It had been an exquisite map of the muscles in the human back. And unlike the directions to the campus library, that map had printed itself on Manny’s brain. Deltoids, trapezius, latissimus dorsi…he could almost visualize the labels on that flawless tan skin in the same type of black ink that bird tattoo had been done in.
“Get any girls last night?” A flickering smile danced across Israel’s face, blue eyes sparkling with mischief.
Manny blinked and widened his eyes at the floor for a moment. Then, as if to blend away whatever unmentionable thing his mind had been picturing, he stirred his spoon briskly through the bowl of cafeteria cereal he had poured for himself from one of the many dispensers at the salad bar. He gave his friend a long, careful look. The art of drawing out the answer without asking the question…how does one go about it? There was definitely something uncomfortably knowing about Israel’s expression.
The boy with the blond and blue hair raised a single razor-streaked eyebrow. “That’s a lot of quiet. So…either you did, and it didn’t go well, or…you didn’t, and you’re mad at me because I promised you would.”
Does he know? He seemed to, somehow. Manny could not be sure. Suddenly feeling an extra level of unease, he glanced down at the floor where his backpack sat. “Ana,” he muttered. “I have Ana.”
“Ana?” Israel scoffed. Bracelet-bangled arms lifted in an exasperated gesture. “Manny. Ana…Ana…Please.”
“Please what?” Manny shrugged stiffly. “I haven’t broken up with her.”
“Yet.”
“No, I don’t plan to.” Shuddering suddenly, Manny lifted a spoonful of cereal and stuffed it in his mouth.
Israel watched him chew in silence for a few seconds. “Manny. Come on, Manny. You can’t tell me you’re happy with Ana.”
“Yeah, I ‘m,” Manny pleaded, mouth still half full.
“Every time you talk about her, it’s some excuse for why you haven’t found someone else,” Israel pointed out, letting his eyelids droop theatrically at his friend. “Come on, man. You’re in college now. It’s cute that you still hang out with your high-school sweetheart, but now it’s time to find someone who makes you actually happy.” He made a swinging gesture to Manny’s entire being. “Not someone you’re just ‘content’ with or whatever. I mean, admit it, alright? She’s just an excuse to not find someone else.”
“What, and you want me to tell her that?” Manny frowned.
“Being scared to break up is not an excuse to keep dating someone,” Israel pointed out. “Besides, for all you know, she might feel exactly the same way.” He dropped his chin into his hands and gave Manny that flickering smile again. “Maybe her ‘waiting until marriage’ business is really just her not wanting to get it on with you.”
Manny nearly choked on a cheerio. Mind flashed back to the shower he had had that morning. He had washed himself like a person with OCD might clean a tabletop. Then, the examination in the bathroom mirror that had immediately followed…There had been no trace. Nothing to prove anything had, in fact, happened.
Maybe nothing had happened. Maybe by the time they had crashed into bed together, they had been too drunk and tired to do anything. Together. What a horrible word. What a horrible word when used under such a context.
Manny lifted a hand and passed it across his forehead. Maybe he could just come outright with it. Or edge around it somehow, ask a related question.
“You should get your ears pierced,” Israel announced. He snapped his fingers. “That will massively increase your girl-attractiveness. Or maybe just get one pierced. You should get a green earring to match your eyes. Anyway, it would help overcome your nerdiness.”
“Girl attractiveness?” It tumbled out of Manny’s mouth before he could think. Why was Israel specifying girl attractiveness? Ear piercings. Riveting images of that dark hair sliding aside to reveal a dark-colored stud flashed in his mind’s eye. Had that pierced earlobe really looked so soft and delicate? Or was his mind getting confused?
Emmauel quickly shook his head and turned back to his breakfast.
“No?” Israel cocked an eyebrow again. “I think you would look good. Not too many dudes have black hair and green eyes, and a sharp-ass jawline, you know. You have to take advantage of what you’ve got.” He nodded slightly, as if in agreement with himself. “You have nice eyes. Girls like that. You gotta know what goes with what and what works. All part of your knowledge tool bag for attracting and maintaining the perfect relationship.”
“Israel.” Manny let out a wheezing breath. “What…what happened last night?”
To his surprise, Israel burst out laughing. After slapping the table to his heart’s content, Israel sobered and looked his friend steadily in the eyes. “What sort of depth of ‘what happened last night’ are we talking here, exactly?”
Manny swiped a hand quickly through the air, mouth flapping in an attempt to dowse the suspicion he had accidentally ignited. “N-nothing. Just—I—well, was wondering what you remember from last night.” He laughed uneasily, raising a hand to the back of his neck. “I…don’t exactly remember going back to my dorm room…”
“Ah, well I left before you did.” Israel swept a hand under his chin and toyed with some of the bangles hanging from his wrist. “When I left, you were deep in conversation with some guy.”
“Some guy?” Manny’s back went rigid. “What…what guy?”
Israel spun a hand through the air, blue eyes lifting briefly to the ceiling as he recollected. “One of the frat boys. Can’t…think…of his name, at the moment.”
He’s a frat boy? That made sense. Manny swallowed. That could be a good thing, though. Keep the mess contained. Just avoid Zeta Phi people, and don’t worry about the rest.
“Ah! Brice!” Israel snapped his fingers on the realization. “Brice was his name.”
“Oh.” Manny frowned slightly. “Brice. Yeah, I…I remember him.” Then, stiffly, “You…didn’t see me talking to anyone else?” The tall blond-haired fraternity member was certainly not who Manny had woken up beside.
“Well, I saw you talking to loads of people.” Israel shrugged. “You can’t have forgotten all of them, could you? You weren’t that drunk when I left.”
Then he didn’t know. At least, he was pretending not to. That was good enough, so long as it did not come up later. That’s that, Manny decided. Finding he had no appetite for the remainder of his cheerios, he stood up and slung his backpack over his shoulder.
“You’re leaving already?” Israel got to his feet and quickly shoved his dishes into a stack.
Outside, snowflakes drifted through the air like stray gusts of confetti. Manny watched as his footprints melted small, mushy lakes in the white dusting on the sidewalks.
“Man. I thought it was supposed to be warm in California.” Israel let out a displeased huff, quickening his pace to keep up with his friend’s quick stride.
“Yeah, well, it’s warmer.” Manny gestured to the dorm building they were approaching. “Hey, I’m gonna go catch a nap before my next class. I’ll see you later.”
“Right, yeah.” Israel shifted his backpack straps and gave Manny a grin. He was only starting away when he stopped again. His eyes shifted to the side, and eyebrows lifted. “Dude, isn’t that your uncle?”
A frown darted across Manny’s face, and he followed Israel’s line of gaze. His eyes settled on a man standing kicked back against the wall under the arching doorway of Manny’s dorm building. Crossed arms and absently downcast face marked his pose, but those sharp dark eyes lifted and caught sight of Manny as if the man had a sixth sense. He smiled.
“Are you sure you aren’t adopted?” Israel poked a familiar joke. He jabbed Manny’s shoulder. “How do you—a mostly white guy—have a black uncle?”
“Through the Latino side of my family, and don’t let him hear you say that,” Manny answered quickly. “He’s paying your tuition, too.” Without waiting for whatever was about to bubble out of Israel’s mouth next, Manny broke into a quick stride up to the front of the dorm building. A visit from his uncle might be exactly the right thing to settle the turbulent waters and put this whole mess in the past.
“Manny.” The man by the door smiled on the word, his voice ringing with that sharp accent of the inner San Diego ghetto. He gave Israel a nod. “Israel.” Then, turning back to his nephew, “How’s the new semester?”
“Good. It’s been good, Uncle Leon.” Manny returned the man’s smile, sliding his cold hands into his pockets.
“Good. Stay on task. Don’t get distracted.” Leon Devatré gave his nephew a firm look. “Med school is not easy, Manny. You have to stay on track, stay focused.” Then, his eyes softening, “Heard from your mama at all?”
Manny shook his head. The unbearable itch to look away from those piercing eyes hit him like a descending spider, and he glanced over his shoulder at the ice-crusted campus. A group of talking boys caught his eye for a moment, perhaps walking to class. Were they frat boys? Manny shivered and turned away again.
“She’ll come around.” Leon made a small gesture, briefly revealing the ink that crawled out from his wrist and over the back of his hand. A lion, his namesake, wearing a crown. Though the predatory cat was a familiar sight to Manny, it was disturbingly the second time today that he had seen an animal tattoo. “This is only your second semester,” Leon went on, raising his head slightly to give one of his twinkling smiles to Israel. “In time, she’ll come to understand. In the meantime, that’s what you have Israel here for. To make it through college, you need people to rely on.” That smile lit his lips again, curving the edge of his smooth-trimmed mustache and jaw-accenting beard. “I’m one of those people, Manny. You have my number.”
Manny nodded. A short silence followed, rubbing awkward in Manny’s mind. “Do you…wanna go inside?” he offered awkwardly. “You could see my dorm room if you’d like.”
“Nah, I wouldn’t want to intrude.” He pushed away from the wall. “I’ll be around, Manny. Call me if you need anything.” Then he was walking away, black leather jacket creasing with every movement of his tall, muscular shape.
“Eeeesh, that guy gives me the creeps,” Israel announced when Leon was safely out of earshot.
“Well, ‘that guy’ pays both our tuitions,” Manny pointed out quickly. “And he’s family. And he’s right.” Manny swiped his key card and pulled the dorm building door open. “I need to stay focused.”
“Maybe it’s not weird that he’s paying your tuition, but it’s a little weird that he’s paying mine,” Israel pointed out before Manny could disappear. “I had scholarships for Arkansas State. You had scholarships to Arkansas State. Then, out of the blue, this uncle I’d never even met finds out you actually want to go to medical school, and he pays not only your full ride, but also mine—to a totally different college just so he can see you through to it.”
Manny dropped his shoulder against the inside of the half-open door. “Yeah, well…not a lot of people in our family have been very successful. He just wants to see something come of someone, I guess.”
“Well, something sure came of him.” Israel jerked his thumb in the direction Leon had walked away in. “I will not easily forget the Porshe he drove up in last time he came to randomly check up on you.” He executed a dramatic half-stumble into the wall by the door, as if still in a daze.
“Yes, and…he’s willing to extend a chance to someone else. In this case, two other people.” Manny rolled his eyes. “I have homework.” And he let the door shut between them.
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