Read Online Rogelia's House of Magic by Jamie Martinez Wood - Free Book Online
Authors: Jamie Martinez Wood
Ads: Link
off when Marina’s bedroom door closed.
Xochitl sat on the upholstered beige couch and dialed her home number. Her father picked up right away.
“¿Bueno?”
“Papá, it’s Xochitl.”
“Where have you been?” asked Mr. Garcia. “You disappeared
again,
didn’t you?”
Xochitl didn’t respond. Her father just didn’t understand how much that scene was like the accident in Mexico.
“Where are you?” Mr. Garcia asked.
“I’m at the Peraltas’,” she replied.
“Good. Nana is with you,” her father said, comforted.
“Marina asked me if I can spend the night,” Xochitl said. “Can I?”
“Yes. It will be good for you to be around people your own age,” Mr. Garcia said. “But I want you to check in with your nana.”
Xochitl walked to her nana’s room in the garage. She could hear Marina and Fern giggling across the hall. She knocked on Nana’s door three times and then opened it slowly.
“What are you doing here?” Nana said, setting the iron upright. She had been using it to press a taupe linen dress that looked like it must belong to Mrs. Peralta. Nana turned down her radio, silencing the man singing a bolero.
“Fern’s sister Pilar brought me,” Xochitl explained, glancing at the pile of clothes yet to be ironed. Suddenly it felt a little strange to be hanging out with one of the people who employed her nana. “I’m spending the night.”
“Que bueno.”
Nana smiled. “That’s very good. I knew they would be a nice match for you.”
Xochitl bit back the words she was longing to say. Everyone thought they knew what was best for her. “Yeah, well, I’m going to go now,” Xochitl said. And yet, she thought as she walked across the hall to Marina’s room, being in a house like this and meeting new friends was all she had dreamed about only three months ago.
When Xochitl opened Marina’s bedroom door, she saw Marina digging into her chest of drawers, which matched the desk, which matched the bed, which matched the nightstand. Xochitl also noticed the garish pink and green decorations. Yikes.
Marina threw Xochitl a yellow bikini. “Here ya go.”
Xochitl held up the tiny bathing suit. “Um, don’t you have anything bigger?”
“Marina only has bikinis,” Fern said. “She likes to show off her curves.”
“Nah-uh,” Marina protested.
Xochitl continued to examine the little yellow patches of material, wishing she could make the thing grow.
“Oh yeah? Then how come you wear triangle tops, which only happen to make the most of your bodacious cleavage?” Fern retorted, throwing out her chest for emphasis. She then turned to Xochitl. “Last year, Marina would be all insulted if any guy even noticed she had a big chest. This summer she’s all about flaunting it.”
“I’m
not
flaunting it,” Marina shot back, turning red in the face. “Triangle tops are the only ones that cover my, my…girls.”
Fern burst out laughing.
“You know I don’t like being so big,” Marina said.
Xochitl mused how strange it was that Marina and Fern were talking so intimately about body parts. She had never discussed anything like this with anyone but Graciela.
“Wear a tankini, then,” Fern suggested.
Marina shook her head. “No way. How would I show off my tan tummy?”
“You’re one messed-up chicky,” Fern said with a shake of her copper curls.
“Hmph,” Marina snorted. “At least I can be compassionate about feeling shy. I totally understand if you don’t want to wear this, Xochitl.” Marina took back the yellow bikini, pulled open another drawer, and took out a black one-piece suit. “I wear this to pool parties. When I’m not in the mood to show off anything,” she said pointedly to Fern.
Fern shrugged. “Whatever you say.”
“Can I have a T-shirt, too?” Xochitl asked.
“Sure.” Marina took out a superlarge dark blue T-shirt with a soccer ball streaking across the front, and handed it to Xochitl.
“Thanks,” Xochitl sighed.
The pool at the
Xochitl sat on the upholstered beige couch and dialed her home number. Her father picked up right away.
“¿Bueno?”
“Papá, it’s Xochitl.”
“Where have you been?” asked Mr. Garcia. “You disappeared
again,
didn’t you?”
Xochitl didn’t respond. Her father just didn’t understand how much that scene was like the accident in Mexico.
“Where are you?” Mr. Garcia asked.
“I’m at the Peraltas’,” she replied.
“Good. Nana is with you,” her father said, comforted.
“Marina asked me if I can spend the night,” Xochitl said. “Can I?”
“Yes. It will be good for you to be around people your own age,” Mr. Garcia said. “But I want you to check in with your nana.”
Xochitl walked to her nana’s room in the garage. She could hear Marina and Fern giggling across the hall. She knocked on Nana’s door three times and then opened it slowly.
“What are you doing here?” Nana said, setting the iron upright. She had been using it to press a taupe linen dress that looked like it must belong to Mrs. Peralta. Nana turned down her radio, silencing the man singing a bolero.
“Fern’s sister Pilar brought me,” Xochitl explained, glancing at the pile of clothes yet to be ironed. Suddenly it felt a little strange to be hanging out with one of the people who employed her nana. “I’m spending the night.”
“Que bueno.”
Nana smiled. “That’s very good. I knew they would be a nice match for you.”
Xochitl bit back the words she was longing to say. Everyone thought they knew what was best for her. “Yeah, well, I’m going to go now,” Xochitl said. And yet, she thought as she walked across the hall to Marina’s room, being in a house like this and meeting new friends was all she had dreamed about only three months ago.
When Xochitl opened Marina’s bedroom door, she saw Marina digging into her chest of drawers, which matched the desk, which matched the bed, which matched the nightstand. Xochitl also noticed the garish pink and green decorations. Yikes.
Marina threw Xochitl a yellow bikini. “Here ya go.”
Xochitl held up the tiny bathing suit. “Um, don’t you have anything bigger?”
“Marina only has bikinis,” Fern said. “She likes to show off her curves.”
“Nah-uh,” Marina protested.
Xochitl continued to examine the little yellow patches of material, wishing she could make the thing grow.
“Oh yeah? Then how come you wear triangle tops, which only happen to make the most of your bodacious cleavage?” Fern retorted, throwing out her chest for emphasis. She then turned to Xochitl. “Last year, Marina would be all insulted if any guy even noticed she had a big chest. This summer she’s all about flaunting it.”
“I’m
not
flaunting it,” Marina shot back, turning red in the face. “Triangle tops are the only ones that cover my, my…girls.”
Fern burst out laughing.
“You know I don’t like being so big,” Marina said.
Xochitl mused how strange it was that Marina and Fern were talking so intimately about body parts. She had never discussed anything like this with anyone but Graciela.
“Wear a tankini, then,” Fern suggested.
Marina shook her head. “No way. How would I show off my tan tummy?”
“You’re one messed-up chicky,” Fern said with a shake of her copper curls.
“Hmph,” Marina snorted. “At least I can be compassionate about feeling shy. I totally understand if you don’t want to wear this, Xochitl.” Marina took back the yellow bikini, pulled open another drawer, and took out a black one-piece suit. “I wear this to pool parties. When I’m not in the mood to show off anything,” she said pointedly to Fern.
Fern shrugged. “Whatever you say.”
“Can I have a T-shirt, too?” Xochitl asked.
“Sure.” Marina took out a superlarge dark blue T-shirt with a soccer ball streaking across the front, and handed it to Xochitl.
“Thanks,” Xochitl sighed.
The pool at the
Similar Books
