Down to the Bone by Mayra Lazara Dole

Author:Mayra Lazara Dole
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Social Issues, Juvenile Fiction, United States, Homosexuality, Hispanic & Latino, People & Places, Adolescence
ISBN: 9780061880872
Publisher: HarperTeen
Published: 2008-02-26T00:00:00+00:00

13—H8ing

I’m placing my red tall handlebar bike I painted yellow-orange flames on the frame, in Tazer’s shed. I’m glad Marco isn’t around. Since today’s our last day working here, Tazer invited us for breakfast at six a.m. I’m here fifteen minutes early. Angel won’t be here till seven.

“Hey! ¿Qué pasa?” Tazer kisses my cheek. “Those are mighty fine looking golfing slacks.” I smile. After I wore down my jade green and black checkered, loose-fitting thrift-shop pants, I turned them into ankle-short hip-huggers.

That’s another thing I learned from my mother: how to transform old clothes into a brand-new look.

“You’re looking mighty spiffy yourself.” He’s wearing a thin silver necklace, loose-fitting blue jeans and a maroon T-shirt with large yellow letters that say “I Don’t Bite.” Underneath those words, in small fine print, it states, “Unless you want me to.” Tazer is gorgeous to look at.

Surprisingly, the moment doesn’t feel awkward.

I plant a kiss on his cheek and sing, “Tazeroni Macaroni was riding on a pony, eatin’ some baloney . . .” The sides of his mouth curl up. “I can’t wait to chow down. I’m starved.” Suddenly, he starts looking at me with a sparkle in his eyes, and I can’t stop thinking about Gisela. How unfortunate is that? But I’m such a chicken. I’ll probably never call Gisela—I’m sure I’m not her type—or date Tazer.

A few bees buzz by and I quickly move out of the way.

“My nanny went through a beekeeper stage,” he tells me. “For a time, we had bees all over our yard and so much honey we didn’t know what to do with it. Once, I was in my little plastic pool with friends. A bee stung the tip of my nose. For two days I looked as if I’d grown a testicle on my face.”

He entertains me with hilarious stories about when he was a kid. I learn he was the opposite of what he looks like now. When he turned fourteen he sprouted from being short and pudgy. His nanny dressed him as he liked: in boy pants and shirts. After he told his dad he was male, his open-minded father allowed him to have a short boy’s buzzed haircut. His dad always wanted a boy anyway.

We’re interrupted and look toward a sleek black car coming into the half-moon driveway.

Camila’s big brother drops her off and waves goodbye. We greet each other with kisses on our cheeks. I remember Tazer likes feminine girls and hope his focus stays on Camila.

Che honks, “Yo, Dudes!” and parks his rusty, dented, green pickup truck in Tazer’s driveway. Everyone except Jaylene is riding in the back. The rowdy crew piles out next to us.

“Where’s Jaylene?” I ask.

Che bites off his gloves and stuffs them in his blue jean shorts pocket. “That stinking jerk? I asked her out because she was giving me too much attention the other day. Some girls act like they hate you when they really want you. She blew me off and called me a ‘misogynist’ yet again.

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