All I want to do now is wipe Fuentes’s cocky grin off his face.

“Why?” I ask, completely annoyed.

“Because he’s nice.”

“I’m nice,” I tell her.

“No, you’re not.” She puts a hand on her hip. “You’ve completely abandoned me. You want to know what I’m thinking?”

“Nope.”

“Well, I’ll tell you.” She comes up and sticks a finger in my chest. “I think that you’ve disappeared into some dark place so you can push people away and forget about life and reality. Guess what, Vic. I’m hurting too. I’m dealing with Trey’s death just as much as you are, so if you’re ready to join the real world and talk to me, then fine. But if you want to continue living in darkness and isolation, then get out of my face.”

Alex laughs. “Andas bien, Vic? She’s got some big ol’ huevos. You better watch out.”

“Mind your own business, Fuentes. I got this.”

He laughs. “For sure, man. I’ll be over there workin’ on another car. If you run into trouble with your chica, let me know.”

I don’t tell him she was my best friend’s chica, not mine.

When he’s out of hearing range, I turn to Monika. Her hair is in her face, and she’s got grease all over her fingers from the oil filter. She looks like a princess who fell into a mud pit. “Here,” I say, handing her a towel. “Your hands are dirty.”

She reluctantly takes the towel.

“Are you gonna listen to me while I show you what to do?” I ask.

She tilts her chin up. “Maybe.”

“You’ve developed an attitude problem, Monika.”

“Maybe I found out things that have made me bitter.”

“Like what?”

She doesn’t say anything. I want to share everything with her, to tell her how horrible I feel about what I did to Trey. But I can’t.

I show her how to do the oil change. She follows my directions like a robot. We finish three cars before I stand back and watch her do an oil change on her own, noting that she holds her back to steady herself.

I tell her to take breaks, but she refuses.

We don’t talk about the one thing that’s probably on both of our minds—what happened on that field when Trey died. I sure as hell don’t want to talk about what happened. I’d cut off both my legs if it would bring my best friend back. Hell, I’d give my life in exchange for Trey’s.

I try not to get too close to Monika, because the truth is that I still feel a connection to her. It fucking sucks. I’m here to teach her how to be a mechanic and protect her, nothing more.

“I’m outta here,” Alex says after a while. He holds up his phone. “The wife keeps texting me, asking when I’m comin’ home. Tell Isa that I had to head out, but the Ford is done and the Monte Carlo needed a new belt so I put it on.”

Monika waves to him with a bright, friendly smile on her heart-shaped face. “It was nice meeting you, Alex.”

He gives her a nod. “Nice meetin’ you too. See ya later, Vic.” He walks out, leaving us alone in the garage.

So now it’s just Monika and I in the shop. Alone.

I clear my throat and walk over to the toolbox. She walks up behind me. I can feel her presence because I’m so aware of her.

“Can I say something without you getting mad?” she asks.

“Shoot.”

“Promise you won’t be mad?”

“Sure. Whatever.”

“Just come back to school, Vic,” she says. “If you won’t do it for yourself, or for Trey, do it for the football team. We were supposed to make it to state this year. We’ve lost the past two games. If you were there…” Her voice trails off.

“What?” I say, throwing a towel on the floor. “If I was there, we’d be winning games? Trey was the one who ran the fastest. Trey was the one who made touchdowns. I just fuckin’ tackle people, that’s all. I’m a stupid robot. Anyone can take my place.”

“That’s not true. I’ve watched you. You read the quarterback, Vic. It’s like you have an instinct on what the opposing team is going to do.” She picks up the towel I just threw down. “And despite what you might think, you’re not just a defensive tackle. Everyone looks up to you, because you play with the confidence that you can win every game. They’re lost without you… they’re losing without you.”

“You don’t realize that I’m just a dumb, worthless jock.”