Page 104 of Love me, Maddie Mendoza

“Yes. She told me.”

I sighed. I wasn’t accusing her of not telling me. She assumed Maddie would, of course. I was just tipping over the edge. I nodded, not sure what to say. It didn’t matter how long they knew.

Maddie told me in her own time, probably when she could say it out loud. I didn’t care if I wasn’t the first person she told, or the second. I wouldn’t judge if she needed time to sit with it for a while. But the fact I just fucked the information out of her, that didn’t sit right with me.

I just treated my best friend like a stubborn ketchup bottle. I felt queasy.

“Is she ok?” Mom asked, glancing upstairs.

I nodded, but in reality, who knew? I wasn’t well. Why would Maddie be?

“It might mean nothing,” Dad said as mom went back to the eggs. “They removed everything. It makes us all scared because they’re watching her to see if it spread beyond what was removed. But son, they said it was a clean, successful surgery. She made a full recovery.”

I nodded again, but mom sniffed with her back turned.

“It’s going to be fine.” Dad repeated like it was an order, looking between my eyes and mom’s back. “The next few months will be trying. But it doesn’t mean…”

His voice died when a movement on the stairs caught us off guard. Maddie strolled in, wrapped in my ancient robe, hair brushed away from her face.

“Hey there, sweetie.” Mom smiled. “Sleep well?”

Maddie blinked sleepily and smiled. I grabbed another cup and served her coffee and milk the way she liked.

“So bunking with Carmen isn’t your ideal way to end a party?” Dad smiled affectionately to her and went back to his newspaper.

Maddie snorted, taking the cup of coffee and mouthing a thank you in my direction. “She’s even worse during clean up.”

Mom served breakfast. Toast, bacon and eggs. “Well, we’ll be there to help.”

“Clean or escape them?” Maddie quipped.

“Both.” Mom guaranteed. “Eat up.”

We didn’t need to be told twice. I passed the plates while juice was served. Maddie took the stool just beside me, talking to my parents and holding herself together.

My mind raced. Did I miss how fragile she was? I was so good at reading Maddie. How could I have missed… everything?

Maddie finished her plate and cuddled on me while mom and dad told tales about Xio’s party. Her hand rested on my leg and her face came to my chest. Without thinking twice, I opened my arm so she could snuggle in.

Easy, natural.I rubbed my hand up and down her arm while she laughed with my parents.

It dawned on me I never brought a girlfriend home. I never sat down like that and watched them get along with mom and ask advice from dad. I never thought I had a problem with relationships until that very moment. All those weeks ago I thought how odd it was that Maddie never brought Peter around to her family. But who was I to judge?

“I’m going home, but I’ll see you three soon?” she asked.

“Of course, sweetie.” Mom smiled.

Maddie turned and gave me a little peck on my cheek, close to my mouth, but chaste enough to not raise questions. Then she headed upstairs. I rubbed my mouth, watching her go.

“Back to the tree?” I asked to her back.

“Rogelio crashed on the couch.” She replied and waved away without looking back. “See you, Z.”

“Don’t fall Maddie.”

“I’m an expert, King.” She frowned over her shoulder, making me laugh.

“Tell that to all the shelves I had to move from that part of the bedroom after years of you stumbling in.”

---