some of the girls at the diner. Seeing my wound, she calls the school and leaves a message that I’ll be out sick the next day.
I’m t rying not to analyze all the reasons behind missing tomorrow, telling myself that staying home has nothing to do with Jasmine.
Instead of school, I decide I’ll squeeze a day of work in. Mi Madre told me about finding close to six hundred dollars in our mailbox a little over a week ago. We thought of asking around – maybe it was dropped in the wrong mailbox – but you go around asking that kind of question about that kind of money, everyone would claim it as theirs. I think if someone was expecting it, we would have known about it by now, so I think I’ll tell her to spend it on herself. She’s been too afraid to do anything with it, thinking that someone would show up asking for it, but to hell with that. She deserves to do her whenever she can.
But as for me, I call Juan, my friend in construction, to see if they have a low impact job for the day. I explain the cut, and he tells me that they have some board cutting they need done, so I accept and set my alarm for six o’clock in the morning.
Chapter Nine
Jasmine
Alex missed the second day of school. The second day! There are rumors of him being strung out on drugs, eloping with a girl he’s been dating, or that he’s in jail. I may not have talked with Alex in a long time, but none of these things seem true. Well, maybe the jail part, but from what is being said about his last chance to stay out of jail, I’m hoping he won’t risk it.
During biology, where only my partner is absent, the teacher assigns a project due three days after our trip from Hawaii, so either we have to bust this thing out before we leave, or do a rush job when we return. If I want to have any hope of graduating early, we will have to do the project before we leave. I refuse to turn in a half-assed project.
I’m irritated with him. How could he miss the second day of school? I mean, really. Even I made it to day two, and I got more shit yesterday than he did. Well, maybe before I said the worst thing I could have ever said to him.
I want to say I’m sorry – a word that’s always wasted on me, but I can’t think of a better one to express my regret. Maybe that’s what everyone else thought too when they said it to me – maybe they couldn’t think of anything else to say either.
I make up my mind before the last bell rings… I’m going to his house. I know the neighborhood is bad, but I have been there a few other times. Yes, I admit that those were drive-by’s, and I didn’t get out of my car, but I could do this. The neighborhood couldn’t really be that bad, could it?
I rush to my car, the 67 mustang my dad and brother restored together. Jace had named it Blue Lightning, after its color, and now it’s a small piece of them both that I take care of and cherish.
I make the drive to Alex’s, hoping he’s home. I’m riddled with anxiety over talking to him face to face. When I arrive, I have to park across the street because there are too many cars around his house to get a closer spot. Surveying the area, I notice people out on some of the porches nearby. They all seem to be a part of the same group, talking to each other from across their yards.
I take a deep breath, steadying myself to get out of the car. Some of the people at the neighboring houses have already taken notice, tapping their friends with the back of their hands and pointing in my direction.
I hurry and open my door before I lose my nerve. Once I’m out, I hit the remote lock on the car and set the alarm. As soon as the car door slams shut, the catcalls begin.
“ Hey, baby. Usted es caliente. Venir aquí!”
I try walking with my head down and ignore them. I don’t understand why they’re yelling at me in the first place. I’m not watching what’s going on around me, so before I can reach the safety of the porch, three guys intercept me.
“Nice car
I’m t rying not to analyze all the reasons behind missing tomorrow, telling myself that staying home has nothing to do with Jasmine.
Instead of school, I decide I’ll squeeze a day of work in. Mi Madre told me about finding close to six hundred dollars in our mailbox a little over a week ago. We thought of asking around – maybe it was dropped in the wrong mailbox – but you go around asking that kind of question about that kind of money, everyone would claim it as theirs. I think if someone was expecting it, we would have known about it by now, so I think I’ll tell her to spend it on herself. She’s been too afraid to do anything with it, thinking that someone would show up asking for it, but to hell with that. She deserves to do her whenever she can.
But as for me, I call Juan, my friend in construction, to see if they have a low impact job for the day. I explain the cut, and he tells me that they have some board cutting they need done, so I accept and set my alarm for six o’clock in the morning.
Chapter Nine
Jasmine
Alex missed the second day of school. The second day! There are rumors of him being strung out on drugs, eloping with a girl he’s been dating, or that he’s in jail. I may not have talked with Alex in a long time, but none of these things seem true. Well, maybe the jail part, but from what is being said about his last chance to stay out of jail, I’m hoping he won’t risk it.
During biology, where only my partner is absent, the teacher assigns a project due three days after our trip from Hawaii, so either we have to bust this thing out before we leave, or do a rush job when we return. If I want to have any hope of graduating early, we will have to do the project before we leave. I refuse to turn in a half-assed project.
I’m irritated with him. How could he miss the second day of school? I mean, really. Even I made it to day two, and I got more shit yesterday than he did. Well, maybe before I said the worst thing I could have ever said to him.
I want to say I’m sorry – a word that’s always wasted on me, but I can’t think of a better one to express my regret. Maybe that’s what everyone else thought too when they said it to me – maybe they couldn’t think of anything else to say either.
I make up my mind before the last bell rings… I’m going to his house. I know the neighborhood is bad, but I have been there a few other times. Yes, I admit that those were drive-by’s, and I didn’t get out of my car, but I could do this. The neighborhood couldn’t really be that bad, could it?
I rush to my car, the 67 mustang my dad and brother restored together. Jace had named it Blue Lightning, after its color, and now it’s a small piece of them both that I take care of and cherish.
I make the drive to Alex’s, hoping he’s home. I’m riddled with anxiety over talking to him face to face. When I arrive, I have to park across the street because there are too many cars around his house to get a closer spot. Surveying the area, I notice people out on some of the porches nearby. They all seem to be a part of the same group, talking to each other from across their yards.
I take a deep breath, steadying myself to get out of the car. Some of the people at the neighboring houses have already taken notice, tapping their friends with the back of their hands and pointing in my direction.
I hurry and open my door before I lose my nerve. Once I’m out, I hit the remote lock on the car and set the alarm. As soon as the car door slams shut, the catcalls begin.
“ Hey, baby. Usted es caliente. Venir aquí!”
I try walking with my head down and ignore them. I don’t understand why they’re yelling at me in the first place. I’m not watching what’s going on around me, so before I can reach the safety of the porch, three guys intercept me.
“Nice car
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