Sorry for the wait...and sorry that this isn't an update on my first story. I haven't had any inspiration for that one yet, and I've had this one in my head for a while. Enjoy :)

It all started at Sal's

"...and that is why I will not be taking part in the annual Mode versus Elle softball game to benefit charity!"

"Well, that's just pathetic." He remembered saying the exact same thing all those years ago.

"No Gio, it was traumatic." He remembered her saying that too, only she didn't know his name then. He doubted that she even remembered him back then.

It was the summer of 1999, when it was still light at nine at night. Gio was working late on the Friday shift which was how his weekends usually started. His friends would be out at some party somewhere, but he was stuck at his uncle's deli again.

The Friday night shift was quiet once again. Gio didn't see why his uncle insisted on keeping the deli open late on Fridays, hardly anyone ever came in. Gio had finished wiping down the counter and was about to relax and watch the game on the television. The bell on the door rang but he ignored it, assuming that it was just another person going to the toilets or to pick up a menu.

"Excuse me...umm...excuse me." He heard a small voice ask. Gio knew that it was directed at him, but the game was getting too good to turn to the person at the counter.

"Yep. What can I get for...you?" He turned to talk to the customer and was immediately lost for words. Sure, she had huge glasses and wonky teeth. Her hair was pulled back into a short ponytail but a few strands were falling forward. He was shocked with himself for wanting to move them away from her face, which he noticed was tear-stained. "You okay?"

Her face soon turned into one with a fake smile.

"Yeah! I'm fine. Really. Really good." She soon saw that he wasn't buying it and her face fell back to how it was before. "No, actually I'm not. I've had the worst day and...I saw Sal's on the way home and I really needed some comfort food."

"Very well then. I'll make you the best turkey and tomato baguette you will ever taste!" Gio was back to being enthusiastic, which he wasn't usually like in the deli. He pinned it down to trying to make her feel better.

He soon finished the baguette, making sure that there were plenty of sun-dried tomatoes on it - she seemed like the type of girl to appreciate silly little things like that, he thought. Before she had the chance to try and pay for it, Gio stopped her by saying it was on the house. It would come out of his wages but he didn't care. Not one bit, if it was to make her smile.

"So," he said casually. He didn't have to worry about any other customers because there wasn't any anyway. "Need someone to spill it all out to. I know this isn't a pub and you aren't drunk, but I'll do my best."

She smiled again. First time I've ever gotten a smile of that joke he thought to himself.

"I don't know..."

"C'mon. You'll fell better if you say it out loud!"

"Well...I had PE today and we were playing dodge ball. I was picked for Kimmie's team, which I never thought would happen. Then I realised why she picked me...she had no one else large enough to be a human-shield. After getting pelted by numerous flying dodge-balls, I ran into the locker-room and spent the whole day there up until about ten minutes ago. There, end of story. Now I'm dreading going back to school on Monday."

"That's just pathetic!"

"No, it was traumatic!" She stopped eating her sandwich for a moment...but soon carried on. "This is really good. Normally I get a different one...but I like this one more now. Y'know, I ..."

Gio could see that she was avoiding the conversation "You live in Queens, right?"

"Yep. I think that you should have your own deli. I think you'd be good at it, sure you'd have to finish...whatever your doing now, but I think it could be quite good..."

Either she's nervous or she just talks a lot normally "Why don't you give her a piece of your own mind? Y'know - Queens style."

"Violence never solves anything. You could have a cute character in the window...with a smiling face."

"Ah, but it'll shut her up I bet."

"Maybe a pickle...Nah, that's just silly."

"What?" He was oddly listening to her idea, while trying to sort out her's at the same time.

"What?!" She seemed only interested in sharing her ideas to help him.

"Maybe violence doesn't solve everything. If you can over-come her bullying in another way, fine. That's good. Just don't let her get you down."

"I'll just...be nice to her, and get on with life!"

"Good!"

"Yeah!"

"And chase those dreams!"

"Yeah!"

By this time they were shouting and punching the air. Everyone was looking at them, but Gio didn't care because this girl was happy. He really liked her. He kept telling himself not to because she was clearly in junior high where-as he was nearly finished in high school. Give it a few years and that age-gap would mean nothing.

She looked at the clock on the wall and began to look panicked. "Oh...I have to go. My dad will be so angry that I'm home late. He always worries about things like that. Thank you for talking to me, and for the sandwich."

"No problemo." No problemo!?! Stop talking like an idiot, get it together!

She got off her chair and gathered up her things. "Thank you again. Bye!" She almost ran out of the door. He wasn't surprised seeing as it was nearly ten o'clock. He knew that at that age his mother wanted him home earlier than that.

He started to pack all of the ingredients away seeing as his shift was almost over. He was nearly done packing them all into their containers when he looked over to where she sat, and noticed that she had left a notebook behind. He picked it up and was about to run after her, but changed his mind because he had no idea which way she went.

"Betty Suarez.." He read the front of the notebook, "Stories and other ideas!" He smiled to himself. He thought that she would be a creative person.

He left it in the back room in case she came back for it. Which she never did. During his breaks he would go and read it. Sure, it wasn't his to read, but he wanted to know more about her. He didn't think it would be likely that he'd ever see her again anyway.

It was years before Gio finally jacked in the job at Sal's and started giving his own career a go. He had tried looking for a temporary job somewhere outside of Queens. It seemed that there wasn't much opportunity for another deli in the neighbourhood anyway. He finally got a job as a sandwich maker at Meade, but for Gio it seemed this was where he'd be for a while. But it was job, he didn't mind. He especially didn't mind when he saw a familiar face walk up to his sandwich cart...