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b5e0cd1
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"Look at me, chica." When she does, I repeat, "Eres hermosa." "What does it mean?" "You're beautiful." --
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love
carlos-fuentes
rules-of-attraction
sweet
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Simone Elkeles |
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b1289bf
|
I'm in deep shit Alex, 'cause I think I'd like nothin' better than to wake up with her every mornin'.
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carlos-fuentes
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Simone Elkeles |
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8b054c9
|
La cucaracha, La cucaracha, Ya no puede caminar, porque no tiene, porque le falta, I don't know the rest, la la la la!
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funny
tuck
simone-elkeles
perfect-chemistry
carlos-fuentes
rules-of-attraction
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Simone Elkeles |
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bb133d1
|
"And just so you know for the future, I like my double-chocolate chip cookies warm and soft in the middle...and without magnets glued to them." "Me, too. When you decide to bake me some, let me know."
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brittany
fuentes
simone-elkeles
kiara-westford
perfect-chemistry
carlos-fuentes
alex
rules-of-attraction
carlos
kiara
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Simone Elkeles |
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625dbba
|
"Did I ever tell you that Alex loves you so much he got your name tattooed all over his body? Hell, he even got your name branded into the back of his neck." "They say 'LB,' Carlos. The initials for Latino Blood." "No, no, no. You've got it all wrong. He wants everyone to think that, but in reality it means Lover of Brittany. LB, get it?"
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|
brittany
fuentes
simone-elkeles
perfect-chemistry
carlos-fuentes
alex
rules-of-attraction
carlos
|
Simone Elkeles |
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186e999
|
"He laughs. "Put some clothes on so you don't scare poor Kiara with your morning hard-on." I look down at my shorts. Sure enough, I've got la tengo dura in front of Kiara and Tuck. Shit. I reach out for the first thing I can grab and put it in front of me to shield myself from view. It happens to be one of Kiara's stuffed animals, but I don't have much choice right now. "That's Kiara's Mojo," Tuck says, laughing. "Get it? Mojo?" --
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|
funny
tuck
simone-elkeles
kiara-westford
perfect-chemistry
carlos-fuentes
rules-of-attraction
kiara
|
Simone Elkeles |
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15269b6
|
"Why can't you call me Alex?" I ask, my head down while I stare at the food in front of me. "If I wanted to call you Alex, I wouldn't have bothered to name you Alejandro. Don't you like your given name?" My muscles tense. I was named after a father who is no longer alive, leaving me the responsibility of being the designated man of the house. Alejandro, Alejandro Jr., Junior . . . it's all the same to me. "Would it matter?" I mumble as I pick up a tortilla. I look up, trying to gauge her reaction. Her back is to me as she cleans dishes in the sink. "No." "Alex wants to pretend he's white," Carlos chimes in. "You can change your name, bro, but nobody'd mistake you for anythin' other than "Carlos, I warn. I don't want to be white. I just don't want to be associated with my father. you two," our mother pleads. "Enough fighting for one day." Carlos sings, egging me on by calling me a wetback. I've had enough of Carlos's mouth; he's gone too far. I stand, my chair scraping the floor. Carlos follows and steps in front of me, closing the space between us. He knows I could kick his ass. His overblown ego is gonna get him in trouble with the wrong person one of these days. "Carlos, sit down," orders. "Dirty beaner," Carlos drawls at me in a fake deep accent. "Better yet, "Carlos!" reprimands sharply as she comes forward, but I get in between them and grab my brother's collar. "Yeah, that's all anyone will ever think of me," I tell him. "But you keep talkin' trash and they'll think that of you, too." "Brother, they'll think that of me anyway. Whether I want them to or not." I release him. "You're wrong, Carlos. You can do better, be better." "Than you?" "Yeah, better than me and you know it," I say. "Now apologize to for talkin' smack in front of her." One look in my eyes and Carlos knows I'm not kidding around. "Sorry, Ma," he says, then sits back down. I don't miss his glare, though, as his ego got knocked down a peg."
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spanish
carlos-fuentes
goad
mexicano
alex-fuentes
mama
name-calling
white
|
Simone Elkeles |