“It’s okay,” I reassured. “This will be quick.” I pulled off my hoodie and tossed it to Samantha. Maybe if Hunter saw me pumped up, fresh from the gym, saw all my ink on my arms, he might finally back down.
“Quick for you,” Hunter snarled at me.
Nope, he was an idiot. I rested my hands on my hips casually. “Please, dude,” I laughed, “do something already.”
Hunter’s hands curled into fists. He wasn’t sure what to do.
“Now or never,” I said.
Hunter took a step forward, but he was still a mile away from being a threat.
“Okay, man, I’m tired of waiting. I’ve got shit to do.” I turned to Samantha, knowing what was coming.
Hunter charged my back.
I sank and pivoted on the ball of one foot while sliding my other leg out with my toes curled up to hook around his ankle.
I tripped him.
Hunter spilled into the dirt on the side of the trail, kicking up dust and fallen Eucalyptus leaves.
Romeo and Samantha laughed.
“Chill, you guys,” I said. “Let’s go.”
Hunter sat up, his face covered with dirt.
I hoped he’d skinned his knees like the child he was.
With my arm around Samantha and Romeo at our side, the three of us walked down the pathway together.
“You guys hungry?” I asked, taking my hoodie from Samantha and sliding my arms through the sleeves.
“Hungry for you!” Samantha said when we were out of Hunter’s earshot. “Rawr!”
I chuckled.
“Me too!” Romeo said. “Double rawr!”
“We need to find you a man, Romeo,” I said.
Romeo smiled bashfully at me. “How about you, C-Man?”
“Dude, you would totally break my shit in half,” I smiled confidently. “I meant a man who could actually handle you.” I winked at Romeo and slapped him good-naturedly on the back.
Romeo laughed. “You hear that, Sam? Christos has finally confirmed what I’ve been telling you all along. I’m too much of a man for even the manliest men!” Romeo pumped his fist and jumped, bicycling his feet in the air.
Samantha chuckled at him.
“What do you guys want to eat?” I asked. “I’m buying.”
“You!” Samantha and Romeo chorused before looking at each other and laughing.
We walked to the Student Center together.
Chapter 21
SAMANTHA
The next day at school was a long one. I had classes all day and a shift at the art museum afterward.
When I got off work, I was exhausted and starving. At least with my two jobs, I felt like I had enough money to eat right. No more protein bars for lunch and Mac & Cheese or Ramen for dinner.
On the way home from SDU, I treated myself to take-out in the form of a Carne Asada burrito with extra guacamole from Roberto’s.
Of all the various “-berto’s” taquerias in San Diego: Royberto’s, Rolberto’s, Rigoberto’s, Alberto’s, Tio-Alberto’s, Filiburto’s, Gualberto’s, Nolberto’s, and all the rest, Roberto’s was by far the best.
Even though it seemed like most everything else in my life was dragging me down, at least I didn’t have to go hungry.
When I got to my apartment I dropped my bags by the door, grabbed a plate for my burrito, and sat down at my kitchen table. I pulled my burrito out of its paper sack and unwrapped it. My mouth was watering in anticipation. I’d been looking forward to this all afternoon.
As I lifted the savory burrito to my mouth, my phone bleeped. I set my burrito down and got up to pull my phone out of my purse.
My parents. Great. I suddenly had indigestion.
I answered on speaker phone. “Hello?” I sat back down at the kitchen table and took a huge bite of burrito. I was too hungry to wait any longer, even if it was my parents.
“Hello, Sam? It’s your father.”
Duh. Who else could he be? “Hey, Dad,” I mumbled around food. Mmmm, Carne Asada.
“Do we have a bad connection? It’s hard to understand you.”
“I’m eating.”
“What?!”
“I’m eating!!”
“Oh. Well, your mother and I wanted to check in on how things are going. Hold on, let me get her on the other line.”
I rolled my eyes. I couldn’t wait.
“Hello, Sam,” Mom said.
“Hey,” I said.
“She sounds garbled,” Mom said. “Is there a bad connection, Bill?”
I rolled my eyes again.
“She’s eating, I think,” my dad said.
“Don’t you know it’s impolite to talk with your mouth full?”
I chewed, rather than answer.
“Sam?” she asked.
“I’m chewing, Mom!” I mumbled over my extra-helping of exasperation.
“Mind your manners, young lady,” my mom barked.
“Can’t you wait to eat until after the call?” dad asked.
“I’m starving,” I argued.
“Your tone, Samantha,” Mom warned icily. She only used my full name when she was pissed. Good.
My dad cleared his throat, trying to lighten the mood. Good luck. “So, uh, Sam? Have you found a job?”
“Two.”
“Two?” he asked, confused. “Two what?”
“Two jobs!” I hollered. Man, they were killing me. Somebody get them some Q-tips.
“Samantha!” my mom growled.
I took another huge bite and chewed, pretending I was grinding my mom’s nastiness between my teeth.
“I can only assume that you’ve taken two because neither one pays sufficiently to cover your expenses?” my dad asked.
Damn, he was right.
“What, may I ask, are your two jobs?” Mom said sarcastically.
“I work at the art museum on campus and a convenience store.”
Mom chuckled. “A convenience store?”
O. M. G. She was as rude as Tiffany Kingston-Whitehouse tonight. “So? It pays.”
“How much?” Dad asked.
“Do we have to go into this?” I asked, swallowing and wiping guacamole from my lips with a napkin.
“Your mother and I just want to make sure your jobs pay sufficiently to cover your living expenses,” Dad said.
“The museum pays ten an hour, and the convenience store pays eight-fifty. I have enough hours at both jobs to cover all my expenses. After taxes. Happy now?” I said snidely.
“Well that’s good to hear,” my dad said.
Nothing from my mom on the subject.
That was it? Geez, a congratulations would’ve been nice.
“Have you changed your major back to Accounting?” Dad asked. He was all business tonight.
“No,” I said.
“Oh?” my dad said thoughtfully.
That was strange. I’d expected my dad to be on the warpath when I told him.
I smelled a trap.
“You must be pretty busy with two jobs and classes,” Dad said.
“I guess.” I still smelled that trap.
“Sam,” my dad said with a distinct smile in his voice, “all you have to do is change your major back, and your mother and I will be glad to cover all your expenses once again.”
Spring! There went his trap.
“Think how nice it will be not to have to work two jobs,” he continued. “You can focus on your classes and have time left over to relax with your friends.”
Yeah, my dad sounded like the devil. He had that nice guy voice the devil always used when he was telling you how great everything would be after you signed away your soul in blood.
“I’m not changing my major back,” I said calmly.
There was a long, long pause from my parents. I enjoyed the silence, but I knew it wouldn’t last.
“Well,” Mom blurted with a cackle, “I hope you like working at a convenience store. I’m sure their retirement benefits are stellar.”