Rules Of Attraction by Simone Elkeles Read Free Book Online

apartment and attempt to make us an
    authentic Mexican meal. It’ll get me to stop thinking about those damn
    doublechocolate chip cookies. That, combined with the fact that I’ve
    been here almost a week and have yet to eat authentic, spicy Mexican
    food, is drivin’ me nuts. Alex leans into the pot of stewed meat and
    inhales the scent. I can tell just by the expression on his face it
    reminds him of home.
    “It’s called carne guisada. It’s Mexican.” I say the words slowly as
    if he’s never heard of it.
    “I know what it is, smart-ass.” He replaces the lid, then sets the
    table and goes back to studying.
    We sit down to eat an hour later. I watch as my brother inhales his
    first serving and takes a second.
    “Eat much?”
    “Nothin’ as good as this.” Alex licks his fork. “I didn’t know you
    could cook.”
    “You don’t know a lot of things about me.”
    “I used to.”
    I push around the food on my plate, suddenly not hungry. “That was
    a long time ago.” I keep my eyes focused on my food. I don’t even know
    my brother anymore. After he got shot, I guess I was afraid to talk to
    him because talkin’ about it made it real. Alex never said what exactly
    happened when he got jumped out of the Latino Blood, and I never
    asked. But yesterday mornin’ I got a clue. “I saw your scars yesterday
    when you came out of the shower.”
    He stops eating and puts down his fork. “I thought you were still
    sleepin’.”
    “I wasn’t.” The image of his badly scarred back, full of what looks
    like whip marks, is etched into my brain. When I noticed the bulging
    skin between his shoulder blades with the letters LB permanently
    branded into him like a head of cattle, my skin crawled with hateful
    anger and thoughts of revenge.
    “Just forget it,” Alex says.
    “Not gonna happen.” Alex isn’t the only Fuentes brother who feels a
    fierce protectiveness toward his family. If I go back to Chicago and
    find the asshole responsible for branding Alex’s body, he’s a dead man.
    I might rebel against mi familia, but they’re still my blood. Alex isn’t
    the only one with scars. I have more fights to my name than a
    professional boxer. Along with my scars, if Alex knew the tattoos on
    my back marked me a Guerrero, he’d shit a brick. I might be in
    Colorado, but I’m still connected.
    “Brittany and I are goin’ to visit her sister Shelley tonight. Want to
    come?”
    I know Brittany’s sister is disabled and staying in some assisted-
    living place near the university. “I can’t. I’m goin’ out,” I tell Alex.
    “With who?”
    “Last time I checked, our papá was dead. I don’t have to answer to
    you.”
    Alex and I stare each other down. He used to be able to kick my
    ass without even tryin’, but not anymore. We’re about to get into it
    again, but the door opens and Brittany walks in. She must realize
    there’s tension in the air, because her smile fades when she reaches
    the table. She puts her hand on Alex’s shoulder. “Everything okay?”
    “Everything’s perfecto. Right, Alex?” I say, then pick up my plate
    and weave my way around her to get to the kitchen.
    “No. I asked him a simple question, and he can’t even answer it,”
    Alex says. I swear that’s something that should only come out of a
    parent’s mouth.
    I let out a frustrated sigh. “I’m just goin’ to a party, Alex. It’s not
    like I’m goin’ out to murder someone.”
    “A party?” Brittany asks.
    “Yeah. Ever hear of the concept?”
    “I’ve heard of it. I also know what goes on at parties.” She sits
    next to Alex. “We went to parties in high school, though we learned
    from our mistakes, and he’ll learn from his. You can’t stop him from
    going out,” she tells my brother.
    Alex points to me accusingly. “You should see those girls he was
    hangin’ with the other day, Brittany. They’ve got that psycho Darlene
    written all over them. Remember her? That girl would have screwed
    the