Chain Reaction

Nikki is an adrenaline rush just being herself. I pull back and cup her flushed cheek gently in my palm.



We just stare at each other. “What are you doing?” she asks.



“Lookin’ at you. We got major chemistry, don’t we?”



“Nope.” She doesn’t break eye contact, probably wanting me to look away first. When I don’t, she steps away and a huge, cocky grin crosses her face. She tsks and shakes her head. “Sorry, Luis, but you need a little practice. Your tongue action was a bit awkward. I mean, it wasn’t all bad. You have potential, but obviously we’re not compatible.”



As I’m standing there stunned, I’m thinking that this girl is a witch and not an angel. She’s definitely put a spell on me, and I’m practically panting, ready to beg her for the chance to do it again—now. That wasn’t just fun, and my tongue action is anything but awkward. I’ve had fun with other girls. Lots of ’em. Nobody has complained before.



When I looked into her eyes, and her eyes were locked on mine, there was something there. It was undeniable.



Nikki wipes her lips with the back of her hand. “Don’t you dare tell anyone we kissed.”



Why, because I’m a poor Mexican and after Marco the only guys who are worthy of her have fifty-dollar bills they wave around like pieces of scrap paper?



Ben walks in the room and asks, “What were you guys doing?”



Nikki says “Nothing” at the same time I say, “Your sister and I were just makin’ out.”



16



Nikki



Sometimes things are better off forgotten. The fact that I kissed Luis is one of them. So it wasn’t as bad as I made it out to be … and in reality I can’t stop thinking about doing it again. But he doesn’t need to know that. All week during school I’ve managed to avoid talking to him, which is great. Except it takes a lot of energy to avoid someone you can’t help but notice.



Sunday mornings I volunteer at the animal shelter near my house. When I get there, the manager, Sue, tells me that a new dog named Granny came in this morning.



“She’s blind,” Sue tells me, and my heart breaks a little. “Bulldog. Probably around nine or ten years old. Her elderly owner died, and nobody in the family could take the dog.”



I’ve seen old dogs die in their cages at the shelter, because few people want to adopt a dog only to pay the higher medical costs older dogs usually have. On top of that, people don’t want to adopt a dog that won’t be around much longer.



“Where is she?” I ask.



“Cage thirty-three. You can walk her, then start cleaning out the west side cages.”



I immediately go to cage thirty-three. Granny is lying down in the corner with her head on the ground.



“Hey, girl,” I say as I unlock the cage.



She picks her head up when I pet her, and leans into my lap. I learn pretty quickly that Granny likes her tummy rubbed. I take her for a walk, leading her to the open grassy area in the back so she can sniff around.



I walk the other dogs, but the entire time I’m thinking about Granny. I go back to her cage to give her tummy rubs five more times.



“I’ll come back tomorrow to check on Granny,” I tell Sue during my break.



“You’re not on the schedule.”



“I know. But I noticed her bowl was full. I hand-fed her. If she doesn’t eat tomorrow, I’ll help her.”



Sue rolls her eyes. “She’ll eat, Nikki. Healthy dogs don’t starve themselves.”



“Depressed ones do,” I say back. “And she’s depressed.”



“Too bad we don’t have the budget for a dog therapist, huh?”



“You’ve got me, though,” I tell her.



I spend the rest of the time handling the other dogs until I leave the shelter and head home for a shower.



When I pull into my driveway, Kendall is already waiting for me. She stares at the mud stains on my jeans. “Are you full of doggie germs?”



“Yep.”



She holds her hands up. “Ugh. Don’t touch me. I’ll wait outside while you take a shower. Hurry!”



We’ve had plans for a while to go on Derek’s boat in Fox Lake. It’s not actually his boat, it’s his parents’.



Twenty minutes later I run out of the house all showered and ready to spend the rest of the day relaxing and tanning on the boat.



“So …,” Kendall says. “Want to elaborate on what’s going on between you and Luis since ‘the kiss’?”



I’d called Kendall after our kiss and told her everything. “Nothing. You know I just made out with Luis to prove a point to myself … and to him.”



“And that point is …”



“That I can kiss a guy without getting emotionally involved.”



“And how did that work out for ya?”



I look out the window. “I’m not as emotionally immune as I want to be. I’m just glad we’re going out on the boat so I can clear my head. I don’t want to get involved with anyone, Kendall. Especially someone like …”



“Like Marco?” Kendall says, finishing my sentence.



“Yeah. I can’t do that.”



Kendall shrugs. “What if Luis is different, Nik? What if he likes you, and you like him, and it’s all good?”



“It doesn’t work that way. You love Derek, and Derek loves you, but you guys still have problems.”



“I’m going on the boat today, aren’t I? I’m trying to live in the moment instead of obsessing about our inevitable future.”



“And that’s what you think I should do?”



After the forty-minute drive, she pulls into the gravel driveway. “I think you should be happy. You’ve been punishing yourself for two years, Nikki.”



“I don’t want to get hurt again.” I smile and give her a hug. “I love you for wanting me to be happy, though.”



Kendall was there after I lost the baby. She listened to me cry hour after hour, day after day, night after night, until I had no more tears left. When I needed her to talk, to just say anything to get my mind off of what had happened, she came through for me. She talked about everything and nothing until her throat was sore. And when I didn’t want to talk, we sat silent for hours. She bought me ice cream and Hallmark sympathy cards with encouraging words on them, and told me one day my heart would heal even if my body was scarred forever.



“Just try to have fun, okay?” We walk around Derek’s lake house and head for his private pier.



“Hey, girls!” Derek yells from the boat. “You’re late.”



“Nikki had to wash dog germs off her,” Kendall tells him. For the first time in a week, Kendall wraps her arms around Derek and gives him a kiss. I’m glad things are better between them, even though I admit I have my doubts.



I’m shocked to see Luis sitting on the bow wearing nothing but a pair of long swim shorts, revealing naturally tanned washboard abs and a thin line of hair, which extends from his navel and disappears beneath his swim shorts, which ride low on his hips.



Whoa. I hate that I’m tempted to stare.



“Who invited you?” I ask.



“Obviously not you,” he says.



“Give the guy a break,” Derek chimes in as he sits in the captain’s chair.



“Don’t think this is a date,” I tell Luis quietly as he offers a hand to help me in the boat.



Luis furrows his brows. “Who said anythin’ about a date? I didn’t say anythin’ about a date. Yo, Derek, did you say anythin’ about a date?”



“Actually, you did. You said you wanted to ask Nikki out, but were too chickenshit to do it.”



“Well, this is turning out to be an interesting afternoon. Luis, nothing is going to happen between us. We kissed. It was awkward. It’s over.”



Luis smacks his lips together and winks. “Whatever you say, mi chava.”



“Stop calling me that.”



“Uh-huh,” he says dismissively.



Derek starts the boat and soon we’re flying over the water. Derek and Kendall are by the wheel, and Luis and I are up front. I sit across from Luis instead of next to him, mainly because I’m afraid I’ll grab on to him for dear life when we jump the waves. I love boating, but I like going slow. Unfortunately Derek doesn’t have that same philosophy. I hold on to the side rail and pray we don’t capsize.



I glance at Luis. He’s looking down, fascinated, as he watches the water crash against the side of the boat. He’s definitely enjoying the ride.



When we ride over the bumpy wake of another boat, I close my eyes and grip the rail tighter.



“Are you afraid?” Luis says over the roar of the engine. He’s suddenly at my side. I can feel the heat of his body next to mine, and I’m tempted to reach for him to hold me. I open my eyes and look around as the scenery whizzes by.



I don’t need a guy to make me feel secure. I can do it on my own. I grab the rail tighter. “I’m fine.”



“You’re lyin’. If you hold on to the rail any tighter you’ll cut off the circulation in your fingers.” He slides his body closer. “I want to hold you, Nikki. Will you let me?”



17



Luis



I don’t know what it is with this girl. She’s vulnerable and strong-willed at the same time. She makes me want to protect her, and at the same time peel back the layers of that wall she puts up.



“Let me hold you,” I say again.



She shakes her head. “No.”



I lean away from her. She’s shutting me out.



“Is it because of Hunter, or some other dude?”



“No. It’s because I don’t want to get serious with any guy.”



I shrug. “So let’s not be serious. Let’s just have fun with each other and see where it goes. I won’t pressure you or give you attitude. Just the real me.”



I know she’s thinking about it. At least she didn’t shut me down right away.



“That was a rush, wasn’t it?” Derek yells after he anchors the boat. He tosses a raft in the water, then does a backflip off the side.



Kendall jumps in next. “Come on, you guys!” she yells from the water.



Nikki strips off her shorts and tank top, revealing a red bikini with black trim. I watch as she stands on the edge of the boat with the tips of her toes hanging over the side. I’m mesmerized, but trying not to show it.



“So … Luis?” She looks back at me without her usual animosity. I notice the playful challenge laced in her voice. “You said we should have fun. Are you brave enough to take the plunge?”



18



Nikki



I only asked if he’d take the plunge in a moment of pure weakness.



I don’t have long to analyze his physique when he stands over the side, extends his muscular arms over his head, and dives in the water like an Olympic swimmer. I peer over the side of the boat, waiting for him to emerge from the water. When he doesn’t, I start freaking out.



“Where is he?” I ask in a panic.



“You lookin’ for me?” he asks. His voice echoes from the opposite side of the boat.