Salvation (27 page)

He was the reason they were here. And Char. Because her life and his were worth something. People should know that.

This wasn’t about Salva. He was just the leader.

“Let’s go,” he said, signaling his peers. “Make a little history
for Charla and Pepe! Show people that Liberty is about a heck of a lot more than a football team! What do you say?”

The cheers came in two different languages. Students spread out, some hopping into banner-draped vehicles, motors starting again, and mismatched signs lifting around the parking lot.

Beth’s arm tightened on Salva’s waist.

He knew there were questions about the future. He might not survive the academic rigors he had chosen. Loss would always underline anything he did achieve. And dreams changed.

But change could be beautiful. His gaze met Beth’s, then rose to the flawed sign above her head. Eight months ago he had etched neat perfect outlines to restrain the damage she had done with her painted golden chaos.

When ultimately
he
had been the one who was damaged.

It was her chaos—the glorious unrestrained emotion that was Beth—which had saved him. Her amazing capacity to challenge and love and forgive.

He swept her closer, swapping his own sign with hers.
“Vamos, mi amor,”
he told her.

There was something to be said for paint spattered all outside the lines.

Thank you.
To my editor, Kristin Gilson, for her insight into this project. To my agent, Kelly Sonnack, for laughing and crying when she read it. To Angelle Pilkington for believing in it first. To Eileen Kreit, Linda McCarthy, Vanessa Han, Pat Shuldiner, Nora Reichard, and the rest of the team from Penguin for helping bring the dream to life. To Tracey, who answered all the obligatory my-sister-is-the-medical-expert-in-the-family questions. To my dad, who walked Tosa through the steps of changing the oil in a car. To Juana Santillan and Yvonne De Los Santos for pinch-hitting my random
preguntas de español.
To Maria Patla and Dawn Sheirbon for their amazing artistry and expertise with my website, school visit brochure, and myriad graphic challenges. To the educators, librarians, fellow writers, bookstore workers, volunteers, and literary supporters who helped make this ultimate dream of being a full-time author come true. And to my readers! Salva would never have learned to speak without
all
of you.