Spring Won't Come

Five: Manny

"You can be serious."

"Do I sound like I'm joking?"

Manny glared at Kayla, insulted that she was even asking this of him. He would have told her to go to hell, were it not for the fact that he was madly in love with her. It was the messy, confusing, teenage love that made him restless and uncertain about every interaction he had with her.

"Come on, Manny," Isaiah said. He was leaning against the locker next to Manny's, tracing his fingers across the Motorhead patch he had just sewn onto his black denim vest. "She did get us Lu, and we still need someone on bass."

He's right, Manny thought. He wasn't sure how Kayla had done it, but she had talked Lu Contreras into playing drums for the band he and Isaiah were trying to start. We owe her for that. And maybe, maybe if I do this for her... He quickly squashed the thought. Kayla would never leave Blake for him, Blake was going places.

"It's a win-win," Kayla said.

"How exactly is this a win?" Manny asked. "I don't see any reason for me helping that jacka- Blake. And then there's the football season, when is he going to have time to practice with us?"

Kayla averted her eyes from Manny's and glanced down at the floor. She chewed on her lip for a moment and then folded her arms. Manny wasn't sure if she was going to cry or was going to smack him upside the head. He peeked at the clock that hung above the broken water fountain; first period would start in five minutes. Blake had practice this morning and would be coming to get Kayla at any second.

"I just need you to do this as a favor," Kayla said. "I knew you wouldn't like it, that's why I got Lu for you."

"How did you pull that off?" Manny asked.

A quick smile crept at the corners of Kayla's mouth. "I got him a date with Kimmy."

"That skinny white girl?" Isaiah said, raising an eyebrow.

Manny elbowed his friend hard. Isaiah was one to talk. Manny had seen the guy down a whole pizza by himself and not put on a single pound. Isaiah was right, Kimmy was a tiny thing but Kayla wasn't going to see it that way.

"Yes," Kayla hissed through her teeth. "Don't make me change my mind about that."

Isaiah stepped away from the locker and stretched his lanky limbs. "It's all good, it's just that, you know, she used to be a lot bigger."

Manny grabbed his faded red notebook from his locker and slammed the door shut. He positioned himself next to Isaiah and discretely jammed his thumb into his friend's ribcage. Isaiah was right, Kimmy had been bigger, a lot bigger. Somehow, she had gone from awkward fat girl to a self-assured supermodel, lithly long legs and all.

"Yeah," Kayla said rolling her eyes, "Well, she tried Oprah's liquid diet and now all you pervs are chasing after her. Lu gets a date and you get him on drums. You owe me," she said, hands on her hips, like a mother lecturing her children.

The shrill screech of the first period bell made Manny wince. "Fine," he said, recovering. "Three rules," he said, holding up fingers to emphasize his point. The nails were chipped and jagged where he chewed them and the knuckles were speckled with fresh scabs. "First, if he sucks, he's out. Second, if he misses practice, he's out. Third," Manny hoped Kayla wouldn't take this personally but this was for his own protection, "practice is for the band and that space is for the band, not for making kissy faces."

Kayla had nodded in agreement at Manny's first two, her lips twisting into a scowl at his third demand. The protest built on her lips, but she clamped her jaw shut in silence and only nodded.