find a lip gloss that rolled behind a planter full of long-dead mums, I hear voices coming from Mrs. Jenkinsâs house. No, a little farther away than that, and itâs a guyâs voice. I donât think Mrs. Jenkins has had a guy at her house since Mr. Jenkins passed away seven years ago, which is probably why sheâs so mean. I stand up to see MJ on her porch talking to Lux.
I back up to my door so they canât see me. I canât make out the words, but Luxâs voice is angry. I step back out onto the porch enough to watch them and hope theyâre so deep in conversation that they donât catch me spying. Okay, so it isnât exactly a conversation. Lux is doing all the talking, though it sounds more like the kind of yelling you do when you donât want anyone to overhear. When he puts his finger in MJâs face, Iâm expecting her to break it along with his arm because MJ has a good four inches and forty pounds on Lux, not to mention sheâs an all-around badass. So Iâm shocked when she not only backs away from him, she starts talking so softly to him that I canât hear her voice at all, making gestures like sheâs trying to explain herself. MJ Cooper does nothing softly, and apologizes to no one even if she probably should. Lux must be satisfied with MJâs response, because now heâs walking to his car.
Before I leave the porch, I wait a few minutes to make sure Lux is long gone and MJ is inside her house. My bus is also long gone, but itâs worth missing most of first period to have caught this scene. Now I know for sure that MJ is lying about Lux being her side dude.
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Iâm at my locker between second and third periods reading a note from Reginald. He must have had his mom stick the note through the slots because it wasnât here before second period and unless heâs skipping, he should be in class at North Denver Heights right now.
Sorry for the old-school approach, but I think I must have your number wrong.
Uh no, Iâm just evil and ignored your texts.
Doing anything this weekend? I have tickets to a Broncos game. Hit me up if youâd like to go.
Three hours in the cold watching a sport I donât like. Now that Iâm not with Marco, I never want to endure that torture again. See what I mean about the things a cute boy will make you do?
âHey, Chanti. You got a second?â
Itâs Marco. Iâm serious about that whole Universe thing. I really believe it has a LoJack on my love life. I throw the note into my locker guiltily, as though just being near it Marco will know Iâm talking to another guy. As though heâd even care.
âThatâs about all I have,â I say, pointing to my wrist and an imaginary watch. âThird-period bell is about to ring.â
âWhat I said the other day before you left my house . . . that was out of bounds. I shouldnât haveââ
âItâs okay, Marco. This whole thing is kind of weird, but weâll get used to it. Seriouslyâno worries.â
âThis isnât just about my parents hating you, or me not wanting you to play detective. Itâs about the attention you tend to attractâcop attentionâthat my family doesnât need right now.â
âIs something going on?â
âI told you about my cousin living with us.â
âYour cousin?â
Marco looks at me like I should know exactly why his cousin should have anything to do with whether weâre together or not.
âRemember, not long after we first met? I told you my cousin Davidâs parents had recently been deported and how he was supposed to go, too, but my aunt and uncle brought him to us before INS took them away. When we were dealing with the whole school burglary ring and Donnell, I told you then I couldnât have the cops in my business.â
âOh, right. I forgot about David. You hadnât talked about him since that