lose?"
Everything, Maria thinks. She has no idea why that seems possible. But she gets up from her chair.
"Sure," she says. "Why not?"
Before she can lose her nerve, she's circling the track, aiming for where the handsome red-haired boy is sitting. His gaze tracks her movement, but she's feeling more confident now. It helps that she's turning a few heads along the way. She knows she looks good—much better than she did in the sweats she was wearing this afternoon while working: white tank with a fringed black vest, jean mini-skirt, red cowboy boots. Her hair's up in a loose chignon, her makeup's light and fresh. A silver and turquoise Taxco bracelet that used to belong to her grandmother dangles on her wrist.
The red-haired boy has his crew sitting with him—there's a vibe that connects them all. It seems more like a brotherhood vibe than a gang thing, which is good because you don't bring a gang into 66 Bandas territory. To his right are two dark-haired barrio boys in skater shorts and oversized tees. To his left is the big black guy who kicked down the door of the place they robbed this afternoon. Dreadlocks frame his round face. On the next seat over is another red-haired white boy who could be the leader's brother or cousin. There's a family resemblance, but he's…prettier is the best way she can describe it. He doesn't have the same look of steel in his eyes that the leader does. The leader is the only one still wearing his green hoodie.
When she gets close enough, the black guy and the other red-haired boy move over a seat, leaving an empty chair beside the leader. The leader stands up, still smiling, but now he reaches out a hand. She takes it without thinking. He doesn't shake, he just holds her hand in his. His hand is warm and she doesn't want to take hers away. She feels like she might get lost in his hazel eyes.
"Great to see you again," he says, pulling her gently toward him.
She gets a little ping of worry. Are they going to spirit her away, use her up and then dump her in some arroyo so that she can't finger them to the cops? She wouldn't be the first.
But for some reason she trusts him.
"My name's Jack," he adds.
Then he introduces his crew. The barrio boys he calls the Glimmer Twins. She sees they're holding hands. She smiles at them. The black guy is Ti Jean and she can hear the Caribbean in his accent when he says hello.
"And that's my cousin Will," Jack adds, nodding to the other red-haired boy, who smiles back at her.
Maria can't quite place Jack's accent. It's British or Scottish, or some mix of the two. She imagines Will must sound like him.
"I'm Maria," she tells them.
She lets Jack steer her to the empty chair. She tugs at the hem of her skirt, but it's too short to make any difference. She presses her thighs close together.
"So how do you know Luz?" she says to Jack.
"Now that's a story," he says, "though it's not the easiest to tell. Lucia is a part of a lot of stories and they all kind of tangle into each other. Maybe we could go for a drink after the next bout and compare notes."
"What makes you think I'll go anywhere with five boys I don't know?"
"You could bring your friends," Ti Jean says.
Will nods. "Yes, you really ought to invite your friends," he says, his accent sounding like Jack's. "Why not call them over right now, so that we can meet them?"
"Maybe I will and maybe I won't," she says.
She's about to ask them where they're all from when she spots the person she's been looking for ever since Veronica pointed Jack out to her. Luz. She's standing at the front of the stage, just under a speaker. The band is rocking and Luz is grinning. She pumps a fist in the air to the infectious beat.
Maria leans closer to Jack and puts a hand on his shoulder.
"I need to see someone for a moment," she says. "Don't go away."
"Boy or girl?" Jack asks.
She looks at the Glimmer Twins, still holding hands.
"Does it matter?" she asks.
"Only to what could be," he tells her, looking
Everything, Maria thinks. She has no idea why that seems possible. But she gets up from her chair.
"Sure," she says. "Why not?"
Before she can lose her nerve, she's circling the track, aiming for where the handsome red-haired boy is sitting. His gaze tracks her movement, but she's feeling more confident now. It helps that she's turning a few heads along the way. She knows she looks good—much better than she did in the sweats she was wearing this afternoon while working: white tank with a fringed black vest, jean mini-skirt, red cowboy boots. Her hair's up in a loose chignon, her makeup's light and fresh. A silver and turquoise Taxco bracelet that used to belong to her grandmother dangles on her wrist.
The red-haired boy has his crew sitting with him—there's a vibe that connects them all. It seems more like a brotherhood vibe than a gang thing, which is good because you don't bring a gang into 66 Bandas territory. To his right are two dark-haired barrio boys in skater shorts and oversized tees. To his left is the big black guy who kicked down the door of the place they robbed this afternoon. Dreadlocks frame his round face. On the next seat over is another red-haired white boy who could be the leader's brother or cousin. There's a family resemblance, but he's…prettier is the best way she can describe it. He doesn't have the same look of steel in his eyes that the leader does. The leader is the only one still wearing his green hoodie.
When she gets close enough, the black guy and the other red-haired boy move over a seat, leaving an empty chair beside the leader. The leader stands up, still smiling, but now he reaches out a hand. She takes it without thinking. He doesn't shake, he just holds her hand in his. His hand is warm and she doesn't want to take hers away. She feels like she might get lost in his hazel eyes.
"Great to see you again," he says, pulling her gently toward him.
She gets a little ping of worry. Are they going to spirit her away, use her up and then dump her in some arroyo so that she can't finger them to the cops? She wouldn't be the first.
But for some reason she trusts him.
"My name's Jack," he adds.
Then he introduces his crew. The barrio boys he calls the Glimmer Twins. She sees they're holding hands. She smiles at them. The black guy is Ti Jean and she can hear the Caribbean in his accent when he says hello.
"And that's my cousin Will," Jack adds, nodding to the other red-haired boy, who smiles back at her.
Maria can't quite place Jack's accent. It's British or Scottish, or some mix of the two. She imagines Will must sound like him.
"I'm Maria," she tells them.
She lets Jack steer her to the empty chair. She tugs at the hem of her skirt, but it's too short to make any difference. She presses her thighs close together.
"So how do you know Luz?" she says to Jack.
"Now that's a story," he says, "though it's not the easiest to tell. Lucia is a part of a lot of stories and they all kind of tangle into each other. Maybe we could go for a drink after the next bout and compare notes."
"What makes you think I'll go anywhere with five boys I don't know?"
"You could bring your friends," Ti Jean says.
Will nods. "Yes, you really ought to invite your friends," he says, his accent sounding like Jack's. "Why not call them over right now, so that we can meet them?"
"Maybe I will and maybe I won't," she says.
She's about to ask them where they're all from when she spots the person she's been looking for ever since Veronica pointed Jack out to her. Luz. She's standing at the front of the stage, just under a speaker. The band is rocking and Luz is grinning. She pumps a fist in the air to the infectious beat.
Maria leans closer to Jack and puts a hand on his shoulder.
"I need to see someone for a moment," she says. "Don't go away."
"Boy or girl?" Jack asks.
She looks at the Glimmer Twins, still holding hands.
"Does it matter?" she asks.
"Only to what could be," he tells her, looking
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