“Oooo, fuck him. I hope he gets run over.”
“Literally same. Would make my life so much easier.”
I looked between the two. “He’s a real piece of work, then?”
Maria nodded. “Just a little,” she said, miming the opposite by spreading her arms as wide as they would go.
I squirreled away that nugget of information and said, “I’m going to run back while you finish checking out—Isaw something I wanted to grab real quick.”
Holly gave me a thumbs up as Maria dug her wallet out of her purse.
I found the book I was looking for pretty quickly. I debated the optics of buying Dalton a gift for all of five seconds before grabbing the worn copy ofThe Complete Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway. He had told me a while back that he loved the classics. I didn’t know much about reading, but surely you couldn’t get much more classic than a dead guy? I had the clerk wrap it in tissue paper before meeting the girls outside.
We all piled into the car with our bags and headed back to Maria’s. It was getting late, and we were all the kind of tired that comes from a long, good day with the people you love. I lounged in the back seat while Holly and Maria bantered up front. My phone buzzed, and I got a text from Dalton letting me know he was having someone bring my things to my apartment.
I typed back, “How will you know what’s mine?”
I blushed furiously when he sent back a picture of Holly’s red lace nightgown, along with the caption, “While I can’t think of anything better than you in this, somehow I feel like it’s not your style.”
I couldn’t resist replying, “Guess you’ll never know,” then shoved my phone back in my pocket, ignoring the incoming text vibration. I focused on Maria, who was describing Jewel’s party in detail.
“So, she wants barbecue and a strawberry chocolate cake. She’s already picked out her gown, and Diego found the perfect venue. And you said Jackson can DJ, right?”
Holly nodded. “Yeah, and he’s got some old band buddies that are coming, so you’ll have live music and all that too.”
Maria grinned. “I’ve been planning this since she turned thirteen. Have you ever been to aquinceañera?” she asked me. I shook my head. “You’ll love it.”
“If you don’t mind me asking… you guys all seem to know each other pretty well. When did you first meet?”
Maria and Holly shared a look, one that carried the weight of thousands of memories. Maria turned to me. “Jackson, Dalton, Mac, and Diego were all jocks at my school. Total assholes. Well, not Dalton. And Diego only sometimes. But idiots, you know? I avoided them for the most part. Then this hotshot with a bad attitude moved into a freaking mansion not too far from us. Somehow, she ended up at our school.”
Holly took up the story. “I hated Jackson the second I met him. Dude almost ran me over. First day of school, I realized he went there too. Maria kind of made it her mission to keep me from killing him.”
“Yeah, and Diego had his hands full dealing with Jackson’s temper. Oh, sure—he’s all calm and cool now. Didn’t used to be that way!”
“Somehow, it all just fell together. I left Jesse after Diego beat him to a pulp. Remind me to tell youthatstory sometime. Eventually, Holly and Jackson worked out their issues.”
“We worked out a lot, actually,” Holly said, winking at me in the rearview mirror. Maria shook her head, and I grinned.
“What about Mac and Dalton?” I asked.
Holly shrugged. “They were just kind of always there, you know? Mac had always been in charge. The Saints had just gotten up and running. His dad was… well, everyone liked him. And Mrs. Mills, she was like a second mom to me. Towards the end of high school, the five of us were spending every weekend together. At the Mills’ or just running around town.”
“What happened to them? To their mom and dad?” The car fell deathly quiet, and I realized I had touched on a sore subject. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked—”
Maria interrupted me. “It’s okay,mija. It’s just not our story to tell. Their mom… she was taken too soon. And their dad died shortly after. Doctor said heart attack. Broken heart, I think.”
“I miss them. We all do.”
I glanced at Holly, surprised by her rare show of emotion.
The rest of the ride was short, but quiet. Even the radio was kept low. When we pulled up in front of Maria’s, she and I exited the car after hugging Holly goodbye. Holly drove off quickly while Maria tried to squeeze the life out of me. I felt the need to apologize again. I hadn’t realized I was opening old wounds, but Maria shook her head.
“You didn’t know. And you should. Maybe one day they will tell you more. But, right now, let’s not let it ruin the day. Okay? For the record, I’m so glad you set that bike on fire, girl. If you wouldn’t, mine and Holly’s dynamic duo would never have become a…” She grasped for the right words.
“Tremendous trio?” I offered with a smile.
She laughed and hugged me harder. “Yes, exactly. Goodnight,mija. Drive safe.”
