accidente.
It was an accident.”
“Dad”? This was
Xochitl’s
house? Fern unbuckled her seat belt and started to get out of the car, but the hot guy was blocking her way. Not that she cared.
“I saw that you were barely moving, and—I thought…,” he stammered, then smiled. “My name is Tristán.”
Fern watched curiously as the flickers above his head dulled, then turned into a gray light that billowed and grew. She had no idea what to make of it. Had she hit her head on the steering wheel or something?
“What’s your name?” Tristán asked.
Wake up,
she told herself.
Give him your name before he decides you aren’t worth his time.
“Fern,” she finally blurted out.
“Well, I’m really glad you’re okay, Fern,” Tristán said.
Fern was about to give him her best smile when to her horror, the gray cloud spread down Tristán’s head and over his shoulders. Fern rubbed her eyes hard to make sure some dirt or accident debris hadn’t flown into them and distorted her vision, but when she opened them, the grayness hadn’t gone away.
Whatever that is, it can’t be good,
she thought.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Tristán asked, his chocolate brown eyes filled with concern.
Fern stared at Tristán and that ugly gray light. She usually didn’t mind a little danger or the unexplained, but that gray color was so lifeless and bleak, it terrified her. When she turned and looked at the other people on the scene, everyone seemed normal. Fern was so freaked out by it that she thought it might be best to ditch him as soon as possible. She opened the car door and stepped out.
“Yes, I am,” Fern said reassuringly.
Tristán momentarily touched Fern’s shoulder. Prickles of white-hot electricity raced through Fern’s entire body. “Maybe I’ll see you around sometime.” He shuffled his feet from side to side, as if he was a little nervous.
How cute,
Fern thought. At that moment the gray light began to pulse all around him. She shrank away from him. “You’ll have to excuse me. I’ve got to talk to my sister,” she said.
“Yeah, of course,” Tristán said.
Fern gave him a closed-lip, semismile but then hesitated a moment to look into his beautiful eyes.
Should I give him my number?
she wondered. But then he smiled and turned to leave. Fern fell back into the car seat. As she watched Tristán walk across the street, she could see the gray cloud following him like a pending thunderstorm. Which meant Fern wouldn’t be running after him, at least not today.
Before Fern could get back out of the car, Pilar was already climbing into the passenger seat. Fern leaned back as if she was expecting her big sister to rip into her.
“Everything’s okay. I told Mr. Garcia that we’ll pay for the damage,” Pilar said soothingly. She put a hesitant but reassuring hand on Fern’s shoulder. “And we’ll take care of this without Mom and Dad.”
With a great sigh, Fern relaxed her shoulders, which had been hunched up somewhere around her ears. “Thank you
so much,
Pilar,” she said.
“You should thank that daughter of his. She’s the one who calmed him down and got him to listen to me,” Pilar said while searching through her pocketbook. “I’m going to write him a check, and then you’re going to pay me back with cheap babysitting labor. Got that, Fern?”
“Okay,” Fern said distractedly. Although she was grateful that Pilar was helping her and not chewing her out, she was really moved to hear about what Rogelia’s granddaughter had done. Fern wanted to thank her, but when she looked out the window, Mr. Garcia also seemed to be searching for Xochitl, who was suddenly nowhere to be found.
That was weird. Hadn’t she just been out there a second ago?
“I’ll be right back,” Pilar said as she ripped a check from her checkbook. “And you should get comfortable in the passenger seat.”
Fern had a feeling that this test drive with Pilar might be her last, but as she looked around
It was an accident.”
“Dad”? This was
Xochitl’s
house? Fern unbuckled her seat belt and started to get out of the car, but the hot guy was blocking her way. Not that she cared.
“I saw that you were barely moving, and—I thought…,” he stammered, then smiled. “My name is Tristán.”
Fern watched curiously as the flickers above his head dulled, then turned into a gray light that billowed and grew. She had no idea what to make of it. Had she hit her head on the steering wheel or something?
“What’s your name?” Tristán asked.
Wake up,
she told herself.
Give him your name before he decides you aren’t worth his time.
“Fern,” she finally blurted out.
“Well, I’m really glad you’re okay, Fern,” Tristán said.
Fern was about to give him her best smile when to her horror, the gray cloud spread down Tristán’s head and over his shoulders. Fern rubbed her eyes hard to make sure some dirt or accident debris hadn’t flown into them and distorted her vision, but when she opened them, the grayness hadn’t gone away.
Whatever that is, it can’t be good,
she thought.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Tristán asked, his chocolate brown eyes filled with concern.
Fern stared at Tristán and that ugly gray light. She usually didn’t mind a little danger or the unexplained, but that gray color was so lifeless and bleak, it terrified her. When she turned and looked at the other people on the scene, everyone seemed normal. Fern was so freaked out by it that she thought it might be best to ditch him as soon as possible. She opened the car door and stepped out.
“Yes, I am,” Fern said reassuringly.
Tristán momentarily touched Fern’s shoulder. Prickles of white-hot electricity raced through Fern’s entire body. “Maybe I’ll see you around sometime.” He shuffled his feet from side to side, as if he was a little nervous.
How cute,
Fern thought. At that moment the gray light began to pulse all around him. She shrank away from him. “You’ll have to excuse me. I’ve got to talk to my sister,” she said.
“Yeah, of course,” Tristán said.
Fern gave him a closed-lip, semismile but then hesitated a moment to look into his beautiful eyes.
Should I give him my number?
she wondered. But then he smiled and turned to leave. Fern fell back into the car seat. As she watched Tristán walk across the street, she could see the gray cloud following him like a pending thunderstorm. Which meant Fern wouldn’t be running after him, at least not today.
Before Fern could get back out of the car, Pilar was already climbing into the passenger seat. Fern leaned back as if she was expecting her big sister to rip into her.
“Everything’s okay. I told Mr. Garcia that we’ll pay for the damage,” Pilar said soothingly. She put a hesitant but reassuring hand on Fern’s shoulder. “And we’ll take care of this without Mom and Dad.”
With a great sigh, Fern relaxed her shoulders, which had been hunched up somewhere around her ears. “Thank you
so much,
Pilar,” she said.
“You should thank that daughter of his. She’s the one who calmed him down and got him to listen to me,” Pilar said while searching through her pocketbook. “I’m going to write him a check, and then you’re going to pay me back with cheap babysitting labor. Got that, Fern?”
“Okay,” Fern said distractedly. Although she was grateful that Pilar was helping her and not chewing her out, she was really moved to hear about what Rogelia’s granddaughter had done. Fern wanted to thank her, but when she looked out the window, Mr. Garcia also seemed to be searching for Xochitl, who was suddenly nowhere to be found.
That was weird. Hadn’t she just been out there a second ago?
“I’ll be right back,” Pilar said as she ripped a check from her checkbook. “And you should get comfortable in the passenger seat.”
Fern had a feeling that this test drive with Pilar might be her last, but as she looked around
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