The moon was almost full and its light illuminated Gabriel’s face. He hadn’t abandoned me. He’d left my side to shut off the lights, creating a distraction so I could disappear. “Want to go? My Jeep’s right over there.” He motioned over his shoulder. I glanced at the red plastic cup in his hand. “It’s water,” he said, noticing my hesitation. He dumped the remainder on the grass and tossed the cup toward a trash bin. “I have a game tomorrow.” “Oh,” I said, relieved. “Yeah, let’s get out of here.” We drove in silence for a little while. I didn’t want to talk about what had happened. The embarrassment was too fresh. Gabriel seemed to sense that, so he turned on the radio and stayed quiet. Passing streetlights lit up his face for brief moments, and I took peeks at him when I could. The lines of his jaw. His intensely dark eyes. He caught me looking, and I glanced away quickly. “Want me to drop you off at your house?” he asked. “Or,” he added with hope in his voice, “would you like to go somewhere?”
