Title: Taking A Stand
Author: Desi
Summary: The one with the rivalry.
A/N: Based on a prompt by the amazing [midnight3452] over on tumblr. Two-shot.
Prompt: Ooh how about teenage Dom and Letty that live right across from each other and they both decide to put up some kind of food/drink stand and they instantly become enemies b/c they take each other's business away. But one day Dom saves her from some older pervert/bully or whatever and that's the beginning of their friendship/relationship.
The thing about summer break was, a plan is really necessary, otherwise the three months between school years would be nothing but a Netflix-a-thon followed by a massive weight gain from being a couch potato. The plan for Letty Ortiz this summer: road trip across the States, eating delicacies, seeing the sights and meeting the people of wherever they decided to stop. She and her best friend, Ramsey, had thought of this just before the end of junior year. They were going to be seniors in three months, both turning eighteen in a matter of weeks, and they hadn't seen much of the US. Surprisingly, when the girls had a formal meeting with their parents, they were given permission on one condition: they funded most of the trip themselves. There was a credit card for emergencies, but they were to pay for their own gas, clothes, and places to sleep, should they choose to stay in motels.
So, Letty took action, deciding that they would make this dream a reality. Together, they calculated the total cost of their trip, rounding up just in case, and when they pooled their hard-earned savings, they found they were still short about a hundred bucks. That's when Ramsey came up with the bright idea to make and sell homemade treats and ice cold green tea.
"Do we need anything else, Let?"
"Just for this idea to pan out." The brunette admitted. It was no secret that Letty had her doubts about the cliché "lemonade stand". It was times like these when she wished money really did grow on trees. She was no stranger to hard work and knowing the value of a dollar, but Letty just wanted to be gone now, flying down the interstate with the warm summer wind blowing her dark hair behind her.
"Agreed." Ramsey sat down in the folding lawn chair next to her best friend and the two sat there. Waited.
And waited, and waited some more.
Thirty minutes later, Ramsey's British-lilt broke the silence. "At least we're getting good tans, yeah?"
Letty paused the game on her phone and pushed aside the straps of her white tank and black bikini tops and nodded in approval. "Yes, I'll be the golden goddess I was always meant to be."
Ramsey laughed. "Oh, get over yourself already."
"I'm trying. I really am, but I'm kind of a big deal."
"Yeah, in Lettyland."
"Ah, and what a wonderful place it is to be."
A little while after that, it seemed that a summer camp or school let out, because there were tons of kids walking down the block and most stopped to give the girls a few dollars in exchange for the green tea. The treats, however, remained untouched.
"What's wrong with Battenburg cake?" Ramsey asked, slightly insulted.
"Well, for one, Ram, no one knows what the hell it is."
"It's cake. Everyone loves cake."
Letty put her arm around her best friend's shoulder, pulling the Brit towards her. "Everyone loves American cake."
"That's prejudiced."
"Welcome to America, kid."
"Well, look at this. How cute. Sean, isn't this the cutest?" Mrs. Boswell from two doors down gushed. "What sort of treats are you girls selling today?" She pushed her dark hair over her shoulder and leaned over the table to inspect the cakes.
"Battenburg cake and iced green tea." Ramsey told her.
"Oh, I haven't had Battenburg cake since our trip to London, Sean. We'll take two slices and two green teas, then." She rifled through her oversized handbag and produced a twenty dollar bill. "Keep the change."
"Sweet, thanks, Mrs. B." Letty accepted the crisp twenty while Ramsey dished out the Boswell's sweet snacks.
"You know two young men just down the street are doing the same thing. Except they were only selling cold water bottles. Looks like they were doing pretty well, too."
Letty and Ramsey looked at each other, thinking the same thing; they had to see who these competitors were. Nothing and no one was going to stop them from their cross-country trip.
"Stay cool in this heat, lil' ladies." Mr. Boswell reminded them in his Southern drawl.
"Will do."
Around five in the evening, the girls decided to call it quits. They were out of tea and only a few slivers of cake left. While they'd made a good fifty bucks, they still have fifty more to go. Ramsey suggested they eat dinner at her house and strategize on what they should make for the following day. On the way down the street to Ramsey's, they saw the two "young men" that Mrs. Boswell had spoke up. They were sitting on reclined pool chairs, both shirtless with dark shades covering their faces and their hands crossed behind their heads. In between the both of them sat a large red, rectangular cooler, a sign rested atop that read: Ice Cold Waters - $2.00.
"Ladies, can we interest you in some water today?"
"No, thanks. It's free at home." Letty quipped as the girls walked past. Letty rolled her eyes behind her own reflective aviators at the audacity. Did they think they were cute? Well, one of them was, but to hell with that! They were stealing their business. That had to stop.
At Ramsey's home, the girls were fawned over by her mother. Large plates of roasted lamb, cabbage with fried onions and carrots were placed in front of them, drowned in a delectable gravy sauce. They tucked in, enjoying dinner with the company of Ramsey's parents. Her father thought of himself as a comedian and told as many jokes as it took to keep the girls in tears, while Ramsey's mother only shook her head and smirked, occasionally telling him that his jokes were inappropriate dinner conversation.
Once they were done, the girls helped clear the table before running towards the backyard to jump in the pool. They tossed their tanks and shorts onto a patio chair, came out of their flip-flops and bellyflopped into the cool water.
"So, what do you think about raising our prices?"
"This is England. We can't just keep taxing tea. The people will revolt! Or dump it in the harbor." Letty joked. Ramsey splashed water in her face, giggling.
"Okay, well, how about we just do what those guys were doing and sell water? That's really what people want on a hot day, anyway."
"Oh, and I suppose you think we should do it topless, too?" Letty teased.
"Why not?"
It was Letty's turn to splash Ramsey.
"Okay okay! At least in bikini tops and shorts." Ramsey suggested. "As you keep reminding me, this is America. And sex sells here, yeah?"
Letty gave it some thought. "Yeah, actually it does. Well, then that's what we'll do. Although a little chunk of my soul will be gone."
"But at least we'll be closer to our road trip."
"You do have a point."
"Alright, so tomorrow, we'll go to the market early in the morning and get a few cases of water."
"No need. My mum has a shit ton in the basement."
"You think she'll mind."
"Nah, but I'll ask to be sure."
"Cool. Then we'll do it here instead of lugging them to my place."
"Sounds like a plan to me. Hopefully those two guys won't be out there again tomorrow. They only live two doors down. I'd hate for them to see us stealing their idea."
"Really? I like the idea of stealing their customers. We should sell ours for a dollar instead."
"Smart thinking."
They high-fived with their wet hands before carrying on with their splashing and cannonballs.