What Can(t) Wait — Ashley Hope Perez

“Another day finished,gracias a Dios.”

Seventeen-year-old Marisa's mother has been saying this for as long as Marisa can remember. Her parents came to Houston from Mexico. They work hard, and they expect Marisa to help her familia. An ordinary life -- marrying a neighborhood guy, working, having babies -- ought to be good enough for her.

Marisa hears something else from her calc teacher. She should study harder, ace the AP test, and get into engineering school in Austin. Some days, it all seems possible. On others, she's not even sure what she wants.

When her life at home becomes unbearable, Marisa seeks comfort elsewhere -- and suddenly neither her best friend nor boyfriend can get through to her. Caught between the expectations of two different worlds, Marisa isn't sure what she wants -- other than a life where she doesn't end each day thanking God it's over.

But some things just can't wait…