world was new
She marveled at a bird that flew
Through her doorway, into her room
And spread its wings
To show her all its precious things
Oh, I warned her it was too good to be true.
I said, heâs not pretty, heâs just new
Glancing up, he could see from the crimson color of her face that she was hurt by this. It gave him a little thrill to think that she might experience a touch of the rejection he was feeling. He strummed on. He strummed harder. He broke a string, he strummed so hard.
On Tuesday, he was in her bed
Cooing softly, spinning thread
He bit her ear until she bled
And still she wanted to believe
In him and all his precious things.
Hearing an abrupt thump from the corner of the room where Elena was sitting, Jake looked up. Sheâd stood up. She was slamming shut the flap on her messenger bag. She was stalking out of the café.
âHey . . . Elena, wait,â he called after her.
But with a flip of the bird behind her back, she was already gone.
Jake felt like an idiot. The urge to chase after her and apologize was so strong that he almost fell off his stool. But he kept on strumming. He was trapped on the stage, and anyway, he had a responsibility to his fans.
10
Later that evening, Elena and Nina walked slowly around the block, looking at the Christmas decorations, the sleds on roofs and cactuses and palms wrapped in blinking lights and plastic snowmen lodged on perpetually green lawns. They paced themselves so Nina wouldnât get overheated. Elena felt like she had ants under her skin. She couldnât keep still.
âYou gonna tell me whatâs wrong?â Nina asked her.
âIs it that obvious?â
âOf course it is. Youâre a Rios, girl. Weâre hot-blooded.â
âWell, okay, fine,â Elena said. She launched into a long, overheated harangue about everything that had happened tonight. The smoothie, the horrible, tenseconversation in which Jake sat there and petulantly criticized her for talking to Harlow, and then that song, that unbelievably angry and just plain mean song.
âCan you believe that, Nina? Suddenly heâs got all kinds of money and he moves across town and what happens? He turns into somebody I donât even know.â
Nina just smiled at her like it was all a joke, but if so, Elena wanted to ask, Whatâs the punch line? She didnât get what was so funny about it.
âI want my Jaybird back,â she said. âThe one who makes me laugh. The one who encourages me to dream big. Not the one who dogs me for talking to guys online and treats me like Iâm an idiot.â
Nina tipped her head, still smiling that smile, still acting like it was all just so, so funny.
âWhat?â Elena asked.
Nina kept on smiling.
âWhatâs so funny? Why do you keep looking at me that way?â
Theyâd come out for this walk in part because Nina felt like she was up for it for once, and in part because Elena hadnât been able to sit still at home, where her father had demanded total quiet while he did the books for his Laundromat empire. It was ten thirty at night and most of the bungalows in the neighborhood were closed up, the lights completely off, or at most, a pale flicker of TV peeking out of an arched window.
âYou really donât know,â Nina said.
âWould I be asking if I did?â
Nina sighed and rested herself against a white fire hydrant.
âHeâs in love with you, mami.â
âCome on. Be serious,â Elena said. Hearing this at any other time, she would have laughed, but tonight she was in too much of a mood for laughter.
Nina shrugged. âDonât believe me. I couldnât care less.â
âHeâs like my brother,â Elena said. She scrunched up her nose and gagged at the thought.
âYour brother who wants to get all gooney goo-goo with you.â Gooney goo-goo was their sisterly code for hot, sweaty sex. âWhat
She marveled at a bird that flew
Through her doorway, into her room
And spread its wings
To show her all its precious things
Oh, I warned her it was too good to be true.
I said, heâs not pretty, heâs just new
Glancing up, he could see from the crimson color of her face that she was hurt by this. It gave him a little thrill to think that she might experience a touch of the rejection he was feeling. He strummed on. He strummed harder. He broke a string, he strummed so hard.
On Tuesday, he was in her bed
Cooing softly, spinning thread
He bit her ear until she bled
And still she wanted to believe
In him and all his precious things.
Hearing an abrupt thump from the corner of the room where Elena was sitting, Jake looked up. Sheâd stood up. She was slamming shut the flap on her messenger bag. She was stalking out of the café.
âHey . . . Elena, wait,â he called after her.
But with a flip of the bird behind her back, she was already gone.
Jake felt like an idiot. The urge to chase after her and apologize was so strong that he almost fell off his stool. But he kept on strumming. He was trapped on the stage, and anyway, he had a responsibility to his fans.
10
Later that evening, Elena and Nina walked slowly around the block, looking at the Christmas decorations, the sleds on roofs and cactuses and palms wrapped in blinking lights and plastic snowmen lodged on perpetually green lawns. They paced themselves so Nina wouldnât get overheated. Elena felt like she had ants under her skin. She couldnât keep still.
âYou gonna tell me whatâs wrong?â Nina asked her.
âIs it that obvious?â
âOf course it is. Youâre a Rios, girl. Weâre hot-blooded.â
âWell, okay, fine,â Elena said. She launched into a long, overheated harangue about everything that had happened tonight. The smoothie, the horrible, tenseconversation in which Jake sat there and petulantly criticized her for talking to Harlow, and then that song, that unbelievably angry and just plain mean song.
âCan you believe that, Nina? Suddenly heâs got all kinds of money and he moves across town and what happens? He turns into somebody I donât even know.â
Nina just smiled at her like it was all a joke, but if so, Elena wanted to ask, Whatâs the punch line? She didnât get what was so funny about it.
âI want my Jaybird back,â she said. âThe one who makes me laugh. The one who encourages me to dream big. Not the one who dogs me for talking to guys online and treats me like Iâm an idiot.â
Nina tipped her head, still smiling that smile, still acting like it was all just so, so funny.
âWhat?â Elena asked.
Nina kept on smiling.
âWhatâs so funny? Why do you keep looking at me that way?â
Theyâd come out for this walk in part because Nina felt like she was up for it for once, and in part because Elena hadnât been able to sit still at home, where her father had demanded total quiet while he did the books for his Laundromat empire. It was ten thirty at night and most of the bungalows in the neighborhood were closed up, the lights completely off, or at most, a pale flicker of TV peeking out of an arched window.
âYou really donât know,â Nina said.
âWould I be asking if I did?â
Nina sighed and rested herself against a white fire hydrant.
âHeâs in love with you, mami.â
âCome on. Be serious,â Elena said. Hearing this at any other time, she would have laughed, but tonight she was in too much of a mood for laughter.
Nina shrugged. âDonât believe me. I couldnât care less.â
âHeâs like my brother,â Elena said. She scrunched up her nose and gagged at the thought.
âYour brother who wants to get all gooney goo-goo with you.â Gooney goo-goo was their sisterly code for hot, sweaty sex. âWhat
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