Chapter 2
After lunch, the girls went back up to their old bedroom to double-check for anything that might have been left behind, and also to say their last goodbyes to it. It seemed a bit silly for them to be saying goodbye to a room, but it held so many memories that a few of them couldn't hold back their tears. They reminisced some more about Genevieve's first night in the house, and how they would all fight over where the dog would sleep, even though in the end she chose for herself, and how they would all stay up whispering to each other every night after Miss Clavel turned out the light when they were too stirred to sleep.
Madeline looked under her bed and gasped when she found that she'd forgotten to pack her Mama's beads. She almost put the necklace in her suitcase, but instead decided to wear it while she gave her graduation speech later that day. She put the beads on and memories of her mother flooded her mind. She smiled to herself. "They really are lovely," Nona said, admiring Madeline's necklace from across the room. "Merci," Madeline thanked her sweetly. Genevieve barked from Madeline's old bed happily. "Oui, Genevieve," Madeline giggled, holding up a bead with a dog on it. "It does sort of look like you." She gently patted her dear old pet on the head.
With a fully packed suitcase and only five hours left until the graduation ceremony, Madeline slipped out of the house and and made her way to the Spanish Ambassador's front porch. She hesitated before ringing the doorbell, a million butterflies fluttering in her stomach. She felt the number increase when a tall, dark-haired young man answered the door and greeted her with a friendly smile. "Hola, Madeline," Pepito said. "Would you like to come in?" Madeline took a deep breath. "No, thank you. But can we talk out here on the porch?" Pepito tilted his head slightly, a small look of worry creeping across his face. "Alright," he agreed. The two sat next to each other on the front porch steps. "You're not worried about your graduation, are you?" "I don't know," Madeline sighed. "A bit, I suppose." "Well, don't be! We'll all still see each other, and we'll write and call!" "I know, but it won't be the same not seeing you all the time. It's just so strange to think that we won't live next door to each other anymore." She rested her head on Pepito's shoulder, causing his face to turn pink. "I'll miss you, Pepito..." "I'll miss you, too, Madeline." He took his old friend by the hand and helped her back up. "But this isn't goodbye," he reassured her. "You're right," Madeline smiled sweetly. "You'll come to visit during the semester break, won't you?" "Of course I will!" Pepito answered, pulling her into a hug. Madeline pulled away after a moment, deciding to go back to the house and rehearse her speech one more time. "I'll see you tonight," she grinned. Just as she turned and was about to leave, she made a rather bold decision, one she'd been considering for a few years now. She turned back around, looked at Pepito for a second, then stepped up a stair so that it would be easier for her to reach. The next thing she knew, she had pressed her lips against Pepito's and the butterflies in her stomach seemed to continue to multiply. She worried for a split second until she felt Pepito kiss her back. Madeline pulled away after a few seconds and said goodbye again, making her way back to the house grinning from ear to ear. What she didn't know was that Pepito returned her grin once he was back inside his home and thought nobody was looking, until his mother caught him, but simply walked past him in slight confusion.