Page 2 of Scoreless Nights

Cruz sighed again and mumbled, “Fiiiine,” before putting his head back into his phone. Ivan and Mom smiled at me from across the limo, and I felt proud that even though I wasn’t a soccer star, I was still the good child.

Once we were at the reception, we didn’t have to wait long to get our part over with. We were quickly announced to everyone that was attending and then led to the dance floor with our parents next to us.

Dancing at our age consisted of swaying back and forth with our hands on each other’s shoulders. We stood two feet apart and looked around the room–at anything but each other. But my young heart was beating fast, almost hurting inside my chest.

I didn't like Cruz because he didn’t seem to like me. He was also my big brother now, though I would refuse to accept that for as long as I could. But it was also my first dance with a boy, and whether I wanted it to, or not, it made me feel heady and exhilarated.

Then the song ended and we went our separate ways, quietly agreeing to never speak again. Our parents were married, our duties were over, and he was headed back to Miami where he lived with his mom.

It would all be okay.

ChapterOne

Lily

This was not okay.

Pacing the floor of my parents’ house, I listened as Ivan called Cruz and asked him if I could stay at his place while I interviewed for jobs. What part of,“I can get a hotel”did he not understand? I had some money saved up and would be fine.

Meanwhile, my mother was hovering over Ivan, listening to whatever Cruz was saying on the phone. I could tell it wasn’t pure delight at the idea, and I didn’t blame him. I didn’t want to be there either, at least not at his house.

It had been six years since I last saw Cruz and that was only because Ivan insisted he come up to Brooksville, South Carolina for my high school graduation. Cruz had avoided our small town since he went to college, and since becoming a huge soccer star, he had somehow still managed to keep his distance.

Mom expected me to stay with him like we were one big happy family. Ironically, the only thing Cruz and I had in common was how much we denied being“one big happy family.”

Ivan clapped his hands when he hung up the phone and smiled. “Cruz is expecting you next week.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I groaned. “Ivan, Cruz and I barely know each other. It’ll be like staying with a stranger.”

“No, it’ll be like staying with your big brother. Cruz can keep an eye on you, show you around, make you feel comfortable, and most important, keep you safe.”

Why did Miami have to have the best opportunities for an art dealer? Why couldn’t Cruz get traded to Seattle?

“Plus,” my mom chimed in, interrupting my thoughts. “We will be worried sick about you. For me, please accept Cruz’s invitation to stay.”

“He didn't invite me, Mom. Ivan strong-armed him into agreeing. Did you forget I’ve been standing right here?”They were lunatics.

“Cruz isn’t a kid anymore,” Ivan continued. “He understands the importance of family. He’ll be thrilled to have you close by for a while. Then, if…no, when you get one of those jobs you’re applying for, we’ll only have to make one trip to see both our kids.”

Mom smiled, but I could tell she secretly hoped I didn’t get any of the three jobs I had applied for. She would prefer I stayed right there in Brooksville, no matter how suffocating that town was for an artist.

“You both realize I’m twenty-four, right? I’m not a kid and can look after myself.”

Ivan stood and shook his head, not understanding why I was fighting him so hard on the matter. He would never be able to see how insecure Cruz made me feel or how nervous I was to try fitting into a world I knew nothing about. My only life experience had been my six years in college as an art major in Wilmington, which was still laced with overprotective parents just two hours away.

Miami had a whole vibe, and I knew I was going to stick out. Add in a famous step-brother who made me feel inferior without even trying, and I wouldn’t stand a chance. Couldn’t my mom and Ivan let me struggle without the added kick of having Cruz there as a witness?

“Just do this for us,” my mom sighed. “You’re my only child and have been sheltered your entire life. I know you’re an adult, Lillian, but I will never stop being your mother. Cruz is family, and I know you two barely know one another anymore, and you're thinking it will be awkward, but it won't be. I promise.”

“Fine,” I relented, throwing my hands up in surrender. Not only because I was tired of listening to her go on and on, but also because it had been ingrained in me never to give my mom a reason to worry. She had hovered over me since I was young, and I knew it was hard on her to see me wanting to move away. How bad could staying with Cruz really be, anyway? We weren’t kids anymore, and I doubt he still rolled his eyes and scowled every time he looked my way.

“He travels for away games,” Ivan reminded me, taking a little more anxiety off my chest with his very valid point. Cruz traveled a lot, and chances were low that he would be there every single day. “And I’ve been to his place when I went down for a game. Real nice, and a great view of the ocean.”

“I’m sold,” I sighed. “Remember?” They were going to keep talking until I left, and I had no more fight left in me, so I turned and headed up the stairs to my room.

It had been a few months since I came home from college, but my boxes and suitcases remained packed. For most of the summer, I had been working as an art teacher for summer school, and looking for job opportunities in small art districts. I stayed with mom and Ivan to save money, knowing I wouldn’t be there long enough to get my own place anyway.

Being a broker wasn’t my first choice, but it was hard to make it as a sketch artist. When one of my old professors told me he had contacts in Miami, it didn’t matter that Cruz was there, I jumped on the chance to interview at places as prestigious as ICA, GGA Gallery, and DCG.

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