Page 60 of Love me, Maddie Mendoza

I was thinking if I should go to her when Maddie reached for the string on her back and the crochet top fell with an easy swoop.

Jesus, was it that easy to take that thing off?

My eyes cast down quickly, but not quickly enough. Not before I saw her smooth back and the small little waist. She turned just a little to the side, and I caught an eyeful of side boob and a hint of a nipple.

I squeezed my eyes closed, but it did no good. Not when the image burned into the back of my eyes. My hands in a fist, I tried to get the control of my body again, but it was hard.

I risked looking up after a minute or two, when I trusted myself not to be a creep. I couldn’t see Maddie anymore. Standing up, I stepped closer to the window, trying to find her. She came out of the conjoined bathroom with a pad of cotton wool, cleaning her face with a product. Her curls piled on top of her head, she was fully dressed once more.

My body called hers. Her head whipped up and found me watching. The cotton wool was left to the side. She wasn’t wearing her glasses. I wondered if we forgot to pack them, since Maddie was wearing contacts at the party.

My train of thought was forgotten when Maddie came to the window and unlocked the latch. Eyes fixed on me, it was all the invitation I needed. In a hurry, I unlocked mine, too. My gaze only left her face when I moved to look at the tree.

When was the last time I climbed it? It was before college, for sure. After that, we started using the front door even when we were on Orchid Street.

The reliable branches were still the same, and I started on what I knew best. The trick was to know where to step. We cracked the code years ago; we made a little map in our heads of what was safe.

At first, I stepped on the roof under my window. I held on to the gutter, and once I felt secure, I stepped on the thickest branch, and moved my hand from the gutter to the tree. It was easy, just one step where I needed to balance myself on my own, and then I would reach Maddie’s roof.

The thing with orange trees is that there are always full of leaves and not all branches are thick enough to hold someone. Especially someone of my size.

I did it anyway. I had to believe if I got bigger and heavier, our beloved trees had it too. Right in the middle, the two trees met and the branch of the one on my yard intertwined with the one in Maddie’s yard.

My foot tipped in the middle of the luscious leaves to find the two-branch. All the other branches would cave with my weight when I tried to bounce off them a little, so when my foot reached something steady, I knew I got it right.

I reached Maddie’s roof, and in a second, I was standing outside her window. I hopped into the bedroom.

Maddie was sitting in the middle of her bed, her glasses on. So I did pack them for her.

“Maddie,” I whispered.

It was enough. I simply said her name and her eyes welled up. I came closer. Maddie lifted herself onto her knees. It was easy to scoop her into my arms and onto my lap. Maddie’s nose found my neck, her quiet sniffling broke my heart.

I let her cry while I cradled her. Her skin soft beneath my hands, I didn’t dare to move until she was ready.

“They aren’t sure if it’s cancer,” she said like it was in the middle of a conversation. I missed the start.

I stilled. “What does that mean?”

Maddie shrugged. “They found a mass in her colon. They were trying to figure out if it’s just a mass, if they can remove it and…”

A hiccup. I squeezed her harder and Maddie spoke again. “The doctors gave them a date for the surgery. They guessed it was time to bring me up to speed.”

The last sentence was said with bitterness. I remained quiet. I knew she wasn’t done talking.

“Which was stupid. They should have told me before.” A huff. “It’s just us three. We’re supposed to be there for each other.”

“Not true,” I whispered to her hair. “They have my mom and dad too.”

Maddie smiled. “Mom said Xiomara has been a godsend. She’s cooking for them every day.”

“Mom cooks when she doesn’t know what else to do.” I agreed.

That made Maddie smile a little. “Well, we all appreciate it.” A beat. “They should’ve told me, Z.”

“Yes, and no.” I shrugged, which earned me a furious look from Maddie. “Relax.” I urged and tucked her head under my chin again. “What I am saying is that is hard to talk when things are so up in the air. They are your parents. It’s hard for them to…”

She nodded even before I finished what I had to say. “I know. They wanted to give me answers. But being bitchy helps.”

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