“It gotreallylate! Like nine or ten o’clock, and when Fifi said it was time for her to go home, I cried.”
Elle gasps. “You cried?”
“Uh-huh! On purpose. I cried and cried and cried so much that she felt awful and didn’t leave, then later, when I was not crying anymore, and she said how she should go home in twenty minutes, I climbed onto her lap and pretended to fall asleep so she couldn’t.”
“You’re sneaky!” June cackles. “My mom says that’s called manipulation.”
Unbothered, Mia shrugs.
“What happened after?” Elle questions. “When you pretended to fall asleep.”
Mia’s little cheeks burn red. “I dunno. ‘Cos Iactuallyfell asleep, and when I woke up the next day, she wasn’t there anymore.”
“Aw man,” June grumbles. “Good try, though.”
“Next time,” Elle declares with a sharp nod of her head. “Maybe you should have some soda or something, so you don’t fall asleep.”
Good lord.
Swallowing my laughter, I wander silently to the outdoor table and chairs Mayor Lawrence keeps out here. Taking out my phone and carefully sitting so I don’t startle Claire, I keep one eye on the girls and the other on a group chat that never goes silent.
Me
These kids are seriously planning adult relationships over here!
Hitting send, I lift my phone and take a quick picture of the trio, then I add that to our chat, too.
Me
The one in the middle lives with her dad, and she’s trying to play matchmaker with him and the mayor’s assistant. It’s adorable and evil and so insanely well thought out.
We were never like this, right?
Smalls
I made Biggie take me to the bakery almost every single morning for a whole year just so he could buy my mom coffee and a pastry. I was terrified they’d fall out of love, and I wouldn’t be able to keep him anymore, so I did what I had to do to make things stick.
Smalls
Turns out my efforts were unnecessary, since they were, and still are, stupidly in love with each other. But I wasn’t gonna risk it.
Mac
I almost accidentally sold my mom to a fuckin’ pervert. Clearly I was on the ‘get mom hitched’ bandwagon.
Ben
You’re all a bunch of freaks. I would’ve stuck a pitchfork in Oz’s brain if I knew it would keep him away from my mom.
Mac
Yeah, but you’re selfish like that. The rest of us care about our parents’ happiness.
Ben
YOU NEARLY SOLD YOUR MOM TO A PERVERT! Sit the fuck down, dude. The adults are speaking.
“What about Lucy, anyway?” Mia tilts her head back and studies me upside down. “She’s a dancerand afighter? My Uncle Cato might be interested.”
