decent kid who just made a lot of poor choices. I don’t want to see that behavior manifest here. As a member of the Respect program, you need to take it seriously. I want you to show up on time and stay on campus, or at least alert one of us when there’s an emergency.

  “When it comes to my daughter, I’m not saying stay away, but be smarter. Don’t be alone with her, or put yourself in situations where something can happen. What if Troy had seen you two arriving together? We’re not trying to repeat history, remember? Think about stuff like that.” She studied me, her face softening slightly. “Otherwise, it was a good thing, what you did for that dog. Just be more responsible next time.”

  Mrs. London left me alone to make my exit. Regan was already long gone, making it easier to walk out of the center and think no further about the day’s events.

  No matter how much the image of her sitting beside me in my car was burned into my head.

  * * *

  Mrs. London didn’t want me to stay away from her daughter, but she wanted me to stay away from her daughter. I could read between the lines pretty well. So when I went home Tuesday night, I didn’t think about Regan on the way, I didn’t think about her during dinner with my family, I didn’t think about her while Yesenia prattled on about some book that had just come out, I didn’t think about her during my shower, and I definitely didn’t think about her as I closed my eyes and lay in bed, trying to find some sleep.

  I didn’t think about Regan London. Not those dimples, not her radiance, not that cute little happy dance she’d done in the parking lot, and not that look of triumph that had washed across her face when Dr. Meyer said that Simba would more than likely be okay.