Free Intrepid by J.D. Brewer Page A

lights bounced off his skin in a myriad of colors. “You’re such a hemorrhoid.”  
    I braced myself for the snarky retort, but, instead, he asked, “Wanna dance?”
    “Are you outta your ever-lovin’ mind?” I pulled my hand away when he reached for it.  
    Iago nodded towards the cluster of chaperones near the concession stand. “You really gonna be rude like that in front of Mami? Not very nice, is it?”  
    I looked at Mrs. Ortiz smiling at us. I thought about what she said before she left the kitchen last night, but she just didn’t understand. I realized too late the trap of it all. I bet she’d had the same conversation with Iago, and this was his way of proving he was trying. “Is blackmail the only way you can get a girl to dance with you these days? Sarah must have really done a number on you.” He didn’t bother to grace me with a retort. “I will step on all your toes.” I promised more than warned.
    “Fine. No dancing then.” He leaned on the wall next to me and passed a minute in silence. It was a calm silence, and I nearly forgot he was there until he spoke again. “I’ve spent a lot of time lately trying to figure out why you hate me so much. Can you help me out here, ‘cause I’m drowning.”  
    “Like you care.” I grit my teeth together and immediately wished I hadn’t said anything.  
    He shook his head. “We’re basically family, Tex. Brothers and sisters fight all the time, and with the way life works, you should probably forgive me sooner than later. I miss being your friend.”  
    I sucked in a breath and tried not to look at him. I felt my eyes itch, like they wanted to start leaking in that embarrassing crying sort of way.  
    “I may not know the exact moment, but I know the time frame when we stopped being close. I was in junior high, and I was going through some things. I blamed you for stuff that was not your fault, and it wasn’t right. I’m sorry for that. I’m sorry I pushed you away.”
    The apology.  
    It was the one that was years and years late, and now that I had it, I didn’t know what to do with it. My heart began to pound to a new cadence. I couldn’t tell if the thumping in my head was from the music, the crowd, or my brain imploding. Something was off, and I painfully realized it had nothing to do with Iago and everything to do with the headache blooming behind my eyes. My cheeks drooped and paled, but Iago didn’t seem to catch the change until I finally looked at him.  
    His expression flooded with concern, and he reached out to grab my elbow as if to steady me. “Texi?” he asked just as Coach Mathenson roared into the microphone, “It’s time to announce the Homecoming Court!”  
    The dance floor consolidated around the stage, and the wall-flowers began to bloom, moving to join the crowd for the one and only time that evening.  
    I shook off Iago’s hand from my elbow.  
    I had to get away.  
    “Where are you going?” Iago called after me, but I didn’t answer. I just pushed against the consolidating teenagers and rushed towards the restroom.  

Chapter Eleven

    I nearly collided into the girls streaming out of the bathroom. They were of the pack variety and wore similar colors on similar dresses on similar bodies. “Watch it,” one of them wasted the breath to comment, and by the time I made it to the sink, there was not one girl left in the hideously tiled restroom.  
    I rubbed my temples, felt the onslaught of pain, and splashed water on my face. A small smear of mascara blotted my cheek, and I tried to salvage my face from the black streak by rubbing it out with the edge of my hand. The movement only seemed to make it worse. I leaned in over the sink to get a better look, but what I saw didn’t make sense. My eyes widened, and I leaned in even closer so that my nose nearly touched the cold glass, and the cool ceramic of the sink settled against my fingertips and pressed into my belly.  
    But mirrors and sinks and