Page 40 of Mutual Discord

“But it wasn’t.”

Now it was my turn to glance at him. “Alex, you had a front-row seat to my parents’ disappointment in me. It was humiliating.”

Just reflecting on the things my parents had said, the stricken look on Mamí’s face in the aftermath of Caitlin’s bomb, made my whole body go hot with shame.

I cranked the air-conditioning up a bit higher, angling the vent so the cool air blew softly against my flushed cheeks. Curls fluttered about my face, but I didn’t bother to tuck them away.

“I’m sorry, Sofia. I know that wasn’t fun for you, but—” Alex paused, and I chanced a quick glance at him. He was considering the stretch of road before us, a crinkle between his brows. “I envy the relationship you have with your parents.”

“You do?” I said, dumbly.

“Yeah.” Alex leaned his head back against the seat and sighed. “I’ve never felt comfortable sharing many details about my life with my parents. They didn’t even know I was moving to Phoenix until I was already in Arizona.”

“Well, considering what you’ve shared about your nomadic childhood, that makes sense.” I bit my lip for a moment. “The only constants seem to have been your sisters, right?”

He hummed his assent. “But Elena and Camila don’t look at me like your parents look at you.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, wrinkling my nose.

“Your parents, especially your father, look at you like you hung the moon.”

My throat closed up around a rush of tears, and I blinked rapidly to keep them from coursing down my cheeks.

“When your dad took me to get a glass of El Dorado, he told me how you were the one who introduced him to it. He said you always have the best recommendations. Always know the trends and what’s happening culturally.”

I raised a hand. “Guilty of being chronically online.”

Alex’s deep chuckle made me warm inside. “Considering that’s what you do, it makes sense.” When he laughed again, I glanced over at him. “Your father said you’re the family’s MacGyver.”

“Oh God, MacGyver.” I snort-giggled. “Now that’s a blast from the past. MacGyver was before my time, but I’m flattered.”

“Hmm,” Alex said, tapping his chin. “I would say you’re more of a mix of Leslie Knope and April Ludgate.”

My grin hurt my cheeks. “That’s an honor.”

The air pulsed with a cheeriness I had not felt since before we left Phoenix.

A cheeriness that popped like a bubble at Alex’s next words. “How did it go after we left?”

The smile instantly fell from my lips. “It wasn’t bad,” I said after releasing a long breath.

And it hadn’t been bad. I had been braced for Mamí’s wrath and Papí’s quiet disappointment, but I encountered neither. Instead, when the front door closed after I walked Alex and Caitlin outside to catch their Uber, Papí had engulfed me in a hug while Mamí gripped my hand.

“We’re sorry you didn’t feel comfortable telling us what happened,” Papí had said, kissing the top of my head. “We want you to always feel secure coming to us for help.”

“I know, Papí,” I whispered. “I just haven’t needed help.”

“Really?” He pushed me back by my shoulders so he could see my face.

“Really,” I echoed, smiling weakly.

“Ay, well come sit down and tell us everything.” Mamí tugged me toward the living room.

After we were seated on the cozy tuxedo sofa, my mother on my right and my father on my left, I recapped the events that led to me being laid off from Desert Media 360. Predictably, Mamí was outraged, releasing a long string of curse words in Spanish, while Papí patted my hand, murmuring his frustration on my behalf. We discussed my job search that occurred afterward, and by the time I went to bed, it felt as if an elephant-sized weight had been lifted from my chest.

“I told them about the Matildas.”

Alex whipped his head around, and I could feel his gaze on my face. “You did?”