Blocked

by Jennifer Lane

  “I never intended for this to happen,” Allison said. “Office romances aren’t the best idea.” She paused. “But I’m glad it did. I’ve had a crush on you since Glynco.”

  “You have? Damn it, I wish my gaydar had been more accurate back then.”

  Apparently Allison and I had more in common than I’d realized. No wonder she’d been so giddy about moving into the greenhouse—it was an opportunity to get closer to the object of her lust. I looked at my forever crush, whose dark eyes smoldered. ¡Hijole!

  Tonight portended to be a disaster.

  I entered the green room with Frank and Allison tailing me. Though it had sucked to say goodbye to Dane—he was now with his family in their own space behind the stage—I bounced on my feet when I saw my entire family waiting for me. It had been too long since we’d all been together.

  “¡Hermanita!” Alejandro bellowed before wrapping me in a hug and kissing me on the cheek. “’Bout time you made it.”

  “¡Hola, Alex!”

  My mom scowled at my T-shirt and yoga pants. “You’re not wearing that, are you?”

  I scowled right back. “We rushed here from practice, Mom.”

  “I’ve got her change of clothes right here,” Allison said, holding aloft my garment bag.

  Mom held out her arms. “I meant to say, you look beautiful.” Her brown eyes sparkled. “Forgive me?”

  I rolled my eyes as I stepped into her hug. Thankfully she didn’t smell like cigarette smoke.

  Mateo raised his fist and bumped mine.

  I jabbed him with a light punch. “What, no hug?”

  He gave a shy grin and allowed me to embrace him. Jeez, the kid was only a few inches shorter than me now. I wondered if he would grow as tall as Dane.

  “Sorry we missed your game.” He looked down.

  “I’m actually glad you guys couldn’t make it…total slaughter.”

  “Yeah, what happened?” Alejandro asked.

  I grimaced. Nina happened. “Long story. It’ll be better the next time we play.” On election night.

  “Lucy!” My dad broke off from a small group seated around a conference table and came toward me. He looked quite handsome in his navy suit, crisp white shirt, and red tie. “I’ve missed you, mija!” His hug lifted me off my feet, reminding me of dizzy twirls in his strong hold, my giggles filling the living room of our childhood home.

  “So how do you like college?”

  I peeked around him to see his campaign manager drumming his fingers on the table, next to the vice presidential candidate and his wife, with a few Secret Service agents hovering nearby. And there was my Aunt Maricela as well. Tía Mari and I waved at each other, then I looked back at my dad. “I don’t want to interrupt your last-minute prep for tonight.”

  “If I don’t know it by now, the Republicans nominated the wrong guy.”

  “They definitely nominated the right guy.” I grinned at him. “But we can catch up later.”

  “Darn election.” He frowned. “Okay, but real quick…tell me your favorite thing about Highbanks.”

  Dane Monroe. My heartbeat kicked up as I imagined what would happen if I’d said that out loud. “Uh…um, well it’s gotta be my teammate Maddie. She’s super nice, and she’s taught me a lot about hitting.”

  “Excellent. It’s good to have somebody to push you—to make you better.”

  Like Dane.

  “Adolfo?” Dad’s manager had joined us. He gestured back to the table.

  Dad kissed my forehead and returned to debate prep.

  “Ms. Ramirez?”

  I looked over at a chair set up in front of a mirror, where two women stood and smiled at me for some reason. “Yeah?”

  “Time for hair and makeup!”

  I snorted, but the makeup lady kept smiling and held out the chair for me. I inched back. “What?”

  “If I had to get makeup, you do, too,” Mateo said as he propelled me to the chair.

  Now that I looked closer at his face, I detected some traces of foundation and blush. “No way!” I cradled his cheeks as he shoved me forward. “You look so pretty!”

  “Shut it.” He latched onto my shoulders and pushed me into the chair.

  In the mirror, I watched Allison backpedal to the door. “We’ll leave you to it,” she said.

  Frank shook his head. “I’ll stay.”

  I watched him move to the conference table before tugs on my scalp diverted my attention. The thin, blond woman fanned out my hair. “Did you let this air dry?”

  “Yeah?” She’d made it sound like a capital offense.

  The makeup artist exhaled. “We have our work cut out for us.”

  Twenty minutes later, I zipped up a red and black block-color dress in a private bathroom off the green room and stepped closer to the mirror to check out my glam self. Day-um, as Brad would say. I shouldn’t have been so disdainful of the beauty artists who’d gussied me up. The soft waves of my hair shone, and their smoky eye shadow and mascara made my eyes pop. I couldn’t wait for Dane to see me.

  Gazing at my happy face, it seemed like so long ago that I’d fantasized about hightailing it from Highbanks—though I always knew I couldn’t. My first month had been miserable. But Maddie had mentored me in the art of getting the most out of our surly coach. Dr. Valentine and Whitney had helped me manage stress better so I could finally breathe. And the best mood booster of all had come from Dane admitting his feelings for me. Squee! My feet did a little tap dance just thinking about him. Regardless of whether my parents’ address remained in Houston or relocated to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, I’d found a home at Highbanks.

  “Lucia Maricela Ramirez!”

  My smile vanished. That was my dad’s voice.

  I took a tentative step out of the bathroom to find my parents glaring at me. “¿Sí?”

  A storm raged in my father’s eyes. “You’ve been with Dane Monroe?!?”

  My throat closed in on itself as my hand flew to my mouth. A glance to the right revealed the source of my father’s information—he stood there with a righteous set to his jaw. “Frank!” I squeaked. I fought to suck in a breath. “How could you tell them?”

  “So you’re not denying it?” My father stepped forward and hissed, “You had sex with him?”

  “What?” I shrieked. Air, I need air.

  “¡Ay, Lucia!” my mother cried.

  Our raised voices had drawn in my brothers from the other side of the room, and Alejandro’s mouth dropped open. “I knew it! How could you be so stupid, Lucia?”

  “What’s happening?” asked Mateo.

  Tremors started up my legs and into my torso, and I couldn’t look at my family’s horrified faces. The only words I could form were directed to my betrayer, Frank. “How could you?”

  “Your parents had a right to know.” Frank folded his arms across his chest. “Especially after Dane forced that girl to get an abortion.”

  “He did what?” If I thought my father had been angry before, that was nothing compared to the flash of hatred in his eyes, the violence in his voice. A tortilla could burn in the hot air huffed from his nostrils.

  “¿Qué pasa?” Tía Mari asked as she approached us. She cupped my father’s tense shoulder. “Cálmate, Adolfo.”

  My mother whimpered. “¡Es el diablo!”

  “Dane’s not the devil!” My family recoiled as I shouted. This was the first time I’d ever yelled like that.

  “Lucia.” My father’s tone was the harshest I’d ever heard.

  My cheeks warmed, and I took a deep breath. “Sorry, Dad, but you don’t have your facts straight.”

  He paced for a moment, like a caged beast, then swallowed. “Then enlighten us.”

  “Well, first…” Flames of mortification licked my face. “Dane and I aren’t having sex.” Thank Dios Dane stopped us.

  Mateo snickered. “This is epic.” Alejandro cuffed his ear. “Ow!”

  My father closed his eyes, seeming relieved. “I’m glad to hear that.
”

  “Five minutes, everyone,” a male agent interrupted.

  “Adolfo, you need to focus on the debate,” my father’s campaign manager told him.

  But nobody paid attention to either man. Not with the sordid details of my love life flayed wide open in front of my entire freaking family.

  “Secondly…” I glowered at Frank. “Dane didn’t know about the girl’s pregnancy until after the abortion.”

  “Just how do you know that?” Frank challenged.

  “Because he told me!”

  “Yeah, that’s reliable,” Alejandro scoffed.

  “And the girl in question admitted it, too,” I added with a huff.

  My mother shook her head. “You know her? Who is this girl?”

  “I shouldn’t say. I’ll respect her privacy, unlike some people.” Another hostile glance at Frank. “She felt like she had no other choice.”

  “There’s always a choice!”

  “I know, Mamá.” I sighed. “And I think she regrets it now. Dane too. The abortion…it crushed him.”

  Tia Mari’s low laugh began to build. My father turned to his sister. “What could possibly be funny right now?”

  “Lucy has it bad, bad, bad for this boy.” She kept chuckling. “Your daughter’s fallen for a liberal.”

  “Like hell she has!” He grabbed my wrists. “Mija, you’ve got a good head on your shoulders. How can you want anything to do with that corrupt family? They intend to destroy our country!”

  I opened my mouth to respond, but nothing came out. I wasn’t ready for this—I hadn’t thought this through. Why had Frank snitched my secret? He’d ruined this entire night. I felt tears well up, and I tried to blink them away. Dad let go of my wrists and began pacing again.

  Mateo shrugged. “I like Dane. He’s cool.”

  I’d never loved my brother more. “Thank you, Matty.” I turned to my parents. “Dad, Mom, this isn’t about Dane’s family, or his politics. It’s about him. I’m not changing who I am, but I care about Dane. He’s a good person…I hope you’ll come to see that.”

  “No.” My father’s jaw flexed. “I won’t. You don’t know these people like I do, Lucy. They’re not good people. They lie, they cheat.”

  “Don’t you know that’s exactly what Dane thought of you, at first? But then he got to know me, and…”

  Whoops. Dad snorted fire again—clearly that hadn’t been the best argument for winning him over. “I won’t have my only daughter mixed up with that family.”

  “Governor?” His manager approached.

  “One second!” Dad bellowed, then gave me the death stare. “Whatever you’ve started with Dane Monroe, you’ll end it. Tonight, mija. We’ll move you to another place. It’s over.”

  No. My breath came in spasms, close to hyperventilation. Tears cascaded down my cheeks as agents herded my family toward the door.

  “Governor,” the manager said, “when she brings up global warming as scientific certainty—”

  “No!” The word flew out of my mouth, and my father spun around. I swiped my cheeks. “I won’t leave Dane. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  My mother gasped. “Lucia.”

  Dad’s face colored to the shade of a hot red pepper. “You most certainly will—”

  “Governor, I’m sorry, we must go.” The manager hustled him out the door to the waiting area behind the stage as the agents lined us up.

  My mother’s hands shook as she pulled a cigarette out of her purse and attempted to light it.

  Alejandro swooped in to yank it from her lips. “No time for that, Mamá.”

  She frowned.

  Tia Mari rubbed her back. “Está bien, Sylvia. It will be okay.” She glanced at me, then back at my mother. “Have you seen that boy? Who wouldn’t fall for him?” She winked at me. “Well done, Lucy. I think he’s a hunk.”

  I somehow managed to smile at her through my tears. As we proceeded toward the auditorium, Frank sidled next to me and offered me some tissues.

  “You know, Frank…” I yanked the tissues from his grasp. “I already have a father.”

  “I’m sorry, but—”

  “Stay away from me.” I dabbed beneath my eyes and marched away.

  As we emerged from behind the stage and filed into the packed auditorium, the spectators clapped and hollered. Why did they celebrate my family’s arrival? We hadn’t done anything worth applauding. In fact, the bombshell Frank dropped on my father minutes before he took the stage would likely destroy his performance in this key debate.

  On the other side of the auditorium, I noticed Dane and his family heading toward their seats, also in the front row. His sister walked in front of him and his father behind him, along with some agents and people I didn’t know, and he looked as gloomy as I felt. He carried his body with a sense of tension I hadn’t seen since Beergate. Look at me, I willed. I need to see you. Finally he lifted his head and glanced my way. When his dour expression brightened, the pressure in my chest evaporated. His smile was that dazzling. I noticed how his crisp black suit accentuated his height and the broadness of his shoulders. Unfortunately, once we sat, I couldn’t see him without leaning forward in an obvious move.

  My black clutch vibrated, and it took me a second to realize it was my phone. I never carried a purse—way too girly, but my heart soared once I read Dane’s text:

  You look stunning tonight.

  He was obviously too far away to see my blotchy face. Alejandro whispered to our mother on my left, but Mateo grinned at me from the right. “Sexting?” He smirked.

  I elbowed him, then furtively typed:

  Gracias. U look guapo, like always. U ok?

  As I waited for his response, cheers erupted and the candidates took the stage. I’d never realized Senator Monroe’s beauty until I saw her in person. Of course, I should’ve known she had to be gorgeous to produce a son like Dane. Her lithe frame moved elegantly, and her eyes held a spark of intelligence and sass. Her dark purple business jacket and skirt must have cost a fortune, and I loved the floral scarf tied at her neck. My phone buzzed again.

  My dad’s a prick.

  My lips parted. Dane had never discussed his father before. And though my father had his moments, I would never say something like that about him. I knew his freak-out about Dane was just because he loved me.

  I looked up at my father as he stood behind the podium. His hard stare pulsed hostility across the stage, and I realized he likely aimed his fury at Dane. I gulped. Dane had a right to know what had happened.

  Speaking of dads, mine knows.

  The return text came seconds later:

  Fuck ME.

  Despite my prior meltdown over the situation, I stifled a giggle. His potty mouth was something to behold. Yet another thing my dad wouldn’t like.

  My dad looked straight at me as the moderator began to speak, and it seemed like he was barely holding it together. I mouthed, “Te amo.” His glare seemed to soften.

  “Welcome to Florida State University, site of the last presidential debate. I’m Molly Martins, your moderator this evening.” From her perch at a desk downstage, she paused as applause echoed through the auditorium. “We will start with an opening statement from each candidate, three minutes each. First, Governor Adolfo Ramirez.”

  My eyebrows arched. Perhaps letting Dad go first meant the moderator’s liberal bias wouldn’t show tonight. Or perhaps she could see how rattled he looked and wanted to pounce on that.

  “Thank you, Ms. Martins. Good evening, Senator Monroe.” He nodded at Dane’s mother, then gripped the podium. “My father grew up in Mexico, and though he had a loving family, he wanted a better life: Economic opportunity. Safety. Autonomy. Freedom. Where could he find these treasures? What country did he pine for? America, of course…the beacon of light to so many around the world. When he was nineteen, my father legally emigrated to Texas, where he met my mother.”

  He smiled as he walked to the side of the stage, appearin
g relaxed and animated like his typical self.

  I exhaled.

  “The America my sister and I grew up in was a strong one. Education: top-notch. Innovation: fostered. Entrepreneurship: celebrated. Freedom: cherished.

  “The America my three children grow up in…” He looked straight at me as he moved to the center of the stage. “Sadly, it has weakened under eight years of liberal leadership. Our government fosters dependency, paying citizens more to stay at home than to work. For those who are able, work is crucial for well-being, yet we deny them that key sense of self-worth. Excessive regulations have produced a stranglehold on innovation and freedom. And our economy? Well, our economy sucks.”

  What sounded like surprised laughter bubbled up from the audience.

  “My administration will restore strength to our great country. We will surge forward with vibrant success, leveraging the untapped talents of our diverse population. We will achieve excellence once again!”

  Did he honestly just pump his fist? The crowd erupted into thunderous applause, and I looked over my shoulder with awe at the clapping spectators behind me. A few shouts of “Rez for Pres!” rang out. Maybe he did have a chance to win. Clearly jazzed, Alejandro tapped my thigh with his fist.

  “Thank you!” the moderator shouted, barely heard over the volume of cheers. “His time is up,” she repeated, until finally the crowd quieted. My phone buzzed in my hand.

  Not bad. He’s dead wrong, but at least he’s passionate.

  Jerk. I typed back immediately:

  Should’ve seen his passion when he found out about us.

  “Senator Monroe, your three minutes begin now.”

  “Thank you, Molly.” Dane’s mother smiled warmly. “I started my career as a psychologist, where I first learned about the resilience and strength of Americans. For the past eleven years, it’s been an honor serving in the US Senate, representing the good people of our country. Most recently, I’ve cherished the opportunity to learn even more about Americans on the campaign trail—to listen to their hopes and dreams. People like José Almada, a migrant farm worker in California who battled for over ten years to gain citizenship.”