Page 116 of Sombra
Everyone turns to her. “Shut up!” I’m not sure who says it. Everyone.
Sonia takes a step back and pouts.
Kim shakes her head over and over again.“María Luisa is right. I’m ruining everything for your family. I have to leave.”
I see only Kim and her tears. I want to stop them. I want to comfort her.
“What’s going on here?” asks Shane.
“Tavo is a fucking two-timing idiot,” says Guillermo.
Mari Carmen whispers, “I don’t even know.”
Having stood in the background all this time, Shane steps forward, flexinghis biceps and glaring at everyone. He walks over to Kim and tucks her under his arm. I hiss.
“She deserves better than this. You people have done enough,” Shane says. “Let’s go, Kim. I’m taking you home.”
“No,” I say, but she looks up at me sadly.
“I’m sorry, Tavo. I could never hurt you and your family the way I’m doing.”
And she steps away from him and turns to gointo the house.
Shane gets between me and her and faces me. “Haven’t you done enough?”
“I love her,” I say. “I haven’t done anywhere near enough. She needs to know that. Shedoesknow that.”
His jaw ticks. “She needs to get away from this craziness. She needs to go home.”
“She doesn’t want you. She told me so.”
“I know. I’m no competition. I’m not her boyfriend.But I am her friend, and I don’t like to see her hurt. Not from all you people.”
He’s big, but I’m fast, and I race past him into the house.
Kim’s in her room, haphazardly throwing her things into her bags. Clothes. Toiletries. Laptop. Notebooks and school papers.
Opening her wallet, she pulls out some Euros and leaves them on the bed. “Pay your mom for the rest of the timeI was supposed to be here.”
“No! Kim!” I say, but Shane holds me back from coming in.
“You really need to back off.”
“I’ll never back off unless I hear it from her,” I yowl.
She squeezes her eyes shut and doesn’t say anything.
“Kim. Please don’t go. We can work this out. I love you.”
My beautiful love shakes her head over and over again. “Between my hormonesand all this coming out, I need space to think. I need to not be causing any more problems. I want to go.”
Panic makes me blind. Makes me stop breathing. “Go where?”
“Home,” she croaks.
With her bags in her hands, she trudges out the house and to the Fiat. Shane picks one up and follows her. And I run ahead and get between her and the car door.”
“Listen to me—”
