"Mom!"
She wasn't "hot" in a flashy way. She was warm . She gardened in ripped jeans and a faded tank top, her dark hair in a messy ponytail, dirt smudged on her forearm. She laughed loudly at her own jokes, which were terrible. And she made the best iced coffee I’d ever tasted—strong, sweet, with a whisper of cinnamon. My frnd hot mom
Leo shrugged. "She's just Mom."
"You're a good friend to him, you know," she said, looking at me directly. Not at my acne, not at my too-big t-shirt, but at me . "He's been happier this year. Quieter at home, but happier. That's because of you." She laughed loudly at her own jokes, which were terrible
Leo and I were in the basement, playing a video game where we blew up aliens. Upstairs, Mrs. Delgado was on a Zoom call for her landscape architecture job. Her voice drifted down, calm and professional. "She's just Mom