Page 38 of Kiss Collector

“I’m sorry!” She lets out a swoony sigh. “He’s just so... I can’t believe... he actually started talking to me. It was like once we kissed, it broke some sort of silence spell and...” She sighs.

Kenz is a goner too early in the game.

I shoot from the bed and swing my gaze accusingly between Lin and Monica.

“Please tell me neither of you are in love already.”

Monica rolls her eyes and waves a hand. “Girl, please.”

Lin chews her lip. “Well, Kyleisreally hot....”

“Lin!” Monica and I bellow.

She giggles and falls over. “Hurry up and find me another boy to kiss!”

I sigh with relief. That’s the spirit.

One friend down. I crawl to my spot on the air mattress and turn my back to the others as Monica switches off the light. Kenzie climbs down next to me and snuggles into my back.

Yes, Vincent is a nice guy, but how long until he breaks Kenzie’s heart? Anger swirls inside me, courtesy of Wylie and my dad. No guy can be trusted. I can’t stop my friends from falling; all I can do is be here for them when it ends.

As for me, I can never go back.

Chapter Fifteen

Tuesday Morning

Haremos el chorizo y los huevos.”

“¿Compraste tortillas?”

“Sí, están allí. Mira.”

Loud voices permeate the stillness of the room, joined by blaring bachata music.

Kenzie rolls over next to me and slings an arm over her eyes. “Oh, my gosh, is there a fire?”

“They’re talking about breakfast,” I whisper. She smacks her lips and snuggles closer to me, probably still dreaming about Vincent. Ugh.

Up in the bed, Monica groans and Lin shoves her head under the pillow. It’s six thirty in the morning. This is the only downfall of staying at Monica’s. Her mom and aunt don’t even try to be quiet. And music at full volume, really? I sit up, blinking, fully awake. I pull on my jeans and leave mygrumbling, half-asleep friends.

“Ah!” Miss Sanchez says when she sees me. We kiss cheeks, and I do the same with her older sister and mother.

“Buenos días,” I say over the music, and they both beam at me. Monica prefers to speak English, so the Sanchez women love that I’ll converse in Spanish. Miss Sanchez has been in the United States since she was eighteen, but her older sister and mother only came five years ago, so some of their English is still broken.

We talk for a few minutes in Spanish before Monica trudges in, glaring, bedhead in full effect. Her mother and aunt scoff at her. Monica tries to turn down the radio, but her grandmother smacks her fingers.

“You no brush you hair!” her aunt scolds.

“It’s too early,” Monica grumbles. “Can’t we make an eight a.m. rule for the weekend?”

“No esthe weekend,” her grandmother says. “EsTuesday.”

“But it’s spring break!” Monica puts her head on the table as Lin and Kenzie come in.

“You went to sleep too late,” her mom says. “It’s not our fault.”

Kenzie puts a hand in the air and one on her stomach, and twists her hips back and forth to the beat, making Monica groan.