Read Resplendent for Free Online Page B

good!” Julio said and pointed his finger at me. “Something that inspires you is what it’s all about, young lady.”
    He broke off a piece of Cuban bread and starting munching. I smiled at the nonchalant way he did it, not caring that more crumbs were falling to the floor. He was so down to Earth.
    Victoria already had a broom in her hand. “I like your shoes,” she told me as she walked by.
    We talked about shoes and baseball while we cleaned up. When the counter was sparkling, Carmin walked in behind Andres. “Let’s go, Savannah. I have a test tomorrow.”
    Carmin crossed her arms over her chest and smiled at me. I was surprised that she even remembered it was a school night, much less that she had a test to take.
    “You actually care?” I teased her.
    She huffed. “You’re not the only brainiac in the world.”
    My smile faltered. “That’s not what I meant.” She ignored me and turned around to walk away.
    “I thought your curfew was at nine? I can take you home later, you know,” Andres said, looking at me, but I declined.
    “It’s okay. I should get going too. Don’t have a test but still have school.”
    Lola was already out front. Carmin must have called her to pick us up while I was cleaning. I grabbed my purse and waved goodbye to everyone. Victoria mentioned she’d love to hang out again.
    “Make sure you come back soon, okay? You can show me some of your work.” Julio smiled warmly, and the humor in his eyes was exactly like Andres’.
    As I passed the front door, Andres grabbed me by the arm gently and held me back.
    “Don’t think I’ll forget that you didn’t answer my question about why you’re living with them.” His head jerked towards the door. “You’re going to have to trust me enough to tell me about yourself sooner or later.”
    My chest tightened when I saw the seriousness in his eyes. I leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. “Later,” I whispered and walked to the car. Carmin had just closed her door and was already putting on her seatbelt by the time I stepped inside.
    “What happened? Why did you call me so early?” Lola asked as soon as she was driving.
    Carmin groaned. “It was boring. There were too many people, and Andres and I hardly got a chance to talk!”
    As she went off on how she wasn’t a fan of the food, I felt my phone vibrate against my hand. It was Andres sending me a text message.
     
    So when can I take you out on a real date? Alone?
     
    I bit my lip and looked out the window. The idea of being alone with him made my stomach flutter. I couldn’t deny that I was attracted to Dre, but how would I manage to date him with Lola and Carmin knowing about my every move?

 
     
    I couldn’t believe high school was over. Adam, Eddy, and I had gotten together with friends to celebrate our graduation. I leaned my head back and took a look at the crowd at Casola’s Pizzeria. Not surprisingly, the tables were full with only a few people waiting for an empty spot to sit. Eddy stood up and whistled, waving his arms. When I followed his line of vision, I could see that Savannah and Carmin had just walked in.
    Carmin waved back, and they both zigzagged their way to our table. Great . Savannah had said they might show up, but I wasn’t expecting her to. She had told me months ago she couldn’t date and had been caught in a lie when my buddy saw her with some other guy, so why was she here?
    “Damn girl, you look good!” Adam said to Carmin and locked her into a bear hug.
    Carmin shrieked—God, I hated when girls made that noise—and tried to push him away. “Okay, okay, you’re not letting me breathe!”
    Everyone at the table laughed—except me. I was busy trying not to check out Savannah while she said her hellos. With her low cut jeans and tank top that barely covered her shoulders, she looked every bit as good as she usually did. She may have even looked older, somehow.
    I was sitting between an empty seat and Adam, and instead of Peach coming