“The most popular guy in school, huh?” Vince stared straight ahead not wanting her to notice how much that bothered him. “And you’re not seeing him?”
“Nope, we just had a lot of the same classes. Since I took a lot of dual-credit classes that mostly seniors were taking, we became good friends.”
Vince gripped the chains on his swing even tighter remembering what she’d just said about love happening gradually. If this guy was a good friend, that’s how it started right? He turned just as she swung those jaw-dropping legs in the air and remembered what Romero had said earlier at the restaurant—jailbait.
She’d already said she wasn’t seeing the guy. They were just friends, and why would she have begged to hang out with him if she was interested in Mr. Popular? But obviously Mr. Popular was interested in her. Why else would he have asked her to the prom? The words from the guys ribbing him back at the restaurant echoed in his head. You’re gonna have your hands full, fighting off older guys.
Fighting—even that could get his ass hauled back to La Puente prematurely. But damn it if his adrenaline hadn’t already started pumping and he was already mentally preparing to kick this guy’s ass.
He jumped off his swing and stood in front of her pushing her shoes as she held them out in front of her to get her swinging higher. She giggled when he pushed a little too hard, and it made her swing fly way back and up high.
“So if this guy was so popular, why would he ask you? I mean he’s a senior and you’re what, a sophomore?”
“Junior,” she grinned.
“But you’re a year younger than me.”
“I skipped the first grade. I was a smarty-pants.”
Vince thought about that for a moment. Somehow that didn’t surprise him. Pushing her feet again, he wished he could also push away the thoughts that this older guy took Rose, a fifteen-year-old clearly innocent girl, to the prom. Vince had heard all about the things that happen prom night.
“But still, he could’ve taken someone older.” He rolled his eyes. “Obviously the guy isn’t blind, but you said you’re just friends, so why wouldn’t he ask someone he might get lucky with that night?”
“Oh, he got lucky.”
Vince grabbed her two feet with one hand stopping her midflight using every muscle in his arms and back to keep her there. “What?”
Her eyes grew open as understanding sunk in. “Not with me.”
Vince still held her in place, not understanding. “What do you mean not with you? You were his date.”
She wiggled her feet trying to get loose, but Vince held them tight.
“Grace wasn’t about to let me go to the after parties, Vincent. He dropped me off after prom then partied until the early morning like all the other seniors. I never got the gory details or anything, but it was all over Facebook the very next day who ended up with whom by the end of the night.”
Vince let go of her, and at that very moment, he knew. This staying out of trouble thing was going to be a lot harder than he thought. His fuse had never been very long to begin with, but he’d never felt his temper flare that fast in his life, not even when someone messed with Lorenzo. He knew his brother could hold his own in a fight pretty well. But the thought of some senior taking advantage of sweet Rosie had him instantly on fire. This was bad.
***
A few things happened in the coming days. Grace and Sal got back together, and Vince couldn’t have been happier. He was beginning to feel like a real crumb about passing information on to Sal that he got about Grace from Rose, but he had no choice. Sal was taking a real chance letting his sixteen-year-old, barely licensed cousin drive to and from Chula Vista, but he’d made the conditions very clear.
At first Vince had been a little worried that his wheels would be taken away because Sal had mentioned the car he was driving had originally been bought for Grace. But they didn’t just get back together, Grace was pregnant now, and they were getting married. Sal’s engagement gift to Grace, other than the huge rock he got her, was a brand new SUV.
For weeks Vince remained on his best behavior, and it paid off. He and Rose spent more and more time together as the summer went on. Sal even got them both passes to Sea World, The San Diego Zoo, and Disneyland the week of their birthdays. It was an awesome week. Vince had begun to feel a bond with Rose like he’d only ever felt with his brother. The need to protect her and be there for her was ever present now.
After hearing her mention more than once about her fondness for teddy bears and the collection her father had started for her before passing away when she was very young, Vince wanted to add to the collection. He’d asked her what her favorite bear of all time was, and she’d immediately said Baloo from Disney’s Jungle Book, but she only had a small one of him. So when they got the chance to go to Disneyland, he was determined to get her a bigger one. Only he wasn’t just going to buy her one; he was going to show his shooting skills in the game area and win her a giant Baloo.
Disneyland was the first of the theme parks they hit that week. Up until then, though he made it clear by his actions that he cared about her, he’d yet to openly express his feelings or do anything more to move things further along in their just friends’ status. They hadn’t even held hands. Walking through the crowded theme park changed that. At first he made it seem like a simple act of protectiveness. He didn’t want to lose her in the crowd, so he’d reached his hand out to her, and she took it.
Vince didn’t want to make a big deal out of it, but he couldn’t help it. He’d held hands with plenty of girls before, but he’d never felt the downright giddiness he’d felt when he finally got to hold hers. There was something so sweet about holding her small hand in his. Like him she tried to downplay it, but there was no missing the twinkle in her eyes, and he knew she was feeling the same way.
It was all he could do to hold back from kissing those sweet lips too, but he held back. He had to. She’d already mentioned having to reassure Grace that they were still just friends. Each day they spent together now was better than the last. He couldn’t risk getting his ass thrown back to La Puente. When Sal gave them the tickets, he reminded him how apprehensive Grace still was about Rose getting into anything serious. Sal promised him they were all over his past. Vince was proving just fine that he’d made a big change. Then in the very next sentence, he warned him quite sternly that he didn’t want his pregnant wife worrying about a damn thing. So if Vince gave her something to worry about, he was gone. With that in mind he squeezed Rose’s hand and continued to hold it throughout the day but didn’t push his luck with anything more.
Unfortunately, because Baloo was a character in one of Disney’s older movies, he wasn’t being offered as a prize at any of the games. Vince settled for a medium–sized, pink bear that he traded up for after winning two smaller prizes in a row.
She took it and hugged it, kissing it on the head as soon as it was handed to her. Vince was instantly having stuffed-pink-bear envy. “It’s not Baloo,” he said with a small frown, “but I didn’t see him anywhere.”
“With the money you spent winning this one, you could’ve bought me a Baloo, but this one means more because you won it for me.” She smiled at him, and he got caught up in her eyes for a breathtaking moment. Once again he had to fight the urge to take her in his arms and kiss her.
“You’re welcome,” he said smiling back and immediately took her hand in his again.
The rest of the theme parks they visited had been just as exciting, and except for when his cousins or Grace were around, they held hands all the time. He was really beginning to enjoy everything about her. He especially loved teasing her. It was hilarious the way she’d scrunch up that cute little nose and get all defensive.
Like the time he teased her about her choice in music, only it ended up backfiring on him. They were on their way home after an awesome day at Sea World. She’d connected her iPod to the car’s stereo, and halfway through one of her songs, he had to protest. The song wasn’t all
that bad, but she was into it, so he had a feeling she’d get all defensive. “Is that one of them washed-up boy bands we’re listening to?”
It paid off; she was already scrunching her nose, and he laughed. “I’ll have you know NSync was one of the biggest things out there in their day.”
“Exactly! In their day, but even then they were cheesy.”
“They were not!”
Vince rolled his eyes. “Wasn’t that way before your time anyway?”
“Sort of, but Grace loved them in middle school, so their music was constantly being blasted in our room. And this song…,” she turned it up and closed her eyes swaying to the music then sang along, “This I promise you.” She opened her eyes, and the way she smiled at him made his breath catch.
The car behind them honked, snapping Vince out of it, and he realized the light at the stop had turned green. Feeling a little stupid, he stopped staring at her and started driving. He’d been totally mesmerized just watching her get so caught up in a song like that.
“This song is probably my favorite of theirs. It’s not all pop and band-boyish as you would put it. It’s deep. I think it’s really beautiful. There’s even a Spanish version that’s equally as beautiful.”
“That’s the thing,” Vince said staring ahead still trying to get over what she’d done to him so easily without even trying. “Most of those boy bands probably have pretty good songs, but then they go cheese it up with their stupid dance moves and shit. If another artist gets a hold of the same song and does it some justice by toning the cheese down and just working the music, it would probably be better. In fact, I’ve actually seen it done; this song, for example, could probably be badass.”
“It already is badass,” she insisted.
Vince decided to just let it go. The song was over anyway, and something better was playing now. He’d meant to tease her for his own amusement; instead he’d rattled the shit out of himself. Without knowing it Vince was letting Rose way under his skin, and that scared him a little.
They never actually talked about it, nor did the subject of what their relationship was now ever arise. Vince liked it that way. Talking about it would be admitting that what was happening was the very thing Grace was afraid of—things were getting serious. Yet Vince made it a point to look her deep in the eyes when he played with her fingers during any of their comfortable moments of silence. He wanted her to see he was feeling much more for her than just friendship. The few times she’d brought up other guy “friends,” Vince tried not to, but his remarks always came across a little pissy until the day he’d nearly snapped.
They were at Sal’s house. Nervous every time he saw Grace eye them suspiciously, he often asked Rose if his days here were numbered. Usually she’d laugh at his paranoia. This time she went a step further to convince him that everything was just fine. She turned to Grace, who’d just walked back inside, as they sat in the shallow end of the pool on the stairs. Grace had brought out some snacks, but when she saw them giggling so closely in the pool, she’d seemed unnerved.
“Grace knows we’re just friends. Just like some of my other guy friends; she’s got nothing to worry about.
Vince slipped his hand into hers underwater and stared at her. “What other guy friends?”
She turned to him, and Vince saw the effort she made to hide her surprise to his question. “I…I have a few friends in school.”
“Friends like me?” He squeezed her hand now. “Because I don’t have any friends like you, Rose, none. You’re the only one.”
“Well.” She licked her lips looking away. “They’re just guys I talk to. But no…not like with you.”
“Good.” He took a few steps off the stairs, pulling her with him in the water. “Just so you know,” he said as he dipped his head back into the deeper water. When he popped back up she was still holding his hand and still staring at him, looking a bit bewildered. “I don’t need any more friends around. I’m fine with it being just you and me all summer.” He tugged her hand, pulling her a little closer to him but not too close in case someone peeked out at them. “If any of these guys show up when I’m around, I won’t be very friendly.” He lifted the corner of his lip, as Rose began to get what he was saying. “Don’t get me kicked out of La Jolla, Rosie. Because that’s probably what’ll happen.”
As the back door slid open, he let go of her hand and dove into the deep end. When he popped up on the other end of the pool, Rose popped up next to him. They both held on to the side as Grace walked back into the house again. She’d brought out lemonade for them.
“Vincent?” Vince brought his attention back to Rose. He’d been busy making sure Grace closed the door all the way. “I don’t have any other friends like you either. You’re the only one.”
Feeling the onset of one of biggest goofiest smiles to date, Vince cursed the fact that he was in Sal’s backyard, or he would’ve attacked her with a million kisses. Instead he reached for her hand and squeezed. “Good. That’s exactly what I was waiting to hear.”
***
The end of summer was creeping up on them, and Vince had stuck to his promise of remaining nothing more than friends with her: friends with the understanding he was so glad now that he’d made perfectly clear. They of course still held hands every chance they got. Some things were just too hard to fight. Sal seemed more worried about Grace stressing out than Vince doing anything to disrespect Rose. So if he ever caught Vince holding Rose’s hand, he’d have to cut him some slack. For Vince to be feeling for Rose what he felt now and not be doing anything more than holding her hand was a show of restraint even Vince didn’t know he had in him especially given all the times he’d had to see her in a two-piece bathing suit. The risk of his time being cut short here was not one he was willing to take.
Then one night just a couple of weeks before the dreaded end of his summer vacation, as he was getting into his car to go see Rose, he got the text from her that nearly stopped his heart.
OMG! We’re moving to Nevada!
With his stomach taking a sudden dive, Vince responded immediately.
Why? When?
Vince sat in the car, wondering if he should just go or wait for her response. He decided he’d wait. He didn’t want to make her wait to have to pull over to respond. Nevada? What the hell? He remembered her telling him about the vacation they’d taken there at the beginning of this summer and the friend they knew out there. But why they’d be moving there he had no idea.
My stupid stepdad got a DUI. His class-A license was taken away. Without that, he can’t work anymore. Their friend in Nevada offered them both jobs along with room and board in his casino/hotel. My mom’s already talking about getting my transcripts from school, so I can get enrolled over there this fall.
Vince panicked. Sal and Grace were away for the weekend. Rose wasn’t his girlfriend yet. But he had every intention of staying in touch with her once he left and coming out to visit her as much as he could. Hopefully they would make things official between them in the very near future then he would come back next summer. He had to be cool for now. But this could ruin everything.
Do you have to go? Can’t you stay here with Grace?
Since Grace and Sal had announced their engagement, Rose’s mom had made an unusual, sudden change in her conduct with Rose. From what Rose had told Vince prior to the engagement, she’d always been cold and distant, caring more about herself than anyone else. Suddenly she was showing Rose the attention and affection she never had in the past. Sal told Vince in confidence he thought the calculating bitch was up to something. Grace would have a much better life now, and if her mom wanted to have any part of it, the one way to stay on Grace’s good side was through Rose.
Of course Vince didn’t share this information with Rose especially since he could tell that, while she didn’t admit to it, Rose was happy about the change. Little by little this summer Rose had opened up to Vince about her relationship with her mother or lack thereof. She said she didn’t c
are, and what her mother lacked in parental attention and affection, Grace more than made up for. But Vince saw the expression in her eyes when she spoke about her sometimes. It hurt her more than she’d ever admit.
Regardless of how many times she said it didn’t matter, like any normal girl who’d been neglected by a parent for too long, Rose craved her mother’s attention. When Grace moved in with Sal, they told Rose she was more than welcome to move in, too—that Sal had plenty of room. But Rose chose to stay because her mother said she wanted her to. Rose said she’d decided to stay because she didn’t want to switch high schools, but Vince knew better. He’d seen the twinkle in Rose’s eye when she told him her mother actually wanted her to stay.
I already mentioned that. My mom says she wants me to go with her.
This was bullshit. Her mother never gave a shit about her before. Vince texted Sal this time.
Does Grace know about Rose moving?
Almost immediately his phone rang, and he answered.
“Moving where?” Sal’s concerned voice was all the answer Vince needed.
“To Nevada,” Vince explained quickly, and within seconds he was off the phone with him.
He rushed, trying to stay under the speed limit to get to Rose. She was in the playground where they always met, sitting on the swing staring at her feet. He rushed over and sat in the swing next to her. Her tears nearly choked him. There had to be a way to fix this.
He touched her leg gently. “Have you talked to Grace?”
She nodded and sniffed but said nothing else.
“Did she…was she able to convince your mom?”
Rose stood up suddenly. Her lip was trembling, and Vince was on his feet in an instant facing her. “She didn’t have to convince her, Vincent. She never wanted me to go with her. She used me as leverage.” She paused to whimper and wipe her face, breaking Vince’s heart in the process. “I heard her on the phone, whining about the hot weather in Laughlin and how she’d have to work as a housekeeper at the hotel. She told Grace she’d let me stay as long as Grace promised her that once she had her own restaurant, she’d let her work there and help her get a place out here. The moment she got off the phone, she looked at me and just told me I was staying as if it were no big deal to her that she’s moving away and leaving her daughter behind. She’s never given a shit about me, and I just don’t understand why.”