Page 17 of Futbolista
“I was here before you. You’re the one following me.”
Vale whispers in her ear, and then she whispers something back, smiling as she nods. They both seem so relaxed and, knowing almost without a doubt in my mind that my name’s on their mouths—mouths my mouth knows pretty intimately—I’m trying hard to look like nothing could phase me. Optimistic, even. Who knows, maybe Vale’s helping me out. They seem close. He could be putting in a good word for me.
“As long as you buy something, I’ll allow it,” Leana adds. “Maybe something that’s not gym shorts.”
“Nah, I went four years wearing chinos and shorts with buttons to school. I’m going to be wearing nothingbutshorts made out of nylon or cotton that got no buttons for at least the next three months. It’s a boycotting-pants era for me, living the ‘sky and sun means thighs and guns’ lifestyle. I did come by for some shirts, though. So let me know if you see anything that might look good on me.”
“Nice,”Kat says under their breath, just loud enough for me to hear. Going to get a fist bump for that line later.
I give her one more smile before following Kat, but I’m still able to keep Leana and Vale in view from the corner of my eye while I look through shirts, waiting to see if she’s going to make a move and come give me a suggestion, whether that’s a shirt she likes or a fitting room she likes; I’m game for either. But after Pérez runs over to us twice, showing Kat and me a Dragon Ball shirt and then one of this pink-haired fool from a show he says Ineedto watch, my attention strays away from her and back to what I actually came here for.
I find an old Champion tee pretty quickly. A Tommy Hilfiger shirt too, that still looks close to brand-new even though I bet it’s something Pops would’ve worn when he was my age. And then this tee in a teal color withNICCEon the chest. Were they trying to spellnice? Is it cool because it’s wrong? Did I miss out on some joke that someone else would immediately get looking at this word? Is it someknockoffknockoff Nike pretending to be Gucci?
“I’ve been eyeing that one,” a recognizable voice says next to me. I pick my head up from the shirt, turn around, and see Vale standing there, arms crossed but relaxed. “We just got it in yesterday, and I’m in love with the color. Also, not every day we get in some Nicce.”
So that’s how you say it?Knee-chee.Huh. I don’t know if I believe that.
“You work here?”
A soft laugh goes past his closed mouth as he smiles at me. He’s wearing this retro-looking Spurs jersey and short chino shorts that the jersey covers a little more than half of. It’s a good look. Real cute, casual, comfy.
“Yeah. My cousins own the place, so I basically only have to come in when I want or if they really need me. Extra cash and free clothes, you know. Anyway, as much as it pains me, I think the color would look really good on you. You should take it if you like it.”
I give him a smile back, pulling the shirt fully off the rack and holding it in front of me. “Yeah? You think so?”
“For sure. I mean, my eyes are first going to the soccer-guy legs, becausesomeonehere appreciates what you’re doing for the thick-thigh, short-shorts cause,” he says, giving Leana a playful glare and getting an eye roll back. “But, after that, and ignoring the Crocs, getting a view of the shirt on you? How it’s going to hug your arms and your chest? Done. Would have me simping so easily it’s kind of shameful.”
“Damn,”I say through a laugh. “I don’t have a shirt this color yet. I guess I could get it, right?”
“You absolutely could.” I hear that flirtatiousness Pérez was talking about. And catch how Vale is also catching how those words came out his mouth, looking like he surprised himself, that slight maroon blush on his cheeks coming up again. “I mean, like, if you’re taking a vote, and if you’re asking me if you should get it, like, the shirt, then I would say yes. Deeply in favor. That with, like, gray lounge shorts or just black gym shorts, perfect for anywhere: class, ramen, sneaky link. Parties, even.”
“I—” Whatever words I had ready to say get stuck in my throat when, in a quick flash, hearing the wordpartiescausesthis switch in my mind that turns on all those thoughts of last night. Of the party and standing between Vale’s legs, his tongue in my mouth as I grab handfuls of his ass.
And now I sound like I’m trying to get congestion out. Probably looking like I’m about to die. Thankfully, someone else comes in with a bag of stuff and gives Vale someone else to focus on as he tells the person he’ll help them out in a second.
“Sorry. Yeah, I’m taking it. I’ll take it. I mean—” I take a deep breath, get myself right. “I will buy it.”
“Great. You want me to hold on to it for you?” Vale asks, hand out toward me, while he glances over at the person with the bag of clothes still waiting for him at the register. “As much as I’d rather help you find more shirts, I should probably take care of him first. But, if you want, I can keep the stuff you want to take up there.”
“Oh, for sure. Thanks.”
And not even two seconds after Vale’s turned his back, Pérez is running his whole body into mine, arms going around my shoulders, catching me off guard, but too amped on cereal sugar to notice I may have definitely not been watching Vale leave. “I told you; what’d I tell you,” he whisper yells right into my ear. “He’s into you, bro.”
“Shut up,” I say while pushing back.
“I’m just saying.He’s putting on all the moves, undressing you and then dressing you back up in that shirt. And nothing else. And then you had your girl over there—”
“Not my girl.”I glance up quickly, looking for Leana and catching her still on the couch, busy texting someone and putting AirPods in her ears.
“And then you hadnot your girlstaring but I couldn’t tell if it was, like, aback offstare or ahmm, interestingstare.”
I shake my head, giving him a glare before moving on to the next rack of clothes. “Go look at shirts, bro. Come on. Stop being a metiche.”
Twenty minutes later, the three of us are finally ready to go, Kat with this hoodie they couldn’t leave without because of how soft the inside feels and Pérez with, like, eight shirts. I end up with a small but solid pile to add to that Nicce tee: the Hilfiger and Champion shirts, a plain maroon Lacoste tee, this Brazil World Cup shirt Vale showed me that I wasn’t going to leave without, and one with Frank Ocean on it that looks like a cover of one of Pérez’s mangas. Not a bad haul. Might even take a picture and show Pops:Look, shirts with sleeves!
“What do you think, Pineapple?” Leana asks, coming up next to me in this tight black skirt and a just as fitted white button-up, tucked in, looking like a sexy librarian I want to punish me for some overdue book fines as she leans on the counter. Actually, I think I’ve seen this video. Might have that tab open in my phone still.
And what do I think? I think I’m going to have to picture dogs dying and figure out how to calmly say, “Looks great” without getting drool on my shirt, and make sure my face stays straight forward. Because I can’t trust my eyes not to go down to those top three buttons I know she purposefully left unfastened. She knows what she’s doing. How much I appreciate her boobs. This is the third outfit she’s tried on in the past ten minutes. Got Pérez taking deep breaths and Kat letting out ahuuuhhlike she’s some footballer kryptonite and is fully aware of it.
