He rolls his eyes. “Ha ha, Jess. At least you could have brought Jasmine here for me. As a going-away present.”
“Jaz is probably spending the break between semesters in Europe or Hawaii or someplace exotic.”
“Mexico,” Gage answers. “She’s at her grandma’s house again. Abuela isn't doing great.”
I look at him strangely. “How did you know that?”
“She had a layover here on her way to visit her.” He looks embarrassed. Nothing embarrasses Gage, but he won’t look at me.
“How long was the layover?”
He shrugs. “A couple of days.”
“That’s a long layover.”
“Not long enough.” He sits back. “You don’t think she’d mind if I wrote to her once in a while, do you?”
I get the idea that their on again/off again casual relationship has morphed into something more. “I think she’d like that. She might even write you back.”
“I’d like that,” Gage says. "Actually, I'd—Who invited him?” I turn around to see what he's looking at. Michael is walking toward us.
I shrug. “Don’t look at me. This is your Mom’s party.”
Michael holds his hand out to Gage. “Good to see you, Ricks.” Gage shakes his hand begrudgingly. “Your family sure knows how to throw a barbecue.”
“Thanks,” Gage mutters.
Michael asks Gage about the guys in their unit and what they’ll all be doing once they get to Iraq. I tune them out. Across the yard, another arrival is causing a big fuss.
Gage follows my gaze. He lets out a low whistle. “I can’t believe it. He actually showed.”
Above the crowd, I catch a blond head. “Who's that?"
“Nate."
"Nate? You're brother Nate?" I ask in disbelief.
"Yep, and never far from his side, you guessed it. No Angel.”
I stare at the couple. If Gage hadn't told me it was Nathan, I wouldn’t have recognized him. His hair shaved short in the back, spiked on the top. He has more than one earring and a couple of tattoos. The one on his shoulder says “Angel”. He’s wearing a black tank top and black jeans, almost off his butt, held up by what looks like a chain. Angel is bone-thin and pale. Her hairstyle mimics Nathan’s except she has dark hair with a brush of green to the tips. She has two eyebrow piercings and one in her nose. She has her hand in Nathan’s back pocket. His hand is in hers.
“Nice touch.” Gage nods at Angel’s tank top. It says,Stand Up for Peace. "Do you think she'd be offended if I added,Through Superior Fire Power?"
I look for something positive to say. “She’s pretty."
“Yeah,” Gage snorts. “Pretty awful. She’s got him so tightly by the ba—”
“Gage!”
“Yeah, sorry, Jess. It’s the truth. He smokes now too. What kind of an idiot starts smoking when he's twenty-one? Isn't that supposed to be a stupid teenager thing?” Gage looks across the yard in disgust. His mom motions for us to come over. “I always knew the first girl who paid any attention to Nate would have him good. No offense, Jess. I think you were the first girl he ever kissed.”
Michael is studying me with curiosity. “You kissed him?” He nods toward Nate.
I blush. “It was a long time ago.”
Gage is grinning at both me and Michael. “Not that long ago.” He turns to Michael. “She looks innocent enough, but don’t let her fool you. New Year’s Eve a couple of years ago, Jess kissed Nate, and me, and about a dozen other guys. All in one night.”
I’m not sure whether Michael looks shocked or impressed.
