After saying that, I rushed off down the hall.
“Kamila!” Thiago shouted when I was a good fifty feet away.
I stopped, took a deep breath, and turned. “What do you want?”
In just a few long strides, he had reached me. “You can’t just tell a teacher that you’re planning on slapping a bunch of little kids. Are you out of your mind?”
“If no one else is going to stop them, I damn sure will.”
“That’s not how you do things.”
“It isn’t? How do you do it then? Jog my memory.”
Thiago looked up and down the hall, then gripped my arm and pulled me behind a column next to the janitor’s closet.
“Just calm down, OK?” he said, his green eyes gleaming. “I’ll make sure no one touches him again.”
I’d wanted to tell him to fuck off, but now he had my attention. “Are you serious?” I asked.
He nodded, looking at me like a concerned doctor. “Are you all right?” he said, keeping his eyes on mine.
I felt a tingle in my fingertips, and I wanted to reach up, wrap my hands around his neck, pull him to me and feel those lips on mine.
“Never better,” I replied coldly.
“I’m sorry about your parents,” he said, and I laughed bitterly.
“Don’t insult my intelligence,” I told him, stepping back. “You wanted this. Or have you forgotten how much you hate my family?”
Thiago blinked, and I could see that old rage return. “I’ll never forget that your mother’s selfishness killed my little sister. You can believe that. But I never wanted anything bad to happen to you or your brother.”
I couldn’t believe what he’d just said. And that made me wish he would touch me even more. Hold me. Kiss me. Before I knew what I was doing, I had stood on my tiptoes and was resting my hand on his chest.
But Thiago stopped me. His hands were on my waist, but he was pushing me back rather than pulling me in. “No,” he said. “We can’t do this. For all kinds of reasons. Most importantly, you’re with my fucking brother.”
I pulled away as if his skin were hot metal. My eyes filled with tears. I was a horrible person.
Thiago looked at me, regretful for a moment, then decisive. “Listen, any questions you have about what’s going on with Cameron, just ask…but if it’s anything else, I’d prefer you keep your distance.”
And before I knew it, he’d turned and walked away.
***
I went to talk to my brother, telling him I was aware of what was going on and that I couldn’t understand why he hadn’t told me earlier.
“I didn’t want to be a snitch…”
I had taken Cam over by the football field, after persuading one of the cafeteria ladies to give me an ice cream sandwich for him. We sat on the lawn, listening to the elementary kids playing soccer in the distance.
“Cam, you’re not a snitch, OK? No one has a right to hurt you. No one. You hear me?”
He wouldn’t even look me in the eye. He pretended to be interested in the soccer game, but I could tell he wasn’t actually watching.
“Cam…” I took a deep breath. “It’s sad that Mom and Dad are going to split up. And if you need to talk about it with me, you can. I’m sad too, you know?”
He looked up at me. “You are?”
“Of course.” I hated seeing him like that. “But sometimes it’s better for people to break up. You don’t want to see them fighting all the time, do you?”
