Austin

The house is quiet again, even Brenda isn't home. I head straight up the stairs into my bedroom. I think about today. This whole rivalry thing is for real and I thought it was a minor thing, but the way people stared at Stephanie and I was like us together was never recognized as normal.

I was comfortably power napping until my phone rang, "Hello?" I answer.

"Austin?" The voice sounded familiar but without a face I couldn't think of who it was.

"Yeah, who's this?" I murmur through the phone.

I hear a laugh, "Its Jake,"

I manage to sit myself up from the bed, "What up?" I scratch away the dry drool from my cheek.

"Dude, are you busy tonight?" I look at my clock, it read 6:35.

"No why? What's going on?" I say through a harsh yawn.

"My buddy that's in college is having a party at his house tonight, you got to come with." His voice is full enthusiasm.

I can get out of the house before Sarah get home, "Sure, I could use the load off."

"Alright, I'll come by your house in an hour and we'll head over there."

I hang up the phone and toss it on the counter beside the clock. I've never been invited to a college party, but there's a first time for everything. Plus, I guess it could help me get my mind off Stephanie and this whole drastic rivalry for the night.

An hour passes and Jake drives us to a rich looking neighborhood where all the houses have at least three stories and large pools visible from the front view. I follow Jake up the steps and into the house. The house was so huge that it reminded me of the house you would see on MTV Cribs. The music was bursting through surround sound speakers from the living room. Jake introduced me to nearly every person in the house except for the host of the party.

"Austin, this guy is the best party thrower you'll ever meet. This is Derek." He points to a guy with light skin, blond hair and blue eyes wearing a dark blue polo shirt.

I shake his hand, "Nice to meet you. This is a sweet place you living in."

He nods with a smile, "Thanks, how you liking California so far?"

"It's defiantly different than Miami, but it's not that bad."

"Yeah I'm sure Jake here has filled you in on the whole rivalry thing so if those beaners ever give you a hard time you let me know." He says.

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind." I hope that it won't have to come to that if I plan on getting to know Stephanie.

Derek looks at a couple of girls that look to be juniors at our school, "Look, I got to talk to these girls, but you two keep partying." He walks off in the direction of the girls.

I head back over to Jake who is checking out the girls passing by, "Derek seems like an interesting dude."

"That guy is a legend to us. When he was a senior he could get any girl from any grade he wanted," he pauses to take a sip of his soda, "In fact, he still can now that he's in college. Girls from freshmen to seniors would line up to give their virginities to him. He's been given so many virginities than anyone can get in a lifetime."

"Interesting stuff," I say sarcastically. Derek seems like a cool guy but I'm pretty sure he's the kind of guy who uses girls for his own popular standards.

Jake begins to nudge my shoulder, "It looks like Megan's checking you out, bro." I look over at a beautiful blonde girl with hair put half way up walking towards me, "Make a move, bro." he says shoving me in her direction and casually walks away.

"Hi, you must be Austin." She exchanges her hand in a girly gesture. "I'm Megan,"

"Nice to meet you," I shake her hands, "I've been here for two days and already a pretty girl like you knows who I am?"

She shrugs her shoulders, "Well I guess you can say I'm a popular person so nothing gets passed me."

I act shock, "Oh really," I say sarcastically, "you must be queen of the school." Most of the girls who claim themselves to be popular they're just attention seekers that easily get it, but I'm not one to judge too quickly.

"You can say that. I know a lot about everyone at school."

"So do you know a Hispanic girl named Stephanie?" I don't know where this is going but let's see what can come out of it.

She raises her eyebrows, "Why, is she giving you trouble?"

I innocently shrug my shoulder, "Something like that." I don't want get Stephanie into any trouble but I want to know her story.

Megan takes a breath before speaking, "Well the only thing we have in common is that we're both on the varsity volleyball team and with poor decision she's the team captain."

"Is that the only thing you two have in common?" I teased.

"Pretty much, but she's pretty dangerous. Besides if you want real danger you should stick with me."

Stephanie

I wasn't too excited about getting to Austin's place, but I need someone to fix my car and Carlos won't do it. I don't tell Carlos where I'm going because I know he'll overreact to the idea and I'll be under his supervision for weeks.

I bring the Dodge to his house. He works on it in his garage in order to keep people who pass by from staring. He's under the hood doing who knows what while I'm leaning against the car. The first few minutes of being there it was nothing but awkward silence. He spoke first.

"So what's the story behind the tattoo on your wrist?" He asks.

I automatically look at my wrist where my rosary tattoo is then I cross my arms, "Where did that come from?" I didn't really expect him to ask me that question first, but he did.

"Just so we don't have to spend the rest of the time in an awkward silence." He says it from underneath the hood never looking up at me.

I stay quiet for a minute then realize he's right about the silence, but I'm not going to tell him about the tattoo. "I just got it."

"Okay, so you got any brothers or sisters?" He asks.

"I only have an older brother."

"What does he do?"

"He works at our uncle's garage as a mechanic." I say.

Finally he sticks his head out from underneath the hood of the car, "Your brother's a mechanic and your car is constantly breaking down." I nod my head, "Why don't you ask him to fix it for you?"

I sigh, "The car belonged to our dad."

"Where's he now?"

"He died of cancer when I was three and my brother just turned seven. He left behind the car. I was the only one that was willing to take it. My brother never wants to go anywhere near it, let alone touch it." I was too young to remember my dad; all I have to remember him by is his car and a few pictures Ma keeps around the house.

"I'm sorry," He says with so much sympathy in the tone of his voice. "So what does your mom do?" He gets back under the hood to change the subject.

"She's a nurse," Ever since dad died mom works more often than a nurse usually should but she does it to support the family. Carlos doesn't like it because he's the man in the house but with just a high school diploma won't get him any well paid job.

"I always thought all moms are nurse. I guess there are just those who nurse other people other than their kids." He makes a good point. Ma was always there when I got sick now that I'm older she's there for others with worse illnesses than a fever.

I decide to get to know Austin considering he's fixing my car for free, "What about you? Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

He doesn't answer right away, but he eventually does. "Nah, I'm an only child. My parents got divorced when I was seven and my dad got custody of me. Then he remarried. Work got in the way so they never had a chance to have any more kids."

"What about your mom? Do you ever see her?"

He pauses what he's doing and just stares at the engine of the car. "My mom kind of separated herself from us after she remarried and started a new family." It's sad when you only have one of your actual parents, but knowing they moved on and have restarted their life with someone else.