Chain Reaction (10 page)

20

Nikki

Derek always has a party on his birthday because his parents are always out of town at a yearly sales conference at the same time. It’s something everyone at Fairfield looks forward to. I was really excited to come to Derek’s party tonight. I haven’t opened up physically or emotionally with Luis since we went on Derek’s boat two weeks ago, but I’ve thought about it every day.

Kendall and I arrived at the party early to decorate the house. Derek took his older brother’s ID and bought a few kegs. Normally I don’t drink, but Luis texted me and said he was definitely coming here tonight.

“What are you doing?” Derek asks as I fill a plastic cup to the rim with beer and start to gulp it down.

“Losing my inhibitions,” I tell him. “What does it look like I’m doing?”

“You don’t drink, Nikki.”

I raise my cup in the air. “I do now.”

“Kendall!” Derek yells, obviously not knowing how to deal with me. “Come here!”

Kendall peeks into the kitchen. “What’s up?”

Derek gestures to me. “Your best friend is having a solo pre-party.”

Kendall laughs as I take another gulp. “Umm … not a good idea, Nik.”

“Yes, it is. Luis is coming here tonight.” I’m starting to feel less stressed about being with him the more I drink.

Kendall and Derek give each other knowing looks.

“It’s not what you think,” I tell them. “I just want to know what it would be like to pretend we’re a couple.”

“Pretend? Just admit that you like him,” Kendall says. “And deal with those feelings. Getting drunk is like a bandage that won’t stick.”

“I told you, I don’t have feelings for him.” I laugh at the thought.

Kendall pats Derek on the chest. “Derek, do something … say something.”

Derek holds up his hands. “I’m not touching this conversation with a ten-foot pole.” He quickly leaves as the doorbell rings.

I’ve almost downed the entire cup, and pour myself more. “Do you know Luis was the first guy I kissed since Marco?”

“I know,” Kendall says.

“I think about it a lot. More than a lot, actually. Luis is the perfect one to practice on, right?”

Kendall takes the cup out of my hand. “I don’t think you should use a guy for practice. You’ll hurt him.”

“No, I won’t,” I assure her. “He’s admitted he’s a player, just like Marco. He’s the one who said we should just have fun. I’ll make sure he knows whatever happens between us is just casual.”

“Girls like Mariana do casual hookups, not you,” Kendall says. When I grab another cup and fill it to the rim, she drops the subject. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“I’ll be fine. You tell me I need to loosen up. Luis tells me the same thing … I’m gonna give it a try.”

An hour later music is blaring and the place is crowded. I’m definitely buzzed, and want to find Luis. I down the rest of whatever’s in my cup, toss it in the garbage, and push through the crowd to find him. He’s nowhere in sight. I ask around, but nobody’s seen him.

“Hey, Nikki,” Justin Dougan says, smiling wide with teeth that are so white I bet a blind person could see them. “You look hot.”

“Umm … I kinda had plans with …” I’m about to say
Luis
, but
we
don’t really have plans.
I
have plans. I just assume Luis will go along with them. And hanging out with Justin Dougan is definitely not in my plans.

“Go upstairs with me,” he says, taking my elbow and urging me away from the throng of partiers.

“I’m not going upstairs with you, Justin.” He’s not the one in my fantasies.

“Trust me,” Justin says. “I won’t try anything.”

“I don’t trust any guy who says ‘trust me.’ I … need some air.”

“Fine. Then walk outside with me.”

Before I can protest, Justin leads me outside to the pool deck. The entire time I’m craning my neck to see if I can catch a glimpse of Luis, with no luck. He said he’d be here, but maybe he changed his mind.

Justin is drunk, too. I can tell by the way he stumbles across the deck before sitting on one of the lounge chairs. “Sit next to me,” he says, then grabs my wrist and urges me down. “You look like a hot tamale.”

“That’s not really a compliment,” I tell him.

He leans toward me. I don’t know if he’s falling on me or trying to feel me up. Either way, he smells like beer and sweat. It’s not a good mix. I push him off me.

“Hey,” I hear Luis say as he steps into view.

He looks good in jeans that hang off his hips just the slightest bit and a T-shirt that looks so worn it’s probably as soft as silk.

Justin glances up at him. “Go away, Mex.”

“Nikki is also Mexican, you dumbass,” Luis says.

Justin stiffens. “Who you calling a dumbass?”

“Nobody! He didn’t mean it,” I say. “Right, Luis?”

“Not really,” Luis says. “I meant it.”

Justin is about to get up and challenge Luis when Derek grabs Justin’s arm and steers him away from Luis. “Dougan, I need your help.”

“With what?” Justin asks.

“Just … something.” Derek leads him into the house, leaving me alone with Luis.

Luis is looking at me as if I’ve betrayed him. “What were you doin’ sittin’ with that
pendejo
?”

“I didn’t actually sit with him … Okay, I did but …” I sigh. Tonight is not going as I planned. I’m buzzed, and I don’t know how to explain that I’ve been waiting for him this entire time. I can show him, though. “Follow me.”

He hesitates.

“Come on,” I say, taking his hand and leading him toward the pool house. I know the key is hidden in the planter. I take it out and open the door with one thing on my mind: to let go of my inhibitions and kiss Luis like I did in my house. This time, we won’t be interrupted. Luis attempts to turn on the light switch, but I put my hand over his.

“Lock the door,” I tell him.

He does.

I walk farther into the room. “I didn’t want to be with Justin tonight. You’re right, he is a
pendejo
.”

“I didn’t like seeing you with him,” he says. “I don’t think I’d like seein’ you with any other guy … besides me.”

Right now I have a desperate need to be held by him. This isn’t going to define me. This is about having fun and living out the fantasy.

“Hold me,” I say. “
Please
.”

“You’re drunk,” he says.

“Just a little buzzed, that’s all.”

“Nikki,” he whispers as he gets closer. As soon as I feel his body heat I reach out and slowly run my hand down his arm.

“Don’t talk,” I whisper. If he talks, he might say something to ruin the moment. To be honest, I’m afraid of what he’ll say.

Being here, in the dark, makes this surreal. It’s like a mixture of fantasy and reality all meshed in one. I’m totally okay with living in Fantasy Land right now, because that’s what I need. If this felt too real, I wouldn’t be able to go through with it.

I brush my lips across his face to his ear. “Hold me, like you wanted to on the boat.”

The second he wraps his arms around me, a sweet calmness washes over my entire body. It reminds me of when he held me protectively when we were in Fox Lake. I’m not deluding myself into thinking this incredible feeling will last forever, but I revel in his embrace. I’m living in the moment, and it feels so amazingly good I never want it to end.

His arms are caressing my back slowly, the warmth of his strong fingers searing my skin through my silky top.

I’ve pushed him away for so long, but tonight the pressure is off. With renewed determination, I reach up and touch my fingertips to his face.

He pulls back. “You sure about this?”

“Definitely,” I say. “You’re my fantasy tonight. Is that okay?”

“Fantasy, huh?”

“Yeah. As in the opposite of reality.” I laugh, giddy just being here with him. I’m excited to put my plan into motion. “Just for tonight, let’s see what happens.”

“And tomorrow?”

Tomorrow? “I haven’t thought that far ahead. I just want to make out with you right now. You game?”

“That depends.”

“On what?” I ask.

He leans forward and kisses the sensitive spot right under my ear, then whispers, “If you want to stop at kissing, or go further.”

When he brushes his lips slowly down my neck, I throw my head back and hope he continues to go slow. I’m not used to slow.

“That feels so good.” I moan as he lets his lips rest on the spot where he can feel my pulse. He kisses the spot lightly. “Keep doing that.”

He kisses it again. And again. And again. “Your pulse is racin’,” he whispers against my skin.

“No shit,” I say, which makes him laugh.

I put my hand on his chest. Through his shirt, I can feel his heart beating hard and fast against my palm. “Yours is, too.”

“Mmm,” he says before I feel the softness of his warm, wet tongue replace his lips on my pulse.

Whoa. I suddenly get dizzy and grab his shoulders for support. His strong arms lock around me immediately and hold me steady, as if he’s more than willing to be my hero tonight.

I need a hero.

It’s romantic. The shades are closed and we have total privacy from the chaos outside. A few slashes of dim light between the slats break through the darkness of the room. I don’t know if it’s the alcohol I drank that’s making me want him so much, but I’ve never felt this way—not even with Marco.

I wish this could last forever.

When his lips sear a path down my neck and he gently pushes the straps of my shirt away to kiss the top of my shoulder, I can’t take it anymore.

“If you don’t kiss me I’m going to die.” I pant. “Forget going slow.”

“I thought you said my tongue action needed work.”

“I lied. Want to try again?”

“Oh, yeah,” he says. “Real bad.”

He hesitates for a split second, but then I feel his palm cup my cheek while his thumb moves back and forth like a soft caress across my lips. I close my eyes and kiss his thumb.

“Does this feel good?” he asks, replacing his thumb with a touch of his lips.

“Yes,” I whisper back. My hands weave into his hair.

I must be more than buzzed, because all I can think about when his lips brush against mine is that I wish we could stay like this forever.

A flick of his tongue against my lips makes my breath hitch.

“Let me taste you,
mi muñeca
.” He moans.

I clear my head from all thoughts and inhibitions as my tongue reaches out for his. He’s a breath away, waiting for me. When our tongues collide, it’s hot and wet and slippery and slow … it feels dirty and sexy and beautiful all at once.

I melt into him as he holds me close. Our mouths are open and tasting each other. I feel like my insides are molten lava as he cups his hands over my butt and urges me closer. I feel him against me, and his obvious bodily reaction to our kiss makes my body ache for his touch.

We’re both breathing heavily now. The place has no air-conditioning, and I’m starting to sweat. In one motion, I break our kiss and pull my shirt over my head. I’m standing here in my shorts and my bra.

I take his hand and place it over my bra. His breath catches, and the hot air around us seems electrified.

His fingers skim the silky satin of my bra and the sensitive skin between my breasts. His hands are skilled and slow. He’s teasing me, and I’m breathing harder in anticipation of him pulling the material aside.

Waiting is complete torture.

I can’t wait anymore. I reach around and unhook my bra, then let it fall to the floor. I wish I could see his face right now.

“Your turn,” I say playfully, then tug on the bottom of his shirt. “I want to feel your skin against mine.”

He hesitates again.

“It’s okay,” I tell him. “Don’t overthink this. We’re having fun. Isn’t that what you want?”

Without further hesitation he rips off his shirt and immediately pulls me against him. My breasts crush against his hard, lean body.

While he caresses my bare back and his hands move down to cup my butt again, I wrap my arms around his neck and my legs around his body. His hands hold me suspended in midair until he carries me to the nearest wall. He presses against my body, holding me against the wall while we grind against each other. His hardness presses against my softness, and I wish we were naked but at the same time I’m glad we’re not, because right now I’m not in control. I’ve lost it, and I have the feeling he has, too.

“Tell me to stop.” He groans against my lips.

I don’t. I can’t. Instead, I wrap my legs around him tighter, urging him to keep moving. He does.

I bite down hard on his bottom lip when things get too intense, too emotional. My hands are on his hot chest and I can’t hold back anymore.

I wrap my arms around him tighter and whimper against his neck. My entire world explodes around me, and the feeling won’t stop. Then I feel him grab me tighter while he comes apart in my arms. It’s just … wow.

“That was amazing,” I say weakly after I come down from the high and catch my breath. “To be honest, I was nervous all week. But … this was a great fantasy, wasn’t it?”

He tenderly touches my hair, then gently runs his fingers through it. “It was more than that,
mi chava
.”

“Yo, Luis!” Marco’s voice calls from the outside of the pool house.
Knock, knock, knock
. “Luis, you in there?”

21

Luis

Nikki quickly covers her nakedness with her hands and whispers in a frantic voice, “It’s Marco. What’s he doing here?”

“I don’t know.” My body is still coming off the high and I can’t think straight. I’ve hardly had time to recover, and I know there’s a good chance the evidence of what we just did is probably gonna be visible. Not good.

Knock. Knock. Knock
.

“I’ll get rid of him.” I pick up her clothes and hand them to her.

I watch as Nikki clutches the bra and shirt to her chest. “Thanks,” she whispers.

She rushes past me, but I take her hand and gently urge her to face me. “Are we cool?” I know it’s a stupid thing to say, but no other words come. I want to tell her more, a lot more, but I can’t.

“Yeah, we’re cool. Just … go.”

She locks herself in the small bathroom while I make sure my shirt covers any evidence of our encounter.

“What the fuck took you so long?” Marco asks.

Shit. Think of something fast.
“Takin’ a piss. What’re you doin’ here? I thought you didn’t party with north siders.”

“I might not party with ’em, but I’ve got business with ’em.”

By
business
he means drugs. “You’re
loco
.”

“And proud of it.”

He peers over my shoulder and scans the pool house, but the lights are off so he can’t see anything. I close the door and head out, hoping to guide Marco far away from Nikki. It’s obvious she doesn’t want him knowing what happened between us. Hell, she might want to deny we fooled around. Or maybe she was so buzzed she won’t even remember it in the morning.

Marco and I walk into the main house. “This place is lame. Let’s bounce,” he says, pushing through the crowd of people who are eyeing us suspiciously.

“Who invited the wetbacks?” Justin Dougan calls out as we leave. He’s on the front lawn with a bunch of the guys on the football team, and they’re not sober. They’re all laughing and giving Dougan high fives for insulting us.

Marco and I both halt, give each other knowing looks, and in unison turn to face Dougan and his crew.

“What the hell did you just call us?” Marco asks, ready for a fight.

“You heard me,” Dougan says. “We only allow immigrants to clean our houses or mow our lawns.”

“Really?” Marco says. “ ’Cause when I screwed your sister in her bedroom two weeks ago she didn’t say anythin’ about that. In fact, I know firsthand that she loves eatin’ big, fat burritos.”

Oh, man. Dougan’s nostrils flare, and his group advances toward us. “You’re dead, Delgado.”

“Did you really screw his sister?” I mumble out of the side of my mouth so only Marco can hear.

He grins mischievously and nods.

“Go back to Mexico where you animals belong,” Dougan says, then spits at us like we’re the animals he accuses us of being.

Without hesitation, Marco charges him. I’ve got his back, though, when two of Dougan’s friends pull him off and start pummeling Marco with their fists. It doesn’t take long for my own fists to start flying.

And it doesn’t take long for a crowd to gather.

I don’t get into fights often, but when I do the beast in me unleashes with a vengeance. Maybe Dougan is right and I am an animal. The instinct to fight is in my Fuentes blood. Two guys are holding me down while a third is kicking my stomach. It doesn’t even hurt … with each blow the rage rising to the surface makes me stronger. I break out of their grasp and bring two of them down before I scramble to get up and pull a guy off of Marco.

I fight one guy to the ground, punching until he stops fighting back. Then Dougan and I get into it. He throws a punch that hits me square in the jaw. I retaliate with a punch of my own that brings him down.

I don’t even notice the flashing blue lights of a cop car until two cops pin me to the ground. One puts his knee on my back and starts to handcuff me. I look over and see another two cops handcuff Marco.

“Get up, Luis,” one of the officers orders.

Huh? I know that voice. I turn to look at the officer. Holy crap. It’s none other than Officer Reyes, my next-door neighbor and the guy who’s been flirting with
mi’amá
.

“Shit,” I groan. “Not you.”

“You know this kid?” another cop asks Reyes.

“Yeah. And I know his ma ain’t gonna be happy he got in a fight.” Reyes looks on the ground right next to me. Two packets wrapped in blue cellophane are lying in the grass. “What are those?” he asks me. “Those come out of your pockets when you were fighting?”

“No.”

He picks up the packets.

“Looks like blow to me,” one of the cops holding Marco says. “You two been dealing tonight?” he asks us.

Marco shakes his head. “No, sir.”

“Cesar, I swear they’re not mine,” I tell him.

I glance up at the crowd and see Nikki, standing with her hand over her mouth in shock. When our eyes meet, she turns away in disgust. She doesn’t believe me.

From the look on Reyes’s face, he doesn’t believe me, either.

He lets out a slow breath and shakes his head in frustration. “All right. You two, over by the squad cars. Now!”

I’m told to spread my legs so Reyes can pat me down.

“Got any weapons, drugs, or needles on you, Luis?”

“No,” I say.

“You high or drunk?” he asks, his hands patting up and down my legs.

“No.”

“Then why were you fighting?”

I shrug. “Just felt like it, I guess.” I’m sure he doesn’t give a shit if the
pendejo
called us wetbacks and thinks Mexicans should be second-class citizens.

“Think hard, because I’m the one who’s gonna have to call your mother to explain why I have you in custody and suspect you were dealing some pretty serious shit. I’d rather give her a reason why you thought it was a good idea to come all the way to the north side of town to cause trouble.”

What, does Reyes think that poor Mexicans are only allowed on the north side to mow lawns and clean houses, too? “I didn’t come here to cause trouble,” I tell him.

“Really? Why are you here?”

“He was invited,” Derek’s voice calls out. “By me.”

“And who the hell are
you
?” Reyes asks.

“I live here.”

“Let me see some ID.” Derek pulls out his ID and Reyes examines it.

Reyes gives a short laugh. “Happy birthday.”

“Thanks.”

“Listen, I’m sure you’re aware that the legal drinking age in Illinois is twenty-one. You’re eighteen.” Reyes
tsk
s and shakes his head. “Where are your parents?”

“Vegas.”

“So you thought you’d host yourself a birthday bash while they were gone?”

Derek nods. “Seemed like a good idea at the time.”

“Uh-huh. Get everyone out of your house, lock it up, and come to the station with us so we can call your parents,” Reyes says.

Derek is one cool
gringo
to come out here and vouch for me. “Don’t take him in, Reyes,” I say. “Give the guy a break. It’s his birthday.”

Reyes shakes his head. “Birthdays aren’t a license to break the law, Luis.”

I’m led to the back of one of the squad cars, while Marco and Derek are led to the other. Two officers drive them away while Reyes walks over to Dougan and his buddies. He talks to them for a while, taking notes the entire time. After a while Reyes and his partner walk back to the squad car I’m in.

Reyes gets in the driver’s seat and turns to me. “You really screwed up tonight.”

“Tell me ’bout it.”

“Listen, Luis. I care about your mother. You being involved in fighting and drug dealing is gonna hurt her real bad.”

“I already told you the
coca
wasn’t mine.”

“Was it your buddy’s stash?”

I shrug. “I don’t know.”

“Here’s the deal. I’m gonna let you and your friends off tonight after calling their parents, because I didn’t find the drugs on your person and a few witnesses said that you and Marco were harassed before the fight. But I’ll be watching you like a fucking hawk from now on. If I find out you’re dealing or getting into more fights, I’ll be on your ass so fast your head will spin.”

Shit, this guy is worming his way into
mi’amá
’s life, and now he’s going all parental on me. I’ve lived without a father my entire life, and have done just fine.

“You’re not my father,” I remind him.

“You’re right. If I were, I’d lock you in juvie for the night to teach you a lesson.”