Page 51 of Love me, Maddie Mendoza

“That’s the beauty of mixed race couples, my dear friend.” She grinned.

“Let’s put that on the leaflets.”

“And people think the best thing is two Christmas’ when your parents get divorced? I mean…” She scoffed, playing.

I bobbed my head in agreement. “The possibilities are endless when you mixed things around.”

We clapped with everyone else when the dance was finished. The DJ resumed the playlist, and by DJ, I meant aprimowho wanted to take his DJ career to the next level. Which meant all the songs were at least five years old. As the earliest Lady Gaga played, the kids danced, and the adults embarrassed themselves. Maddie’s parents were missing. Her mother wasn’t feeling well and decided not to come. Because of their absence, our table was almost empty. Usually I wouldn’t care, but we still had unfinished business, and I was trying hard to act normal.

Maddie and I still haven’t talked about the kiss. The Peter debacle had us warming a little bit more to each other. It was impossible to keep our distance when I successfully scared the shit out of her ex. Still, nothing was said about our kiss or our stupid couple’s name. Which meant I hadn’t told her about Cathy and the talk we had, or that we had been texting and I was going out with her next Thursday.

“You have plans for our dance?” I asked to distract myself.

Maddie twisted her lips. “Diego isn’t helping.”

I had to chuckle. Diego was in his late thirties, going through another career change. He played with a laptop at the DJ table while dressed in a super tight white tank showing off his non-muscles.

I chuckled right on time when I heard the“Magdalena!”

We turned to see one of Maddie’s aunties. In the blink of an eye, she was on top of us, smacking our cheeks with a kiss.

“Xiomara not feeling well, no?” she said over the music.

“Not her best today. Texted dad and he says she’s fine now.”

“Good, good…” She bobbed her head and then turned to me. “Zeek, my boy. How are you handsome?”

She always said the same. Before I could even reply, she was there to remind me of how handsome I was. It wasn’t bad for my ego. If I ever needed encouragement, tía Carmen was there. I nodded dumbly, right on cue for Britney’sToxicto put a stamp on primo Diego’s twenty year old playlist.

“Thanks tía. I’m trying my best.” I passed a hand over my chest and sat up higher in pride.

Maddie snorted, and I refrained from pinching her sides.

“You don’t need to try. You are just so handsome. Do you have a girlfriend now?”

“No girlfriends…”

She turned to Maddie. “Where’s Peter, Magdalena? You can’t keep hiding him from us.” She laughed.

Yeah, Maddie never brought Peter to a family party, and I never fully understood why. I brought no one either, but my relationships weren’t as long term as hers, so I never felt the urge to bring them home. But most of dad’s family lived in different states and mom’s were back in Mexico. But Maddie’s relatives wanted to meet Peter. They asked about him for a full year.

It seemed odd now that I had time to wonder. After a quick chat where Maddie did not disclose Peter and she were done, we were left alone once more, and I took a swig off my coke, watching my friend from the rim of the can.

“What?” she asked.

“Why have you never brought that jerk here?”

“Pete?” She wiggled her nose like an adorable bunny.

“Yes,” I drawled.

Maddie shrugged. “Can you see Peter Adamson-Burton III fitting in here?”

No, I couldn’t. But because I knew he was an asshole, but she used to be in love with him. “It’s your family. You dated long enough. Don’t you think is odd?”

Maddie thought about it for a second. “Yes, I see that now, but at the time, I didn’t think like that. I just didn’t think it was going to be fun to bring him. Explain everything and translate and…” she waved me off. “It felt like more work than it was worth.”

“That should’ve be your warning.”

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