Blocked (40 page)

And I realized I was distracted once again—staring out the window instead of at my book. If it wasn’t Dane, it was the man who would be horrified to discover my feelings for Dane.
Chingar
. How was I supposed to get any schoolwork done with so much going on in my life?

China’s voice floated behind me. “Where’d you learn to cook? That cake you made for Dane was kickass.” Her tone was quieter than normal, like she only wanted Allison to hear. But the government had spared no expense on this plane, and the smooth jets allowed me to overhear just fine. Maybe China thought I was actually reading.

“My last detail was protecting the First Lady,” Allison said. “Uber-boring. I asked the chef to teach me some skills, just to pass the time.”

“Well, I had to work out an extra hour today because of your skills, bitch.”

Allison’s gentle laugh drifted toward me.

“Are you nervous for tonight?” China asked.

I couldn’t hear Allison’s answer.

“Be careful, okay?” China’s voice seemed softer, more vulnerable.

“You, too. Don’t take unnecessary risks out there.”

They’re adorable!
I glanced at Dane, expecting to find him absorbed in his reading, but he stared back at me with a wide smirk.

“I never intended for this to happen,” Allison said. “Office romances aren’t the best idea.” She paused. “But I’m glad it did. I’ve had a crush on you since Glynco.”

“You
have?
Damn it, I wish my gaydar had been more accurate back then.”

Apparently Allison and I had more in common than I’d realized. No wonder she’d been so giddy about moving into the greenhouse—it was an opportunity to get closer to the object of her lust. I looked at
my
forever crush, whose dark eyes smoldered.
¡Hijole!

Tonight portended to be a disaster.

I entered the green room with Frank and Allison tailing me. Though it had sucked to say goodbye to Dane—he was now with his family in their own space behind the stage—I bounced on my feet when I saw my entire family waiting for me. It had been too long since we’d all been together.

“
¡Hermanita!”
Alejandro bellowed before wrapping me in a hug and kissing me on the cheek. “’Bout time you made it.”

“
¡Hola
, Alex!”

My mom scowled at my T-shirt and yoga pants. “You’re not wearing
that
, are you?”

I scowled right back. “We rushed here from practice, Mom.”

“I’ve got her change of clothes right here,” Allison said, holding aloft my garment bag.

Mom held out her arms. “I meant to say, you look beautiful.” Her brown eyes sparkled. “Forgive me?”

I rolled my eyes as I stepped into her hug. Thankfully she didn’t smell like cigarette smoke.

Mateo raised his fist and bumped mine.

I jabbed him with a light punch. “What, no hug?”

He gave a shy grin and allowed me to embrace him. Jeez, the kid was only a few inches shorter than me now. I wondered if he would grow as tall as Dane.

“Sorry we missed your game.” He looked down.

“I’m actually glad you guys couldn’t make it…total slaughter.”

“Yeah, what
happened?”
Alejandro asked.

I grimaced.
Nina happened
. “Long story. It’ll be better the next time we play.”
On election night
.

“Lucy!” My dad broke off from a small group seated around a conference table and came toward me. He looked quite handsome in his navy suit, crisp white shirt, and red tie. “I’ve missed you,
mija!”
His hug lifted me off my feet, reminding me of dizzy twirls in his strong hold, my giggles filling the living room of our childhood home.

“So how do you like college?”

I peeked around him to see his campaign manager drumming his fingers on the table, next to the vice presidential candidate and his wife, with a few Secret Service agents hovering nearby. And there was my Aunt Maricela as well.
Tía
Mari and I waved at each other, then I looked back at my dad. “I don’t want to interrupt your last-minute prep for tonight.”

“If I don’t know it by now, the Republicans nominated the wrong guy.”

“They definitely nominated the right guy.” I grinned at him. “But we can catch up later.”

“Darn election.” He frowned. “Okay, but real quick…tell me your favorite thing about Highbanks.”

Dane Monroe
. My heartbeat kicked up as I imagined what would happen if I’d said that out loud. “Uh…um, well it’s gotta be my teammate Maddie. She’s super nice, and she’s taught me a lot about hitting.”

“Excellent. It’s good to have somebody to push you—to make you better.”

Like Dane
.

“Adolfo?” Dad’s manager had joined us. He gestured back to the table.

Dad kissed my forehead and returned to debate prep.

“Ms. Ramirez?”

I looked over at a chair set up in front of a mirror, where two women stood and smiled at me for some reason. “Yeah?”

“Time for hair and makeup!”

I snorted, but the makeup lady kept smiling and held out the chair for me. I inched back. “What?”

“If
I
had to get makeup, you do, too,” Mateo said as he propelled me to the chair.

Now that I looked closer at his face, I detected some traces of foundation and blush. “No way!” I cradled his cheeks as he shoved me forward. “You look so
pretty!”

“Shut it.” He latched onto my shoulders and pushed me into the chair.

In the mirror, I watched Allison backpedal to the door. “We’ll leave you to it,” she said.

Frank shook his head. “I’ll stay.”

I watched him move to the conference table before tugs on my scalp diverted my attention. The thin, blond woman fanned out my hair. “Did you let this
air dry?”

“Yeah?” She’d made it sound like a capital offense.

The makeup artist exhaled. “We have our work cut out for us.”

Twenty minutes later, I zipped up a red and black block-color dress in a private bathroom off the green room and stepped closer to the mirror to check out my glam self.
Day-um
, as Brad would say. I shouldn’t have been so disdainful of the beauty artists who’d gussied me up. The soft waves of my hair shone, and their smoky eye shadow and mascara made my eyes pop. I couldn’t wait for Dane to see me.

Gazing at my happy face, it seemed like so long ago that I’d fantasized about hightailing it from Highbanks—though I always knew I couldn’t. My first month had been miserable. But Maddie had mentored me in the art of getting the most out of our surly coach. Dr. Valentine and Whitney had helped me manage stress better so I could finally breathe. And the best mood booster of all had come from Dane admitting his feelings for me.
Squee!
My feet did a little tap dance just thinking about him. Regardless of whether my parents’ address remained in Houston or relocated to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, I’d found a home at Highbanks.

“Lucia Maricela Ramirez!”

My smile vanished. That was my dad’s voice.

I took a tentative step out of the bathroom to find my parents glaring at me.
“¿Sí?”

A storm raged in my father’s eyes. “You’ve been with
Dane Monroe?!?”

My throat closed in on itself as my hand flew to my mouth. A glance to the right revealed the source of my father’s information—he stood there with a righteous set to his jaw. “Frank!” I squeaked. I fought to suck in a breath. “How could you tell them?”

“So you’re not denying it?” My father stepped forward and hissed, “You had
sex
with him?”

“What?” I shrieked.
Air, I need air
.

“
¡Ay
, Lucia!” my mother cried.

Our raised voices had drawn in my brothers from the other side of the room, and Alejandro’s mouth dropped open. “I
knew
it! How could you be so stupid, Lucia?”

“What’s happening?” asked Mateo.

Tremors started up my legs and into my torso, and I couldn’t look at my family’s horrified faces. The only words I could form were directed to my betrayer, Frank. “How
could
you?”

“Your parents had a right to know.” Frank folded his arms across his chest. “Especially after Dane forced that girl to get an abortion.”

“He did
what?”
If I thought my father had been angry before, that was nothing compared to the flash of hatred in his eyes, the violence in his voice. A tortilla could burn in the hot air huffed from his nostrils.

“¿Qué pasa?”
Tía
Mari asked as she approached us. She cupped my father’s tense shoulder. “
Cálmate
, Adolfo.”

My mother whimpered.
“¡Es el diablo!”

“Dane’s
not
the devil!” My family recoiled as I shouted. This was the first time I’d ever yelled like that.

“
Lucia
.” My father’s tone was the harshest I’d ever heard.

My cheeks warmed, and I took a deep breath. “Sorry, Dad, but you don’t have your facts straight.”

He paced for a moment, like a caged beast, then swallowed. “Then enlighten us.”

“Well, first…” Flames of mortification licked my face. “Dane and I aren’t having sex.”
Thank Dios Dane stopped us
.

Mateo snickered. “This is epic.” Alejandro cuffed his ear. “Ow!”

My father closed his eyes, seeming relieved. “I’m glad to hear that.”

“Five minutes, everyone,” a male agent interrupted.

“Adolfo, you need to focus on the debate,” my father’s campaign manager told him.

But nobody paid attention to either man. Not with the sordid details of my love life flayed wide open in front of my entire freaking family.

“Secondly…” I glowered at Frank. “Dane didn’t know about the girl’s pregnancy until
after
the abortion.”

“Just how do you know that?” Frank challenged.

“Because he told me!”

“Yeah,
that’s
reliable,” Alejandro scoffed.

“And the girl in question admitted it, too,” I added with a huff.

My mother shook her head. “You know her? Who is this girl?”

“I shouldn’t say. I’ll respect her privacy, unlike some people.” Another hostile glance at Frank. “She felt like she had no other choice.”

“There’s
always
a choice!”

“I know,
Mamá.
” I sighed. “And I think she regrets it now. Dane too. The abortion…it crushed him.”

Tia
Mari’s low laugh began to build. My father turned to his sister. “What could possibly be funny right now?”

“Lucy has it bad, bad, bad for this boy.” She kept chuckling. “Your daughter’s fallen for a liberal.”

“Like hell she has!” He grabbed my wrists. “
Mija
, you’ve got a good head on your shoulders. How can you want anything to do with that corrupt family? They intend to destroy our country!”

I opened my mouth to respond, but nothing came out. I wasn’t ready for this—I hadn’t thought this through. Why had Frank snitched my secret? He’d ruined this entire night. I felt tears well up, and I tried to blink them away. Dad let go of my wrists and began pacing again.