Authors: Allison Van Diepen

On the Edge (19 page)

THE NEW

TOMORROW WAS THE BIG DAY.
The day we moved to Tallahassee.

Tonight, Iz was hosting a huge end-of-summer party. Or, as she put it,
the party to end all end-of-summer parties
.

When I walked through the door, Iz hugged me and shoved a Maddie Diaz Margarita into my hand. “Where's your man?” she asked, glancing past me.

“He's having a drink with a coworker from Sasso's. He's coming later.” I'd deliberately planned it that way, hoping to have some time with the girls before the party went full force. But judging by the crowd that had already arrived, I was too late.

A couple of girls from our school came in next. I said hello, then spotted Abby, who was sitting on her boyfriend's lap. Kyle had come back a week ago and had no plans to deploy again anytime soon. But when he finally did, I had no doubt that Abby would continue to hold his spot for him. She'd hold it as long as she had to, until he was back for good.

Thankfully, Ortiz and I wouldn't have to be apart. We'd driven up to Tallahassee two weeks ago and found him an apartment, since I would be living in a dorm for my first year. We'd also checked out the Tallahassee Community College campus. He had enrolled in the criminal justice program, which would prepare him for the police academy. That was Ortiz; when he set his mind on something, he was unstoppable.

Carmen came up and hugged me. Soon after her prom, Rafael had dumped her for another girl. She was still ultra-emotional. It was as if all of her new confidence had left with him. Although Iz was encouraging her to hunt for a rebound, I hoped she wouldn't find one until she'd stabilized.

“All packed?” she asked.

I nodded. “The front hall is stacked with boxes. I have no idea if it's all going to fit in Ortiz's car.”

“I'm surprised you guys aren't moving in together.”

I shrugged. “I don't think Mom would go for that.” But it wasn't just about my mom. Ortiz and I wanted to date. To be normal. Neither of us needed the pressure of moving in together right now.

I went out to the back porch to get some air. Everyone was talking about their plans. Some of them were leaving Miami; most of them were staying. But everyone had a direction. Even the directionless had chosen that as their direction.

I sipped my drink, absorbing the late summer air and looking out at the fading night sky. I found myself wishing I'd asked Ortiz to come a little earlier. My hand ached to be holding his.

“Diaz, you're pretty quiet.”

I turned to see Manny standing there, hands in his pockets. I hadn't realized that Iz had invited him.

“That's me,” I said. “The epitome of chill.”

Something had changed between me and Manny since the night of Ortiz's kidnappingâthe lightness between us was gone. We had never even talked about what had happened.

“You're moving tomorrow, and you're so laid back you're almost horizontal.” Manny pulled up a chair and sat backward, resting his arms on the top. “Nothing ever fazes you, does it, Diaz?”

“
Everything
fazes me. But I deal.” I'd meant to say it lightly, but it didn't come off that way.

“It was nice working with you, Diaz. Thanks for putting up with me.” His smile turned serious. “You never blew me off, not even after you found out about my past.”

“I know who you are,” I said simply.

“There's something I have to get off my chest. Something I can't shake.”

“No worries. I already figured out why you sent me down to the basement that night. It was to keep me safe.”

“That's not what I meant.” His eyes held mine. “I did what I had to do. I wouldn't change it.”

“What, then?”

“Your man, Ortiz. I met his sister once.”

“You did?”

He nodded. “The Reyes had her in this apartment. Place was a wreck. I saw her come out of the bedroom. I knew why she was there.” He hung his head, and I wasn't sure if he would go on. “I was the newbie in the gang. I told myself that if I snitched, they'd know it was me. That's how I explained it away. Self-preservation.”

I exhaled slowly. There was nothing I could say.

“Her eyes were so sad.” Manny looked down at his hands. “Some days I can hardly live with it, you know? But I've got a way to make it right. Or at least, make things better.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, afraid of the answer.

He lowered his voice to a whisper. “X told me what he and the Destinos are doing.”

“But Salazar's dead.”

“Yeah, but there are others like him. Always will be. I wanted you to know that . . . that I'm gonna help.” Before I could begin to argue with him, he got up. “Keep in touch, okay?”

“Bet on it.” My mind still whirled from everything he'd said, but I gave him a hug.

He started to walk away, then he turned around. “If he disappoints you, I'll be here. Don't forget that.”

I nodded. “I won't forget.” But I knew that Ortiz would never let me down.

By the time Ortiz showed up, the party was in overdrive. The walls and floors thumped. I was surprised that the cops hadn't shut us down, but knowing Iz, she'd gone over to her neighbors' earlier today with potted plants to soften them up.

It was too loud for talking, so we didn't. Ortiz's arm was around me, his hand settled in the curve of my waist. We watched Julia and Eric heat up the dance floor. They were a couple who, like us, had faced the fireâand had survived, stronger than ever.

More people came in. Iz cranked the music louder. She was all over the place, chatting, dancing, slinging drinks and spreading out food. It hit me that I missed her alreadyâboth those things I loved about her, and those things I didn't love. Iz would never, ever be boring.

As I watched my friends, I realized how much I was going to miss them. Strange how I could feel sad and happy all at the same time.

Moving forward always means leaving something behind
, I thought.
I'll miss you all. But I'll be back
.

Ortiz said into my ear, “Our future starts now.”

I looked up at him and smiled. He was right about that. Destiny was leading us in a new direction. And we were going there together.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

A big thanks to my editor, Kari Sutherland, for her warmth and insight. And to the incredible team at HarperTeen, including Jen Klonsky, Alice Jerman, and the art department for the amazing cover.

Thanks to John Rudolph, my agent. You are awesome.

Hugs and high fives to the Firkin writers.

Not least, my loving family. I'm so lucky to have you.

BACK AD

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

PHOTO CREDIT ALAN DEAN PHOTOGRAPHY

ALLISON VAN DIEPEN
is the author of
Street Pharm, Snitch, Takedown
, and other novels for teens. Her books have been named ALA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Readers and NYPL Books for the Teen Age. She lives with her family in Ottawa, Canada, where she also teaches high school. Visit her at www.allisonvandiepen.com.

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BOOKS BY ALLISON VAN DIEPEN

Street Pharm

Snitch

Takedown

CREDITS

COVER DESIGN BY M80

COPYRIGHT

HarperTeen is an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

ON THE EDGE
. Copyright Â© 2014 by Allison van Diepen. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Van Diepen, Allison.

On the edge / Allison van Diepen. â First edition.

pages
Â Â Â Â
cm

Summary: “When Maddie Diaz witnesses the murder of a homeless man by members of a gang, she tells the cops what she saw without thinking about the repercussions of snitching, but a mysterious guy named Lobo comes to her defense and is determined to take down the gang and protect her”â Provided by publisher.

ISBN 978-0-06-230344-8 (hardback)

EPUB Edition Â© September 2014 ISBN 9780062303462

[1. WitnessesâFiction.Â Â 2. GangsâFiction.Â Â 3. Hispanic AmericansâFiction.]Â Â I. Title.