Down to the Bone Read Online Free Page A

off to the kitchen with phone in hand.
    Pedri runs to me. “What happened, Shyly? Why is Mami so mad?”
    I sit him on my lap and hold him tightly against me. I need to feel his love around me. “Little Punk, they threw me out of school.” I hug him closer, tighter, as I gulp hard and try not to cry.
    He examines my eyes while holding onto the back of my neck with both hands. “Were you bad?”
    I kiss the tip of his tiny marble nose, press my forehead against his, and look into his green bubble-gum colored eyes. “Nope. They threw me out because I won’t snitch on a friend. Don’t worry about it, okay?” I brush his golden curls away from his forehead with my fingers and squeeze my cheek to his. He’s all mushy and marshmallowy.
    Pedri smiles, showing his tiny teeth and one missing front tooth. “Okay.”
    My mom calls him and he rushes off.
    I go to my room, shut the door behind me, and throw myself on the bed. I hear my mother in the kitchen, slamming cabinet doors, and banging pots and pans. It’s safe to make a quick call to Marlena.
    She answers, “¿Oigo?”
    I whisper everything that happened, in detail, without stopping for a single breath. “Oh, no! I should have never texted you something so private.”
    “It’s not your fault. I was the idiot reading the texts in class. I should have known better.
    “Some guys only see me as sex object now. My mother is treating me like a criminal. Most of my good friends are never going talk to me again because I lied. But worst of all, Mami read what we do in living color. I’m nauseous.”
    “Oh, Scrunchy.” She sighs loudly. “That’s horrible. What are we going to do?”
    “Don’t worry. No one found out about you, and no one ever will.”
    “Texting you in private mode is the smartest thing I’ve ever done. Can you imagine? I’m relieved no one knows it’s me. This way, we can still see each other and work it through.”
    I pull off my blouse, ball it up, and throw it against a wall. It’s suffocating me. My friends’ and Fart Face’s sickening remarks are still stuck to it.
    “Everything’s going wrong. I should have stayed in bed today, or better yet, I should’ve skipped school and have gone to meet with you. I doubt things will ever get back to normal again.”
    “You’re out of that school already. Just transfer to a different one where people don’t know you.”
    “But I love my friends, and I want them to trust me again.” I massage my head. My temples are throbbing something fierce. “The guys will just visualize me nude. That’s disturbing. Those texts were private and the most beautiful thing, ever; they weren’t disgusting, like they want me to believe. I wish no one had read them. I love you so much. Nobody will separate us regardless of what’s happened.”
    An abrupt, loud scream comes through the receiver. “Shai! Who’s the degenerate you love so much on the other end of this line, eh? Speak, degenerada . Speak!”

3—Exchanges
     
    Tazer has finished off her pastelito and gulps down some Malta. “I can tell you’ve got a lot on your mind. You haven’t said a word. Hey,” she licks her lips, “my dad’s getting some estimates on landscapes, but he says they’re too expensive. Can your boss give him a ballpark figure?”
    “For sure.” I give Neruda the last bite of my pastry. She attacks it and swallows it in one gulp and licks my fingers clean. “Where’s your cell?”
    “I never bring it to the beach. I’ve lost two of them here.”
    I pluck a piece of paper and pen out of my bag and write Marco’s phone number. I hand it to her. “Have your father call Marco. He’s sort of like family. I’m sure he’ll give him a great price.” It would be ideal if I could say, “Marco’s my uncle-in-law!” But I keep my trap shut.
    She stuffs the number in her surfer shorts pocket. “Thanks.” She swings her head sideways, trying to get her long bangs out of her eyes. “I need a serious haircut.”
    I