“Yeah. Absolutely. Lead the way.”
6
“PIÑA,WHAT THE—” AHMEDstarts asking when—a little less than forty-five minutes after following Leana into her room—I’m rushing to our front door at the exact same time he’s heading out, catching me in a pair of Leana’s running shorts, my thighs stretching the nylon. I’m pretty sure I’ve got some cheek hanging out the back. The front’s not any better, but the tote bag she let me borrow that’s holding my sweaty shorts, chonies, and socks is covering up anything hanging out.
I might not have stuck to the routine, but I did get a shower in while showing Leana how my tongue could be her personal Rose Toy. I know I probably smell like her fruity soaps and shampoos, and there’s no hiding the smile that says exactly what I just finished doing. I’m already thinking about her saying, “See you same time tomorrow?” and how maybe helping carry a box turns into running and showers together and that turns into some real talking and taking her out and that turns into asking her to be my girlfriend.
The part of me that falls hard and quickly is unsurprisingly falling hard and quickly for this girl. Honestly, I’d take her to meet my parents tomorrow if I didn’t actively realize how weird that would be or already know her well enough to guess she’d give me a solidno thanksat best.
“Don’t be late for class,” Ahmed groans before taking a couple steps forward. And then, before going any farther out the door, he looks me up and down one more time and asks, “That girl you told me about? The one you helped move in?”
“Yeah.”
He holds his fist up while he lets out a loudsheeesh, waiting for me to bump it. “What’s Pérez always saying? ¡A huevo! That’s my boy. Gots to see it through. Respectfully, though.”
“Always,” I tell him, beaming and proud.
“But don’t let Barrera find out if you’re late on your first day. He’ll make you run laps until your dick falls off.”
“That’s not a thing that can happen.”
“You don’t know that. And I’m guessing you don’t want to find out.”
“Okay, ya. I’m going. I’ll see you at practice.”
“Did you eat breakfast?”
“I’m having breakfast right now, Pops,” I groan before showing him the bowls in front of me, making sure he can see the food on the screen and know that, one, we’re far from starving here and, two, I’m not having trash first thing in the morning. “Don’t worry.”
“You’re just now eating? Don’t you got to be in class soon?”
“I’ve got … twenty-five minutes and it only takes ten to get there.”
“And find a parking spot?”
I didn’t think about that one. “Yeah, basically. I’ll be fine.”
“You’re not even dressed.”
“What do you mean?” I look down at the dark-green drop-arm tank I put on and the cream-colored nylon shorts below that. All I need to do now is slip on the Crocs for the day—I’m thinking camo for the fit—and I’m out. “I am dressed. This is what I’m wearing.”
“¿De veras? Didn’t we get you new clothes for school?”
“Yeah. Most of them look like this.”
“Verga.You should go get more shirts with sleeves. You’re going to classes. Not the gym.”
“I have some,” I tell him with a smirk, a laugh nearly coming out at how he’s acting. Like I’m still going to a private school with an actual dress code. “I’ll wear one tomorrow. Promise.”
Pops huffs and shakes his head but then gives me a smile back. He can’t stay mad at me. Never has been able to. And Iknowthat he’s not mad about me just now eating. He calledhopingI was still having breakfast. But, before he can start getting into his own meal, he has to put on Papa Bear Mode real quick.
“Work going okay so far?”
“Sí. Already getting hot. Making sure to drink water,” he says. And then he takes another bite of the McDonald’s biscuit he’s poured half a bottle of Tapatío on. “You better be drinking enough water too. Not just Powerade and tequila.”
“Iam, Pops,” I say back, and then covertly lean off screen to take a swig of the blue drink nearby. Thatis, in fact, sitting next to the bottle of water I downed, refilled, and drank another quarter of right before he called. “And I’m glad I get to hang out with you before I head out.”
Every year since pre-K, on my first day of school, Pops has always had breakfast with me. A huge stack of pancakes and a pile of bacon. Sometimes a fat-ass breakfast burrito withliterally everything we had in our fridge wrapped tightly inside. Lots of napkins, making sure I didn’t get dirty in my first-day fit.
