The Bad Boy with a Heart of Gold

✖ Chapter 15 ✖

I was a brand new person on Friday after school. Not only was the weekend finally here, but things were finally looking up for the Martinez Fernandez family. Toni was staying home for the weekend and we were going shopping for baby stuff with mama tomorrow while papa was at the shop. Toni also figured it was high time she had The Talk with Adam, and I came up with the perfect plan to facilitate it.

Five Guys at Waterford Lakes. Okay, so I was craving a cheeseburger, but I had to tutor Sawyer as well and I was not going to do it a) at the library with a bunch of gossipy witnesses or my best friends around and b) it had to be a good place where I could work and keep an eye on Toni, in case things didn't go smoothly. This was the best possible safe ground for all of those things.

I'd devoured my burger while waiting for the action. Toni was sitting at a different table by herself while she waited for Adam, and I sat in a corner, conveniently hidden from Adam's view—whenever he arrived—by Sawyer's head.

Speaking of. I glanced at him. His face was bent forward as he read his English book, obscured by a curtain of blond hair that had a life of its own. I did get a glimpse of his lips as they closed around his stump of a pencil, as though it were a cigarette. I didn't know how he could make something as gross as chewing on a pencil look like an erotic caress, but here I was steadily getting more bothered the more I took in the scene. I knew exactly what was going to happen tonight. I was going to run on home, lock myself in my room and draw it. Him. And fantasize about his lips against my skin.

He pulled the pencil out of his mouth and licked his lips as he concentrated on making notes. That jolted me out of my mind. Twist and Shout started playing from the speakers and for the first time in my life I realized that The Beatles lyrics were actually not as innocent as most people thought. Or was that just me?

I took a sip of my ice tea to cool myself down and rearranged myself on the booth seat. In front of me was my homework, which until next week was mostly going to be helping out the Homecoming Committee. A couple of people from the committee had to drop last minute and I volunteered to help. On one hand, yes, I figured this may make a good mention on my college applications. On the other hand I didn't have anybody to go with, and if I joined the committee I was bound to look busy that night and not sad and lonely and pathetic. Most of the grunt work was already done anyway, so it wasn't a big deal.

I was going to meet the committee on Monday after class, and I had two tasks. The first one was to bring a proposal for how to best put the decorations in the school gym. The place had to look nice enough that it helped us all forget that we were at the school gym, a place of pain, sweat, humiliation and victory for only a few. Come to think, Homecoming was probably going to follow in that same pattern as well.

I had filled up three pages of my notebook with drawings of how I pictured the place would look like, based on the decorations we'd already purchased. They were going to be pissed when I told them that not all of them worked, though.

The door opened and as I'd got used to doing for the past half hour, I looked up to see if it was Adam. And there he was, in all of his Abercrombie & Fitch model type of glory, all twinkling eyes full of mischief and sweet smile full of shyness. It was a strange mix and I was past blaming Toni for this catastrophe. He would probably have made a good boyfriend.

I watched as his baby blues lit up as he found my sister, and he made a beeline around the tables to join her. He didn't notice how a couple of girls nearby appraised him with blatant interest, or even how the middle aged woman waiting for her order did a double take. Adam took a seat in front of my sister and fixed up his polo shirt as though he wanted to put his best self forward to Toni.

He was totally smitten with her. A little intimidated too, if I guessed. Maybe they could work things out. Maybe Adam would become part of the family.

And for the first time I wondered what would be the circumstances for me, when I finally brought a boy home.

I shook my head to myself and was about to focus on the decorations when my phone rang. I fumbled with it for a hot moment, because for some reason my hands had become raw nerve. Once I flipped the phone over and saw who was calling, I felt like I'd hit the jackpot.

"Hi, Leti," I said, grinning from ear to ear. This caught Sawyer's attention, whose eyebrow lifted up a notch. I twisted around a little so I could ignore him because I didn't want to suffer palpitations while I was trying to negotiate something important.

Leti was the niece of another one of dad's employees, and she happened to be best friends with the lead singer of Casual Friday Funeral. The band had boomed overnight and become the newest Orlando sensation, and the Homecoming Committee lost the plot when I told them I might be able to get them to come.

"Hey chica," she said. "I talked with the gang and they can make themselves available, but it won't be for free."

I allowed myself a second of celebration that probably made me look like I'd had too much sugar. This was perfect. The Committee was willing to shell out some good cash to get the band. Leti and I spoke about the terms and made a deal, and when the phone call was done I knew people at school would think I could walk on sunshine.

Best. Feeling. In. The. World.

I could barely contain the squeal that tore from my ribcage.

"Wow."

I froze mid smile as I looked up at Sawyer. He was leaned back, looking at me like I was the homework, and not the books on the table. His brow creased in the middle and the blazing grey of his eyes created a tickling sensation in my skin that almost made me wonder if I was still wearing clothes.

"What?" I snapped. Who was he to cause weird feelings in me with just one look? No one! And I had best remember that.

"Oh, nothing," Sawyer said in a way that clearly meant it was something. I folded my arms, expecting some of his teasing to spew out of his mouth and instead what came out was, "It's been a really long time since I last saw you smile like that."

I blanked.

I blinked once, twice. Finally I caved and asked, "What are you talking about?"

He put his arms on the table and leaned forward, which felt like an invasion of my personal space despite the fact that there was plenty of table in between us.

"Like that. With genuine joy. Sweet. Nothing calculated behind it." Then he gave me a smile, not one of his usual smirks, and gave me a killer blow when he said, "It looks really good on you."

haaaay