Page 38 of Love me, Maddie Mendoza

“Gabbi’s group got a guy exactly like Robert De Niro.”

“Maybe she cheated, and he’s the real deal.” Offered Jason.

“That would make much more sense.” Maddie bobbed her head.

I chuckled at their silliness and felt grateful I came. One last time. These would be my last memories of Statham University.

I had no time to think about my sad feelings once we got to the mall. Between convincing people to get in the cart and physically helping them up there, it was one of the stupidest challenges yet. Laughing, Maddie took the picture of seven people standing on top and four hanging by its side bars.

“What’s the prize?” one of them asked.

“Bragging rights.” Maddie beamed.

They frowned at each other, and I stiffed a laugh. Draping my arm over Maddie’s shoulder, we thanked the teenagers and left the mall to sit in a restaurant three doors down.

We got separated into two different tables. Jason and Aisha in one, Maddie, Nick and I in the other. We order food. Maddie messed with her phone while I brought my hands to the back of my head. “I’m surprised you let Jay do it.” I challenged Nick.

“Shut up.”

I watched over Maddie’s shoulder as she pressed play on the camera and got ready. “I’m just saying. You could ask her out while you are at it.” I pushed.

He sent me a murderous glare; it froze my bones. I knew he was into Aisha; I bet she knew it, too. I just couldn’t understand why he wouldn’t just go ahead and ask her out? What was so difficult about it?

Maddie turned to Nick, her mouth open in a perfect O. “Do you like Aisha?”

Nick rubbed his face. “Jesus Christ…”

“I mean, likelikeher?” Maddie asked.

“It’s starting.” Nick diverted, pointing at front to Aisha and Jason.

It was. Maddie lifted the camera to find the perfect shot as Jason knelt in front of Aisha. He was saying words we couldn’t hear and fake crying while he said them. Aisha held her own mouth with her hand and while it was supposed to contain her tears, I was sure she was just holding back giggles.

Then Aisha nodded and said yes, Jason felt the need to stand up and shout: “SHE SAID YES!” and the whole restaurant broke in applause. Maddie caught it all in video, especially when another patron asked to see the ring and Jason blinked at her. “Excuse me, you’re trying to put a price tag on our love?”

Between embarrassing people and getting fake engaged, I begged to stop for a drink while we waited for the next instructions. They all agreed and we piled in a booth in a seedy bar near Campus, Maddie showing us other fake proposals, but ours was the only one that got a full ovation.

We were actually nailing the challenges. We were the team who put the most people in the cart, and while other fake celebrities looked more like the real ones, we were clearly one of the few who cared enough to fake the entire interaction. I wasn’t sure if it was going to give us extra points, but I hoped so.

A few teams gave up too, especially in the shopping cart situation, as Maddie imagined many people went to supermarkets and couldn’t find enough volunteers to help with the challenge. Stressed parents with carts full of diapers weren’t usually the scavenger hunt type.

“Shaving cream and cornstarch.” Jason replied as the solution to the next challenge; make a snow angel. It wasn’t even close to snow outside. “My dads used that one a lot in the theater.”

“Now give us an option that won’t cost a fortune,” Nick said, taking a swing of his beer.

“Shaving cream and corn starch costs a fortune?” His eyes raised up.

“Well, if we buy enough to make snow for a snow angel, that one of us will make. Even if we use Maddie to take less ground, it’s still a lot of shaving cream.”

“I’m a great snow angel maker.” Maddie guaranteed all of us. “Tell them, Z.”

“She’s a great snow angel maker.” I confirmed. “A snow angel scientist.”

“Oh yeah. I have penciled down my calculations.”

“It’s all geometry, really.” I agreed.

Maddie was a happy camper with her mojito, sucking on a straw like it was the best day of her life. Her hair in a tight braid that went from the top of her head down to her tiny waist. Her orange hat was on top. The little two leaves wiggled every time she moved her head.

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