We get out of Smashing It! and I let out my laughter, and it’s like, as much as he wants to pout, he can’t help laughing a little too.
We get in the car, and before I turn it on, he stops me.
“You were right.” His brief pain flashes across his eyes. “I don’t get angry, and honestly, it’s exhausting always being so optimistic all the time.” Pause. “This helped. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” I smile to myself and turn on the car.
“For the record, I don’t mind crying. It’s just really unfair to cry in front of that man.” Jake justifies, and I laugh.
I get it, if the roles were reversed and some beautiful, apparently perfect woman saw me falling apart and being an utter mess, that would wound my ego too.
“AndI’m gonna talk to the guys tonight.” He adds, and that makes me happier than it should.
I turn on the radio, andHit Em Up by 2Pacstarts playing, and Jake and I automatically say the intro with him and rap every part of the song we can.
32
I Don’t Even Know What’s Happening
We’re two days away from my childhood being married. Literally. Linda and Patrick are getting married in two days, and so, as a courtesy and thank you, my dad and aunt invited them over for dinner. My aunt isfrantic,to say the least. It’s like we’re having the Queen for dinner and not previous babysitters.
The garden just has to have white paper lanterns, a grand table with a magnificent towel, andallthe chairs must be wooden. I’m not even risking telling her that when they babysat us, we didn’t even eat on plates. Napkins were more like it. My sister, cousins, and I are in charge of all of this; we should have done this in the morning or right after lunch, but after all, we are related and…Delayed. So, at 5:30 PM, we’re in the living room just chilling when my aunt bursts into the room.
“Madelaine Brown!”
I shiver at her tone. This isn’t good. Rather be running a marathon than have to deal with her wrath.
“Yes…” I respond, unsure. She narrows her eyes and whispers, a dangerous whisper, “You have three seconds to get off that couch and put the things outside!” Yeah…It wasn’t a whisper anymore.I shoot up from the couch and pass by her.
While I’m dragging the table to the spot, I see my aunt dragging my cousins by their ears, outside.
“How are we supposed to listen to you calling us-”
“When you rip our ears off!” They say alarmed.
We all set the table, lightning speed, and when I’m putting up the white lanterns in the trees — the little morons are useless, can’t reach the tree branches — a familiar face appears on the balcony from the other house.
“All that for me? Youshouldn’thave.”
I sigh.
“Yes, West, because I know for a fact that you can’t go on with dinner without white heart paper lanterns surrounding you.” I sarcastically sneer.
He wholeheartedly smiles, laugh lines filling his face, and I whip my head towards the table so as not to let him see me flustered from howfine he is.
I breathe out and fan myself trying to calm down, but also, this summer is especially hot intemperature.
A few seconds later, a fully showered and dressed Jake West appears beside me.
“What can I do?”
“Really?”
He looks around as if his being here isn’t obvious.
“If my aunt asks, youbeggedto help, and I had no other choice!” I tell him quickly, desperate for a shower and afraid that my aunt catches me passing the work to somebody else.
“Yes, ma’am.” He smirks, and I definitely have to gonow. Even though I don’t want to. Not a little bit.
