Before this starts, I want to mention what my original plan was for this book. At first, I wanted chapters 1-3 to be one long part. But then I thought it was too long, and splitting up the songs was better. Then chapters 4-12 weren't planned. They weren't going to be here at all, but I thought a little more back story would be better.
As mentioned before, I was gonna start chapter 2 with Nini calling them downstairs. This chapter that you're about to read was gonna be 2. This was gonna be the confirmation that she was pregnant. Then the events in chapters 4-12 were gonna be put in the form of flashbacks. But I felt the flow of the story worked better like this. The more I thought about it, the more I realized putting those chapters in flashbacks would be more difficult than what I've already done. Plus, I already wrote it like this first and starting over sounded like a lot of work.
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*May 8, 2040*
"Would you calm down? It's not a big deal!" Lauren shouted.
"Yes, yes it is!" Jayden shouted back.
"MOM!!" they both yelled.
"Oh my lord, if this is what I think it's about," she says, walking to where the two were yelling. They've been arguing over the same thing for the past week. They start yelling over each other, and their words are just complete rubbish.
"You guys are gonna have to stop when Madison gets here," Nini warns them.
They both mumble 'we know' before stopping. At least they're done screaming at the moment.
Oh yeah, Carlos and Seb have a daughter now, no biggy. And no, she's not named Carlos Jr. Seb won the naming battle.
Madison Chloe Rodriguez-Smith
July 10, 2034, at 3:54 pm
Welcome to the World!
After spending so much time around Lauren, Jayden, and Aidan, they decided on having a child of their own. And oh boy, the number of discussions about names is unbelievably large. Madison after Carlos's mom, and Chloe after Seb's sister (who volunteered as their surrogate). Carlos's last name comes first because he's the one who proposed. That was one argument Seb couldn't win.
Not only did they have a daughter, but everyone's married now!
EJ and Gina finally got around to having their wedding (after Ashlyn, Nini, and Kourtney practically yelled at her to just do it).
Carlos and Seb were officially married about six months after they were engaged.
Big Red worked up the courage to propose to Ashlyn (needing a lot of help from Nini to not faint while doing it).
Well.... technically, not everyone. Remember the person Kourtney was talking to all those years ago around Christmas? Yeah... he did not work out. But about a year or so later, she met Brody. They've been going strong ever since. Marriage wasn't exactly on the table yet, and they were fine with that; they liked where they stood at the moment.
Nini's been on like... two-ish dates (she doesn't really count them because she wasn't invested in the person. Like, at all). Her excuse has always been she wants to focus on the twins and not bring a random stranger into their lives.
Coincidentally enough, Blake began liking her a few years after they met. Yeah, you didn't think he was gone for good, did you?
Turns out, Kourtney had overheard him and EJ talking, and she told Nini ahead of time that he liked her and wanted to ask her on a date. She didn't know how to respond to that because there's no way she could ever go on any date with anyone nor would she want to. She knew no one on Earth could make her feel the same way Ricky did, which was especially true now that he was... you know. But Kourtney said she should at least give him a shot, so when he finally asked her, she said yes.
It wasn't awful; they both had a good time, and the restaurant wasn't ridiculously fancy, which was good. He did many of the typical and expected chivalries, which Nini didn't mind too much, but she definitely would find annoying later on. They were both engaged in the conversation and were laughing quite a bit. Overall, it was a fun night. The only thing was Nini couldn't see a future with him.
Blake didn't know the history behind their lives. EJ, thankfully, hadn't let anything slip. Blake knew she had kids but was clueless about the past. But he didn't push anything and only talked about what was going on now.
At the end of the date, they had agreed to just stay as friends.
Anyway, back to the twins.
"Jayden, you can't control your sister's life," Nini warns him.
"Why are you on her side for this?" he complains.
"Because Kevin's not a bad guy. Besides, you guys have known him since first grade. I'm surprised this hasn't happened sooner."
Lauren cringes at her mom's words. "Ew, gross, no. Let's not put it like that."
Kevin has known the twins for most of their lives. He's become very close with all of them, and Nini gets along with his parents very well. "I don't care how long we've known him. It's still weird that she's going on a date with him."
"I didn't flip out when you finally asked Mia out." Jayden's face turns red, knowing she's right. Another person who's known the Salazar-Roberts family for years.
"Mom, when did lolas let you start dating?"
"Ew, you want to know about Mom's dating life?! You really have lost it," Lauren says.
Nini can't help but laugh at the pairs' bickering. "Why do you want to know?" she asks Jayden.
"Because I think it's weird that Lauren's dating."
"We're the same age! Why does it matter so much to you?!"
"Lauren, he's just acting like the stereotypical brother. That personality trait isn't going anywhere any time soon." She turns to Jayden before talking again. "And lolas let me start dating at fifteen." Technically, her moms didn't care when she started dating because they always knew Ricky would be her first. They only had that age restriction in case she went out with anyone they weren't familiar with.
Nini goes into the kitchen to figure what to have for dinner with Lauren following behind her. Jayden rolls his eyes, not getting the answer he was hoping for. "Now drop this topic and don't argue about stupid stuff like this anymore. There's no point," Nini says, looking through cabinets.
"Uuugh, fiiine," Jayden says, dragging out his words.
"Y'know, I don't know what we're having for dinner. Might just order a pizza. Anyway, I'm gonna go get Madison now. Don't break anything," Nini says, moving to get her stuff together. Carlos and Seb were having a date night, and their usual sitter canceled.
"We know all the rules!" Lauren shouts after her.
"Kay! Bye, love you both!" she yells before leaving.
"So... Kevin," Jayden says.
"Oh my god, would you chill?"
"Fine, fine."
Jayden let his mind wander, trying not to think about his sister's life. Lauren was aimlessly scrolling through her phone, not really paying attention to what was on the screen.
Just then, the strangest thought came to Jayden. "Wait, isn't it weird that we don't know much about Mom's past?"
Lauren looks at him like he's crazy. She's 99.99% sure he is, but that's not important right now. "Huh? What are you talking about? She shares stories with us all the time. And we see her friends on an almost daily basis," she reasons.
"I meant... Dad."
Nope, Nini never told them anything. They've asked a few times, but never got the whole story. She'd always tell them how he was the greatest and best man she's ever met. But the stories never got around to what happened between the two. The only thing that's known is that they split, which anyone could tell.
They've never seen pictures. Hell, they don't even know what his name is.
Ok, that's not entirely true.
*Flashback*
Lauren was at a friend's house, and Jayden had somehow found some courage to ask his mom a question. He decided on starting light because the topic has always been sensitive to everyone in his life.
"Hey, Mom, can I ask you something?"
Nini was working on the new musical East High was doing. Miss Jenn was still there, but she didn't do as much as she used to. She sets her papers to the side and looks up at her son. "Sure. What is it?"
"So, I've been thinking lately, and I..." Nini already knew where he was going. He and Lauren have tried before to ask her questions about Ricky, and she would always change the subject. But she was gonna try to make it through this one conversation even if it killed her, which it probably will.
"I want to know a little bit about Dad. At least what his name is." He adds that last part quickly, not wanting her to completely wave him off.
"Well, here's a little something: you're named after him." Nini chuckles at the shock on his face. He was clearly expecting something else.
His eyes were wide, and his mouth was dropped open a little. "Oh," he whispers. Yup, you're definitely his child.
"Why so shocked?" The look on his face made her feel better about this conversation. She was glad a little humor could come out of this; it was always hard when someone would bring him up.
"I... I don't know why. I just am." That's a total lie. Jayden knew exactly why he was shocked: he always assumed they had ended things on bad terms, considering he was nowhere in sight, never talked about, conversations always were diverted away from him, and she was a single parent. Maybe it wasn't as messy as we thought.
"Yeah. Jayden Richard. I knew from the moment I found out you were a boy I wanted to have his name included in yours. I'm sorry for not telling you before."
"It's fine." Not really. "But is there anything else?"
"Yeah. You both have the same goofy smile when you're happy, the need to look out for others, and let's not forget the hair," she explains, reaching up to ruffle his curls. Sometimes the similarities scare me.
*End of Flashback*
Most people (aka all her friends) think Nini should've told them already. But she just couldn't. Every time she planned out the conversation, something stopped her. Every. Damn. Time. Not only that, but even though it's been just over a decade since the letters arrived, she still struggles to talk about it.
Between the two of them, Lauren has wondered the most about him. What did he look like? Were they anything like him? Did they have any of the same interests?
Ironically enough, Lauren was learning the piano while Jayden was practicing guitar. They were getting better every day.
Jayden wasn't as concerned with their dad as Lauren was. Yes, he wanted to know more about him but... let's just say he didn't think highly of him. Sure, he listens to the stories on how he's amazing and all. But he left. He left without a word. He left him, Lauren, and their mom. At least, that's how Jayden sees it.
After learning he was named after him, his opinion changed a little. Not much but there was the slightest shift in the positive direction. If he was named after him, he couldn't have been that awful, right?
"What about him?" Lauren asked.
"Just how we know nothing. I feel like Mom is sugar-coating what actually happened," he says. Lauren knows about her brother's view of their father. It wasn't pretty.
"Well, we can always ask for the full story," she suggests.
Jayden shakes his head. "There's no point. She'll divert the conversation away from what happened. It happens anytime we ask."
"What if we asked someone else?"
He looks at her in confusion. "What do you mean 'someone else'? Who else?"
"Kourtney, Gina, any of them. They've known each other since the dinosaur ages. I'm sure they know what happened."
"Yes! Why didn't I think of that?" he exclaims.
"Because you still can't think for yourself, and you're fifteen."
"Shut up."
Before Lauren can respond, the front door opens. "We're here!" Nini calls through the house.
At first, they don't say anything, but then one sentence catches their attention. "And we brought pizza!" The twins bolted to the front door, taking the pizza box to the dining room table. "I guess I know the best way to get your attention," Nini laughs.
*30 Minutes Later*
After they're done eating, Lauren and Madison go off to her room. Despite the eight-year age gap, they were really close.
Jayden sits on the couch, scrolling through his phone as Nini's wiping off the dining room table. He still finds it weird that they don't know anything about their dad. While he has no real proof, he hates the man. There's no legitimate reason to though. In the back of his mind, he knows that. But there's that one thing that trumps all the good things his mom always says. He. Fucking. Left.
Again, Lauren has slightly higher hopes of the type of person he is. Her disliking towards him isn't as much as Jayden's, but it's not like she absolutely adores him.
To distract himself, Jayden thinks about the end of the school year celebration. They have one just about every year unless someone goes on vacation early. It was to be held at their house this year. Weird, they seem to have a lot of annual celebratory events.
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It was getting late, and Nini knew Carlos and Seb would be done soon, so she went to go get Madison out of Lauren's room.
As she walks past, Jayden notices her hand. No, he's not being creepy, but his curious side is deciding to come out today. He notices that ring she always wears. At first glance, it looks like nothing. But, when looking very close, it has her name engraved on it. Now, it didn't look like her name; it was just a capital N and a squiggly line with two dots above it. But he knows it's one of her most prized possessions... for some reason.
Lauren and Jayden never knew what was so special about it, just that it was. Maybe Kourtney knows some things, Jayden thinks to himself.
He's pulled out of his thoughts by a voice. "You ok? You spaced out a bit." Nini was standing in front of him.
"Yeah, just tired."
"Sometimes you're fifteen; sometimes your eighty. It's hard to keep up," Lauren says, coming down the stairs.
"Be nice. Carlos and Seb are gonna be here soon," Nini warns them.
Speaking of which, the doorbell rang. Madison ran to the door, excited to see her dads. "Hey Madi, were you good?" Carlos asks, picking her up.
"She was great, as always," Nini says. "We're always glad to have her over."
"Yes, can we have her in exchange for Jayden?" Lauren chimes in.
"I can hear you!"
"I know!"
"Go get in the car," Seb tells her.
"Thanks again, Nini. I can't remember the last time we had a proper date night," Carlos says.
"No problem. She helps tone down the arguing a little bit, so she's always welcome."
"We'll see you for the end of the school year thing, right?"
"Well, it's at my house so..."
"Madi's getting impatient," Seb says, tapping Carlos's shoulder.
"We'll leave you alone now," Carlos says, turning to the car.
"Bye, Nini. See you soon," Seb says, hugging her.
"Bye."
She closes the door soon after, and the Rodriguez-Smiths are off. "When do you think she's gonna tell them?" Carlos asks as they walk to the car.
"I don't know. They're not gonna take it well, no matter their age."
"Yeah, I'm surprised one of us hasn't said anything."
Seb puts a finger in his husband's face as they reach their car. "I swear to god if you tell them anything..." he threatens.
"Chill, I'm not saying a word. I don't need Nini on my bad side. All I'm saying is that I wish we could mention him when we talk about old memories instead of pretending like he doesn't exist."
"Yeah, I do too."
Apparently, they were talking for too long; Madison knocks on the window, growing impatient. "She's so your daughter," Seb tells Carlos.
"I would try to argue, but I can't."
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Remember how I said chapter 6 was a long filler-chapter? Well, this one is longer. 2608 words. Not the longest thing I've ever written but still.
This chapter's kinda important. At least we now know Lauren and Jayden's thoughts about their father. What did you think of them?