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“Nada,” Alex replies. “We’re taking our sister’s home in a little while. Other than that, who knows?” He shrugs, then says something in Spanish.
They’re so used to speaking Spanish, they slip back into it without noticing.
“Sorry, Jace,” Alex laughs. “Honestly, though, as much as you kick it with our family, you should be fluent. You and your sister both.” Jasmine can’t understand a lick of Spanish, either.
Carlos and his friends are pretty cool to kick it with once you get past the whole ‘We’re scary as shit’ vibe. They pass a couple more joints around, but I pass. I’m still coming down from my first hit, and need to keep my senses about me.
Speaking of senses, it’s way past time to check on Jasmine and Marisol. Two hours have passed since I looked at the time on my phone. I haven’t seen or talked to either of the girls since I left them earlier. I know they can take care of themselves, but young guys like me only have one thing on their minds, and that one thing is not getting anywhere near my sister or Marisol.
“Alex, I’m going to go in and check on the girls.” Alex nods. Even though he’s laying off Marisol this year, we both still watch out for them.
“I’ll come with you.” He turns to Carlos. “Adiós, amigo.”
“See you later, guys.” I tip my head with the departure and turn to go inside.
A couple of them toss out an adiós in return.
Alex’s feet stomp up the back porch behind me. “You about ready to go?” He asks, sounding worn out.
I glance over my shoulder at him for a moment. He’s walking blind, lost in his thoughts. “Yeah, you?”
He rakes his hand down his face. “Absolutely.”
He’s stressing. “You all right, man?”
“I’m good. My dad’s been on my case a lot lately, that’s all.” He leaves it at that.
I nod, acknowledging that I’d heard him, but also knowing he doesn’t enjoy talking about the problems he has with his dad. It’s nothing near what Jasmine goes through with Margret, but Alex’s dad knows how smart he is, and pushes him to keep up his grades. Although he does it, it doesn’t stop his dad from getting on him to keep them up.
As soon as the barrier to the backdoor is broken, the music spills out across the yard. The party is hopping. A sea of people sway to the music everywhere you turn; their bodies glistening with sweat. There are twice the amount of people as before, sending a slight panic rushing through me. Jasmine rarely goes anywhere without me, especially not to places like this.
I hear Alex cursing behind me, the words drowned out by all the noise. He’s probably thinking the same thing; that the girls are going to be hard to find in all this.
That is, until the scene in the middle of the makeshift dancefloor catches my attention. Jasmine’s dancing provocatively with two guys, Marisol at her side, getting down with another, as the crowd cheers them on. People gravitate, dancing around them, drawing every male eye in the room.
Alex slams into my back, since I suddenly stop, but his protest dies on his tongue as he witnesses the same scene. Alex has always had a temper, but it’s increased substantially since he’s been having troubles with his dad. I can sense the anger radiating off him. He steps past me, ready to rectify the situation. There’s dancing. And then there’s dancing. What they’re doing is in a category all its own.
But still… “Wait.” A hand on his chest stops his progress.
“What? Are you fucking loco?” He growls at me like an animal.
“No,” I growl back, “look at them.” I point and give him a minute. “They’re only having fun. Hands are all visible. Andrew and Justin should know better than to touch my sister, and whoever the fuck that guy is with Marisol, we’ll just have to watch him. Jasmine’s had a shitty couple of days, and I want to let her have some fun. As long as we can see what’s going on, let’s let them.”
He pauses, thinking about what I’ve said. “Okay, man, you’re right. But let’s get out of here soon. I’m getting a fucking headache.”
We agree and lean up against the wall to monitor the douches dancing with the girls. Each song rolls into the next, and they continue having a blast. A lifetime seems to pass, but in reality, it’s probably been an hour at most. I’m dazing off when I decide I’m ready to go, glancing over to Alex to inform him when I see he’s glaring daggers.
Jaz is leaning against one of the columns littered around the living room, her back glued against the marble, arms wrapped around the neck of some random guy. She’s looking at him like he’s the answer to everything. Marisol’s next to her, smiling up at Brett, a senior on the football team. Yep, it’s time to go.
“I think it’s time to go,” I say sarcastically.
“Sí,” Alex grunts.
We make our way over slowly; the crowd blocking our way, giving me time to calm myself. I’m pissed that my sister would climb all over some dude she barely knows, but I also don’t like Marisol smiling at some other guy. I shake those thoughts from my head as we close ranks.
Jasmine spots us first. Her eyes widen, looking at me first, then at Alex. Whatever she sees in his expression has her straightening and tapping Marisol. If I’m not mistaken, she mouths the word, ‘Bodyguards’ to her. I can’t help but laugh. That’s exactly what we are.
By the time we reach them, the girls stand with space between them and their dancing douches. Five minutes ago, I’d have sworn they were glued together.
