Page 73 of Songs of Summer

“Me too.”

“No way.”

“Way.”

They walked into town to a duet of “Rapper’s Delight”: both claiming to know all three thousand words.

“I said a hip-hop, the hippie, the hippie to the hip, hip-hop and you don’t stop the rockin’ to the bang-bang boogie, say up jump the boogie to the rhythm of the boogie, the beat.”

Laughing uncontrollably, they made their way up the steps to Maggie’s room, singing the final refrain of “Hotel, Motel, Holiday Inn,” only to be startled by the presence of a man camped out in front of her door.

Track 33

Rapper’s Delight

Maggie

Maggie took twosteps back and then one forward upon recognizing the man curled up on the floor in front of her door.

“Jason?” she gasped, with a mixture of shock and confusion. “You came!” she added, as he looked up at her.

“Yes, I came!” he answered, in a tone that indicated he wasn’t there to happily surprise her.

“I called you a hundred times,” he continued, while rising to his feet. “I thought you were dead!”

“The theme of the week!” Matt joked inappropriately.

Maggie let out a strained laugh before narrowing her eyes at Matt, silently telling him to just stand there and be quiet. He rolled his lips under and pressed them together to indicate that he got it.

“Excuse me?” Jason responded.

“I thought my grandfather was dead, and then also my aunt.”

“You have a grandfather and an aunt?”

“I do.” She smiled about that, maybe for the first time.

“Is this your cousin?”

They had been lying so much that, for a second, she thought to say yes, in the hope of putting Jason at ease. But she had never lied to him before, and she wasn’t about to start now. The kiss at the bakery ran through her mind. She pushed it away for now and answered him best she could.

“No, it’s a very long story.”

“Well, I’ve come a very long way.”

She pulled her key from her pocket and let them both into the room.

“I know you’re mad, J, but I’m so happy to see you!” She threw her arms around him—she was lit up. “Now you can meet everyone!”

Her enthusiasm dimmed as she suggested to Matt, “Maybe it’s time to tell Bea?” Before quickly reversing with, “But that’s not really fair to your mom and Jake.”

She knew she had a habit of debating with herself, but this was next level, even for her. Jason looked confused. She paused and attempted to clarify.

“Matt’s mother, Renee, is the one getting married. Revealing that I’m her matron of honor’s long-lost daughter would surely take away from the bride’s big day.”

She turned back to Matt.

“Don’t you agree? The whole thing with Veronica ‘drowning’ was enough!”

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