My mom just can't get enough of talking about Kit. She talked about Kit after he left, she talked about Kit before telling me good night, and now she's talking about him at breakfast.
"So, is Kit going to stop by next weekend?" she asks me with a smirk.
I sigh as I tell her, "I don't know mama. Why are you so fixated on Kit all of a sudden?" Mom suddenly looks at me like I'm the clueless one.
"He's the first boy you've brought home, Mija."
"Mama, it's not like that," I say as I spear a piece of egg with my fork. "Kit is my best friend who already has a girlfriend."
My mom thinks about what I said for a moment as she sips her coffee. When she sets her coffee down on the table she looks at it as she says, "Well, a girlfriend doesn't mean it'll be forever..."
"MA!"
"What?! It's true, Mija." My mom stretches her hands up to the ceiling as she says, "Before I met your father I had many boyfriend's in Colombia."
"What?"
My mom coughs as she adds, "Well many is not accurate. It was more like one, Mija." And my mom is a terrible liar.
"The point is, nothing is permanent." My mom touches my cheek as she adds, "You're beautiful, baby. What's not to like?" I didn't want to tell her I already liked someone else too. Especially when I'm still technically grounded. So I just smile and let my mom think what she wants to think.
"Oh mama!" I exclaim.
"What is it?" she asks me in Spanish.
I answer her back in Spanish too. "I have that Halloween celebration at my school and I need to look for my costume."
"Do you have an idea of what you will be?" asks mom.
"Wendy Darling, from Peter Pan." Mom's eyes light up as she smirks. I can't help but squirm at her expression. "Mama?"
"I have just the thing, Mija," replies mom as she takes another sip of her coffee. "We're going to the store together after work and I'll show you."
"O-okay. The celebration isn't until a week from now mama so it doesn't have to be--"
"The sooner the better," my mom replies matter of factly. And just like that the case is closed.
As I sit on the bus next to Kit his mind is already off somewhere. "Kit?" I ask him softly.
When he doesn't answer I open my mouth to say his name again when his head is hit by a notebook. "Yo!" says Hernando as his hand is still up in the air from his throw.
Kit picks up Hernando's notebook and throws it back at my cousin. "That wasn't necessary!"
"Yes it was," deadpanned Stoner Sal. She smirks at my cousin as she adds, "Nice throw."
I open my backpack and hand Kit a stick of Spearmint gum I know he likes. He gladly takes it. "So, what is going on Kit?" I ask him.
"Well, I saw Rona this weekend and she wants me," he glances ahead of us where Maybelline is. He then leans towards me and whispers, "Rona wants me to meet her parents."
"That's good right?" I ask Kit.
"Yeah but that's not my problem. My problem is that I'm apparently her first real boyfriend. So I'm the first boy she's bringing home."
"You're afraid you won't be welcomed at her home?" I ask him.
"Well, yeah. It's not like there's a speech I can prepare for in this situation." Kit shakes his head for a moment. "Ugh, let's not talk about me." He smirks as he says with a raised brow, "Let's talk about you and Sun. Or you and Alejandro."
"Let's not," I reply with a frown. "Sun and I can't even go to the same Halloween party together because he goes to a private school."
"You're going to let that stop you?" asks Kit.
I narrow my brown eyes at his blue ones. "Don't you even think about a scheme, Kit. I'm currently grounded. I'm amazed my mom is letting me go to this Halloween party at our school. I'm not going to push my luck."
Kit's eyes light up some more as he asks me, "Well, have you decided what you're gonna be? Was my list of any help?"
"It was, thank you," I reply.
As I start to chew some peppermint gum Kit scoffs. "What?" I ask him.
"You're not going to tell me, Kat? I've told you already what Ro and I will be dressing up as. Come on, give it up."
"No, I won't. Besides, I might change my mind at the last minute. My mom wants to take me shopping after school for it." I sigh as I say, "My mom is completely taken with you by the way."
"As should be expected," replies Kit with a cocky grin.
"Don't flatter yourself," I reply. "You'll have to save up that charm for Rona's parents."
"Okay that was a low blow Katrina-Claudia Andersen!" exclaims Kit. He presses a palm to his forehead. "Now I'm thinking about it again."