***
It was almost unbelievable to Sarah, what an incredible mix of emotions this weekend had been. The roller coaster ride was over for now, and yet her stomach was still feeling the effects.
She’d kept Sydney updated all weekend on everything that was happening. When she told him about what happened today, he was pissed at first, but she’d defended Angel ardently. He’d laughed, teasing that if he didn’t know better he’d say she was in love.
She got the feeling Sydney was happy that she finally confided in someone else about her mom. She felt guilty now about the amount of crap she’d unloaded on him, and yet he’d always been there so ready to help her through it all. She hadn’t told him yet that Angel assumed he was a girl. She didn’t know why, but somehow she thought he might be insulted, betrayed that she was denying their friendship.
She glanced at the clock; it was 10:30 pm. She was almost out the room, on her way to brush her teeth, when she heard her phone ring. Her face lit up when she saw it was Angel. She answered it with a smile.
“Hi, Angel.”
“Hey.” His voice was a little somber. “Sorry I’m calling so late. I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I still feel like an ass about today.”
“No, you shouldn’t.” She clutched the phone. “Actually, I feel a lot better now that I told you.”
“Good,” he said. “’Cause I want you to know you can to tell my anything.”
Sarah's heart sank. She knew she should’ve told him about Sydney already, but truth was she was beginning to wonder if he really needed to know. Valerie was right, she decided, about guy’s being territorial and Angel was making that pretty clear. She was certain now, especially after hearing his take on guys and girls being friends, that he wouldn’t understand her relationship with Sydney.
She reasoned with herself that he probably would never get the chance to meet Syd anyway. She’d already decided to keep the subject of Syd to a minimum. Still, she couldn’t help feeling deceitful.
She pushed Sydney to the back of her mind. There were other things she needed to get clear with him. “Listen, Angel.” She sat down on her bed. “I’m glad you called. With all the talk about my mom today, I completely forgot to talk to you about tomorrow.”
“What about tomorrow?”
“Well, I know we have an understanding now, but I don’t want that to change things at school.”
He was silent for a moment, but she heard the unmistakable change in his tone when he spoke again. “You don’t want anyone at school to know you’re seeing someone?”
“No.” She was surprised that he would even think that. “I just don’t want you to change anything you normally do, for me. I know how close you are with your friends. I’m sure we’ll have plenty of time to spend together after school and on weekends, there’s no need for me to cut in on your time with your friends at school.”
She really hoped he’d understand. The last thing she wanted to do was suffocate him. After all, this was his school, his friends, she was the outsider.
The truth was, she wasn’t entirely sure she was going be able to handle this. It was well known the way the girls, especially Dana, acted around Angel. Just the thought of watching another girl throw herself all over him now made her cringe.
“Hey,” he said. “I don’t have a problem with everything staying the same as far as you hanging out with your friends, and me with mine. But in case there’s any doubt, I wasn’t planning on keeping this understanding a secret.”
Sarah felt her heartbeat speed up. For the first time the reality of it all was sinking in. This was really happening, and with none other than Angel Moreno.
“Oh, I know that,” she said. “That’s not what I meant at all. I just don’t want to smother you Angel. I want you to still have your space.”
“You have it all wrong, Sarah,” he said “If anyone is gonna have to watch the smothering, it’s gonna be me. In case you haven’t noticed, I just can’t get enough of you.”
His words sent shivers up and down her spine. She felt the exact same way, yet Angel didn’t seem scared. She, on the other hand, was terrified. This kind of happiness was uncommon in her world. She wasn’t used to it and in some ways almost felt guilty about feeling so happy.
“You have to stop saying things like that.”
“Why?” He sounded very serious. “I say what I feel, and I want you to do the same. Don’t ever hold anything back.”
“Okay.” She loved the way he made her feel so uninhibited. “Can I tell you what I’m feeling right now?”
“Of course.”
She bit her bottom lip. “I’d like to crawl right through the phone right now, and kiss you all over.”
She heard him groan. “That’s not fair. Okay, let’s get one thing straight, things like that you can only say when I have you right in front of me. Damn, how am I supposed to fall asleep now?”
Sarah giggled. “Sweet dreams, Angel.”
“Yeah, you know what I’ll be dreaming of.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, still giggling. “I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”
He groaned again. “Sarah, baby, I know you mean well, but that’s not helping my situation over here.”
She forced herself to stop giggling; reminding herself to not make promises she couldn’t keep. She’d already seen firsthand how hard, almost painful it was for him to restrain himself. Not that she had any doubts he would, but it was cruel to tease him like that.
She stared at the phone for a while after they’d hung up, and wondered how she, herself would get any sleep tonight.
CHAPTER 8
True to his word, Angel didn't keep their relationship a secret. As soon as he saw her on Monday morning at her locker, he was on her. He slipped up behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist, and kissed her neck.
The rest of the day was pretty much the same. Anytime she was near, he was wrapped around her, unable to keep limb or lips off of her.
She’d introduced him to a few of her girlfriends and he’d also met one of her guy friends, Freddie, the guy whose locker was right below hers. But walking up while she’d been laughing with Freddie had Angel seeing red. He mentioned how his own locker was closer to her homeroom, but she didn't bite.
They were undeniably a couple. There were quite a few sneers, and barefaced gawking from some of the girls Angel knew, but if Sarah noticed, she hadn’t said a word. He half expected her to be tense or apprehensive; given what she’d said to him at the beach about being afraid of getting hurt. But her brazen resolve throughout the day surprised and impressed him, making him even more fascinated with her.
Although Angel’s friends seemed surprised, they didn’t say much. Eric just smiled knowingly, but never said a word, he knew better. Romero didn’t remember much about Friday’s party, so, he was at a total loss. After seeing Angel all over Sarah a few times though, he finally spoke up.
“Damn, that good uh?” he’d said. “Let me know when you’re done, so I can get me some.”
Eric choked back a laugh, and waited for the fireworks. But Angel knew his friend could have no idea. So, he let him off with a stern warning.
“It’s not like that dude. So, don’t even think about it.” And that was that.
By the end of the day, it was out there for everyone to see. And Angel was quite pleased.
***
Sarah took Sofia up on her offer to come out and run with the track team that week. Instead of running by herself after school that Wednesday she met Sofia in the locker room and walked out with her to where the team was practicing.
Angel gave her the same warning he’d given Sofia about the coach. “do not get caught alone with the pervert.”
Sarah was surprised at how young the coach really was. If he wasn’t wearing the shirt that said coach she would’ve easily mistaken him for one of the bigger guys in school.
He had a baby face, an
d while she didn’t agree with Sofia about him being fine, she could understand why the girls would be attracted to him. He did have that muscular body you’d expect on a young coach. Sarah didn’t notice anything perverted about him, only that his wit was appealing and the girls did a lot of giggling around him. Something he seemed to take pleasure in.
Given how protective Angel was about his sister. It didn’t surprise her that he’d be so apprehensive about the coach.
Practice went well. The team seemed impressed and Sarah felt good about the workout. She and Sofia were on their way back to the locker room when the coach caught up to her.
“So, was the team good enough for you?” He teased.
Sarah felt flattered. She was still winded from her last run and took a moment to catch her breath.
“Say yes, say yes.” Sofia held her hands to her mouth as if she were praying.
“I can’t.”
She saw the disappointment in the coach’s face. “Why?”
“I won’t be here next semester. I’m going back to Arizona.”
The coach scratched his eyebrow and made a face. “Damn that’s too bad. We could really use you in the relay. You’re here all this semester though right?”
Sarah nodded and was startled when she felt strong arms around her waist. Angel kissed her temple and held her against him. “What’s going on?”
Eric and Romero were on either side of Sofia staring at the coach. The coach smiled at Angel. “I thought we’d found our fourth place runner for the relay.” He brought his attention back to Sarah who could almost feel all three guys scrutinizing his every word. “But we will be having some friendly meets this semester for practice. If you keep practicing with us, I’d love to have you join us in those.”
Sarah nodded and felt Angel’s hold tighten. “Yeah, I can do that.”
“Great.” The coach smiled big then, “We’ll see you here after school every day.” He reached his hand out. “Welcome to the team.”
Sarah reached out and shook his hand. He excused himself and walked away. Angel whispered in her ear. “He just had to touch you.”
Sarah laughed. “You’re so silly.”
She turned around but he kept his arms around her. The expression on Angel’s face was stern. “You’re not serious are you?”
“I told you I don’t trust the guy. You shouldn’t either.”
Sarah couldn’t help smiling. She’d never met someone so vehement. But his expression softened quickly. He kissed her and they turned and followed Sofia and the guys who were already headed to the locker room.
“He seems nice enough.” Sarah said
Angel squeezed her hand and groaned. “Can you trust me on this? I’ve heard too many stories.”
“Okay, okay.” Sarah leaned into him.
Sarah was beginning to understand what Valerie meant about Angel and his brothers being so intense. But she liked it. Her whole life it had been just her and her mother. There had been too many times when having a man there to protect them would’ve come in handy. So having Angel fret over her safety didn’t bother her. On the contrary, she embraced it.
***
After a few weeks, they’d pretty much slipped into a comfortable routine. Sarah would practice with the team after school while Angel was at football practice. They’d meet afterwards, and go grab something to eat, then park at what had become their spot, over at the cliffs where’d he’d taken her their first night together. They’d spend about an hour there and then go home.
Everything was going well except for a couple of incidents with Dana. She’d made it a point to pull Angel aside as often as she got the chance. Sarah had seen some of it and though she hadn’t said anything yet, Angel worried it might become a problem.
Fridays were different. It was game day. Instead of meeting up after practice, Sarah would go straight home with Valerie and got ready for the game.
This week was an away game, so the stands would be less crowded, and Angel would have a perfect view of Sarah.
He was having a good game, they were up by fourteen at the half, but when the players came out after halftime, they saw that the cheerleaders had changed their tops into jerseys. Real jerseys with the team’s players stitched on them. The girls knotted their jerseys in front just under their chest for a snugger fit. To Angel’s dismay, Dana wore his. He’d forgotten about his jersey she borrowed last year. He glanced up at the stands and saw Sarah sitting with Valerie and a few other girls. If Sarah got upset about this, he was going be so pissed at Dana.
They’d agreed to meet at the after party back by their school. Sarah left the game with Valerie and arrived there before him, so when he got there he wasn’t sure what to expect. He walked into the party with Romero and Eric looking around for her. He spotted Valerie first, and then he saw Sarah. There were a few guys talking to them, and he tensed up. He walked straight to her, and took her hand immediately. Pulling her back away from everyone, he kissed her. To his delight, she wasn’t mad. She kissed him readily.
“You had a great game.” she smiled.
He stared at her, holding her tighter. “You’re beautiful, Sarah.”
“Thank you.” She tilted her head sideways. “You really want to be here?”
Was she real? He could almost feel the hair on the back of his head stand up as he looked around and found Eric. He walked over and tugged Eric’s shirt.
“I’m outta here.”
Eric smirked. “Already?”
“Bye.” Angel grinned.
They’d barely made it to Angel’s car and he was already kissing her neck. Every time they'd made out, things got heavier and heavier. The last time they made out she’d let him under her bra. He made the most of it, leaving quite a few red spots all over her breasts, confident no one would see them and she wouldn’t get in trouble. He was dying to know how far she’d let him go tonight. He could hardly contain himself running his hands up and down her back.
When they got to their special place, they pushed their seats back all the way, and his lips were immediately on hers. His hands explored every inch of her. But anything below the waist he touched only over her clothes and even that nearly pushed him over the edge. He kissed her hard, suckling her tongue and lips. She moaned softly, making him even more insane. Unbuttoning her blouse, he took her breast in his mouth.
His hand made its way slowly down her body, caressing her stomach, then down between her legs.
Angel’s heart hammered away wildly as he passionately kissed her and brought his hand up slowly, just above her waist and in her pants. When he felt her hot flesh against his hand he almost lost it. He pulled his mouth away from hers to catch his breath, burying his face in her neck.
“You’re driving me crazy.” He groaned as he inhaled her rousing scent.
Slowly he slid his hand further down in her pants. She spread her legs making him stop cold. “Oh, babe,” he gasped, as he began moving his hand again even further.
His fingers caressed her for a few seconds, but not being able to stand it he moved his hand even lower. She arched her back and he had to stop.
He pulled himself off her just a few inches, knowing that if he kept going he’d be done. “God, I want you so much Sarah.” He could barely catch his breathe.
“I want you, too, Angel, but I’m just not ready for that yet.”
“I know.” He struggled to sound calm. “We won’t go there, I promise.”
Gently, he let his fingers work their magic until he could feel her trembling and heard her moan. He kissed her, sinking his tongue deep in her mouth. Her squirming and soft pants were almost more than he could take. He kept on until she was trembling all over, until she could take no more, until… it happened.
She moaned louder pushing his hand away. He felt her heart pounding and he kissed her just off the side of her mouth, allowing her to catch her breath. His own heart threatened to pound right through his chest.
“Oh, A
ngel.”
His name had never sounded so good to him. Kissing her one last time, he laid back in his seat. He was so close to exploding himself that he knew if he kept touching her he would. He put his hand over his chest and took a deep breath.
“Man,” he said, breathlessly. “Now I know why so many old geezers have heart attacks during sex. My heart’s going crazy and I didn’t even finish.”
Sarah turned on her side to face him. “I wanna return the favor – "
“Sarah, don’t,” he said quickly. “That’s not why I said it. I was just tripping out on my heartbeat. I know you’re not ready, and I respect that. But if we talk about what might happen someday, I’m gonna mess my pants. I’m serious.”
She smiled at him playfully. “Well, we wouldn’t want that.” She put her hand over the hard bulge in his pants. I may not be ready for some things, but there are ways I can return the favor without going there, and… I want to.”
His eyes grew wide, and his entire body stiffened, as she reached for the top button on his jeans. He let his head fall back and closed his eyes, feeling her pull his zipper down. Control yourself. He’d been handed this favor before, and had always managed to hang in there for a while. But this was totally different, this was Sarah. He was afraid he’d be a goner as soon as he felt her hand on it.
“Sarah,” he whispered, hoarsely.
“Hmm?”
He felt her hand slide in his underwear and nearly lost it right there. “I’m not gonna last long, babe.” He was almost in a panic. “The tissue is in the glove compartment.”
She reached for the tissue with her free hand while she worked him with the other. In the next second, he was done. He squeezed his eyes, the intensity was more than he’d ever felt. It seemed to go on forever; all the while her soft hand still caressed him. He pleaded with her to stop, he couldn’t take anymore.
When he finally opened his eyes he saw her sit up and smile at him. She was beautiful, her dark hair was tousled, and her green eyes glimmered. God have mercy. He’d died and gone to heaven.
CHAPTER 9
Sarah cradled the phone on her shoulder, as she made her bed. This time she’d been the one who woke Sydney early in the morning.