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Sunny's Pov
"Sunny we're gonna be late hurry up!" I heard Alex yell from outside the bathroom. "No! There's no way! I'm not coming out looking like this!" I was wearing a stupid cheer outfit that the school basically made me wear.
It was either that or no extra credit. I should have chosen the opposite. "I bet you look fine amor, come out everyone's already in the car." Alex said softly.
I sighed and opened the door going out. "See? you look fine." I folded my arms and I was sure that I had a scowl on my face.
"I'm not used to this, I wanna be in my oversized uniform shirt and plaid skirt." I complained and he smiled rolling his eyes. He was wearing his baseball uniform cause his big game was today.
"It's only going to be for a while, you can change back when we get home."
"Alex I'm serious I really don't feel comfortable in this." I whined. Alex sighed and went in our room. A few seconds later he came back with his school jacket.
"Here." He gave it to me and I thanked him before putting it on and finally feeling somewhat comfortable in my own clothing again. "That's better" I said zipping it up.
"Thankyou" I hugged him and kissed his cheek to which he hugged me back swaying us side to side.
"Let's go, cause you already know that Mrs Resnick won't get us there in time." I said and he groaned as we walked out of the apartment.
—•—
Alex and I were sat in the backseat secretly holding hands and I could tell he was getting frustrated because we were going so slow.
I was annoyed because of how loud the car is, I love papi but sometimes I feel like taking a rock and bashing it into this car so many times that mami has to but a new one.
"Mom I'm gonna miss the first pitch go faster!" Alex complained. "Alex you know Mrs resnick doesn't go faster, unless we're going downhill then she might not stop." Mami responded.
"We are so late. Just try." He asked and Mami pressed the breaks and started to go faster which made the car louder and smell like a hint of gas?
"Mom I smell gas." I said gripping onto Alex's hand tighter so I don't fall over. "Yeah it's not pleasant." Elena added holding on for dear life.
Mami took out the air freshener and sprayed it all around the car quickly. "Now you smell hawaii!" She said placing the air freshener back where it was. "I still smell the gas" I squinted my eyes as some of the spray got in it.
"Maybe the cars mad cause papi stuck it with the name Mrs. Resnick." Elena joked. "You know your papi named her after a hot teacher he had a crush on." Mami answered with a sly smirk on her face.
"Yeah but by now I bet Mr. Resnick's traded her in for a younger model." Alex joked slumping back into his seat.
I smacked his arm for that comment and let go of his hand. He just went back and held it. "That's not funny papito." Mami sent him a glare before looking back to the road.
"It's not funny! Society treats middle-aged women shamefully, I read a study online-" Elena got cut off by Mami.
"Okay! Who wants to hear some tunes!" Mami leaned forward and turned on the music. "No!" We all complained.
"Dont leave me in all this pain, don't leave me out in the rain" Mami sang soulfully. I reached forward and turned it off. "Aw, right before the good part" she pouted as we all glared at her.
"There is no good part." Elena added. "That CD's been stuck in this car my whole life." I continued leaving back into the seat.
"Uh, excuse me? It's a cassingle." Mami corrected not making the situation any better. A few seconds later the car started puttering and we were slowly down. "Why are we slowing down? Ah! Who turned on the AC?" Mami groaned and I scratched my neck looking out of the window.
She looked back at me and I turned to her. "Hm?" I pretended like I didn't know anything. "You know mrs Resnick can't handle that!" She complained and I groaned. "I'm sorry but it's 90 degrees out!"
"And you won't let us roll the windows down" Elena continued as Mami looked back in front. "Because then they don't go back up! And it's only a crime to leave children in a hot car is it's parked, I looked it up."
The car went from slowing down to stopping completely. "Okay guys, you know the drill." Mami sighed as Elena held out both her hands for me and Alex to grab. We closed our eyes and waited for mami as she recited the prayer.
"Por Favor, Santa francisca de roma, ayúdanos, uno, dos, y tres." We did the cross sign and Mami started the engines, they started working and we opened our eyes as Mami cheered.
"See? Mrs Resnicks still got it!" But then the car didn't move and the engine stopped. She tried a couple more times to get it running but it just wasn't working. Mami sighed and took her phone out of her pocket.
"We'll it'll probably be 20 minutes before the tow-truck gets here, so... what should we do to pass the time? Oh I know." She leaned over and turned the music back on.
I groaned and covered my ears in hopes of not hearing this monstrosity "Un-break my heart! Say you'll love me again! Everybody!"
She gestured to us but we had no choice but to start singing with her.
—•—
After a painful 20 minutes the tow truck came to get the car and we had to take the bus to school and back home. I didn't mind honestly.
Except the bus smells like a hot sauna filled with uncooked meat. Please don't ask how I know that, I just do. 2011 was a rough year.
Alex's game was pretty good too. Except for the parts where his stupid friends kept asking me to take off the jacket and show them what's "really" going on behind it. It was gross, Alex defended me though, I'm grateful for that.
When we walked back into the apartment Abuelitas was in a meditation pose with a sheet mask on. Well nothing unusual thank god, she always does these things.
"Oh, hello!" She greets with a smile through the mask. "What are you doing Mami?" Mom questions as I close the door. "This is supposed to make your skin glow, it's called a shit mask."
Elena and Alex started laughing and I couldn't help it and started laughing with them. "Mami. 'Sheet' it's called a sheet mask." Mom corrected and Abuelita looked confused.
"That's what I said, 'Shiiiit'" Abuelita repeated again. "So would you say you are.. shit-faced right now?" Elena questions making us laugh again. "Ah stop, or the shit will hit the fan." Mom laughed along with us.
"You were back so late, I decided to have a little me time" Abuelita says as as I walk over to the couch and place my bags down. "Can you feel it working? Hey guys" Schneider says appearing out of nowhere from our kitchen.
Great, another thing not unusual about today, boy is my life amazing. I eyed them as something beeped and they removed their glasses along with their masks. "Annndd we are 29 again!" Schneider exclaims as Abuelita laughs next to him.
"Where you guys been?" Schneider questions facing us. "Mrs, Resnick broke down again and had to be towed to the mechanic" I answered followed by Mami. "Hector's looking at it now."
"Oh how is Hector? I feel like I haven't seen him for days.." I furrowed my eyebrows as Abuelita continues. "Did he ask about me?" She asks in a low monotone voice. I grimaced and went over helping Alex put his stuff down.
"Oh papito, mi vida, what happened to your clothes?" Abuelita asks and I almost forgot about the tear in Alex's jacket that was on me and a tear in well.. Alex's pants that he was wearing.
"We ripped them getting out of the trunk" I answered glaring Mami as she looked away from my vision. "You keep them in the trunk now?" Abuelita asks Mami gesturing to me and Alex.
"No, the doors got stuck again so we all had to climb out through the back." She replies. "It was terrible, now the whole team calls me butt trunk boy. They could've called me junk in the trunk, it was right there." Alex through his arms up.
A few seconds later mamis phone rang. "Oh guys! This is hector, okay Hector! Hello, give me some good news- what? No! Okay, we'll what exactly needs replacing."
We watched from the back as Mami frantically spoke on the phone with the mechanic. Alex fed me a grape and I gladly ate it. "Uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh. Okay.. well, what about... oh, uh-huh. Uh-huh?" I furrowed my eyebrows as she continues with the uh-huh.
Mami suddenly gasped which startled me a bit, "Oh, you saved the cassingle!" I mentally groaned but then she tsked. "It unspooled? That's okay, Hector, no. I'm thankyou, thankyou." Mami sighed and hung up the phone.
"Guys.. Mrs Resnick is-"
"Muerta.." Abuelita interrupted in a fake sad voice. "I can't believe it, you know your papi picked me up for our first date in that car? It was brand new only 60'000 miles on it, we drove Mrs. Resnick up the coast and at sunset your papi bet me $5 that he'd marry me. He even wrote our initials in a little heart on the bill.. I still have it somewhere." She finished looking down.
I felt bad so bad so I got up and went to give her a hug which she gladly accepted. "You never take us to Malibu!" Alex complained and I looked back at snickering.
"That's what you got from that story?" Mami deadpanned. "Yeah but the goods new is you're getting a new car. Right?" Schneider says and Mami huffs getting up and walking towards the kitchen table.
"Oh sure, I'll just have the butler pick it up" she states sarcastically. Schneider laughed and sipped his water. "Oh, butlers work at the estate, chauffeurs pick up cars." He says not enlightening the situation.
"Lupe, if you need money for a car, I am here to help. I will teach dance again! It is a gift that I have withheld from the world far too long." She pat mamis cheek. "She taught me how to salsa, she was amazing." Schneider says praising Abuelitas.
"She taught me too, even though I almost broke my leg learning." Mami raised her eyebrows at me and I shrugged. "I do it for the joy, you both owe me $30" Abuelitas points at both me and Schneider.
"Me?" I looked at her with furrowed eyebrows. She couldn't contain it any more I pinched my cheeks. "Of course not me vida." She then turned to Schneider. "You still do though."
"Okay well, why don't we take public transportation and reduce our carbon footprint, it's the best way to save money and I don't want you to have to go into my college fund." Elena suggests and Mami let's out a choked laugh.
"College fund? You see that dish of change by the door? That's your college fund. But not the quarters cause I need that for laundry." Mami finishes earning a glare from Elena.
"Elena, mi niña, a family needs a car. In Cuba, my best memories are the long rides in a Chevy the size of this apartment. It was glorious.. his beloved little daughter on one side and on the other.. his beloved bottle of rum." Abuelita explains.
"That sounds dangerous." Alex adds, "no, no, no, we didn't have seatbelts then.. we would just roll out quick." Abuelita made a rolling motion. "We'll I'm going to start taking public transportation you know, to help atone for the environmental devastation that my ancestors and their gas guzzlers so cruelly left to this earth."
Elena stood up glaring at Abuelita straight in the eyes. "Why does everything have to be a crusade that is also annoying?" She complained followed by Ma'i
"Abuelita's right. We need a car but we can't afford a car, unless we get a crazy good deal, which means we're screwed because.. car salesmen are scary" my rubbed her arm. "But not to you." Alex started coming up and standing next to me.
"You were in the Army!" I continued for him. "Yeah you're always saying you're a 'badass'" "I am a badass!.. but I'm also kind of a scaredy-cat" Mami exclaimed and then backed out.
"I've never bought a car before! That salesman is gonna see me coming a mile away, then he's gonna do that thing where he talks to the guy.. and then blah blah blah I wake up in an ice tub because someone took my kidneys." She grimaced, Alex and I eyed each other before looking back at her.
"I am a total stereotype, a woman that doesn't know anything about cars. It would be so much easier if victor were here, I hate to say this but this is husband work."
I smack Alex's shoulder. "You're gonna buy me a car when we get married." I whispered in his ear and he snickered. "If I graduate high school." I smacked him again and went back to listening to Mami.
"Okay, mom, this is not just a car anymore. It is the symbol of the oppression that the bonds of marriage have placed upon you as a woman." Elena says standing up and facing Mami. I rolled my eyes along with Alex.
She then bent down to mamis level to where she was sitting and stared slowly.."You can do this." "So you are for the car now?" Abuelita asks placing her hand on her hips. "No! But as a crusade yes.""Annoyingggg." Abuelita complained.
"Yeah I can do this. Yes. Yes." Mami said confidently. "Of course you can, you just need to do a little research and in the meantime I'll take Alex and Sunny to baseball." I groaned loudly and everyone looked at me.
"What? If you had to wear this, the entire day trust me you would be groaning too." I defended and they all just shook it off. "But you look god in it." I heard Alex whisper in my ear and I did a cute little giggle like a stupid little girl.
"I do.. don't I.." I placed my head on his shoulder. "Anyways it gives me a reason to break out the athleisure wear." Schneider continued. We all gave him a look of confusion. "What the hell is that?" "It's Work out clothes you cannot sweat in." He answers honestly.
"Okayyyy" Alex starts. I grab my bag from the couch. "We're just gonna go inside and uh.." I tried to think of an excuse. "Get away from all of you." Alex continues.
We then walked inside to our room and I sighed once I smelt the odor of the fresh perfume I wore this morning before leaving. "Finally.. something that doesn't smell like a gas leak in hawaii." I jumped on my bed and plopped face down on it.
Alex laughed and I felt the bed sink in next to me. Signaling that he sat down. "Your friends are idiots by the way." I say get in up and and sitting opposite him. He shrugs and nodded. "I know, sorry they said those things about you. You would think that Jackson would have at least the decency to wear his belt correctly. But no, the ladies 'dig it'"
I scoffed and laid back down. "Please the 'ladies' only 'dig' kyle patrickson." I looked over at Alex and his mood changed. "What you don't like Kyle?" I question and he ignores me taking his phone out of his pocket to watch YouTube.
I slapped it out of his hand. "Hey!" "Why do you hate Kyle so much, he didn't do anything to you." Alex scoffed and stood up. "You're always talking about him, as if he's some sort of saint" i scoffed.
"He's my friend Alex, what I'm not supposed to talk about my friends? You're always talking about Anna" I point out.
"What no I don't!" He defends himself making me laugh sarcastically. "Are you sure? Because last night when we were talking she just came up into the conversation"
"We were talking about flat asses!" He shot back and then I thought about and we were. "Oh.. sorry." I scratched behind my neck. "Sunny, I know we're new to all of this, and we're kinda young. But i want this to work out. So I'll admit. I get jealous when I hear you talking about Kyle."
"Awww" I stood up and wrapped my arms around his neck. "Listen to me, I am wayyy smarter than you, I know what Im getting into. So don't worry and don't be jealous of Kyle." He smiled and tilted his head to the side a little.
"I can't tell if I should be happy you said that, or mad cause you called me stupid." I rolled my eyes. "Just take it butt trunk boy." He laughed and then we hugged.
—•—
About two days later after school, Elena was still using public transportation so unfortunately she didn't catch a ride from Schneider like me and Alex.
The seats of his car warm up! You wouldn't think you want a warm but, but trust me, you oddly do. Alex and I were sitting at the kitchen table, him in his laptop and me studying biology.
Elena walked in after some time. "So mi niña, how was the crusade today?" Abuelita asks her and Elena had a smirk plastered along her face approaching us. "Another great day on the bus." She sighs sitting on the side of the couch.
"Which one did you take?" Abuelita questions. "Uh, the 60?" Elena answers in an unknowing tone, Alex and I eyed eachother then looked back. "That goes to Vernon?" Abuelita continues and Elena nods in response.
"Oh, my favorite butcher is there.. I once saw a woman rip the weave off another woman over a leg of lamb." I furrowed my eyebrows and turned to her. "Wasn't that you?"
She smiled and brought her hand up to hair hair stroking it gently. "Yes." She said proudly and I shrugged. "Well, Vernon's library is much better than ours. My bus driver actually tipped me off." Elena spoke.
"Georgie, Miguel, or Petros?" Abuelita asks curiously. "Petros." Elena answers confidently. "Petros only works on weekends." Abuelita said approaching her. "Sorry it was Miguel" she tried correcting herself.
"There is no Miguel I made him up." My mouth hung open, Elena, Elena was lying? Her? Lying? About this crusade? Who kidnapped the real Elena?! I looked around frantically before Alex smacked my arm and before I could complain he told me to look at the two.
"What are you doing?" Elena asks nervously as Abuelita faces her even more. "What are you doing?" Abuelita repeats her own question in a taunting manner. I snickered and so did Alex. "Okay! I hate the bus!" Elena confessed standing up.
"Whoa what?" I laughed. "I'm a fraud! I've been lying these past two days" Elena continues. "It's okay we know!" Abuelita exclaims. "Public transportation is hard, the seats are small, it kind of smells.. one time I fell asleep and somebody's stole my socks."
"Why on earth would they steal your socks?" I question her. "I don't know but they left my shoes." I made a confused face as Elena replied sitting down. "Mi vida, it's not that bad, just yesterday, I took the bus to the farmer's market, and then I went to collect on some bottles that I had saved." Abuelita says sitting down next to her.
I widened my eyes as I heard all of what she was saying, Abuelita.. recycles? "Wait, so you used mass transit, to shop for locally grown produce and then recycled? That's like triple fossil-fuel savings." Elena laid it all out as she realized.
"Oh my god Abuelita is greener than you!" Alex beams standing up pointing at Elena who was still in shock as so am I. "Wow." I sighed standing up and going next to Alex folding my arms. "Well, Abuelita I guess your my new hero." Elena told her and my heart melted.. how sweet.
"Oh Elena, I've always been your hero." Abuelita replies and I laughed. My gaze then turned to a pile of papers on the coffee table. "Abuelita.. what's this?" I grabbed it off the table and handed a few to Alex to let him see. "That is the flier for my dance classes, I've been hanging them all over the neighborhood."
I looked at the wording and my eyes widened again shoving them at Alex. "Jesus." He complained and then looked at it for himself before Elena snatched it from him. "Experienced Latina, will make your body do things you didn't know it could?" Elena read out loud and I covered my ears with my frizzy hair.
"Ay, make it stop" I shook in disgust as Alex pats my back. Abuelita looks at us in confusion. "What? It's true"
"Abuelita it's just the wording is kind or provocative.. as is the photo." Elena turned the flier towards us revealing a young Abuelita dancing. "Don't be ridícula, oh look I got 58 new messages" Abuelita beams as she looked at her phone notifications.
"Wow! And I got a customer." She brought her phone to her ear and I let go of my hair. "His name is Bobby.. and he wants.. I need to get a new phone number." She brought her phone back down placing it on her lap as if it was a virus.
—•—
The next morning Mami surprised us with her new car and drove us to school, Abuelita joining as well to test it out.
"Is this great or is this great?" Mami questions from in front. "Look at us.. all together as a family. It's just like growing up in Cuba." Abuelita exclaims then brings her hand up me peeking at it from the backseat.
"Abuelita is that rum?" I ask and she looks at me and nods. "Yes, Salud." She cheers me off and I playfully roll my eyes. I felt someone hold my hand and I looked over at Alex who was smirking at me.
I smiled back and I wish I could put my head on his shoulder right now but, Elena is right next to us. And she might think it's weird.
"I haven't even shown you guys the best part." Mami spoke and it caught my attention. "Play my jam." It took a few seconds for it to click in. "No!" Alex and Elena complain.
I groaned loudly and put my hands over my ears again. "Unbreak my heart, say you'll love me again.."
—•—
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