𝐆𝐎𝐋𝐃𝐄𝐍

fifteen

『 fifteen 』

NATALIE RECEIVED A TEXT at eight in the morning from Miguel. Why he was up at that ungodly hour was a mystery to her. 

"The gang" - as she had gotten used to calling them - was carpooling to lunch that afternoon. They had had a lot more time during the summer to hang out than during the school months, of course. Natalie didn't know why she spent the first month of her junior year summer revolving between three of the same friends. 

She regretted it now. She didn't realize at the time how much she was missing out on. What had they gotten into without her?

Natalie was on her way out the door shortly before noon when Leila called her into the kitchen. 

"Oh- are you making lunch? Cause I was gonna go out with some friends-" Natalie said, sliding her purse off her shoulder. 

"No no, sweety, this is just for later. Feel free to go out whenever you want," Leila responded with a kind grin, placing a lid on the steaming pan. 

Natalie nodded, taking a sip of the other pot, which contained a rich colored soup. 

Leila searched in the spice cabinet. "I did want to ask you about something, woman to woman."

"I promise I'm not pregnant or sending nudes."

"Not that." Leila didn't crack a smile. 

This worried Natalie. They two of them were always comfortable enough to talk about things like that with each other. They had managed to get past the awkwardness after the summer of eighth grade. It wasn't normal for her mom to be this serious about woman talk. 

Natalie took another "taste" of the soup. "Are you pregnant?" She asked. 

"Oh, dear god, no! You don't need to worry about that, hun." Leila popped open the paprika and turmeric. Natalie urgently motioned for her to go on. 

"What do you think about Eli as of late?" Leila asked, carefully seasoning the pan. 

The parents never called him "Hawk". They didn't understand why it was so important to him. Of course they didn't. They never saw him enough any more to get used to saying it to his face. He didn't spend time with them in public anyway. 

Natalie shrugged, grabbing a can of soda from the refrigerator. "He's gotten an attitude," she muttered. 

"Yes, he's a teenager. But anything beyond that?" Her mother continued. 

Natalie popped the top of her can. "His music taste's gone down the drain. It's impossible to shop for his Christmas gifts anymore. He has the most expensive taste in fashion. His girlfriend's hot. Anything in particular?"

"He wants to change the color of his hair," Leila commented, tilting her head and crossing her arms. There was a ghost of an amused smile on her face. 

"Hmm." Natalie took a large sip from her can. "Gotta spice things up sometimes, you know?"

Leila nodded slowly. "Right. Guess that's true." 

Natalie swirled the soda around in her can. "It'll cost a lot."

"No more than the tattoo did, I suppose. I was just worried," Leila admitted. 

"Any reason?"

Her mother rubbed her bottom lip, in thought for a few seconds. "Just wanted to make sure I wasn't on my own here. I kind of feel bad. The kid hates me," she muttered.