Boys

Seriously?

Rafa seemed different at school. Things hadn’t changed that much, I mean on most days we still rode our bikes, ate lunch together, and sat in the back of Mr. Oliver’s class, but in the hallways he had a new strut—like a rooster—as if having a girlfriend was the same as winning a hunting trophy. I rolled my eyes.

Even though I’d been back for nearly a week, the reality of what had happened with Dad in San Miguel hit me while walking through a crowded hallway with Rafa strutting by my side. When you’re little, you think your parents are always there, like an extension of you. But that’s not exactly true. Obviously, a parent can love you for a long time and then stop whenever they want. My mind was busy with all this when Megan bumped me and said, “Check friendworld lately?”

“Um, like no,” I replied.

With a smirk, Megan's eyes swept up and down Rafa’s cocky stance. “You should,” she said and winked at Rafa before sashaying off.

“What’s she talking about?” I asked.

Rafa shrugged and kissed me on the cheek before turning the corner to his last class. He knew. My own boyfriend was hiding something.