Charice slid soft fingers over my clenched fist and pulled me away from the window behind a doorway just a few feet from the front door. “Just stay here. I’ll handle this. No need for you to demolish my house.”

“But —”

“I can handle José. He has a thing for me. He’ll be too distracted to look for you here.”

“Which is exactly why I want to handle him myself.”

“You’re so eager to rush into things. Stay here.” She gently pushed me against the wall.

Clenching my teeth, I wanted to answer the door with a dropkick, but my girlfriend was right. There was no need for me and José to throw down, especially if he didn’t know I was here. And she had a point. He and I would probably end up putting a hole through some sheetrock if we started a fight inside the house.

There was a loud knock on the door followed by José opening his boney jaw. “Hey, Charice. It’s José. Open up.”

“Arrogant freakin’ tool,” I muttered.

Charice waited a few moments before opening the door. “Justin isn’t here,” she said.

“I know that, girl,” said José, trying to sound cool. “He’s out in Oakland meeting with the big boss. Where’s that effin’ white boy at?”

What did he mean about Justin meeting with the big boss? Must be some crime lord.

“You mean my boyfriend?”

José growled. “You know that dude’s a freak right? That gringo does some David Blaine Jedi stuff. Loco stuff. That’s what you get for dating a white boy in the first place. You could’ve been with me.”

Charice laughed in his face.

“Laugh all you want now. But you’ll see. Anytime you want to come around a real man just let me know.”

My fists shook. I was ready to leap out and deck this guy’s teeth in.

“Oh, and what makes you a real man? Pointing guns at people? Tattooed letters on your back? Please.”

Nice burn Charice. The girl needed a high-five.

“Here’s what a real man’s like. I’ll give you a little taste.”

I heard footsteps and scuffling. “Get your hands off me!” Charice said in a high shrill.

Instantly my right fist glowed emerald ready to send some Good Luck into dear old José’s face. As I turned the corner José had his arms around my girlfriend and was trying to force a kiss on her. I stepped up to punch his face off.

Before I made my move Charice kneed him hard in between the legs. He dropped to the ground like a sack of rice, falling on the doorstep.

“You bi—,” said José, reaching for his handgun tucked in his belt.

Things escalated from intense to lethal. Before I could blast him, Charice dropped her hoodie to the floor. Midnight black wings expanded, filling the doorway. An aura of Bad Luck smashed into me causing me to step back.

Charice smacked her wings together in front of her like a giant clap. When her wings connected, a blast of energy pummeled into José.

He backflipped through the front door, off of the porch, and onto the grass, landing on his chest. All the air rushed out of him. His handgun hit the lawn a few feet in front of him and he scrambled for it. Charice brought her wings together again. The force punched José, sending him toppling like a piece of gutter trash up over the hood of his car. Spider web cracks spread across his windshield on the passenger side, ruining a perfectly good muscle car.

Charice stepped onto the porch now, standing tall, daring José to come back for his gun.

I emerged and stood beside her and couldn’t resist the opportunity to taunt José. “Is that how Raza del Norte holds it down? Getting kneed in the beanbag by hot chicks?”

José let out a string of intertwined English and Spanish swear words.

“Ustedes demonios!” He slammed his car door and left in a cloud of smoking tire rubber.

“Nice!” I said to Charice. “That was awesome.”

“That puny little prick. His hands were all over me. Next time I’ll kill him.”

Goosebumps ran along my arms. I wanted to shudder and make out with her at the same time. I snatched up the handgun and ushered her back inside, helping her back into the hoodie.

She trembled with rage as the adrenaline wore off. “I did that? It all happened so fast.”

“See, it’s not just a curse. It’s cool.”

Her wings shifted beneath the hoodie. “They’re still weird though.”

I had an idea. “Wanna try them out? Get out of here and get some fresh air?”

She bit her lower lip and raised her eyebrows. “Sure.”