Page 30 of Lexi, Property of Rhyder

If only you knew how wrong you are, Dad.

I nod and agree.

Dad lets my hand go, and I catch up to Paige to go back to our room to change.

***

Heading out front of the resort, I spot Pepe in a yellow roofless Jeep. The guy he was talking to earlier is there too, and I hold Paige back.

She turns to me. “What are you doing, Lex? Pepe’s over there.” Paige points to where he and his friend are waiting.

I reply, “I’m not sure about this, Paige. I mean, who is that guy with him?”

She shrugs her shoulders and looks back. “Don’t know, but he’s cute, too. Now we both have dates.”

Something doesn’t feel right, so I keep her still. “I don’t think we should go,” I say.

She turns to me with wide eyes. “What do you mean? Why are you ruining this for me? Mom and Dad said we can go. Why are you being like this, Lex?”

I sigh and let out a breath. “I don’t know. It’s just a gut feeling, I guess.”

“Ladies, ladies, are we going?” Pepe joins us, and I look for his friend who’s in the driver’s seat of the Jeep. Paige smiles at Pepe then looks at me with a hopeful look on her face.

Oh, Paige, the things I do for you.

“Um…”

“Yes, we are,” Paige takes over the conversation. “We’re going. Come on, Lex. Let’s go.” I take her outstretched hand, and we walk together over to the Jeep.

“This is my good friend, Mario. Mario, these are the girls I told you about. This is Lexi, and this one here is Paige.”

“Nice to meet you both,” he adds, his accent is strong and thick, even more so than Pepe’s. Mario has dark curly hair with a bit of scruff on his face. His eyes are green, and his smile shows his beautiful white teeth. Maybe in my past I would have been happy to be going on a drive with someone like Mario, but today, I’m not feeling so sure. I place my shoulder bag around my body, so the handle is across my torso, and get into the back of the Jeep after Pepe forces the front seat forward. Paige then joins me, and Pepe sits in the front with his friend, Mario.

Mario looks at me through the rearview mirror and smiles. I force a smile, but at the same time, I feel uncomfortable being in his car. Pepe turns into a tourist guide as he explains the history of the island. We pass some huts and a village and then head out a little further, driving alongside the ocean. I reach for my cell and pull it out of my bag seeing if my parents have tried to call and find I have no reception.

Shoot!

I place it back in my bag and look at Paige—she’s hanging off Pepe’s every word, and he knows it too. I look to the side of the Jeep trying to settle this bad feeling that is rising in my stomach and try to enjoy the scenery of the ocean. Now and then, I catch Mario looking at me through the side mirror and just smile.

An hour must pass when Mario parks the car on the side of a road where a Mexican food stand sits. There are a few chairs and tables scattered around. Pepe decides we need to try the enchiladas as they are the best you can ever taste, and we agree. While Pepe and Mario are at the food stand, Paige and I stand and look out at the ocean.

“It’s really beautiful here,” I say to Paige, and she agrees with a nod.

“Lex?”

“Yeah?

“Thanks for coming with me. Dad wouldn’t have allowed me to go on my own if you didn’t come.” I shrug it off. “Sure, anytime, you know I will always have your back,” I reply, smiling at her.

“Here you go. Two enchiladas and two sodas.”

Pepe asks us to follow him to one of the tables where Mario is sitting. He’s already delving into his food, so we take a seat and begin to unwrap ours.

“This smells delicious,” I say as the scent of the enchilada makes my mouth water.

Pepe smiles. “I told you. Wait till you taste it.”

As I bite into it, I notice Pepe has stopped eating and is looking at something behind us.

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