Avra's God (8 page)

“Yo, Pops, did you miss me or something?”

His father sobered. “Every day.” He jutted
his chin toward Avra in a mannerism she recognized as Cisco’s.
“Who’s the pretty girl?”

“Pops, this is Avra. Avra, Sam Carter.”

Sam shook her hand, an arm still around
Cisco’s shoulders. He smiled at Avra. “First girl you’ve ever
brought by.”

Cisco grinned at Avra. “First girl worth
it.”

Avra’s chin lifted. So, maybe he
was
into her.

“Where you been, Francisco?” Sam said.
“You’re never home when I visit your sisters.”

“I have a life.” Cisco kicked at a shell with
the toe of his sneaker. “If you couldn’t stand that nuthouse, how
do you expect me to hang out there?”

A muscle flinched in Sam’s jaw. “Speaking of
getting out, I’m glad you stopped by. I’m thinking of getting out
of town.”

“Where ya going—to see Grandma?” He glanced
at Avra. “Up in Stark.”

Sam ran his hand over his face. “I’ve been
hearing about a planet that only comes into our orbit every
thirty-six thousand years. When it hits our atmosphere, there will
be nine-hundred-mile-an-hour winds. Ocean boundaries will shift
radically.” He glanced at Avra. “Gotta get away from the ocean. I
have a friend in New Mexico who lives underground.”

“Pop.” Cisco smacked his forehead. “Not
another friend who lives underground.”

A grin lurked at the edges of Sam’s mouth.
“He buried his pop-up camper way out in the middle of nowhere.”

“Where do you
find
these whackos?”

“Shortwave is the way to go,” Sam said. “No
Big Brother breathing down your neck. Yes, sir, that’s where you
get the real goods, the truth.”

“What if it’s another Y2K?”

Sam grinned sheepishly. “Just in case, I’m
taking two week’s vacation from the boatyard.”

Cisco shook his head and grinned at his
father. “You’re the limit.”

Sam shrugged easily. “Come for a sail with
me, you two.”

“I gotta work this afternoon.”

“Tomorrow?”

She heard the plea in that word. Sam’s blue
eyes held hope as they stared at his son. “What time?” she
said.

Cisco narrowed his eyes at her.

The sun broke out on Sam’s face. “Your
call.”

She didn’t look at Cisco. “Noon. We’ll bring
food.”

As Cisco pulled onto Riverside Drive, he
nailed her with a look. “I should be ticked.”

“Because I want to go sailing?” Avra feigned
innocence.

“Because you’re meddling.”

Avra shrugged. “Maybe you need some meddling.
Two years is a long time to hurt inside.”

Cisco cracked his knuckles. “All right, I’ll
sail, but only because I don’t want to make waves when I’m trying
to talk you into going out.”

Avra’s lips stretched into a smile as she
stared out the windshield.

Cisco rolled to a stop beside the soccer
field. After Avra stepped out, he slammed her door. “Piece of
crap.” He scowled at the Geo.

“It runs.”

“Yeah, two hundred and ten thousand miles and
it still runs. There is that.”

They walked toward the soccer field—Avra’s
turf. How many hours had she spent on this field, running and
kicking, crashing on the grass, chugging water, panting out the
extremes of every emotion?

She stepped onto the field. “I have to play
forward next month when Lexi DiSilva has knee surgery.”

“That’s a good thing, right?” Cisco
high-fived her. “Forwards score, get the glory. You the woman.”

She laughed. “That’s the general idea, except
I’m not aggressive enough to score. That’s why I play D.”

Cisco jogged toward the goal. “Come on, we’ll
practice.”

She jogged after him. “Uh, Cisco, we need a
ball,” she said as they stopped within shooting distance of the
goal.

“No sweat.” Cisco held up an imaginary ball,
wiped invisible grass from it on his jeans. He rolled the “ball”
behind Avra. “Okay, you shoot on goal; I’ll defend.”

Avra laughed. Cisco was fun. No wonder people
liked him.

Fifteen minutes later Cisco sprawled on the
ground.

Avra inhaled the grass scent as she sat down
nearby.

“Hey, you’re not bad for a girl.”

“You’re not bad, either—for a girl.”

“Ooooh, the lady’s meaner than I thought.”
Cisco rolled onto his back and folded his hands behind his head. A
breeze lifted the curls from his forehead and blew the clouds
across the sky.

Avra watched him. Sun warmed her shoulders. A
comfortable quiet settled between them.

Cisco pointed at the sky where cumulus clouds
crawled by. “Look at that Lamborghini.”

“Yeah, right, and there’s Elvis.”

“Avra,” he said, as though talking to a
two-year-old, “everyone knows Elvis is at Graceland. You gotta get
down here to see the Lamborghini—finest car ever made. Put your
head right here.” He patted the grass above his head.

She lay down head to head with Cisco. She
shifted to avoid the grass poking her in the ribs. The afternoon
had taken on a surreal quality—Cisco’s dad, Cisco himself. Her
scalp tingled with his nearness. She didn’t care if it was surreal.
It felt good.

“Now, look right there.” Cisco pointed. “See
the hood?”

“You mean that long, flat cloud stuck in that
cauliflower?”

“That’s not a cauliflower.” Disdain laced his
voice. “That’s the puff of exhaust covering the back end of the
Lamborghini. See the front tire, the bumper?”

“Okay, okay—I bet I can find a better
one.”

Cisco twisted around to look at her. “Are you
always this competitive?”

“Yep.” She pulled up her knees and crossed
one over the other.

Cisco lay back down. “Then, don’t worry about
playing forward.”

She bounced her foot as she scanned the sky.
“Since you won’t look for poor Elvis and you’ve got cars on the
brain like my brother Kurt, how about old Herbie over there?” She
pointed. “See the bubble roof, the rounded fenders, three of the
tires?”

“Herbie, as in ‘The Love Bug’?”

“Yeah, have you got him?”

Cisco chuckled. “Oh, I’ve got the love bug,
all right.”

Heat flooded her face. Thank God, Cisco
wasn’t in a position to notice. She heard him take a deep
breath.

“So, Avra, what’s it gonna be? You up for
going out with me?” He rolled to his side and faced her, propping
his head on his hand. “You got the whole scoop on Cisco
Carter.”

“Yes, I’ll go out with you.” Her eyes
skittered away from him.

Cisco let out a deep breath. “Man, Avra, you
are one hard chick to ask out.”

Her gaze slipped back to him. Cisco reached
over and tucked her hair behind one ear. The intimacy of his touch
buzzed through her.

“Avra.” He matched her serious tone. “I don’t
want you to ever think I’m out of your league. That’s why I
subjected you to my family. I’m white trash, Spic white trash.
You’re like—” He waved his hand in the air between them, searching
for the right word. “—royalty. I’m the one who’s way out of my
league.”

She smiled. “Thanks for showing me your
life.” She sat up cross-legged. “I want to be honest with you,
too.”

“Honesty’s a good thing.”

“This is really embarrassing.” She tore grass
up and let it fall into a pile under her fingers. “I’ve never gone
out with anyone before.”

“And your point is?”

She darted a look at him. “My point is, I
don’t have a clue what people do when they go out.”

“Neither do I. I’ve been with a lot of girls,
but I’ve never had a girlfriend. It’ll be an adventure.” He held
his hand out to her. Avra laid her hand in his. His fingers closed
around hers. “We’ll figure it out.”

The warmth of Cisco’s hand suffused her in an
unfamiliar euphoria. He’d called her his girlfriend.

Cisco pulled her to her feet. They strolled
toward the stubby palms dotting the parking lot behind the football
stadium. “I like this.” He held up their intertwined fingers.

Cisco stroked her hand with his thumb,
shooting warning flares up her arm. Would he pressure her for sex?
A cloud traveled across the sun, putting them in shadow. She
shivered and pushed away the fear. If it happened, she’d deal with
it then.

She checked the time on her phone. “I have to
get home.”

Cisco frowned, then seemed to shake off his
disappointment. “Beat you to the Geo.”

They took off running.

Cisco bent at the waist, hands on his knees,
panting beside the car. “You can really book. I haven’t had to run
that hard since football.”

“Maybe you better get in shape if you’re
going out with a soccer jock.”

Cisco’s breathing slowed to normal. “Hey, I
won, didn’t I?”

“Barely.”

“What? I was ahead by two yards.”

She stared him down.

“Feet. So, maybe I should play more
basketball. I knew you’d be good for me.” He opened her door.
“Thanks for saying ‘yes.’ I’m a happy guy.”

Her world tilted.

As she and Cisco pulled up in front of her
house, Kurt and Drew tossed a football in the yard. Dad trimmed a
bush beside the porch steps. A tape measure bulged in his back
pocket.

“Hey, Cisco,” Drew yelled, “throw some
ball?”

“I’m in.” Cisco came around the car and let
her out. He stood in the open door boxing her in.

“I have to go.”

“Sit with you at church tomorrow?”

“Sure.”

Cisco leaned in and kissed her on the cheek.
“Bye.”

The snap of the football being passed back
and forth stopped for an instant, and she heard it hit the ground
and bounce again. She didn’t need to look at her brothers to know
they’d seen the whole thing. Kurt and Drew would tease her
mercilessly—and it would be so worth it.

Cisco jogged toward the boys and scooped up
the ball.

Her dad chuckled as she ran up the front
steps. “Guess you said you’d go out with him, huh?”

The screen door banged behind her. Her heart
still raced. The guy had guts—kissing her in front of all the male
members of her family. And they’d known this was coming before she
did. She touched her cheek where Cisco had kissed it.

Wordless thanks welled up in her to God.

Something Tad had said flitted into her head.
“Don’t date anyone who doesn’t share your faith, or you’ll be in
for a world of hurt.” Easy for him to say—he was a pastor, not a
girl who’d only attracted Morgan the Geek her entire life.

Cisco spit into the Indian River, squinting
at
Freedom’s Call
where it bobbed off the boatyard seawall.
This is jacked. I’m out of here
.

Pops threw back the hatch and vaulted into
the cockpit. “Francisco!” A grin split his face. “Where’s your
girl?”

Avra had sent him alone, said it would be
good for him. Cisco scowled. “Didn’t come.”

“Where were you for the six months before you
came by the other day?”

“You should have thought about wanting to see
me before you checked out.”

Sam rose and fell as the boat bounced on the
wake of a passing ski boat. “We’re doing the same old dance. You
punish me for leaving. I get tired and give up trying for a while.
Then, I start over.”

“Why did you leave?”

“I’m not dragging you into our mess.”

“Life is crap since you left. We’re living in
the projects. We never see Mamá—she’s working all the time.”
Disgust laced his voice. “The girls are whacked. Family dinners are
ancient history.”

“Like family dinners were happy events. You
remember history the way you want to remember it.” Pops’ jaw
tightened. “You don’t know—” He stopped himself. “This has gone on
too long.” He dropped from the deck to the seawall in front of
Cisco. “I’m sorry I made you suffer, son. Forgive me.”

He watched the yearning play in his father’s
face and hardened himself against it.
Not in this
lifetime.

“I’ll think about it.” He spun toward his
car.

Pops grabbed hold of his shoulder. “About
that sail?”

Sun diamonds flashed off distant cars
crossing the bridge. The weight of his father’s hand on his
shoulder asked but didn’t demand. He turned back to face Pops.
Dampness swam in eyes he knew better than his own. He stepped away
from his father’s hand. “Fine.”

Sam let out a breath. “I want to hear about
this Avra.” They stepped across the water onto
Freedom’s
Call,
their legs in sync like the first step of a military
march.

Kallie shifted on the metal chair between
Avra and the aqua glow of Jenna Malone’s pool. Cisco, Jesse, and
Billy warmed up the band on the grass nearby for their first gig,
Jenna’s nineteenth birthday party. If one of Jenna’s friends asked
what she was doing at the party, she’d have to tell them she was
with the band—like one of Jesse’s groupies. Like Jenna.

Students streamed out of Jenna’s house and
through the wooden gate into the backyard. Colored lights swung in
the wood smoke and chlorine-scented air. Kallie dug her hands
deeper into her jacket pockets.

The band quieted. Chattering voices swelled
and filled the yard. Beside her, Avra spoke to Rand Cortina about
the bongos Cisco had scared up from somewhere. Kallie’s chair
jostled and she startled.

Jesse squatted next to the pool, hanging onto
the arm of her chair for balance. “Tell me we’re ready for this.
Tell me we’ll fly.” His voice was tense, almost pleading.

Warmth flooded through her. “Careful, Jess,
your insecurity is showing.”

He grimaced and grabbed the back of his
neck.

What did he need from her? She drew a deep
breath and tried again. “Everything has come together at practice.
You’re ready, trust me.”

Jesse’s face relaxed.

She shook her head. “Amazing that you can’t
see how good you are.”

Cisco bent over Avra, sliding his arm around
her shoulders. He whispered something in Avra’s ear and she smiled
at him.