Page 23 of Love me, Maddie Mendoza

I was the same tall, broad, and full of smiles motherfucker, but since busting my knee and getting kicked off the team, things changed. Kicked off wasn’t exactly it; I wasn’t fit to play anymore.

Not that I was stupid enough to think I was going professional or something like that, but basketball was always a huge part of my personality. It was the reason I woke up early to work out; it was what I did on the weekends. It was the reason I had friends besides Maddie.

So yes, maybe I lost my direction a little. Not that I was depressed or some shit, I was just taking my time to turn things around and get into my new reality.

A year wasn’t that long.

I found the girls dancing their hearts out. Aisha and Maddie were hopping like bunnies to the music, swaying their hips with their arms up. Like me, Maddie didn’t care for small talk, even though she had the talent. She went to parties so she could dance and have the freedom to dress up and be something different from the regular big glasses, Maddie Mendoza.

As I approached them, neither noticed. They kept dancing with their eyes closed, neither Jason or Peter around. Which was odd. Peter usually was all over Maddie during parties, another reason I didn’t care to come to them anymore. It was like he wanted to prove she was his and not mine.

Maybe he relaxed his leash when I wasn’t around.

“Looking good, but the dancing needs work,” I said loud enough for them to hear me. Aisha jumped and laughed with a hand flying over her chest and at the same time, Maddie squeaked and jumped.

Jumped on top of me.

Her hands laced behind my neck as she jumped and secured her legs around my waist. I laughed, trying to not fall back.

“What made you change your mind? You sat at home with Nicky thinking how much you missed me?”

She made me chuckle. “That’s how I spend all my time. Crying a river when you’re not around.”

Maddie laughed and let her hands go from my neck, bringing her arms up. She was drunk. I loved drunk Maddie. She was so much fun.

“Are you going to dance with us?” she asked, her eyes shining.

“Have you met me?” I shook my head. “I’m going home, I just wanted to say hi.”

Maddie frowned. “You just got here!”

“I’ve been here long enough.” I punctuated with a crooked eyebrow.

“You’re here Z! You might as well dance with me. You always save me a dance.”

“During a quince.” I argued. “This is not that.”

I swayed around with her tangled legs around me. She giggled and let her hands free to the beat of the music. “Isn’t this enough?”

“A twirl while you hold me?” She argued. “Uh-no.”

“You aren’t exactly light. This is impressive.”

Maddie slapped my chest and laughed away. She was a tiny little thing, honestly, some of my backpacks weighed more than her.

I gave her another sway, just to make her laugh again. Aisha was with us dancing, too. She asked me to twirl, and I obeyed, coming up with weird dance moves while I held onto Maddie’s legs. I hopped on one leg, making Maddie almost bump her head to mine, and I moved my arms from under her as she secured herself on me like a spider monkey to a tree.

Jason found us after I moved Maddie from my front to my back. She fit me like a backpack; her chuck covered feet intertwined in front of my zipper. Jason took charge as the dance master, and we all copied him. When Nick finally found us, he didn’t even ask what in the dorky hell were we doing. He just got right in the game and took the middle of our circle.

“You think we can do thatDirty Dancingmove to get them all impressed?” Maddie asked in my ear.

“Really?”

“People would clap and lose their minds like; Maddie and Z? I can’t believe on top of all their accomplishments, they’re dancers too!”

“What kind of Dancing with the Stars fantasy is that, Mad Max?”

“That’s my main one. The other one is sexy lambada in an underground outlaw club.”

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