Chapter 3
At the restaurant, Mom killed the engine and unbuckled. “We’re here.”
Rosalia fidgeted forever before finally asking, “Mom, got any lipstick on you?”
Mom’s eyebrow shot up, then noticing Rosalia’s pink ears, she couldn’t help smirking, “Sweetie, are you crushing on-
“Omigod, stop!” Rosalia stomped her foot dramatically. “Mom! Not out loud!”
Mom dug through her purse and handed over a tube of bubblegum pink. After Rosalia speed applied it and hopped out, she turned to me. “Liana, why’d you hail from the car so fast?”
Ideadpanned “Your foot–stomping was about to trigger the earthquake warning system.”
Rosalia rolled her eyes. “You’re such a pain!”
Then she grabbed Mom’s arm and strutted ahead.
1 hung back, as usual.
Not gonna lie, I’ve always been low–key jealous of Rosalia
The way she wears her emotions like designer clothes–1 could never pull that off
Mom and Rosalia walked arm in arm while I trailed behind them like their shadow
un with
The family formation I’d grown up
Rosalia could literally talk about nothing for hours–even commenting on the restaurant’s take plants with enough enthusiasm to power Minneapolis.
I a private room in the back. As we approached that door, my heart went full hummingbird mode.
The hostess led us toward a
Way worse than staring at the SAT booklet
Because standardized tests have right answers.
Jax Xavier was my personal quantum physics problem
I could spend forever trying to solve it and still come up empty.
The glass door swung open to Mom and Aunt Jessica’s “Heeey!“, greetings.
And then I saw him–familar yet transformed, a profile that sent my stomach into Olympic–level gymnastics,
Chapter 4
Chapter 4
