Madrid Squad

First Love

My Dearest Adrienne,

I'm writing this to you because I could never sum up the courage to tell you all these things during the school year. You see, the thing is that I may or may not have a major crush on you. Well, I might be a little in love with you. I didn't know how or when it happened but it was too late to climb out of this deep abyss I've fallen into when I realized I was even in it. Yes, I know you'll laugh and say "Ah, sweet words from the great Mr. Madrid," but I want you to know I'm serious. I do love you. I don't know if it's the way you giggle at my corniest jokes or the way your eyes sparkle when you dominate my entire existence or maybe it's your driven passion for everything you do but I've found myself dumb stricken for the one girl I swore I was gonna wingman for. I'm sorry, Adi. I-

"Hey, kiddo. Time for dinner. Mama made adobo," Ruru opens the door slightly to his oldest son's dismay.

"Dad, what did we discuss about knocking?" Amir groaned as he dropped his pen loudly against the wooden surface of his study table. The noise accumulating the entirety of his father's attention.

"What's that? Another poem? Lemme have a read," he walked towards it.

"No, Dad, don't!" he shrieked and tried to stop him but he was a second too late and the sheet of  scented paper was already being read. Amir yanked the paper out of Ruru's hand at crumpled it as quick as he could.

"You like Adrienne?"

Amir started shifting on his feet and looked down.

"Kid, you like Adrienne? Amir, are you sure? You've been best friends for eight years," Ruru stared in shock.

"Why are you mad? I'm sorry, geez!"

"Kid, you're 16. That's- wow! This is happening-wait, I'm not mad!" he laughed, "Get your butt down and get dinner first. Mama, you and I-"

"Mama doesn't get to know! No!" he whines.

"Mama has to know. We'll talk after dinner, just the three of us without your siblings."

Awkward was not enough of a word to describe dinner in the Madrid table. Well, for Amir at least. He took every bite as slowly as possible, even being teased by Silas that he looked like a cow. Every movement was retarded in utmost exaggeration almost like he was turning a family dinner into a five course meal, which of course was what he was trying to do. He had to thank his lucky stars when his mother announced she made dessert.

"Can I have another slice?" Amir asks, pointing his plate to the chocolate cake his mother and sister baked.

"Oh, me too!" Silas chides.

"No and no," Kylie eyes her two sons and grabbed both plates from their hands. " Kikay, no cake for you?"

"No, thank you! I have rehearsals tomorrow," she politely refuses and kept her eyes away from the confectionery.

"Ooh, look at me. I'm Ate Noelle, I'm a theatre kid," Silas mocks, raising his voice into a higher pitch which earned him an eye roll from his sister and a few laughs from the rest of the family.

"Haha real funny! At least I actually have something progressive to do over the summer, stagnant swine!" Noelle snaps as she walked out of the kitchen.

"Okay, girl, take a chill pill!" Ruru hollers after her and laughs.

"You think I should go apologize?" Silas snickers slyly but still starts toward the stairs assuming his sister was upstairs.

"Definitely," Kylie shakes her head.

The room was filled with a pregnant silence. It was eerie and awkward, far from the cozy stillness that it usually was. There were stares exchanged between the father-son duo which the son quickly withdrew when hit by the fact that his mother was present.