Freeks(6)

“Nope. I’m still here,” I said.

She handed me the can. “I wasn’t sure what kind you’d like, so I hope this is fine.”

I smiled. “Pepsi is great, thanks.”

“So. I see you met my little brother.” Selena put her elbow on his shoulder, attempting to lean on him, but since he was much taller than her too, it left her at a comically awkward angle. “I don’t know what Mom and Dad fed him as a kid, but he just wouldn’t stop growing.”

He glanced down at his sister. “We were just talking about how you two know each other.”

“Logan is completely smashed, and she helped me haul him inside,” Selena explained, straightening up so she wasn’t leaning on him so inelegantly.

“And yet Logan is still the best boyfriend you’ve had so far,” he said with a thin smile.

Selena swatted him on the arm, but kept her attention on me. “I know you said your name outside, but I’m sorry, it’s totally slipped my mind.”

“Mara,” I said.

“Mara?” her brother repeated.

I nodded. “Mara Beznik.”

“Gabe Alvarado.” He held his hand out for me to shake. “Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise,” I said as his hand enveloped mine.

“And I’m Selena Alvarado.” She leaned forward, interjecting her hand, so I shook it. “Anyway. This is my party, so I should mingle. But I do hope you stay and have fun.” She stepped back, then clapped Gabe on the arm. “Play nice.”

“I always do,” he told her.

“Well, I don’t want to be a party crasher,” I said after Selena had disappeared into the party. “I should probably head out.”

“You’re not crashing,” Gabe insisted. “You promised my sister you’d stay for a drink, so you should at the very least do that.”

“I guess I can.” I opened the soda and sipped slowly from it. “So this is your house?”

“Well, my parents’ house, but yeah, I live here with them and my sister.” He looked around, as if noticing how grand the house was for the first time.

“It’s a nice place,” I said, admiring it. “Your parents don’t mind that you’re having a party?”

“Well, they’re out of town for tonight,” he admitted, looking around. “But they’re used to there being huge parties. My uncle Beau used to have these big blowouts every spring, and people from all over the country would come.”

My eyes widened. “Wow. And I thought this party was big.”

“Yeah.” He leaned closer to me then. “It’s kind of noisy down here. Why don’t we go someplace quieter so we can talk?”

I’d been taking a drink from my Pepsi, and I had to put my hand over my mouth when I started laughing.

“What?” Gabe straightened up, a confused expression on his face.

“I didn’t know people actually used that line.” I wiped at the soda from my mouth and smirked up at him. “Does it usually work?”

“Sometimes, yeah.” He nodded. “So?”

“So what?” I asked.

“So I do want to talk to you.” He stared down at me, a smile playing on his lips, but his eyes were hopeful. “And it is awfully loud down here. Will you go someplace quieter to talk? I promise I won’t try anything else.” He paused. “Not unless you want me to.”

I looked up at him and considered my options. I could leave this party and walk back to my trailer, where my mother and Blossom would already be asleep, and I’d either finish my V. C. Andrews novel or go to sleep myself.

Or I could stay here at this party and talk to this guy with bedroom eyes. Maybe he’d try to kiss me, and if he was nice enough, I might even let him. Or not, but the option of a real kiss was almost always better than a night in bed with a book.

“Okay,” I said finally. “Let’s go someplace quiet.”

“Excellent.” He grinned.





3. arcana

“Your bedroom?” I asked with a cocked eyebrow. “Really?”

Gabe stood in the doorway with a look of exaggerated innocence. He’d flicked on the light and gestured back to the room behind him.

“It’s just quiet. That’s it,” he assured me. “And there’s plenty of room. So you don’t even have to sit anywhere near me.”

I leaned forward, peering into his room, surprised by how spacious it was. It was probably bigger than my whole trailer, but I would never tell him that. His unmade bed had to be at least twice the size of the narrow twin mattress I slept on every night.

A small TV with a Nintendo hooked up to it sat on a dresser, and a beanbag chair sat in front of it. Band posters covered the walls, mostly for INXS and The Smiths, but there was one of a scantily clad Madonna. The stereo in the corner was buried underneath cassette tapes and records.

Dirty clothes were overflowing from a hamper. Otherwise, it looked fairly clean for a teenage guy’s room. Or at least compared to the guys’ rooms I’d seen.

“What do you say?” Gabe asked, leaning on his door with an imploring look in his eyes. “Are you in or are you out?”

“Well, I have come this far already.” I sighed dramatically, causing Gabe to laugh a little as I stepped into his room.