Chapter 21
I almost choked on my rice. My heart was already pounding, and now my mom hits me with this.
“Oh, Mom! I don’t know! He’s out of town, when he gets back I’ll bring him here. Okay?” I tried to dodge it, grabbing my glass of water and acting like it was no big deal.
“You better!” she shot back, giving me a sharp look before going back to cutting her meat.
I thought the grilling was over, but then she came at me again.
“Mariana, you’re sleeping over here with Jujube tonight, got it?”
Mariana looked up right away, surprised.
“Why, Aunt?”
“I’m going out with your mom, and your dad’s on night shift.”
The second she said it, Mariana and I exchanged a naughty glance. Mariana cracked a little smile and didn’t waste a second.
“Oh man, Mari, your mom’s got a free pass for the night! The old ladies are gonna party!”
We three all laughed, and my mom pretended to be offended.
“Watch it, you little brat! I’m your mom, you know? I oughta smack you with my slipper!” she laughed, but you could tell she was trying to hide something.
I raised my eyebrows. She was lying. My mom was always lousy at it. When she got nervous, she turned red as a beet.
“Mom, where are my brothers?” I asked, already picking up on the weird vibe.
“They’re with your dad, back Monday. And I don’t want anyone in this house, so don’t even think about saying you’re gonna be alone here, you hear me?”
“Where are you sleeping?”
“At the motel, you dummy!” Mariana blurted out, all sassy.
My mom’s eyes went wide, and she pointed her fork at her.
“Watch that attitude!”
Mariana just laughed.
“But it’s true, Aunt, spill the beans!”
My mom rolled her eyes, finishing her chew before answering.
“I’m sleeping in your bed! We’re going to a show.”
Mariana and I swapped another look. I was about to say something stupid, but she beat me to it.
“I know what kind of show you’re gonna see!”
My mom turned red on the spot. Almost caught in her lie, just like me when I try to hide shit. I almost felt proud of her.
We let the topic drop there, but what got me was Mariana. She was looking at me different, like she was trying to send me a telepathic message. She had something up her sleeve, and I had a pretty good idea what it was. My heart skipped a beat. The night was shaping up to be something else.