Rob is laughing at himself, while the rest of the table groans loudly. Remind me why we put up with him again? Oh yeah, right, because Marian really likes Rob. And he has a car.

“Rob.”

“Ally.” He mimics my serious tone.

“There’s no way I’m getting a tattoo with your name on it since I am going to do my best to forget you once I go away to college. It will probably take a team of shrinks, but by God, I will make it happen.”

He gestures at his face. “You won’t ever be able to forget this.”

“Yes, it will haunt my nightmares.”

“Neil, you’re next!” Marian says with a wink.

I finally get the courage to look at Neil. He’s smiling at me and there’s a small flutter in my heart. He looks down shyly. “I’m going to wait to give it to Ally on Saturday.”

A chorus of oooohs erupts from the table.

Rob makes a kissy face at us. Then starts singing, “Love, exci—” before Marian kicks him loudly under the table.

So, yeah, I guess I can be more horrified.

There really is only one thing that can save me now.

“Is that cake?” I point at the box in the center of the table.

“Of course,” Marian replies. She opens the box and there’s my favorite cake from Gleason’s Grocer: carrot cake. It has HAPPY 18TH BIRTHDAY, ALLY written in purple script that matches the ginormous sign taking up an entire wall in the cafeteria. “And we’re eating it the proper way.”

Marian hands each of us a fork, no plates. We dive into the cake from outside and start eating. Marian and I used to do this when we’d have sleepovers. We’d get a sheet cake, sit on the floor of her bedroom, and eat while we watched a movie.

I’m not a sweets person; I prefer cheese fries over chocolate, but damn, do I love a good grocery store sheet cake.

My bag lunch (and any discussion about my upcoming date) is forgotten as we all sugar up.

Cake for lunch? Maybe being an adult won’t be that bad.

Chapter Nine

Chapter

NINE

“Oh, come on! Unbelievable!” Dad protests the next evening.

Even though it’s Friday, we’re having our usual Taco Tuesday festivities since I had to babysit this past Tuesday. We just found out that in our latest telenovela obsession, the aunt is actually the mother of the main character.

“You honestly didn’t see this coming?” I ask. “She kept looking longingly at Monse with dramatic close-ups, especially whenever Monse mentioned family. There had to be something fishy going on. Have we learned nothing from Perdóname, Padre, when the priest was actually the baby daddy? Nobody is ever who they seem.”

“Okay, but this priest seems on the up-and-up.”

“The apt word there is ‘seems.’ ”