Getting It by Alex Sanchez Page B

letting him off for free? Was it because of what Carlos had told him about the divorce? Carlos didn’t want anyone to feel sorry for him. “You said the deal was I had to pay for your time and expenses.”
    â€œI know.” Sal shook his head. “But you’re a friend now. Aren’t you?”
    Carlos shifted his gaze from Sal to the money and back to Sal. “I’ve only got seventy bucks. That’s all I could get.”
    â€œThat’s plenty!” Sal gestured to his own jeans. “You know how much I paid for these? Ten bucks!”
    Carlos eyed the jeans. Earlier, he’d noticed their patchwork of different shades of denim, like something from a designer store—where he could never afford to shop. “Only ten bucks? You sure?”
    Sal nodded proudly. “You can borrow them sometime. What size do you wear?”
    As they talked, it turned out Carlos and Sal were the same size in everything—waist, inseam, shirts, shoes. Carlos thought:
Freaky.
    â€œOkay, let’s go,” he told Sal as the bus pulled up and they climbed on board. “But are you sure they wash the clothes before selling them?”

Eighteen
    T HEY GOT OFF the bus downtown, in an area Sal called “up-and-coming,” though to Carlos it looked down-and-dumpy. Pawnshops, boarded-up storefronts, and iron-grated liquor stores lined the cracked and stained sidewalk. But in between the winos and panhandlers, college students worked on laptops at coffee shops and parents wheeling strollers passed by.
    Sal led Carlos into the Sweet Hereafter Thrift Shop. “Let’s start with a belt.”
    â€œI already have a belt.” Carlos lifted his sweatshirt to show Sal.
    â€œI noticed—too blah. Your crotch should communicate intrigue, not boredom.”
    Intrigue?
Carlos wondered.
What the hell does that mean?
    From the rack, Sal pulled a belt with a shiny chrome buckle, emblazoned with one word: SEXY.
    Carlos felt the color creep into his cheeks. He could never wear that. Surely everyone would laugh at him. “I’m not wearing that.”
    â€œCome on,” Sal insisted. “You
are
sexy.”
    Carlos shifted his feet, wishing Sal wouldn’t say stuff like that. “It’s the wrong size,” he argued.
    â€œDoesn’t matter,” Sal said, dismantling the SEXY belt. “We’re buying it for the buckle. Give me your belt.”
    Reluctantly, Carlos handed it over. After Sal attached the SEXY buckle, Carlos slid the belt back on and gazed in the mirror. The brazen buckle definitely drew attention toward his crotch—a littletoo much. Carlos tugged his hoodie hem down over it.
    Next they searched for jeans. “They’re too picked over,” Sal complained. “Let’s just switch. Try mine on.”
    â€œAre you serious?” Carlos cocked his head.
    Sal pressed him toward the side-by-side dressing rooms and passed the jeans over the partition. Carlos shuffled out and peered cautiously into the mirror. Between the SEXY buckle and stylish jeans, he
did
look kind of sexy—at least from the waist down.
    â€œYou’re definitely keeping those.” Sal pointed to the jeans. “They give you an awesome bubble butt and a great package.”
    Carlos’s cheeks flared hot. Did Sal have to keep saying crap like that?
    â€œNow, what’s with this green hoodie you always wear?” Sal asked.“Are you trying to blend into the school lockers? It’s no wonder girls don’t notice you.”
    Carlos had never thought of it that way. All he knew was the sweatshirt made him feel … safe.
    â€œI like wearing it.”
    â€œIt makes you look like a lurker.” Sal frowned. “Take it off for a sec.”
    â€œI’m not taking it off.” Carlos shoved his fists into the hoodie’s pockets. But Sal glared back at him, unyielding. “Oh, screw it!” Carlos yanked down his hood, tore open the