“Nope, I got on the pill when I started going with Reggie,” she said. “And I never got off. I figured better safe than sorry.”
Sarah didn’t blink for a few seconds. The curiosity about what Valerie had actually done with Alex was killing her. But the fear of Valerie asking her about her and Angel’s intimacy kept her from asking. As it turned out, she didn’t have to. Valerie made herself comfortable on Sarah’s bed and began telling her. “He is absolutely the best kisser ever.”
Sarah smiled, thinking of Angel’s amazing kisses. She’d never had a conversation like this with a girl, and she liked it. Even though she could talk to Sydney about anything, there were certain things she knew she never would, especially about Angel. It just felt wrong. She had told him about them making out and stuff but left out the details.
Valerie continued. “And oh my God, he’s an animal. From the moment we started kissing, he barely gave me a second to breathe. You’d think with someone like him, who I’m sure can get it anytime he wants, he wouldn’t be so hungry for it.”
“Where were you?” Sarah asked.
“Oh, get this.” Valerie smiled. “Earlier, before we even left the restaurant, I brought up football: you know, asking him how different college was compared to high school. So he gets all into it, telling me about it and said his friend has a lot of it on video and maybe someday he can show me it. So later in the evening, he took me to get sushi, and then we walked on the beach. That’s when he first kissed me—”
“Did you have to stand on something?” Sarah giggled.
Valerie tried to look mad, but her smile gave her away. “If you must know, he was sitting on the brick wall that separates the beach from the walkway when he pulled me to him and said he had to kiss me.”
Sarah grinned.
“Anyway!” Valerie said. “After he kissed me, he wouldn’t stop and started talking about how we should go to his friend’s house to watch the video of him playing. So I said okay. Why not, right? Turns out his friend, who’s not in town, has a bachelor pad not too far from where we were. He left Alex a key. Tell me he didn’t have that one planned.”
Sarah was still trying to picture tiny little Valerie with brawny Alex. He had to be at least 6’4”and looked every bit the linebacker that he was. Valerie was maybe 5’3” and was as petite as they came. “So did you watch the tapes?”
“We started to.” Valerie chewed her nail. “But we hadn’t been on the sofa very long before he was all over me. I swear, if I hadn’t been on my period, I so would’ve gone for it.”
Sarah’s eyes were as big as saucers again. “Did you tell him you were on your period?”
“No way!” Valerie gasped. “I told him I didn’t feel comfortable considering that I’d just met him, which was stupid ’cause next thing you know, I’m on my knees, gagging on his massiveness.”
Sarah covered her face and laughed. “Spare me the visual, please!” She took her hand away from her face. “So, did he ask to see you again?”
“Well, he didn’t last night. But he asked for my number and called this morning, saying he wanted to see me again.”
“You went out with him again already?” Valerie nodded, smiling. “Valerie, maybe he really is into you. You two really seemed to click yesterday.”
“We went right back to his friend’s place, Sarah. The only thing he wants to get into is this.” She pointed at her crotch. “And he will as soon as the curse is gone.”
Sarah looked at her, disappointed. Valerie didn’t seem disappointed at all. She crinkled her nose. “Is that my phone?”
She jumped off the bed and ran to her room. She was gone for a few minutes, and Sarah walked to her room to say goodnight. When she got there, Valerie was on her bed, talking on the phone with a big smile on her face. “Alex,” she mouthed, smiling.
Sarah did the Valerie, and ran to listen in, leaning against Valerie’s ear.
“So cancel those plans,” he said. “I’ll pick you up at seven.”
“All right, I guess.”
“You guess?”
Valerie laughed. “I'm kidding, Alex. Yes, that sounds good.”
There was a long silence on the other end; then finally he sighed. “You’re real funny, Z.”
“You’re just too easy.”
“Yeah, well, you’re not,” he said. “I gotta go. I’m up at five tomorrow, but don’t forget.”
“I’ll try.”
“You know what—”
“You see!” She smiled. “Of course I won’t forget. Better?”
“Much better,” he said. “Good night.”
Sarah watched Valerie flip her phone shut. “You are so bad. He was really getting mad.”
“Nah,” Valerie said. “He knows I like playing with him. He just goes along with it, acting the part.”
“Why’d he call you Z?”
“For Zuniga,” Valerie said. “It’s a football thing, I guess. He says he calls just about all his pals at school by their last names. But I’ve noticed he only does it when I really push his buttons.”
Sarah cocked an eyebrow. “I don’t know, Valerie. He saw you all weekend, and he’s calling already for another date?” She got off the bed. “And what plans are you canceling?”
“Oh, when he asked if I was busy on Wednesday, I told him I had plans. I’m telling you it’s probably just throwing him for a loop that he hasn’t gotten in my pants yet. As soon as he does, I can guarantee you he’s gone.”
“So why give it up then?”
Valerie looked at her sympathetically as she got up in front of the mirrored closet door. “Silly little Sarah,” she said. “You really think he’s gonna hang around forever, just to get some of this?”
Sarah frowned, but before she could say anything, Valerie continued, “Besides, I told you I’m not looking for a relationship. I’m perfectly happy with the chance to be with the Alex Moreno just a few times. This is all I’ve ever wanted.”
Sarah wasn’t so sure about that. She didn’t care what Valerie said; she knew what she heard. Alex sounded pissed. But if Valerie insisted, what could she say? Valerie did know Alex a lot better than she did.
The phone rang again, and they both jumped then exchanged glances. Valerie looked at the caller ID.
“It’s him again!” She sat down on the bed, and Sarah assumed the position right next to her ear.
“Hello?”
“Z, one question.”
“What?”
“What were your plans Wednesday night?”
Valerie turned and looked at Sarah wide-eyed and covered her mouth. “Um, nothing really,” she said. “I was just gonna go out with my girlfriends. Why?”
There was silence again on the other end. “Just wondering,” he said. “All right, I’ll let you go to sleep now. See you Wednesday.”
Valerie smiled and said goodnight. She looked at Sarah, who was giving her a knowing look. “Before you say anything”—she held her hand up—“I’ve already told you guys are territorial, especially ones with such big egos. That’s all it is. It means nothing.”
She looked so smug and sounded so sure, but Sarah felt uneasy. She would’ve never believed it, but she was beginning to worry about Valerie playing games with Alex.
Chapter 12
By Monday, everything was back to normal with Sarah and Angel. They’d never spent their morning or lunch breaks together. So when Angel saw Dana by her locker just before lunch, he figured it was as good a time as any to take care of this once and for all.
Two friends were with her. Her eyes brightened when she saw him approach. She quickly dismissed her friends. “I'll talk to you guys later.”
“Hey.” She smiled big at Angel, tossing her hair back. “What’s up?”
“Do you have a minute?”
“For you? Of course.”
“I know what you were doing Friday, Dana. It’s gotta stop.”
Her smile dissolved, and she glanced into her locker. “I don’t know what you mea
n.”
“Sure you do.” He spoke calmly.
She stared straight ahead. “You gave me that jersey, don’t you remember?”
“No, I lent it to you, and you never gave it back.”
She shifted her weight and finally met his eyes. Angel saw right through her attempt to appear injured. “You want it back? Is that what this is about?”
“Yeah, I do. And I want you to stop doing everything else you’ve been doing, Dana. It’s getting old.”
“You never complained before.”
“Well, things are different now.” Angel could see the rage in her eyes. Knowing how much she loved making scenes, he was glad they were the only ones left in the hall.
“Did she tell you to do this?” He heard the venom in her words loud and clear.
Angel wasn’t about to give her the pleasure. “To be honest, she’s never mentioned you.”
Dana laughed, attempting to sound sarcastic but fell short. She slammed the locker shut, and it echoed loudly in the empty hallway. She scowled at him, lips almost quivering. “You think your jersey is the only one I have?”
“No, I’m sure you have plenty.”
“Go to hell, Angel!” She began to stalk away. After only a few steps, she stopped and turned around. “And don’t flatter yourself. You don’t have to worry about me speaking to you ever again.”
“Thank you.”
With that, she spun around and walked away in a hurry. All things considered, it went a lot better than he had hoped for. He walked out to the cafeteria, feeling an enormous weight taken off his shoulders. He couldn’t help smiling. His problems with Dana were over.
***
Practice was unexpectedly called off early that afternoon because one of the players was seriously injured, requiring paramedics to be called in. Angel had looked up at the bleachers and saw Sarah completely absorbed in her running. She hadn’t noticed the team was off the field.
He could wait for her to finish. He hadn’t hung out with the guys after practice in a while. Now he had a few minutes.
Angel had just stepped out of the gym with Eric and Romero when he saw Dana rush toward him, looking very determined. “Can I talk to you?”
He kept walking. “Go ahead.”
“I mean alone.” She glanced at Eric and Romero. They both turned to Angel, who shrugged.
“We’ll be over here, man.” Eric pointed. They didn’t walk too far, sitting on a table nearby in front of where the girls on the flag team were practicing.
“How dare you dismiss me just like that!” She crossed her arms and stood in front of him, forcing him to stop. “As if I’d never meant anything to you.”
He bit his tongue, not wanting to be cruel, but he had Sarah to think about. “Shit happens, Dana. I’m seeing someone now. I can’t be dealing with you.” He waved his hand up and down in front of her. “With this.”
“Did you know she slept with Jesse Strickland?”
Angel laughed, though he didn’t feel the least bit of humor. “Is that what he said?”
“That’s what everyone is saying. I’m surprised you haven’t heard.”
“I don’t listen to bullshit.” She’d managed to stun him, but he’d die before he’d let on. He knew it was all a bunch of crap, but the idea alone of a rumor like that about Sarah sickened him.
“I don’t mean to hurt you, Angel. I just thought you should know.”
The inflated attempt to sound sympathetic was infuriating. Angel was never one to be disrespectful, especially to girls, but he could feel the blood curdling in his veins. Sarah had been close to dumping his ass—too damn close—and for this? He was done being nice.
He glared at her. “Don’t worry. You could never hurt me, Dana. I’d have to care about you for that.”
She shrugged. “And I suppose she knows about us?”
Angel chuckled. “There was never an us, Dana, and you know it. You made up all that crap, not me.” The tears welled up in her eyes. He rolled his eyes and backed away. “God, don’t start this shit.”
He turned and began to walk toward Eric and Romero.
“You made love to me, you bastard!” She yelled. “Don’t you remember that?”
His stomach dropped. Fuck! He spun around and charged toward her. He saw her eyes open wide in alarm, but she stood her ground firmly. He walked right up to her face and spoke through his teeth just loud enough for her to hear, but his words were strong and cutting. “Get this through your head. We never made love. We had sex, cold meaningless sex like you’ve had with many others. It meant nothing to me. You mean nothing to me. Stay out of my fucking life. I mean it, Dana.”
With her mouth half-open, she stared at him. Her eyes grew wide; then she turned and hurried away with her face buried in her hands. Her friends stood by the gym door, waiting to console her, and he heard her sob as they turned the corner.
He took a deep breath and walked back slowly toward the guys, ignoring the whispers and staring faces of all who had been standing around.
Romero was shaking his head. “Dude, I hope you told that bitch off.”
Angel nodded, still feeling a little shaky. He hadn’t intended on being so harsh, but the words had just spewed out. He stood there, still reeling from what Dana had said about Sarah. He didn’t want the guys to notice that Dana had gotten to him, but he couldn’t even force a smile.
Eric seemed concerned. “Are you okay, man?”
Angel nodded again and glanced back in Sarah’s direction. He turned back at Eric. “You think I should tell Sarah about this?”
“Hell no!” Romero said.
“Nah, I would,” Eric said.
“You would?” Angel asked.
Romero shook his head, eyes closed. “Fuck Dana! Why you gonna get Sarah all upset ’cause of her?”
Eric made a gesture, looking around. “She’s gonna hear about it eventually. I guarantee it. Dana was loud, dude. They’ll probably add to it too. I’m just saying, if it were me, I’d come clean. It’s not like you did anything wrong. Just leave the part out about her yelling that she slept with you. Sarah’s cool, dude. She’ll get it. Just don’t make that big a deal out of it.”
Angel eyed them both. There was no way either of them could know Sarah had almost broken things off because of Dana.
Feeling as if he’d swallowed a brick, he turned to see Sarah walking toward him. She smiled and blew him a kiss. He managed to smile, but, damn, he dreaded having another conversation about Dana with her.
***
No one was home, when Sarah and Angel got to his house. Angel walked Sarah to the den and put his book bag down on the coffee table.
“I’m thirsty.” He walked toward the kitchen. “You want something to drink?”
“Yeah, I’ll take water or a diet soda if you have it.”
Angel walked to the kitchen and grabbed a couple of waters out of the refrigerator. When he walked back into the living room, Sarah was on her knees on the sofa, looking at the pictures that sat on the shelf behind it. She picked one up to get a closer look. Angel saw her eyes brighten and knew immediately which one it was. He put the waters down on the coffee table.
“Oh my God, is this you?”
“Give me that.” He reached for it.
Sarah pulled away. “You’re so cute!” She giggled.
He tackled her on the couch, but she hid the picture behind her. He held her down, trying to take it from her. She squirmed and laughed hysterically. “What a cutie you were with your little mullet.”
“It’s not a mullet.” His arms were under her now, searching for the picture. She could barely breathe, she was laughing so hard.
“Okay, okay!” she shrieked. “You can have it.”
Angel took it from her and put it back on the table, face down. He leaned over her and kissed her. They made out for a while but straightened out quickly when they heard something outside. It turned out to be nothing, and Angel lay right back against her.
“What tim
e do your parents get home?”
“Different times.” He continued to peck her. “Depends how busy they are.”
“So they could get home any minute?”
“Um hum.” He began to kiss her neck.
“Then get off me.” She giggled, squirming and arching her back at the touch of his tongue on her neck. She pushed her hands against his chest. “Angel, I’m serious. If your parents walk in, I’d die.”
He kissed her long and deep one last time then sat up and straightened his pants. “I can’t stand for a while.”
Sarah smiled, looking at the tent in his pants. She sat up and rubbed his shoulder. “You’ll be okay.”
“Oh yeah, just give me a few minutes.” He grabbed the remote and turned the television on. The first thing they saw was a heavy older woman being interviewed about her twenty cats on the news. “Okay, I’m good now.”
Sarah gasped then immediately burst into laughter. “That is so mean.”
He changed the channel, flipping around for a while and finally left it on an episode of a reality show about building motorcycles. He pretended to be into it. “I talked with Dana today.”
Sarah pulled her arm off his shoulder, but he grabbed a hold of her hand. She’d told him that morning she didn’t need to hear the details about his talk with Dana so long as he took care of it. “I’m only bringing it up ’cause you’re probably gonna hear about it.”
She stared at him.
“I’d already talked to her earlier in the day and thought that would be it,” he said. “But I should’ve known better when she hadn’t said too much.”
He could see Sarah searching his eyes. “She made a scene after practice.”
“A scene?”
“Yeah, a scene.” He hugged her and pushed her back gently on the sofa. “Sarah, it’s nothing. I wouldn’t have even brought it up, but I didn’t want you to hear about it from someone else.”
“What did she say?”
Angel tried kissing her, but she pulled away. “Sarah, let’s not do this again, babe. Seriously, the only thing that matters is that I straightened things out, and she won’t be acting stupid anymore.”
[Moreno Brothers 01.0] Forever Mine Page 11
