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5b5589d
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Brittany flew out of school today, following Burro Face. Before I left I saw them together in an intimate conversation by the back field. She picked him over me, which really shouldn't surprise me. When she asked me in chemistry what she should do, I should have told her to dump that Then I'd be happy instead of pissed off. He doesn't deserve her. Okay, so I don't, either.
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Simone Elkeles |
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137877c
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Brittany, I love hangin' with you. Shit, when I get to school I scan the halls lookin' for you. As soon as I catch sight of those angelic streaks of sunshine," I say, fingering her hair, "I know I can make it through the day."
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Simone Elkeles |
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56125dd
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Brittany, I love hangin' with you. Shit, when I get to school I scan the halls lookin' for you. As soon as I catch sight of those angelic streaks of sunshine," I say, fingering her hair, "I know I can make it through the day." "I'm no angel." "You are to me. If you forgive me, I'll go back and apologize to that artist guy." She opens her eyes. "Really?" "Yeah. I don't want to do it. But I will...for you."
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Simone Elkeles |
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838c058
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Seein' this house, this life...I want to be here with you, but I look around and realize this will never be me." "You're thinking too much." She kneels on the carpet and pats the floor. "Come here and lie on your stomach. I know how to give Swedish massages. It'll relax you." "You're not Swedish," I say. "Yeah, well, neither are you. So if I do it wrong you'll never know the difference." I lie next to her. "I thought we were gonna take this..
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Simone Elkeles |
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2fcd549
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Do you think they're doing ?" she asks. "Either that, or Doug's a very religious guy," I say, referring to the screaming every two seconds. "Does it make you horny?" she sings quietly into my ear. "No, but you keep massagin' me like that and you can forget about that goin' slow bullshit." I sit up and face her. "What I can't figure out is if you know you're a tease and are fuckin' with me or whether you really are innocent." "I'm not a t..
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Simone Elkeles |
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d461243
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Brit, this is Perry Landis," Doug says, pointing to the Colin look-alike. "The artist." "Omigod, your work is amazing!" Brittany says, gushing at him. She said "omigod" as if she really is an airhead. Is she kidding me? The guy looks over her shoulder at his painting. "What do you think of this one?" he asks her. Brittany clears her throat. "I think it shows great insight to the relationship between man, animal, and Earth." Oh, please. What..
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Simone Elkeles |
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bab4857
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Wasabi. Now hoiteys. Seriously, you'd think I really didn't know English.
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Simone Elkeles |
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06d540d
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During chemistry, it's another experiment/observation. Alex swirls test tubes full of silver nitrate and potassium chloride liquids. "Looks like they're both water to me, Mrs. P.," Alex says. "Looks are deceiving," Mrs. Peterson replies. My gaze travels to Alex's hands. Those hands that are now busy measuring the right amount of silver nitrate and potassium chloride are the same ones that traced my lips intimately. "Earth to Brittany." I bl..
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Simone Elkeles |
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95adddc
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My gaze travels to Alex's hands. Those hands that are now busy measuring the right amount of silver nitrate and potassium chloride are the same ones that traced my lips intimately. "Earth to Brittany." I blink my eyes, snapping out of my daydream. Alex is holding a test tube full of clear liquid out to me. Which reminds me I should help him pour the liquids together. "Uh, sorry." I pick up one test tube and pour it into the tube he's holdin..
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Simone Elkeles |
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9482161
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I don't have a bathin' suit," I tell them. "Don't worry," Brittany says. "Doug probably has one in the pool house you can wear." In the pool house, Doug looks through a drawer searching for suits. "There's only two here." Doug picks up a skimpy Speedo and holds it out to me. "This okay for you, big guy?" "That wouldn't fit my right testicle. Why don't you wear it and I'll take this one," I say, reaching around Doug and grabbing a boxer-type..
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Simone Elkeles |
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55874c6
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When I step out of the changing room, Doug says, "She'll take a lot of shit by being with you, you know. People are already starting to talk." "Listen, Douggie. I like that girl more than I can remember likin' anything in my life. I'm not about to give her up. I'll start carin' about what other people think when I'm six feet under." Doug smiles and holds out his arms. "Ah, Fuentes, I think we just had a male bonding moment. Wanna hug?" "Not..
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Simone Elkeles |
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e496bbf
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Very sexy, babe," Sierra says, eyeing Doug's Speedo. Doug is walking like a penguin, waddling while trying to get comfortable. "I swear to God I'm taking these off as soon as I get in the hot tub. They're choking my balls." "TMI," Brittany chimes in, covering her ears with her palms. She's wearing a yellow bikini, leaving very little to the imagination. Does she realize she looks like a sunflower, ready to rain sunshine on all who look down..
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Simone Elkeles |
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54d2ee7
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So shoot." "I don't know how to say this." "I haven't got all day, you know." "I kissed Alex," I blurt out. "Alex? !Bendita! Was that before or after the Colin breakup?" I wince. "I didn't plan it." Isabel laughs so hard and loud, I have to take the phone away from my ear. "You sure didn't plan it?" she asks once she can get words out. "It just happened. We were at his house and then we were interrupted when his mom came home and saw us--..
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Simone Elkeles |
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b450fc9
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I would have loved to be a fly on the wall when she walked in on you two." "Thanks for your compassion," I say dryly. "I'm hanging up now." "No! I'm sorry for laughing. It's just that the more we talk, the more I see you as a totally different person than I thought you were. I guess I can understand why Alex likes you." "Thanks, I think. Remember when I told you I wouldn't let anything happen between me and Alex?" "Yeah. Just so I get my ti..
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Simone Elkeles |
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64a785c
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I'm going to forget the kiss with Alex happened even though I was up all night replaying it in my head. As I'm driving to school the day after , I wonder if I should ignore Alex. Although that's not an option because we have chemistry together. Oh, no. Chemistry class. Will Colin suspect something? Maybe someone saw us drive off together yesterday and told him. Last night I turned off my cell so I didn't have to talk to anyone. Ugh. I wish..
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Simone Elkeles |
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5f5635b
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She's freaking out. If she cries, I won't know what to do. I'm not used to crying chicks. I don't think Carmen cried once during our entire relationship. In fact, I'm not sure Carmen has tear ducts. "Um...you okay?" I ask. "If this gets around, I'm never going to live it down. Oh, God, if Mrs. Peterson calls my parents I'm dead. Or at least I'll wish I was dead." She keeps talking and shaking, as if she's a car with bad shocks and no brake..
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Simone Elkeles |
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5f429bc
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Brittany, wait!" a voice calls from behind me. I turn around and am face-to-face with the guy who's haunting my dreams...daydreams and night dreams. Alex. The guy who I hate. The guy who I can't get out of my mind, no matter how drunk I am. "Ignore Javier," Alex says. "Sometimes he gets carried away tryin' to be a badass." I'm stunned when he steps closer and wipes away a tear from my cheek. "Don't cry. I wouldn't let him hurt you." Should..
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Simone Elkeles |
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cd4944c
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I've seen you around Fairfield High. I go there," says a short white guy, about my age. The dork is wearing a coral-colored golf shirt and white pants, as if he came from a golf tournament with a bunch of senior citizens. White Guy tries to look cool, but with that coral shirt...man, looking cool is the least of his problems."
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Simone Elkeles |
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81310e8
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Let me get someone to drive you home," I say before my fucked-up mind thinks of a million ways I could violate her tonight. I'm buzzed from alcohol and high, too. When I have sex with this girl, I want all my faculties. She purses her lips and pouts like a kid. "No. I don't want to go home. Anywhere but home." Oh, man. I'm in trouble. She looks up at me, her eyes in the moonlight sparking like rare, expensive jewels. "Colin thinks I want y..
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Simone Elkeles |
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c743b67
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You do realize she has a boyfriend. And she's rich. And white. And wears designer clothes you'll never be able to afford." Yeah, I know that. And I'm sick and tired of being reminded of it. "I need your help, Isa. Not a lecture. I've got Paco givin' me his crap already." Isa holds up her hands. "I'm just pointing out facts. You're a smart guy, Alex. Add it up. No matter how much you might want her in your life, she doesn't belong. A triangl..
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Simone Elkeles |
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8de8d60
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My dad called the cops and told them I stole his car." I roll my eyes. "Your old man put you in this hellhole? On purpose?" "He thought it would teach me a lesson." "Yeah," I say. "The lesson is that your old man's an asshole." The dad should have taught his son how to dress better instead. "My mom'll bail me out." "You sure?" White Guy straightens. "She's a lawyer, and my dad's done this before. A few times. I think to piss off my mom and ..
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Simone Elkeles |
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19d3d16
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I've never ditched school before. Of course a boy I kissed has never been arrested before, either. This is about me being real. To myself. And now I'm going to be real to Alex, like he's always wanted. It's scary, and I'm not convinced I'm doing the right thing. But I can't ignore this magnetic pull that Alex has over me. I plug in the address on my GPS. It leads me to the south side, to a place called Enrique's Auto Body. A guy is standing..
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Simone Elkeles |
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d272992
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Colin is standing on our front stoop with a dozen red roses in his hand. "For you," he says, surprising me. Wow! I'm feeling stupid for thinking about Alex so much this past week. I hug Colin and give him a kiss, a real one on the lips. "Let me put these in water," I say, stepping back. I hum happily as I walk to the kitchen, smelling their sweet fragrance. Putting water in a vase, I wonder if Alex ever brought his girlfriend flowers. Alex ..
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Simone Elkeles |
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c45053a
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Wait!" I yell. I take a deep breath. This is it. I'm going to spill my guts. "I don't know why or when I started falling for you, Alex. But I did. Ever since I almost ran over your motorcycle that first day of school I haven't been able to stop thinking about what it would be like if you and I got together. And that kiss...God, I swear I never experienced anything like that in my life. It mean something. If the solar system didn't tilt th..
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Simone Elkeles |
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d5c2b5e
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Before we seal our plans with a kiss, Alex clears his throat in front of us. "No PDA. School rules. Besides, she's my partner, dickhead. Not yours." "Shut up, Fuentes," Colin mutters, then joins Darlene. I put my hand on my hip and glare at Alex. "Since when are you so concerned with school rules?" "Since you became my chem partner. Outside chemistry, you're his. In chemistry, you're mine." "Want to find your club and pull me by my hair int..
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Simone Elkeles |
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f77147f
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When my eyes meet his gaze as we're sitting here staring at each other, time stops. Those eyes are piercing mine, and I can swear at this moment he senses the real me. The one without the attitude, without the facade. Just Brittany. "What would it take for you to go out with me?" he asks. "You're not serious." "Do I look like I'm jokin'?" Mrs. Peterson wanders by us, saving me from answering. "I'm keeping my eyes on you two. Alex, we missed..
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Simone Elkeles |
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12471d2
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He looks at me with chocolate brown eyes that are so intense I swear they could hypnotize someone. "You ready?" he asks. For a nanosecond, as I'm staring into those dark eyes, I wonder what it would be like to kiss Alex. My gaze drops to his lips. For less than a nanosecond, I can almost feel them coming closer. Would his lips be hard on mine, or soft? Is he a slow kisser, or hungry and fast like his personality? "For what?" I whisper as I ..
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Simone Elkeles |
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cf902cc
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You only like white guys?" "Stop that," I say through gritted teeth. "What?" he says, getting all serious. "It's the truth, ain't it?" Mrs. Peterson appears in front of us. "How's that outline coming along?" she asks. I put on a fake smile. "Peachy." I pull out the research I did at home and get down to business while Mrs. Peterson watches. "I did some research on the hand warmers last night. We need to dissolve sixty grams of sodium acetat..
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Simone Elkeles |
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513bd63
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Let's have a bet, then. If I'm right, you kiss me," he says. "And if I'm right?" "Name it." It's like taking candy from a baby. Mr. Macho Guy's ego is about to be taken down a notch, and I'm all too happy to be the one to do it. "If I win you take me and the class project seriously," I tell him. "No teasing me, no making ridiculous comments." "Deal. I'd feel terrible if I didn't tell you I have a photographic memory." "Alex, I'd feel terrib..
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Simone Elkeles |
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0aeaed7
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Your stitches are bleeding." "They're staples," I correct her, trying to lighten the mood. The girl is even whiter than she usually is. And she's breathing heavy, almost panting. If she passes out, I swear I'm losing the bet with Lucky. If she can't handle a little streak of my blood, how's she gonna handle having sex with me? Unless we're not naked, so she doesn't have to see my various scars. Or if it's dark, then she can pretend I'm some..
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Simone Elkeles |
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6e8b39a
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I've got to get Brittany alone if I'm gonna have any chance of saving face saving my Honda. Does her freakout session mean she really doesn't hate me? I've never seen that girl do anything not scripted or 100 percent intentional. She's a robot. Or so I thought. She's always looked and acted like a princess on camera every time I've seen her. Who knew it'd be my bloody arm that would crack her. I look over at Brittany. She's focused on my ..
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Simone Elkeles |
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f1aa006
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I've got to get Brittany alone if I'm gonna have any chance of saving face saving my Honda. Does her freakout session mean she really doesn't hate me? I've never seen that girl do anything not scripted or 100 percent intentional. She's a robot. Or so I thought. She's always looked and acted like a princess on camera every time I've seen her. Who knew it'd be my bloody arm that would crack her. I look over at Brittany. She's focused on my ..
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Simone Elkeles |
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a443544
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I park my bike in her driveway and ring her doorbell. I clear my throat so I don't choke on my words. , what am I gonna say to her? And why am I feeling all insecure, like I need to impress her because she'll judge me? Nobody answers. I ring again. Where's a servant or butler to answer the door when you need one? Just as I'm about to give up and slap myself with a big dose of what-the-fuck-do-I-think-I'm-doing, the door opens. Standing bef..
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Simone Elkeles |
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cc8543e
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My car rounds the corner, riding the path to the body shop. When I spot Alex leaning on his motorcycle waiting for me in the parking lot, my pulse skips a beat. Oh, boy. I'm in trouble.
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Simone Elkeles |
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446def0
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When I spot Alex leaning on his motorcycle waiting for me in the parking lot, my pulse skips a beat. Oh, boy. I'm in trouble. Gone is his ever-present bandanna. Alex's thick black hair rests on his forehead, daring to be swept back. Black pants and a black silk shirt have replaced his jeans and T-shirt. He looks like a young Mexican daredevil. I can't help but smile as I park next to him. " , you look like you've got a secret." , I think as..
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Simone Elkeles |
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6b8b60e
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Come here," he says, pulling me against him. "I don't want to go to the wedding anymore. I'd rather have you all to myself." "No way," I say, running a slow finger along the side of his jaw. "You're a tease." I love this playful side of Alex. It makes me forget all about those demons. "I came to see a Latino wedding, and I expect to see one," I tell him. "And here I thought you were comin' to be with me." "You've got a big ego, Fuentes." "T..
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Simone Elkeles |
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89a9f0c
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I came to see a Latino wedding, and I expect to see one," I tell him. "And here I thought you were comin' to be with me." "You've got a big ego, Fuentes." "That's not all I've got." He backs me against my car, his breath warming my neck more than the midday sun."
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Simone Elkeles |
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ba29db0
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Don't think I'm getting on that thing." His left eyebrow raises a fraction. "Why not? Julio's not good enough for you?" "Julio? You named your motorcycle Julio?" "After my great uncle who helped my parents move here from Mexico." "I like Julio just fine. I just don't want to ride on him wearing this short dress. Unless you want everyone riding behind us to see my undies." He rubs his chin, thinking about it. "Now that would be a sight for s..
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Simone Elkeles |
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a1a8db8
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Don't think I'm getting on that thing." His left eyebrow raises a fraction. "Why not? Julio's not good enough for you?" "Julio? You named your motorcycle Julio?" "After my great uncle who helped my parents move here from Mexico." "I like Julio just fine. I just don't want to ride on him wearing this short dress. Unless you want everyone riding behind us to see my undies." He rubs his chin, thinking about it. "Now that would be a sight for s..
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Simone Elkeles |
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48be424
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After parking in the west lot, far from a certain gang member with a reputation that could scare off even the toughest Fairfield football players, Sierra and I walk up the front steps of Fairfield High. Unfortunately, Alex Fuentes and the rest of his gang friends are hanging by the front doors. "Walk right past them," Sierra mutters. "Whatever you do, don't look in their eyes." It's pretty hard not to when Alex Fuentes steps right in front ..
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Simone Elkeles |
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a2bc790
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After parking in the west lot, far from a certain gang member with a reputation that could scare off even the toughest Fairfield football players, Sierra and I walk up the front steps of Fairfield High. Unfortunately, Alex Fuentes and the rest of his gang friends are hanging by the front doors. "Walk right past them," Sierra mutters. "Whatever you do, don't look in their eyes." It's pretty hard not to when Alex Fuentes steps right in front ..
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Simone Elkeles |
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1f652d4
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You're gonna have to talk to me at some point." "So your girlfriend can have a reason to beat me up? No thanks, Alex. I'd rather keep my face the way it is." "I don't have a girlfriend. You want to interview for the position?" I scan her from top to bottom, focusing on the parts she relies on so heavily. She curls her pink-frosted top lip and sneers at me. "Not on your life." " , you wouldn't know what to do with all this testosterone if yo..
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Simone Elkeles |
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c66d167
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You ditched school to see if I was okay?" I nod because my tongue won't work. Alex steps back. "Well, then. Now that you've seen I'm , go back to school. I gotta, you know, get back to work. My bike was impounded last night and I need to make money to get it back." "Wait!" I yell. I take a deep breath. This is it. I'm going to spill my guts. "I don't know why or when I started falling for you, Alex. But I did. Ever since I almost ran over ..
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Simone Elkeles |
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3215553
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I sit on the bathroom floor, wiping my eyes with toilet paper and doing my best to cover my nose. A loud knock interrupts my crying fit. "Brittany, you in there?" Alex's voice comes through the door. "No." "Please come out." "No." "Then let me in." "No." "I want to teach you somethin' in Spanish." "What?" " " "What does it mean?" I ask, the tissue still on my face. "I'll tell you if you let me in." I turn the knob until it clicks. Alex step..
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Simone Elkeles |