Free Sapphire Universe by Devon Herrera Page A

description of his father and find myself wanting to meet him.
    Connor seems to love talking about his family and telling random stories.  Before long , I feel like I know everything there is to know about him.  I’m starting to feel like I can trust him and that he really cares for me.  The only thing stopping me from dropping all my barriers is that he doesn’t seem to want to talk about his life back in New York.  He always gives me vague answers if I ask him anything and he never offers any information.  It bothers me a little, but I can’t exactly fault him for it when there are so many things I can’t talk to him about and even more answers I won’t give him.  As convoluted as my feelings for him are, I’m content just being his friend.  It’s working out perfectly and it’s simpler than the alternative, safer and then Friday had to come along and ruin everything. 
    Connor had liked my enchiladas so much that I decide to make some more Mexican food.  I cut up some pork that I roasted, roll it around in some sweet and sour jalapeño sauce and top it off with queso fresco and cilantro in a corn tortilla.  Connor decides that since it’s Friday we need tequila to follow the Mexican theme and I gladly agree.  I love tequila.  Connor is barely in the door before he cracks open the bottle and cuts up the limes.  He pours us each a shot and hands me mine. 
    “To new friendships.” He toasts. 
    “Here, here!” I follow and toss back my shot.  The fiery liquid warms my insides and the bite of the lime wakes up my taste buds.  Seriously, I love tequila.
    We take about two more shots during dinner, since it is Friday after all and I have built up quite a tolerance being friends with Lo…the girl loves to party.  By the time we finish dinner and are doing the dishes, I’m feeling pretty damn good.  I sway around the kitchen and sing Moulin Rouge to myself, not caring that I’m a horrible dancer.  Connor just dries the dishes and listens to me sing and dance with amusement and something else in his eyes. When the dishes are all done we sit in the living room on the couch with the bottle and a plate of limes.  We decide it would be fun to take a shot every time someone in the movie says “The Force.”  The bottle doesn’t last long after that.  Neither do I.
     

     
    During th e night, my dreams come again.  ~My mother is in the kitchen crying and my dad is pacing.  They don’t know, or are too caught up in themselves to care, that I’m sitting in the hallway hearing every word.  They’ve never fought like this before.  I’m so scared.
    “How could you do this to me Cam?”  I hear my mother shout at my father and she is sobbing so hard her voice is broke n and shaky.
    “You have to listen to me Brooke! It wasn’t me! That wasn’t me! It didn’t mean anything! I’m so sorry!”  My father pleads with my mother and I can te ll he’s desperate.
    “It was you!  You did it! No one else!”  My mother shouts at my father and her voice sounds angry now.
    “I wasn’t myself.  I don’t even remember it that well, it’s all so fuzzy.  P lease you have to forgive me.”
    What did dad do? He loves mom, it can’t be that bad.  I see my mom get up from her chair so I hurry back to my room and eventually fall asleep.
    I‘m standing outside Lo‘s house the next morning and my mom yells out her window at me still sitting in my car in Lo’s driveway. “Bye Nina have fun with Lola, I’ll see you tonight.”
    “Bye mom!”  I bet they made up, she looks better today.  Kind of distracted, but not sad. ~
    I’m dragged back into reality by someone gently shaking me.  I struggle to open my eyes and see Connor leaning over me in my bed with a terrified expression and his hands on my shoulders. 
    “Nina, it’s just a dream, I’m here, its okay.”  Connor sounds frantic, but his words don’t register.  All I can think about is the look on his face. 
    “What’s wrong