The Art of Being MX

14

When my mom found out that Brody and I were now together, she insisted on having him over for dinner. So now I was getting ready as we wait for him to come. My mom was setting the table with the help of Riley.

I looked at myself in the body-length mirror and smiled down at my B necklace. The B was supposed to represent his name if that wasn't yet evident. Riley gave me the idea of getting one for him, so I ordered one to get done, and I was going to pick it up tomorrow. A small shop not too far from our school sold customized charms I always walked by.

The doorbell rang, and I ran down the stairs. I stopped my sister from opening it. She smiled at me and went back to helping my mom.

When I opened it, Brody stood there with a buttoned shirt, and dress pants, in a bomber jacket over his shirt. His hair was wet, and styled so nice it made me want to just kiss him for hours. Was this a normal thing? I never had a boyfriend.

I stepped out and closed the door behind me. I wrapped my arms around him and kissed him. Fuck it, he's my boyfriend, I can kiss him whenever I felt like it. Respectfully.

When I pulled away he says "Woah."

I smile at him and open the door. "Thanks for agreeing to come."

"Of course, thanks for offering."

I lift an eyebrow and close the door behind us. "Don't thank me, my mom's the one who wanted to have you over."

He smirks. "Oh?"

I roll my eyes. "You knew this, come on."

He laughs and I lead him to the dining room. My mom smiles widely at the sight of him and stops fixing a tray on the table to come to hug him. When she pulls away she says "Welcome, thanks for coming."

He nods with a soft smile. "Thanks for having me, Ms. Collins."

"All right let's eat, I'm hungry," Riley says, and I snort. "I can't believe Nate's late."

I look up at her from my seat, she was across from me, as Brody was beside me. My mom sat at the head of the table.

"He's coming?" I ask. She nods. "Call him, make sure he's okay." She nods and leaves the room to do just that.

I look at my mom and my boyfriend as they conversed.

"I play basketball, I'm talking to scouts, and I'm on the verge of getting my first ever scholarship." My mom and I smile.

"That's great, I'm happy for you," Mom says. He smiles and looks at me before looking at her. My mom was the sweetest person you can meet, she always wanted the best for everyone, and she supported you no matter what, it was obvious why my dad fell for her. "As I tell all my daughter's boyfriends, if you need help, I'm here."

"Thanks, I appreciate it." She nods with a gentle smile. She gives me the same look and I felt my tears sitting on the edge of my eyes. I blink them away and smile back at her.

Riley comes back into the room, but stays by the door frame "He's here, everyone please behave." She gives me a pointed look. I put a thumbs up. She disappears down the small hall.

A few minutes later, he walks in, and they sit across from Brody and me. "Hey bro," Nate says giving Brody a handshake. Then he turns to me. "Hey, Olly."

"Hey." I smile at him before looking down at the food. "Let's dig in."

"Gladly," Riley says.

We serve ourselves and start eating. Everyone makes small conversation, as I sit and listen. I ate and glanced at everyone as they laughed, smiled, and joked. And then the next conversation sparked an interest in me.

"So I heard there's an anonymous singer at your school," My mom says. "I saw a video on social media."

Riley claps with excitement. "Yes, I'm a big fan, whoever it was, I can't wait to meet her."

The boys and I snort. "I heard about that," Brody adds.

Nate nods. "It spread and I saw that the news commented on the video that's been going viral."

My eyes popped out of my head. "What?"

All eyes land on me. I laugh and bang the table. I just couldn't stop laughing. I composed myself after a few seconds. "Wow, that girl is probably scared out of her mind." That girl is me, and I was.

They just look at me. I nod and continue to eat. "So um, mom what did you think, I think she was amazing."

She gives me a look "She has a beautiful voice, her mom must be proud, I would be." I nod and look down with a small smile.

"I wish I had her voice, I would probably be able to sing love songs to Nate." I look up at Riley as she says this.

"Why don't you just write poems?" I ask. She snaps her fingers and points at me.

"Yes, great idea, thanks." She looks at Nate. "Get ready, I'm coming your way."

We laugh and then continue to eat. When we were done, Brody left and Nate leaves with Riley for a night drive, and I helped mom put the plates in the dishwasher. When I put the last one in, she turns to me and smiles.

"Honey,"

I look at her as I dry my hands with the kitchen towel. "Yeah?"

Her smile never leaves. "I know MX is you."

I smile. "What? How?"

She gives me a look with a tilt of her head. "I'm your mother, you think I didn't notice when you sang to your father, and then decide to stop singing right after he died? I knew that at some point in your life you would want to go back to singing. I recognize my daughter's voice, anywhere."

I sigh with a smile. "Thank god you know, I can't live with this secret without you."

She wraps her arms around me in a hug. "Honey, you'll never have to live anything without me. I love you."

"I love you too."