Falling Too Fast by Malín Alegría

together,” Alexis reminded him, trying to make her voice sound calm. Time was slipping by, and soon Christian’s group would be traveling across the state for competitions.
    â€œYo, prima , you can’t rush art. Besides, I think it’s better to be organic. Forget the music. Let’s just play from our hearts.” He threw the music sheets in the air with a dramatic flourish.
    The rest of the group laughed until AP Castillo growled at Santiago to pick up his music and begin again. Castillo gave Santiago too many chances, Alexis thought. Her cousin never took anything seriously. Her heart dropped, and tears threatened to spill, as the musicians started to play her song. They were a mess. The guitars were off tempo. Karina kept complaining about her nails. But there was no going back, she told herself. The group had to get better. If she was ever going to get the chance to compete or get Christian to notice her, she had to get the group ready to perform. They were going to do the serenata , whether they were ready or not.
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    The day of the serenata , Alexis ate two plates of enchiladas with rice and beans. She was ravenous and scared out of her mind. She wanted to tell her grandmas about the serenata . But she was afraid of what they would do if Christian didn’t appreciate her song. They were likely to go up to his apartment and drag him out by his hair. Alexis couldn’t have that. She would have to do this serenata on her own.
    As the mariachi members suited up in last year’s outfits for the first time, AP Castillo lit up. The slightly used navy-blue uniforms, with shiny silver buttons and red sashes, transformed the rowdy high school bunch into a professional mariachi ensemble. Even Marisol looked the part, with her hair combed back in a clip. She has the prettiest brown eyes , Alexis thought, when you can actually see them .
    However, nothing could disguise their sound. They weren’t too bad for a group that had just started a couple of weeks ago, especially since many of the new members had never even held an instrument before. But they still weren’t quite ready for a performance and especially not ready to serenade the regional champ. They were either really gutsy or clinically insane.
    Luckily, Santiago had a backup plan for Alexis.
    â€œHey,” he said, pulling Alexis off to the side. “I know you want to make a good impression on Mariachi Boy. But I think we still kind of suck.” He smirked. “So I made this CD with your song and I thought we could just pretend to play behind you while you do the singing.”
    Alexis threw her arms around Santiago and pulled him into a hug. “Oh, Santi, you’re the best.” As she released him, she wondered, “Do you think the other guys will mind?”
    Santiago laughed. “I think they’ll be relieved. I saw Karina freaking out behind the Dumpster a minute ago.
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    â€œThe group got to Christian’s apartment in the early evening. Shortly after their arrival, they saw Christian get home from his practice and go inside. Now Alexis and her bandmates were clustered on the sidewalk outside his building.
    A couple of local boys leaned against a car hood, cracking jokes about them. Alexis ignored the boys and glanced at her group. Her friends looked good. She hoped she looked just as good. Alexis touched her hair to make sure the rose was in place. She’d borrowed her grandma Trini’s big hoop earrings and dabbed some bacon grease behind her ears for luck. It was time. Alexis turned and gave Santiago a gesture to start the music.
    Violin and trumpet sounds erupted into the night. Marisol did a stellar acting job pretending to play the violin. Then the twins and Nikki wiggled their fingers on their guitar strings along with the music. She waited for her cue and then, after taking a deep breath, Alexis opened her mouth.
    She looked up at Christian’s window and sang as she did a little