Page 75 of Love me, Maddie Mendoza

We both chuckled, and the door closed again. Maddie and I let it go of the panic that was holding our backs upright. She drew a shaky breath and covered her face with her palms as I looked at the ceiling with a sigh.

Silence stretched. What the hell was I supposed to say?

Dry humping? Getting caught by my parents?

What was I supposed to say when I’m an adult acting like a damn teenager?

The hug’s power was so great, it made me reel back. Jason held on to me like I was a soldier and he was my Labrador, waiting at the airport.

“It was a week, Jay.” I awkwardly tapped his back.

“The longest of weeks!” He moaned.

“I don’t think we’re this close.” I peeled his body off me and he let me, thank Christ.

I escaped to the kitchen, leaving my bag by the front door. Nick was there, drinking his famous protein shake with a smile playing on his lips.

“What a beautiful reunion.” He snickered.

I flipped him off as Jason arrived and used a kitchen towel to dry his tears. I rolled my eyes, grabbing a water bottle from the fridge.

“How’s Maddie?” Nick wanted to know.

“She’s ok.”

“How are you?”

I’m confused as fuck.

“I’m ok too. Tired, her whole family was there. It was an intense week.”

He bobbed his head but said nothing. I kept updating them. “Xio is going through a few tests to guarantee it’s all removed. I thought they’d know after surgery.”

Nick shook his head. “They have to know first if the cancer infected anything around the tumor. They are testing to see if the tissue was compromised.”

“Is that spreading?” I tried.

“No.” He shook his head. “But that’s the difference between a growth they can simply remove and something with… roots.”

I frowned, trying hard to understand. I appreciated Nick’s explanation, but I felt bad he knew so much about it. I knew his mother died when he was just a boy.

I raked my hand through my hair. “Xio is looking good, though. She’s recuperating at home, but you know Maddie.”

“She’s a helicopter daughter.” Nick guessed.

“Pretty much.”

Jason sat down. “But she’s coming back?” His voice wavered.

I groaned. “Stop crying.”

“I’m not crying!”

I arched an eyebrow in Nick’s direction, and he chuckled. Jason opened his mouth to be offended again, but I cut him off. “Of course, she’s coming back. It’s our last year and Xio is fine.” If she wasn’t back in an orderly fashion, I was going to drag her back. “I just have to have a chat again with the dean and see if he can give her a little extra time.”

“She could call him and make the arrangements herself.” Nick pointed out.

He wasn’t being an ass. Me taking over Maddie’s academic life was strange, but fixing this for her was the least I could do. I lifted a shoulder and sipped from my water.

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