The Right Side of Reckless Page 21
“Thanks,” I told him.
Guillermo bobbed his head. “No problem.”
I went back to my homework, managing to solve the next six problems on my own. Oddly enough, it was almost fun now that I understood what I was doing.
“Can I ask you something?”
My gaze darted up from my work, and I sat straight, my ears drinking in the welcome arrival of his voice. “What?”
He seemed confused, his gaze going from my books to me. “Why are you in accounting if you don’t like working with numbers?”
I snorted. “It’s my dad. He’s got it in his head that I’m going to follow in his sister’s footsteps and join her accounting firm one day.”
“What’s the big deal with his sister?”
“Nepotism, you know? Like when there’s a family of doctors and it’s assumed that their kids will become doctors, too. It’s sorta like that. Aunt Sherry started something, and they want to keep it in our family. I mean, even my grandma used to be an accountant. It’s destiny to them.”
Guillermo furrowed his brows, looking thoughtful. “Why not tell him you’re not interested?”
“You wanna do that for me?”
“Can’t be that hard.”
It wasn’t that my father was crazy controlling, but it wasn’t like he wasn’t either. From Troy to accounting, he was pushy on a lot in my life, grooming me to live up to whatever image he had in mind.
“I was supposed to call my aunt about this intern position, but I’ve been ‘conveniently’ forgetting. There’s only so much longer I can do that. I’ve been thinking of alternatives, but nothing’s sticking. I mean, we can definitely cross chemist off the list.” Chemistry was way too stressful. No, this wasn’t it for me either. “I don’t know, my dad gets to talking and I just shrink. The words get stuck in my throat.” My gaze fell to my homework. “It’s like that with a lot of things lately.”
“You’re so busy pleasing all these other people. Who’s pleasing you?”
I blinked, wondering if he’d caught his own double entendre. “No one, I guess.”
Guillermo wasn’t satisfied with this response. “What does Regan want?”
It was like he was the first person to genuinely ask that. The touching thing about it was that he truly seemed concerned.
Smiling bitterly, I said, “To find my dog.”
I could see an internal battle written across his face, his gaze moving from me to his notes and back again.
In the end, Guillermo returned to his notebook. “Well, I did get a good look at the guy, so I’ll keep an eye out.”
He didn’t have to, but the fact that he cared meant something. “Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.” Suddenly he was holding back a laugh. “If anything, it’s also for Yesi. She loves that dog.”
Yesenia had come over more than once to play with Tanner when he was out in the yard sniffing around. She seemed to love playing fetch with him, and he had never really been a fetch type of dog before she moved in across the street. His sister was sweet.
We worked on our homework in silence for another ten minutes before we both had to get back to work.
“Let me know if you have any more trouble,” Guillermo said as we walked side by side down to the lobby. “I’m right across the street if you need me.”
Even if it was just for studying purposes, it felt good to have his offer.
Up ahead of us, leaning against the front desk, was Malika.
“Hey, Mo!” Malika waved a little too enthusiastically for my taste.
Guillermo lifted his chin at her. “What’s up with you?”
She came over and he wrapped an arm around her. “Nothin’, I just got out of cheer practice.”
Their exchange, ever so casual, prickled underneath my skin.
“Malika, you need something?” I spoke up, halting their chitchat.
My best friend suddenly noticed me. “I was just stopping by, Rey.” Her attention went back to Guillermo. “You going to the game Friday?”
He smirked. “You know I don’t care for football.”
She smiled, almost as though they’d had this discussion before. “Well, you oughta come through After Hours or something this weekend again. It was fun last week, wasn’t it?”
Guillermo didn’t deny this. “Yeah, it’s all right.”
“You’ve been to After Hours?” I hoped my voice was even, not at all giving away the slight irritation I felt that he and Malika were so buddy-buddy.
“Yeah, Naya wanted to go and I had the night off,” he explained.
My heart sank, and I tried to shrug it off. It bothered me Malika knew things about Guillermo that I didn’t. I shouldn’t have cared, and I had to look elsewhere to try to conceal that I did.
Fortunately, Avery stepped into the center just then. He tipped his head at me before burying his hands deep in his pockets and facing the boy beside me.
Guillermo assessed him knowingly. “Cliff?”
Avery nodded.
Guillermo gave Malika a quick squeeze as a goodbye before walking to Avery. “Come on, I’ve got some stuff to do outside. I’m sure your mom won’t mind you tagging along.”
Together the two exited the building and I stared after them, left with a ton of questions. The only Cliff I knew was my father.
I wondered if things were all right.
Avery and I, while only a year apart, weren’t that close. It wasn’t that we didn’t get along, and I always tried to include him in things, but he always opted out for his beloved manga or video games.
“You two are chummy,” I mumbled, grabbing Malika’s attention from watching Guillermo and my brother disappear outside.
She faced me, shrugging her shoulders as if it were nothing. “Mo’s the homie—he and Calvin have web design eighth period and sometimes I cut my last class to hang out. Ms. Jones is cool about it.”
Of course, Guillermo only wanted space from me, not the people around me. First my brother, and now my best friend. Why did I hate this?
“He so fine.” Malika shook her head, humming. “I wonder what’s keepin’ him.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
She made a face as if I were simple. “Every girl at school has been eyeing him, but for some reason, he just won’t bite.”
It would be a lie if I said I hadn’t noticed. Girls did flock to Guillermo, who would simply be his friendly self and not take anything further. The only girl he ever hung out with was Jenaya, and they kept it friendly from what I could see.
I didn’t really want to think about him with other girls. He said he had a past of messing around with them, but for some reason, I hoped he was turning a new leaf in that department as well.
Internally I cringed. I shouldn’t be thinking about who he’d date at all.
I pushed all thoughts of Guillermo to the side. They were too distracting. “Come on, Malika, let’s look online and see what I can wear Friday.”
Guillermo
Harvey showed up at our door Wednesday after school.
After our first two initial meetings, our usual check-in consisted of a phone call. Catching him in person made me nervous. It had been a month, and I’d made sure I’d dotted every i and crossed every t.
At least, I thought I had, before Harvey’s arrival.
He was in our living room when I came downstairs. Yesenia was entertaining him, fussing about some book she was waving in her hand.
A part of me would always envy her innocence. This was her world, tripping out over the latest young adult novel and nothing else. She’d made one questionable friend since our move, a girl named Leticia Rodriguez. For the time being she hadn’t outright proven to be trouble, though I suspected she would be in the long run, with her constant talk of boys and calling Yesi’s books boring.
“Harvey,” I said as I stepped into the room.
He turned from Yesenia and found me in the doorway.
“What’s up?” he greeted me, studying my position. He seemed amused by my obvious trepidation. “I was just in the neighborhood.”
Doubt that.
“Nice of you to stop by, then,” I said.
Harvey chuckled. “Relax, you’re not in trouble. Unless...” He let the cliff-hanger linger in the air, causing an uncomfortable silence.
“I’ve been straight,” I said.
“How straight?”
“As straight as can be.”
“Any girls, G?” His gaze bored into me.
Thankfully, the truth was the truth. “No.”
“Mentiroso,” Yesenia whispered, calling me a liar.
Harvey lifted a brow at my sister. “What’s that mean?”
“It means no,” I lied.
Yesenia scowled, and Harvey wasn’t convinced. “Yeah, I’m thinking about initiating an English-only clause here.”
I shot Yesenia a pained look. “Leave me to him, please?”
She sighed and grabbed her book. She looked over her shoulder on her way out of the room, peering at Harvey. “Don’t forget to read it, okay?”
Yesenia was as sweet and as pure as they came, and Harvey was wrapped up under her spell. “I’ll get me a copy as soon as I leave here, I promise.”
Satisfied, she left us alone.
Harvey returned to me. “So, what’s the story?”
“I’m friends with a girl, but it’s not like that,” I said, thinking of Jenaya.
“That’s it?”
I thought of Regan and neglected to bring her up. She was all things off-limits, even if she kept slipping into my mind.
“I’m good, Harvey,” I insisted with a little more bite to my tone than needed.
He didn’t press the issue. “How’s that temper?”
On some days, it was perfectly in check, and then on others, whenever someone tried to get handsy or mouthy with Jenaya, I felt tempted to slip back into my old ways. I was protective. It was what I did best, protect.
“I...I went to the movies with my friends. Some guy was being rude to my friend Jenaya and things got heated, but I didn’t completely lose my cool. It was scary, being so close like that. I’ve been extra cautious ever since. I think working out in the gym helps a lot.”
“I’m happy to hear that. If it was a test, you passed. I talked to Gloria London...she speaks highly of you. She thinks you have potential to be another success story. She says she admires your willingness to take responsibility and work hard for your rehabilitation.”
This was news to me.
Mrs. London was tough on me, not letting up an ounce since our first encounter. If she saw greatness in me, she didn’t let it show, but hearing her thoughts from Harvey was comforting. She wanted the best for me, hence her strictness. I could only respect that.
“I’m just trying to move forward,” I said.
Harvey took me in, clearly deciding if he agreed or not. “I see potential in you, G. I mean it, don’t fuck this up. Be watchful of these girls, and don’t let these guys influence you one bit.”
He didn’t have to lecture me on that; it was the one thing I was set on during my transition to Arlington High and the Briar Park/Briar Pointe neighborhood. As far as guys went, I was close with Raviv and Avery. Jenaya was probably my best friend through and through. She had my back as I had hers; we’d clicked like that from the start.
Outside of my friends, I would flirt here and there with girls who flirted with me first, but none of it meant anything and I never followed through.
Until I met a girl who made my heart race and I knew I could run the risk of trusting her, I was going to play it solo.
“I’m trying,” I swore. “It’s an everyday struggle that’s getting easier and easier.”
Harvey seemed to accept that as he stood and passed me on his way to the front door. He was just about to reach for the doorknob when he pivoted on his heel and faced me. “One more thing.”
Shit.
“Listen to anything good lately?” he asked curiously.
I breathed a sigh of relief. “J. Cole just dropped a new freestyle. That new Meek Mill is probably my favorite on repeat, though.”
Harvey bobbed his head. “I’ll get on that. Stay good, Lozano, I’ll be in touch.”
He opened the front door and saw himself out.
For once I didn’t feel too much weight on my shoulders. This was all starting to get easy.
A full minute hadn’t gone by before the front door opened again and my father stepped into the house. He acknowledged me with a nod.
“Hey, Memo,” he said as he shut the door. “Everything good?”
“Yeah, Harvey was just checking in.”
“Anything new?”
“Mrs. London thinks highly of me. They think I have potential.”
“You do,” my father surprised me by saying. He paused to reach out and touch my shoulder. “When we first got here I had my doubts, but I’ve been watching you. You go to your community service, and you’re always in on time. This move was the best thing for this family. I’m proud of you.”
My heart swelled. There was a time I thought I’d never again see him look at me without shame in his eyes. Here he was, telling me he was proud of me. “Thanks, Pop.”
He patted my back and went toward the kitchen, probably to start dinner. “Keep it up.”
I would. Seeing that gleam in his eye was far better than living with the disappointment that had been there for so many months.
I was in a good mood now, and oddly enough, I felt like paying it forward. I went and found Yesenia in her room, lying across her bed, nose deep in her book.
“Hey.” I knocked on the wall to get her attention.
She perked up at the sight of me. “What’d Harvey want?”
“To tell me I’m doing good.”
“You are, Memo.”
“It’s good to hear.” I buried my hands in my pockets. “I was thinking about going and hanging posters for Regan’s dog. If you help, we’ll get ice cream.”
My little sister lit up, abandoning her book with no fight. “Really?”
I’d swiped a handful of posters from the community center. I didn’t want to examine why, but I felt for Regan. I hadn’t been able to get her out of my head since our talk Tuesday. She’d looked so lost and sad. Everyone dumped on her, from her pops, to her boyfriend, and all she wanted was her dog. She’d saved Simba, something I hadn’t forgotten, and she didn’t deserve this. I’d wanted to help right from the beginning, but it wasn’t in my best interest—it still wasn’t in my best interest, but something had to give for Regan.
Yesenia was on board. She took half the posters and made a few suggestions about where to hang them as we made our way to my car.
The closest places near Briar Pointe were Arlington High, the Briar Park library, and a few other businesses.
“Think this’ll work?” Yesenia asked as we pinned a poster to the bulletin board at Freeze.
“Hope so,” I said. We’d already gone to the library and the mini-mart across the street, and though we’d hung the posters anyway, no one we’d talked to had seen the poor dog.
Deep down, I was hoping Tanner had been taken in by a loving home instead of winding up dead on the streets or at a kill shelter.
“Maybe if Dad sees how thoughtful we are, he’ll let us get our own dog.” Yesenia was hopeful. She’d wanted a dog for as long as I could remember.
Before, our parents had been too busy cleaning up my screwups to be bothered with Yesenia’s lingering wish. Now, things were significa
ntly different.
Our next destination was Igloo’s ice cream. Yesenia was ecstatic about getting a pint of their blueberry cheesecake flavor after hanging the last of the posters.
“We gotta go downtown one day,” she was saying as I skimmed the menu. I was debating trying their nondairy peach champagne flavor or going for just vanilla.
“Why’s that?” I wanted to know.
“There’s this place where they wrap books in brown paper and only write descriptions on them, that way you buy them based on their plots and themes and not their covers or titles. It sounds really neat.”
I would forever admire how much of a bookworm my younger sister was. “Sounds great, Yesi.”
I half listened as she prattled on about the bookshop until something caught my attention.
There, scattered across the countertop, were flyers advertising a club event at After Hours. Two beautiful girls were posing, one with her back to the camera emphasizing her round butt, and the other, posed front and center with her perky breasts on display in her small crop top. Both were givin’ sex appeal in their outfits, and their makeup was on point, something that would impress Jenaya for sure.
Yesenia peered at the flyer, a look I couldn’t decipher in her eye. “Memo, what kind of girls do you like?”
Fuck.
My eyes flickered toward the flyer once more.
It was a trap. If I said I liked girls like the ones on the flyer, I was superficial and asking for too much. If I said I liked girls who were makeup free, hair tied up, and in sweats, well, I was being cliché and pretentious. To be honest, I just liked girls, didn’t matter if they liked makeup, hair extensions, or were more natural. Who gave a shit?
But this was my younger sister, wasn’t I supposed to set an example? If our mom were with us, I knew what my answer was supposed to be.
Still, I went with honesty, the best way to set Yesenia straight.
“I like girls who aren’t afraid to be themselves,” I told her. “Whatever you like or feel, be that, and that’s what I’ll gravitate toward.”
It seemed like a fair answer.
The corner of Yesenia’s mouth curled up. “Thank you, Memo.”
The guy behind the counter handed us our ice cream and I paid him as Yesenia grabbed a table for us.