Set up: Sarah and Angel are at his house. The Moreno’s are having a birthday gathering for mama Moreno. Sarah gets a text.
Sarah picked up her phone, hoping it wasn’t anything from Sydney but a little worried it might be. She was worried, not because of Angel, but because she’d picked up on something not being right when Sydney had called her a second time in one day after she hadn’t heard from him in days.
To her relief it wasn’t Sydney. It was a text from her mom.
Are you going to be there much longer? I have a surprise for you, and I can hardly wait for you to get here already.
That piqued Sarah’s interest instantly, and she smiled. Surprise? Her mother had never been good about keeping surprises from her for long, so it made her wonder how long she’d had this up her sleeve. She hadn’t heard anything about this until now. Sarah was turning twenty-one that year, but that was still months away.
She didn’t even realize what a big goofy smile she wore until she noticed Angel staring at her strangely. “My mom,” she said as she texted back. “She’s asking how much longer I’m gonna be. She has a surprise for me.”
The strange expression on Angel’s face was replaced with one as curious as she felt. “Surprise?”
“Yeah,” she said as she sent the text asking for a hint. “My mom’s never been good about keeping surprises from me. In fact, she stinks at it. It’s why she can’t get me anything for my birthday or Christmas until the day before because she doesn’t trust herself not to blow it early.” Sarah laughed. “Whatever this is she probably just got it today, and already she’s texting me to ask when I’ll be home.”
“I can take you now,” Angel offered. “We’re pretty much done here. Everyone’s just gonna shoot the breeze now, and I know you said you had homework you wanted to work on.”
Feeling even more curious, especially since her mom hadn’t responded to her text asking for a hint, Sarah nodded with a smile. “I can’t imagine what it is.”
Angel got up from where he was sitting and reached out his hand. “Let’s go,” he said. “I’m curious now too.”
It took her almost fifteen minutes to say goodbye to everyone, but finally they were out of there and in Angel’s car. Halfway home her mom responded to her text.
The only hint is you’re really gonna like it! That’s all. Oh and maybe don’t bring Angel in. This is something he might not be as excited about hearing as you.
There was only one thing Sarah could think of that might not excite Angel as much as it would excite her—Sydney. This had something to do with him, and it was likely what he’d called her twice for today. But why wouldn’t he just tell her? Whatever it was suddenly had her insides knotting up.
