Chapter 13
“ QU é LA —SWEAR, THIS ISN’T me letting you win.
” After my seventh try at getting this pinche ball into the pinche hole, only to watch it roll, rim its way around the hole, swerve and come back toward me, and stop right back at my feet, I can’t rule out that I’m cursed.
We’re at hole number six of eighteen and I’ve got to be solidly somewhere in the thirties already compared to Leana’s— “What are you at again?”
“Ten,” she says with a really amused and proud-of-herself smirk.
“That’s … how ?! And with those nails too?”
“The real how is how is the math major having a hard time with this?” she teases, walking over to me, taking an easy, soft swing at my ball. I watch as it, almost magnetically, rolls and curves right into the hole. “It’s basic addition, Pineapple. Just ones and twos.”
“Wow,” I reply, my free hand coming up to my heart, grabbing my shirt. “Going for the kill shot tonight.”
She grabs that hand, taking it to her waist as she tells me, “That’s what you get for being such a smartass at cornhole.
” I take her invitation, reaching around to the small of her back.
And when she looks at me, her eyes at my lips, I take that invitation too, kissing her, hoping maybe I’ll steal some of the luck she’s having tonight.
“Pull out some of that A-squared plus B-squared shit. That might help you. Length times width times height or something like that. The square root and cosign equals x plus y —”
“You’re just saying words now.”
“Mm, pretty sure I just solved algebra, actually. I think the school’s about to call me, offer me an honorary PhD in Mathematics. Nobel Prize and all that.”
I laugh, going in for one more kiss. “ Okay. Well, while you’re busy with that, I’m going to get back to this game now. Watch. I’ll catch up to you by the end of this.”
“No, you won’t. But it’s okay. I like watching you try.”
“I’m going to start adding a day of training at Neon Moon Mini Golf. Become a pro. And then we’ll have a rematch. Won’t be so easy to beat me then.”
Leana lets out a soft laugh, her face looking at me like she clearly sees the disaster I’ve become after the devastating loss. I didn’t catch up. It wasn’t even close.
“If that’s what you think you have to do, then go right ahead,” she says with a smirk I want to kiss off her.
“That place was also so glow-in-the-dark. That’s really what it was. My eyes were having trouble adjusting and focusing in the dark with all the weird bright blues and yellows. If it was Top Golf on a sunny afternoon? Would’ve run laps around you. Promise.”
“Whatever you have to tell yourself.”
Regardless, the loss doesn’t take away from the fact that this is a pretty A-plus date.
The way she held my hand in between holes.
How her teasing and getting all big-headed was actually really cute.
Winning this purple teddy bear for her on a crane machine that I knew she’d love because it’s the color of the sorority she really wants to get into.
Spending a solid five minutes making out in my truck before leaving Neon Moon for food.
The forty-five minutes we spent in her room using up a couple condoms before we took off for the night because she wanted to congratulate me on the tie that was basically a win in Arizona, but, obviously we couldn’t do that with clothes on.
She looks happy. She lets me pull her hand up to my lips to kiss it every time we hit a red light. And, when I’m not doing that, she seems really comfortable with my hand resting on her thigh. I’m thinking all the signs are there. That she’s just as into something official between us as I am.
And now, pulling into the parking lot where my favorite Tex-Mex food truck hangs out, Grupo Frontera playing from their speakers, I can’t think of a better way to cap this off.
Good food, a party lined up after this, back to our places, walk her up to her room, and maybe get back to mine officially having a girlfriend.
“So, what do you think?” I ask Leana, watching as she holds on to a piece of quesadilla, bites into it, and slowly chews. I know she doesn’t hate it. The way she nods while putting a hooked finger up to her mouth tells me that much at least.
“It’s alright.”
“ No mames. It’s better than alright. It’s the best quesadilla you’ve ever had in your life.”
Leana’s lip press together, like she’s about to give me some terrible news. Her free hand comes up and shakes back and forth a little, that universal sign for it was so-so . “Mm, top five, maybe.”
“No te creo. You’re messing with me.”
She laughs, putting her plate in between us on the tailgate of my truck bed and switches it for her grapefruit Jarritos. I watch as her lips go to the bottle and, for a second, can’t help the flashbacks that play in my head of what we were up to just before we left her room for our date.
C á lmate, Gabo.
“It’s good,” she tells me. “I promise. Probably the best thing I’ve eaten so far in Corpus. And I’m going to keep coming back just for the Takis and cheese.”
“It’s probably because you got the carnitas. Still great, but you got to try the al pastor next time.”
“Is that what it is?” I give her a playful glare as she grins back at me. “Then let me try your burrito.”
“You did before we left,” I say with my own smile, because she’s not the only one who can tease and be quick with it. “Pretty sure you said that was the best you’ve ever had. I remember hearing it.”
“Pinche cabr ó n. Te’l hocico. Stop lying. And c’mon, hand it over. You got what? They put hot Cheetos in there?”
“Yeah, pastor and nacho cheese too. It’ll change your life.”
“Sounds like something that’s about to change your toilet’s life. Let me find out you’re about to spend the whole night teniendo chorro.”
“ Qu é la —just take a bite.”
She goes in, and it’s immediate. The way her eyes close like I know she’s cussing this burrito out in her head right now for being so good.
It’s got every single flavor in there: that hint of sweetness from the way they cook the meat on the trompo and the small bits of pineapple in their spicy pico, the Cheetos, the coolness of the guac, rice and beans like Mom makes, and that canned cheese that brings it all together.
“Why’d you let me get a quesadilla instead of this?” Leana almost shouts right after she swallows her bite.
“The quesadilla is good too .”
“Okay, but it’s not this good . I’m coming back tomorrow for one of these.”
“I’ll take that as a win,” I say, giving her another proud smile. I adjust myself, turning so that I can lean against the railing of the truck bed, my feet ending up behind her and my hand just in reach of the bag of cacahuates garapi n ados. “How was your Rush stuff today?”
“Good,” she answers before taking another bite of my burrito.
Or, probably, her burrito now. Going to have to go back up and order another one to go for me.
“I … I think I’m going to get into my top choice.
Well, the president of the sorority that’s my top pick told me today that I’m first on her list. The girls are great, it’s Latina, and it just feels like—I don’t know. ”
My smile goes softer, seeing the excitement in her face when she started talking about it wane a little. I bring my knees up and lean into them, getting closer to her. “What? Tell me. It sounds great.”
“It is, for sure. But … it’s weird to say out loud around someone who’s not also trying to get into one of these orgs, but it’s something that I really want.
My dad kind of thinks it’s a waste of money, but one of my older brothers—who was in a fraternity and my dad had nothing to say about it then—is going to front the dues if he won’t.
And some of my friends back home think it’s stupid. All, ‘Leana’s trying to buy friends.’ ”
“I don’t think it’s stupid. If you want this, go for it. And I can tell it’s important to you. Don’t let anyone get in the way of that.”
“I think it’s just, like, besides sports, I never really spent a lot of time around other girls.
My brothers, most of my friends, all guys.
And I always thought that I was getting off drama free like that, but, to be honest, I kind of want that.
Boys bring their own drama and I’m tired of being surrounded by that. I want some girl drama.”
“Then you should follow through. They’d be fools not to give you an invite or whatever it’s called tomorrow.”
“A bid,” she says, letting out a quick laugh.
“That.”
Leana starts moving, crawling over to me, pushing my legs back down, throwing one of hers over me, and getting comfortable in my lap.
She clasps her hands at the back of my neck and comes in for a slow kiss, and mine go to her legs, rubbing the outside of her thighs.
It’s nice. As much as I like hearing about her day and sorority stuff, I could sit out here with her for the next few hours just doing this.
“Dime una vez m á s.”
“?Qu é ?”
“That if this is important to me, I should go for it. I shouldn’t let anyone get in the way.”
I kiss her again, letting my lips stay nearly touching hers. “If it’s important, do it. Don’t let anyone get in the way of that.”
Leana nods again. And her voice is quiet and disappointed when she says, “Then I think I need to call it here. I think— I think we should call it here. End whatever this is before it becomes very obviously something serious.”
“You … what?”
“I—you’re an incredible guy, Pine— Gabi.
I think we just fell into right person, wrong time.
And I’m really sorry about that. I can tell you’re the type who wants to be someone’s boyfriend.
And I bet you make a really great boyfriend.
But the kind of really great boyfriend who deserves someone just as great. ”
“I think you’re great.”