to come with us to Enriqueâs?â she asked.
I opened the cupboard and took down the loaf of wheat bread. âI donât feel like having Mexican.â
âBut you love their carne asada.â
âYou and Dad go. Iâm just going to have a sandwich.â
She stood beside me. âYou want me to make it for you, mijo ?â
âIâve got it, Mom.â
She placed her hand on my back. âYou havenât heard from her?â
I shook my head no and laid some turkey on a slice ofbread. She didnât know the whole story. I had just told her that we split up and Mira was now seeing someone else, some guy on the track team. I left the part out about her cheating on me.
âSheâll regret it,â my mom said. âI wonât be surprised if she dumps this other guy and asks you to come back.â
âItâs not going to happen,â I said.
âYou donât know.â
âWhat if I donât want her back?â
âSheâs a sweet girl.â
I squirted mustard on another slice of bread and spread it evenly with a knife. âThatâs questionable.â
âShe is, mijo . She was always very courteous and thoughtful. Remember she bought your father and me those nice suede slippers for Christmas? She didnât have to do that.â
I exhaled heavily and continued sliding the knife around.
âMaybe you should write her a nice letter or send some flowers?â my mom suggested.
That was itâmy breaking pointâand I tossed theknife into the sink. âShe was screwing another guy,â I finally said.
My mom gulped air as if sheâd been holding her breath. âThat tramp .â
I heard the garage door grumbling, the car door opening and slamming shut. âDonât keep Dad waiting,â I said. âGo.â
âWe wonât be gone long,â she said before dashing to the garage.
I took my sandwich and a Sprite to the couch and channel-surfed. Car bomb in Iraq, Blind Date , Hurricane Katrina aftermath, The Simpsons . I took a bite, a sip, and flipped to MTV, to Madonna in a skimpy pink suit and heels, stretching out on a ballet floor and slowly gyrating her hips. I finished my sandwich and clicked off the television and went to my room to check my email again. More spam on how to lengthen my penis, this time with an herbal pill that was scientifically proven.
I crashed on my bed and looked at the calendar thumbtacked to the wall. Valentineâs was three days away. I opened the drawer to my nightstand and took out thered leather box with Miraâs gift insideâa silver bracelet with green stones. I hadnât bothered to keep the receipt since Mira had pointed it out two weeks earlier, told me Valentineâs Day was just around the corner, wink-wink. If only Iâd known sheâd been flirting with someone in her history class, that days later she would swing by his house to pick up his notes on the Battle of Gettysburg and Shermanâs March, that minutes later they would kiss and a few minutes after that stumble into his bedroom. If only Iâd known, I wouldâve had an extra $48.38 in my checking account.
My cell rang and before I checked to see who it was, I wished it was Mira and then, half a second later, wished that it wasnât. The digital display said SNAKE .
âWhatâre you doing, douchebag?â he said.
âJust kicking it,â I said.
âYouâre going to Christopherâs thing tonight, right?â
I faked a yawn. âIâm pretty wiped out.â
âDonât give me that shit. Youâre going. Weâll come pick you up.â
âWe?â
âWillâs here.â
âOh,â I said, wondering if Will was still angry with me, or disappointed, or whatever it was he felt when heâd walked down the hallway as I was calling his name. âLet me talk to him for a second,â I said.
Snake passed the phone to