Antonio Puts on His Brakes

• • •

He fires up his Mac and checks in with the Robotics Club, getting instantly caught up in a thread about programming UAVs. After a few minutes, he looks at the glass on his desk and wonders if he was really going to drink this disgusting concoction. 

“That was a stupid idea,” he says, getting up to dump the contents before anyone finds out. On his way back to his room, there is a knock at the door. It’s Vanessa.

“Yes?” he says coldly, the scene at her house coming back to him. Vanessa seems nervous, though, and can’t look him in the eye.

“I wanted to see if you were all right,” she says. “I’m sorry I was such a jerk before,” she adds, looking down. 

“Who were those guys?” Antonio finally thinks to ask. 

“Mariah’s boyfriend and his friend. They got all drunk and wouldn’t leave, and then my mom came home. I caught hell,” she says, looking guilty. “It was stupid.”

“Yeah,” Antonio manages. “I nearly caught hell myself.” He thinks about what might have happened if he’d ended up drunk when his mom got home. 

“You only live once,” she says, and smiles. Antonio smiles back. The only good to come of this crazy afternoon, he thinks, is that they’ve crossed this finish line together.