I groaned. “Any store has a maternity section if you have a good enough tailor.”
“Something only a spoiled, rich chick would say.”
I spun towards Jackson. “The fuck did you just call me?”
“Oh, lay off. My house could fit in your living room.”
Diego piped up. “You don’t live in a house. You live in a trailer.”
“Dude, shut up. Not important.”
“Just saying.”
Jackson glared at him before turning back to me. “Like I said, just pick one, Malibu. And get Maria home before she falls asleep in the parking lot.”
I glanced over at my friend, who was looking a bit pale and swaying gently. She was always tired lately. I was so focused on her that I almost missed Jackson’s parting remark.
“You’ll look beautiful in whatever you wear, anyways.”
Beautiful.
He actually thought I was beautiful? My chest gave a stupid little flutter I crushed fast. Nope. Not going there. Not with him. Or anyone, for that matter.
That night, after dinner and a shower, I checked on Maria before heading to bed. She slept soundly in her room. My parents had long since given up the fight, and she was here to stay until she was able to get on her feet. I was ready to get the room next to hers set up for the nursery but she had asked me to wait. She was still working at that diner in what little spare time she had, insisting she needed the money to save up for her own place. I worried about her but had stopped trying to convince her to stay home when I realized that Diego kept a careful watch over here while she worked. Whatever made her happy.
I was grateful we had made some friends, unlikely as they were. She needed the support. And to be honest? It was nice for me too. These guys? Maria? They weren’t fake. Sometimes rude, often annoying. But real.
And Jackson? Well…he thought I was beautiful. Which made me just a little giddy.
Chapter Nine
? Jackson ?
Lying on my bed, hands intertwined behind my head and facing the ceiling, I thought about the future. Which, to be honest, wasn’t something I did often. Another day, same routine—me and the guys trailing after long tan legs and Maria’s new waddle. Holly’s sway? Damn near lethal. I groaned.Focus, dumbass. I couldn’t stay in this shit hole forever. I tried to envision what my future might look like, but in between the mess of my thoughts was a distinctive pair of hazel eyes that danced in and out of view.
I rolled out of bed and walked as quietly as I could to the kitchen. If I was lucky, there just might be something edible in the fridge. I didn’t pay much mind to my mother, who was passed out on the couch drunk. Again. Dodging the soft spots on the floor of our beat-up trailer, I managed to make it to the fridge. Grimacing at the contents, sour milk and moldy mystery meat, I glanced over my shoulder at Mom before heading out the door and down the rickety stairs.
The blessing and the curse of living in a trailer park, I could walk right over to my best friend’s house. The faded green siding was still a shit ton nicer than ours, and the flowers lining the sides said someone actually gave a damn. I had met Diego ages ago, when we were both barely big enough to walk up the steps on our own. Now, I just walked through his door without knocking.
His mom worked nights at the nursing home, which was where I assumed she was now. Diego was chilling in front of the TV, playing some video game. He glanced over his shoulder when he heard someone come in but went back to his game when he saw it was just me. “There’s pizza in the fridge, and Mom left some arroz con pollo on the stove. Have at it.”
He knew why I had come, fully aware of what was going on at home. I had stopped being embarrassed a long time ago. Grabbing a chipped plate out of the cabinet, I took a massive scoop of the rice dish and a soda out of the fridge before sitting by Diego. I watched him play for a minute, until he died and hollered obscenities in Spanish at the TV. Then he put his controller down and turned to me. “Mom sleeping?”
“Yuppers.”
“What the fuck, man.”
I shrugged. “She was breathing when I left.” He shook his head, disappearing into the kitchen and reappearing a minute later with a plate and drink of his own. “Your mom is a damn good cook.”
He nodded around a mouthful of food and we sat there in comfortable silence until we had both finished eating.
“So, what’s up?”
I glanced at him. “What do you mean?”
“Come on, man. We’ve known each other since forever. I can tell something is on your mind.”
I rolled my neck, relishing the pop, before picking up the remote and scrolling through the channels. “I dunno. It’s almost time for prom.”
