Page 111 of Wicked Savage Cruel
Aaron nods as though he understands, but his next words stab into my chest like a knife. “Don’t you think Emilio deserves to love him too?”
Tears prick the corners of my eyes and I hastily wipe them away. “I was going to tell him. I am going to tell him.” I suck in a breath. “There just is never a good time and whenever I try and get him alone or have an actual conversation with him—”
“He defaults into putting the moves on you?” Aaron says with a sad smile. I don’t bother correcting him because no, Emilio isn’t interested in me anymore. It’s every other girl with a set of tits that he’s chasing after. “I can see how that might be a problem but…” he hesitates then exhales a loud sigh, “you need to tell him. Soon. The longer you wait, the worse it’ll be. You’ve already waited a year in a half.”
Not on purpose. “I didn’t know who he was.” He must think I’m such a horrible person right now. “We didn’t exchange information. Not even names. I had no way of letting him know I was pregnant after the fact,” I rush to explain. I don’t want him thinking I kept Emilio from his son intentionally. That was never the objective here.
“But you knew the first day you came to Sun Valley High?” he hedges.
I nod. “Yeah. I recognized him right away.”
He considers me, tapping his forefinger against his chin. “It’s been a week. I’ll give you one more to find a way to tell him. It would be better if it came from you. But if you can’t do it, I have to tell him. He deserves to know.”
I swallow hard and open my mouth to ask for more time, but the front door opens and in walks Miguel, pulling both of our attentions his way.
“Hey, Bibi. Your mom upstairs?” Miguel asks as soon as he sees me. “Oh. I didn’t realize you had a friend here.” He scowls as he takes Aaron in. “Is Jae here too?” he adds, and there’s an edge in his voice. I stop myself from rolling my eyes, because of course he would see Aaron and assume he’s Jae’s competition. It doesn’t matter that I’ve told Jae and Miguel, and my mom for that matter, that I am not interested in dating anyone.
I just want to focus on graduating. Is that too much to ask?
“Who’s Jae?” Aaron asks, taking Miguel’s bait. Urgh.
“He’s Bibi’s—”
“Friend.” I cut him off. “We’re friends and no, he’s not here. I haven’t seen him since this morning.” And only because he still insists on driving me to school every day. “And yes, Mom’s upstairs with Luis. She went to bed early. She looked beat.”
Miguel nods and grabs a beer from the fridge. “Yeah, she’s been helping me with some of the accounting at work,” he says as he cracks open the bottle and downs half its contents in one pull. Voices can be heard from the living room, and Miguel cocks his head, pointing his beer toward the hallway. “Who else is here?”
“A few friends. We’re just hanging out. Watching movies.”
“Sleepover?” he asks, a glint in his eyes that puts me on edge. He’s been weird lately. I mean, he’s always been a little weird but weirder than usual. Miguel’s never been anything but nice to me. Sometimes overly nice and I usually just brush it aside. But right now, Miguel has a distinct creeper factor that is making me uncomfortable.
Just then all three girls come into the room. “Hey, what’s taking so long?” Monique asks with a bounce to her step.
“Yeah, I was starting to wonder if you were making out with my brother,” Kasey jokes, flicking her gaze between us before settling on Miguel. “But I can see that’s not the case. Did you make the popcorn?”
“Here, let me help you out with that.” Miguel says, taking the bag of popcorn from the counter and pouring it into a bowl. “What are you girls going to be up to tonight? Hopefully not getting into trouble,” he says it with a smirk, and again the creep-o-meter jumps up.
No one answers him. Monique and Kasey are both giving him polite but wary smiles, meanwhile Allie’s gone pale as a ghost.
“Are you okay?” I ask her but she doesn’t look at me. Her eyes are trained on Miguel, her chest rising and falling at a rapid clip.
He turns his attention to her and recognition sparks. “Well, fuck me.”
FIFTY-ONE
Emilio
“What’s going on in that head of yours?” Dominique asks in the locker room. We just wrapped up practice and I’m sore as fuck. I drop my football helmet and pads beside my locker as I peel my sweat-soaked shirt over my head, rubbing my stomach in the process. I’m fucking starving.
“Nothing, man. I’m good.”
“Liar,” Roman says as he comes in the room and drops his gear beside mine.
“What’s going on with you and Allie’s new friend?” he asks. “Because whatever is eating at you, it has to do with her.”
I shake my head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Nothing’s eating at me. I’m good.”
“Right.” Dominique cuffs me on the shoulder. “So good you can’t stop staring at the girl every time she walks into a room.”
