CHAPTER 18 Pt.1

Boxing Day to many meant Boxing Day sales, to me it meant lying in bed for as long as possible and pondering over my first kiss.

After Sara had caught Angelo and I in a very compromising position, I had quickly excused myself, racing out the room as if the furious fires of hell were chasing me. During the Christmas dinner, everyone (which was a whole lot of people), sat around the long dining table indulging in the several delicious Spanish traditional dishes that I didn't know the names to.

I was able to squish myself between my brother and a woman who carried her crying infant on her lap. Even though the piercing screeches of the baby put my hearing at high risk, I was happy that I was at a safe distance from where Angelo sat. Yet, even without looking up I could feel his presence and I was forced to glance at where he sat with a stolid expression on his face like he hadn't rocked my world ten minutes before.

Thankfully, he did not bother me anymore for the rest of the night even though I had kind of secretly wished he would. Even with all the music, laughter, conversations, it still did not help distract me from thinking about what had transpired between Angelo and I.

The rest of the time I was in his uncle's house I made sure that I was surrounded by people, mostly women happily chattering away loudly in their native language, whilst I just smiled and nodded my head pretending to understand a word they were saying.

It was half past midnight before my family and I left and as soon as I got home I changed into my pyjamas and crashed on my bed.

I hated the stupid mushy, weak, vulnerable, he-gave-me goosebumps, he-made-my-whole-body-tingle, he-made-my-heart-race-faster-than-the-speed-of-light emotions that for the last twenty four hours I'd been plagued with. It was incredibly annoying.

Deciding it best to get up, I left my room hoping to clear my head just a bit. Downstairs in the kitchen, my mother was taking the chicken out of the oven. The smell was awesome and it was no surprise that my belly rumbled in hunger.

"You're out of bed early," she said snapping me out of my surprise at seeing her in the process of actually making food - something that happened rarely.

My dad was definitely working his magic on her.

"It's midday mum," I said screwing my eyes in confusion after looking up at the clock and seeing it was half twelve.

"You don't say."

My mum was trying her hand out in sarcasm - I did not like it. For one, it was harder to tell if she would be okay with me talking back at her or not.

I planted my butt on one of the stools round the kitchen island and watched with my mouth watering as the juices trickled out the chicken when she cut into it.

"You want some?" She asked after looking up and seeing me perving hard on the chicken.

Without needing to be asked twice I eagerly shook my head to say yes and went on to grab plates out from the kitchen cabinets for the both of us.

"Where's Bobby and daddy?"

"Bobby's still asleep and your dad's gone over to Eduardo's house to talk 'business' as your dad so mildly put it."

Even though he was the most chill out of my parents, my dad didn't warm up that easily to people either so I was surprised that he'd become acquainted enough to feel comfortable to go over to Eduardo's house again. Sara and my mother were acting like best friends already, I knew for a fact that Maya Erica Carter would never ever just go to a practically stranger's house and spend Christmas with the stranger and their family. Even my brother had forged some sort of bromance with Robinho.

I momentarily stopped eating as I came to a sudden awareness that my whole family had become entranced by the charismatic spell of the Henriquezs'.

Except me of course.

Me kissing the Butt-bag was a mistake I wasn't willing to make again.

My mum stopped mid- chew when she noticed I was staring into space and not eating. "What are you thinking about so much that's got your face screwed like you been sucking on a sour lemon?"

"Nothing." I glued my eyes to the half-eaten chicken on my plate avoiding my mum's stare that read 'Liar'.

"I think it's about time we talked," I heard her say after a moment's sigh.

"Oh," I said but in my head I was planning my escape plan just in case she decided to use the knife to bring her point across to me.

"Over the past years I realise that I put a lot on you. I wanted to be strong for you and Bobby but really you became the backbone of this family. And I know a lot of times I wasn't there as a mother for you and for that, I am sorry."

Despite her words meaning a lot to me, I couldn't look my mother in the eye because I was so unused to this vulnerable side of her. "It's okay mum."

"Also another thing Luciana, I could tell you you're beautiful a million times but you're gonna have to see the beauty I helped make, yourself."

Turning my eyes to my plate, I stuck a piece of chicken in my mouth so she wouldn't see me rolling my eyes at her slyly conceited self.

"So want to tell me what was up with you yesterday?"

"What was up with me yesterday?"

"I saw you at the dining table and you looked all shaken up."

At that exact moment when I thought I would have to answer to what I definitely did not want to provide an answer to, the house phone started to ring and my mum got up to answer it. Breathing a sigh of relief I thanked my guardian angels.

"Sara! Thank you so much for inviting my family and I over yesterday. We had a great time."

At the mention of Angelo's mother's name, I choked on the small piece of chicken I was chewing on. I prayed hard that Sara would not tell my mum about the circumstances she found me and Angelo, because if she did, shit would be going down.

Out of nowhere, small hands smacked my back repetitively and rather hard, but I ignored the pain because it was actually helping.

"It's okay now Bobby, thanks, I'm good,"I quickly said seeing my brother's hands nearing to hit my back again.

Dropping his hands to his side, I noticed him eyeing my plate so I asked him if he wanted some which he responded with an obvious yes. After getting up to cut some slices of chicken and placing it into a plate, I slid it over to Bobby.

"Bobby baby, Mrs. Henriquez says that Robinho is going rock climbing, do you want to go too ?" asked my mother with the phone pressed to her chest.

I looked over at my brother whose eyes had grown three times larger from the last time I saw him which was like five seconds ago.

Hardly containing his excitement he started jumping around completely neglecting his chicken. "I wanna go!"

"Okay, Robinho's brother is going to come over and give you a ride in about an hour so go get ready."

With that said Bobby zoomed out of the kitchen, and left his barely eaten chicken on the table.

And before I could get back to decimating my chicken thigh, my mother delivered the breaking news that I'd be accompanying my brother out.