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Sunny's Pov
"Alex can you help me-" I came out of our shared room and saw him on the couch doing god knows what on that laptop.
"Whatever I'll fail the math test myself" I walked into the kitchen grabbing a juice from the drink and pouring myself some in a glass
"Bring me some juice please!" He yelled across the room.
I ignored him and walked back into the living room putting my drink down and grabbing the remote to watch tv and sitting down.
"Thanks." I heard Alex say and he grabbed my juice and drank it.
I glared at him and he stopped drinking for a moment. "What?" He asked confused.
"Nothing just enjoy your juice." I forced a smile and he nodded before going back to what he was doing.
I was watching Netflix until I heard the door opened and I guessed it mami. I was right.
She was carrying a bunch of bags. I looked back at my show though.
"Alex, Sunny!" She called and I looked back at her while Alex was still focused on his laptop.
"Help me sweetie" she told me and I got up grabbing a couple bags and bringing it to the kitchen while she threw something at Alex.
I snickered and he immediately turned around.
"Papito let's go! You know I got a bum shoulder, I need help over here."
Alex grabbed one bag and brought it over to dining table. That boy is too into whatever he's doing.
Mami glared at him walking past carrying the rest of the bags. "Thankyou. Next time I'll Skype you." She stated sarcastically.
She placed all the stuff down on the bar before we heard the curtains open and Abuelita standing there dramatically before speaking.
She placed her hands on her waist "We have a problem" she sighed.
"I know. The hipsters have discovered Porto's, Line around the block is like the freakin' Apple Store now." Mami complained.
"Mom!" Elena yelled walking down the corridor to the living room. "And this one, I don't like her anymore." Abuelita stated.
"I don't care if you like me." Elena said in a sassy voice.
"Sounds like you're both on the same page" Mami said sarcastically. I don't know if she's being serious or not.
"I like you Abuelita." I told her. "Of course you do mi Bella" she came over to me and pinched my cheek.
"Everyone does" she said before walking back next to Elena. I made a confused face as she did.
"Your daughter does not want to have a quinces." Abuelita said gesturing over to Elena.
"What? Why?" Mami questioned leaning over the bar. "We already booked the room, and I found a great band!"
We all just looked at her while Elena had more of a scowl look on her face.
"Okay it's a deejay." She continued. "Okay! It's your brother and sister with an IPod and a playlist but it's a very good playlist!"
"I researched the history of quinceañeras, and found out that they're totally misogynistic!" Elena said, clearly upset.
"She's been reading again. Why do you let her read! Leave that for sunny" Abuelita complained and I laughed as she was walking over to mami.
"I know mami, I let her do math too. I'm a monster" she said taking out the stuff from the bags.
I went to sit next to Alex but I was still listening to their conversation.
"By the way they made me the captain or the debate team today at school. But all she wants to talk about, is this." I heard Elena say.
"She has to have a quinces. How else will we know the that our little girl becomes a woman" Abuelita argued.
"You missed it, I was 12, I was in gym and ironically it happened in first period."
I quickly looked over to them and Abuelita had a look of defeat and disgust on her face. But ignored what Elena said. "You are throwing away your Cuban heritage." She shook her off.
"Yeah, the bad part. I don't want to be paraded around in front of the men if the village like a piece of property alto be traded for two cows and a goat." Elena defended.
"Someone thinks they're worth a lot." I laughed as Abuelita sassed before walking away.
"What century do you guys think you're in." Mami started walking closer to Elena. "Elena relax, it's just a fun party. You know know I'll have a little too much wine, embarrass you while I sob during my toast, Sunny and Alex are deejaying and uh your Abuelita will dance inappropriately with one of your guy friends" she finished.
"You can count on it." I heard Abuelita say.
"I'm not doing it. Sunny help me out here" Elena turned to me.
"Ay, don't drag me in one of your many problems" I told her and she gave me a confused look.
"You need to do something about this little sinvergüenza" Abuelita said to mami before walking out to us.
"What does that even mean?" Elena asked. "It's means, that you do not know enough Spanish, to know that I'm insulting you" Abuelita told her and quickly turned away.
I looked back at my Netflix show tuning out everything they're talking about until Abuelita came to me after tapping me on my shoulder.
"Sunny, puedes creer esta tontería?" She asked me. "No, realmente no puedo" I laughed along with her and alex.
"Abuelita Ill learn enough Spanish when you learn English" Elena folded her arms looking directly at her. Abuelita glared at her. "I know the English." She said, still glaring.
"Who do you think you're insulting?" I asked and Elena walked off. "Good one mom. By the way, what are the last 16 digits of your credit card?" Alex asked like it was a normal thing to say.
"Uh what are you two doing? Are you guys shopping 'Cause who said you could shop?" She interrogated. "I have nothing to do with this" I admitted.
"You said I could order sneakers for school." Alex said and mami laughed looking at the computer. "Five pairs?" She asked.
"Monday through Friday." he added and I face palmed. "Don't worry, I don't need weekend sneakers" he 'cleared' up.
Mama chuckled "Oh well I can't have my son walking around in monday sneakers on a Saturday. Somebody might call child services." She said sarcastically, again.
"Mom I'm serious." Alex stood up facing her. "I'm in middle school now, and how I look.. kinda matters" he shrugged.
"It really doesn't" I said standing up and walking over to them. Alex rolled his eyes. "Okay, so you can buy one pair for under $40"
"Forty?!" He complained. "That'll get you perfectly good sneakers to last the whole year" I patted his back. "The whole year?!" Alex was about to continue but stopped himself and spoke in a calmer tone.
"Okay mom. I know we're not rich, but are we poor?" Alex asked and mami and I looked at him like he was crazy. "No.. we're fine" she said.
"That sounds like poor!" Alex complained. "We're not poor! I mean look around, you have Tv, a refrigerator. You have a laptop!"
"These are things that poor people have!" He argued. "Wrong" I whispered but they didn't hear me.
"We have air conditioner."
"You never let us turn it on" me and Alex said at the same time.
"The point is you could. But don't, don't ever touch that thing" she pointed a finger in both of our faces.
"Guys I'm gonna go to my room to do some studying" I told them and mami nodded kissing me on the head.
I walked over to my shared room with Alex and sat on my bed.
I pulled out the necklace I had on and opened the locket. It was a picture of baby me and a woman's face blurred out.
I asked myself time and again what would have happened if my parents never died in that accident.
I opened my math book and started going over equations. I like math. I don't see what's so difficult in it.
I heard a couple noises outside but tuned them out as I was studying.
A few minutes later alex came into the room groaning with his laptop.
"Let me guess, you're upset because mami won't let you buy those shoes?" I asked flipping over a page and he sat down next to me.
"No, upset because she didn't listen to the reasons of why I want the shoes" he folded his arms.
"You don't need a whole weeks worth of shoes Alex."
"Easy for you to say you've been wearing the same shoes Abuelita got you for your birthday two years ago. They're worn out." He commented and I shrugged.
"I like my shoes they're the ones I feel comfortable in." I flipped another page.
"For me it's not about the comfort, it's about the style" he smiled and I blushed. No! Stop it! He's your brother! We're not related by blood tho- stop it!
"You okay?" He asked feeling my face. "Yeah I'm fine just need to shower and get some sleep." I said getting up quickly and grabbing my pajamas from the closet.
"You sure?-" I cut him off by running to the bathroom.
—•—
I don't know what time is it but all I know is I woke up, showered, changed, fixed my bed and went out and saw Schneider was talking to Elena.
"What's going on?" I whispered over to mama. "Ay, you don't wanna know" I went over and stood next to Alex who was also watching the scene.
"Your abuela wants to throw you a sick kick-back on a Saturday night, you know keep it hundred" Schneider tried to sound like a teenager. "You down?"
My jaw was open in a smile form as I tried not to laugh.
"What's happening right now?" Elena asked clearly confused as to why the hell schneider is talking like a discount Jake Paul.
"Schneider she's gonna do it I got this" mami shooed Schneider off.
"You know what captain debater, let's debate this, but we're not doing a regular debate,!it's gotta be that thing I saw you do where we argue the opposite side to better understand eachother" she tried to explain.
"You mean a Lincoln-Douglas debate? My specialty? I once successfully argued against gravity, so.." Elena stoped.
"Ooh, ima take my earrings off" mami said walking over to us. "Cause it's about to go down!" She cheered.
We all sat down on the couch to watch them debate. And mami did a weird dance..
"The issue before us is quinces, or no quinces. okay." Elena started taking her glasses off. "So I'm you." She told mami.
"Mmm! Listen kid! A quinces is just about the village celebrating that you're a woman, which I know you know cause you're the smartest one in the family!" Elena imitated her in a horrible way.
Abuelita coughed. "Sunny is the smartest one in the family." Alex pointed at me and Elena ignored us.
Mami laughed and turned to us. "I got better moves than that right?" She asked us.
"Ehhh...." We all said.
"But village isn't literal, it just means your family and your friends so what's so bad about this modern village coming together to celebrate you?" Elena added doing a much better impression than last time.
We all clapped.
"Oh yeah she is good." Abuela commented followed by me. "Oh, my money's on her" I said.
"You guys wanna start taking bets?" Schneider said standing up but quickly sitting back down. "Actually scratch that I'm addicted to gambling."
"Okay, now I'll be you." Mami went and grabbed her glasses and her beanie putting them on. "Oh my god! do you even hear yourself? Seriously. Your argument is that my adulthood as to be approved by your friends Pass!" Mami finished looking at all of us.
We were all shook. That was.. not great.
"I'm not gonna clap for that.." Abuelita said looking at mami.
"So you want to crush my heart into pieces." Elena continued adding accent to her tone which makes her sound like Abuelita. "After I worked so hard to give you an opportunity in this land of the free and home of the brave?"
Ok yeah she sounds like Abuelita.
Mami shook her head. "That's not me! That's her." She pointed at Abuelita who had her mouth hung open. "You make me sound like I have an accent." She said and I snickered.
Elena cleared her throat. "Let's end this, Elena, you wrecked your first communion because, as a vegetarian, you wouldn't eat the body of Christ you even refused to take any pictures with Santa because your Abuelita wouldn't admit that Christmas is a pagan ritual." She paused.
"Jesus and Santa were cousins, everybody knows this" Abuelita commented putting her hands up.
"So, when it comes to your quinces.. I'm pleading with you. Can't you do this one thing for your mother who loves you?" Elena asked obviously as her.
Mami paused but walked over to her with a smile on her face. "Ok mom I'll do it" she said.
We all gasped. "Wait. What?!" Elena yelled. "I'm saying.. you win" Mami put the glasses back on her. "You should have a quinces like you just proved."
We all started laughing like crazy. "Dang!" I said followed by Alex. "Mami set you up!" He pointed at elena.
"I didn't realize how right I was, she said a bunch of things I didn't even think of" mami said high-giving me and Alex.
"Mami! Pendientes!" She asked for her earrings and Abuelita handed them back to her.
"Okay this was stupid! I'm still not having a quinces." Elena yelled.
"Oh god just accept it, you're Cuban, you're 15, you're gonna have a big party with a poofy dress and a bad photo it's what we do." Mami argued back.
"Am I gonna have a quinces?" I asked her. "We still don't know yet baby but it's up to you." She patted my cheek, I smiled and nodded.
"Okay so she can decide if she wants a quinces but I can't!? This is so unfair!" Elena spoke up.
"Elena she can only decide because she's young right now and not fully Cuban." Mami clarified and I nodded.
Elena started yelling a bunch of angry words in Spanish while walking inside and finishing by slamming her door.
"She can speak Spanish." Abuelita said shocked.
—•—
I was sat in the room on my bed thinking about some things again until Alex bursted through the doors. "Mami, is the worst!" He complained and jumped onto the bed next to me.
"Why?" I asked patting his back. "Because she won't let me keep the shoes" he said.
"In her defense she told you to order one, you ordered six." I told him and he groaned. "I just wanted to look good when I go to school." He admitted.
I felt bad for him a bit so I told him to sit up. "You look fine everytime you go to school okay? You don't need different things for different days for people to know how amazing you are in the outside and on the inside."
He smiled at me and pulled me in for a hug.
—•—
The next morning Alex tried to make the pink princess shoes work but he looked ridiculous so I started laughing at him like a maniac.
"Shut up." He said folding his arms. Mami walked in. "Hey, the ladies be looking at your feet something's wrong, Am I right?" She said carrying "I" in right.
Alex looked defeated and confused. "I'm sorry." She apologized. "Nah I think I can make these work." Alex said.
"Or, I noticed you bought a pair for under 40 bucks, which means you did the right thing before you did the many, many wrong things." She said handing a box over to Alex.
"Really, oh thankyou! I was tryna be brave, but even the nuns would have made fun of me." He admitted and I nodded.
"Listen you don't have to worry about being the man of the house" she consoled him. "We don't even have a house-"
"Sunny, mi vida quiet." Mami told me and I stayed quiet. "You just focus on being kids alright?, both of you" she hugged both of us before standing up and leaving.
"She's right, I shouldn't worry too much on what's going on down here, when I got so much going on up here" he smiled.
I chuckled. "Puberty's gonna hit us like trains."
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