~Mia's POV~
"Drunk driver, when I was 13."
"That must have been hard." I tell her. Just looking at her face, I can see all the pain she's been through.
"Yeah. I'm surprised my father even noticed. He's, well.you don't want to hear about this."
"Let's go back to my house. I can close the store a little early today." Secretly, I want to know what's hidden behind those green eyes, the story of this girl. She seems so confident and collected, but something leads me to believe that she's faking this. Maybe it's the way her face looked when I mentioned her family, maybe something else.
"Ok. I'll follow you."
I tidy the market a little and then pull down the metal cage after closing the sliding doors. We get into our cars and she follows me to the house. When we arrive, I head straight for the kitchen, starting to get everything ready for the barbecue.
"Can I help?" she asks. "I'm not much of a cook, but I can probably do something."
"Sure, how about washing the lettuce?"
"Haha, something I can do! I'm all over that!" she laughs girlishly, her eyes sparkling.
"So, tell me about your life. What do you like, what are your hobbies, how's school, general stuff?" I feel like I'm pressuring her into telling me about herself, but I'd really like to know.
"Let's see. Well, school's a PITA. Most people there are so stuck on themselves and their own lives. It's a country club school, you know, rich people send their kids there so they can go to school, but never really do any work. Oh god, now it sounds like I'm bragging about money."
I just laugh. "Don't worry about it. I understand."
"Well, ok. It's just, most of the girls there are either sluts, or really girly, ahh, I don't know. A few girls are ok, a lot of fun, but its better to just stick with guy friends. They're so much easier to be friends with. I really like art and auto shop. Those are the only classes I actually work at. All the other ones are so simple. You could barely call it a school. The only thing you learn there is how to follow in your parent's affluent drunken-party footsteps and that's not my life."
"So you like art and auto shop, huh?" I ask, really wanting to ask what she means by affluent drunken-party footsteps.
"Yeah." Gin lights up at the topics. " I love 'em. I'm the only girl in auto shop, and it's a lot of fun. The teacher, Sam, he's crazy."
"He lets you call him Sam?"
"Yeah, well, the faculty and administration doesn't like it, but they don't like him much either. He's too 'rough' for their upper-class snob-factory school. And art is great too. I really like cars and art together, you know designing decals and just car lines. Cars can be such beautiul works of art." She stops at my snort, looking a little hurt.
"Sorry," I say. "I didn't mean that. You just talk about them so passionately."
"Yeah, well they're the one thing I take a real interest in. I noticed your car, and Letty's had decals on them. Who designed them?"
"Jesse, who you'll meet later, and I did."
"They're great. Mine's a little plain, but I like it."
"Yeah, I was wondering about that. Do you race or something? Cuz you definitely have a racer's ride, and trust me, I should know."
"Does it look that way? YEAH! Haha, I'm such a freakin' poser. My car is seriously, well, not souped up. I just watch movies all the time and I saw those gorgeous racing cars and thought, hell, why not at least make mine look cool."
I laugh at her excitement. She's so pretty, and so thin, very thin.
"Well, I'm done with the lettuce. Anything else I can do?"
"Well, let's see, maybe-"
"Oh! You have a keyboard. Can I play it?" She looks excitedly at the piece of shit keyboard in the corner. Vince brought it home for Leon as a joke a couple months ago.
"Sure, but it's a POS."
She grabs it and puts it on her lap as she sits on the countertop. She sets it to normal piano and suddenly the room is filled with music. She's an amazing pianist, even I can tell that on the worthless keyboard. Then I hear the screen door slam shut and boots shuffling on the floor. Guess the guys are home.
"Hey, what is that?" Vince comes in. "Mi, are you playing that keyboard?" He laughs shortly. When the guys walk into the kitchen, Gin stops, looking a little embarrassed.
"Oh sorry, thought you were Mia." Vince says gruffly, sticking his head in the fridge for a Corona.
"Hey Gin, How ya livin' girl?" Letty comes over with Dom, his massive arm wrapped around her waist.
"Oh, so that's Gin." I hear Leon say softly to Jesse. "Damn."
"Hey Letty. I'm doing pretty well."
"Get back to school ok?"
"Yeah. I don't think anyone noticed. Got back just in time for AP Bio. SCORE!" she says sarcastically.
"You're still in high school?" Leon said a little louder, looking disappointed.
"Yeah, my last year, thank God. That place is such a hell hole." Gin rolls her eyes.
I can see Jesse smiling at her. She's smiling back. Oh God, I can see him getting whipped over Gin.
"Guys, clear out of the kitchen if you aren't going to help." I say, a little annoyed.
Leon and Jesse go out back with Vince to shoot hoops. Dom takes the chicken outside to grill it and Letty follows, with silverware to set the folding table. Brian stays in the kitchen. I look over at Gin and she winks, hopping off the counter, putting the keyboard back into the corner, and says, " I think I'll go see if the guys want any more people for basketball."
As she leaves Brian comes up behind me at the stove, wraps his arms around my waist and whispers in my ear.
"Need any help?"
"With the cooking?" I smile to myself.
"Sure." He grins and then turns me around to face him. Our eyes keep darting to each other's lips, and soon we kiss, gently at first, and then more passionately. His tongue slips into my mouth and I laugh. I scoot myself onto the countertop, my legs next to his hips and we continue our embrace. I hear someone clear his throat and Leon and Dom stand in the doorway.
"Mia, chicken'll be done in a few. You got the rest ready?"
"Yeah, almost." I say, blushing furiously.
"Alright." They return to the backyard, with Leon chuckling.
"Damn, dawg," I hear him say. "She works fast. They weren't even alone for five minutes."
Damn it, Leon. Shut UP! Brian laughs at that. "You do have a power." I smack his arm, but smile.
"MIA!!" Dom calls.
"I'm coming, I'm coming!" I yell back.
"That must have been hard." I tell her. Just looking at her face, I can see all the pain she's been through.
"Yeah. I'm surprised my father even noticed. He's, well.you don't want to hear about this."
"Let's go back to my house. I can close the store a little early today." Secretly, I want to know what's hidden behind those green eyes, the story of this girl. She seems so confident and collected, but something leads me to believe that she's faking this. Maybe it's the way her face looked when I mentioned her family, maybe something else.
"Ok. I'll follow you."
I tidy the market a little and then pull down the metal cage after closing the sliding doors. We get into our cars and she follows me to the house. When we arrive, I head straight for the kitchen, starting to get everything ready for the barbecue.
"Can I help?" she asks. "I'm not much of a cook, but I can probably do something."
"Sure, how about washing the lettuce?"
"Haha, something I can do! I'm all over that!" she laughs girlishly, her eyes sparkling.
"So, tell me about your life. What do you like, what are your hobbies, how's school, general stuff?" I feel like I'm pressuring her into telling me about herself, but I'd really like to know.
"Let's see. Well, school's a PITA. Most people there are so stuck on themselves and their own lives. It's a country club school, you know, rich people send their kids there so they can go to school, but never really do any work. Oh god, now it sounds like I'm bragging about money."
I just laugh. "Don't worry about it. I understand."
"Well, ok. It's just, most of the girls there are either sluts, or really girly, ahh, I don't know. A few girls are ok, a lot of fun, but its better to just stick with guy friends. They're so much easier to be friends with. I really like art and auto shop. Those are the only classes I actually work at. All the other ones are so simple. You could barely call it a school. The only thing you learn there is how to follow in your parent's affluent drunken-party footsteps and that's not my life."
"So you like art and auto shop, huh?" I ask, really wanting to ask what she means by affluent drunken-party footsteps.
"Yeah." Gin lights up at the topics. " I love 'em. I'm the only girl in auto shop, and it's a lot of fun. The teacher, Sam, he's crazy."
"He lets you call him Sam?"
"Yeah, well, the faculty and administration doesn't like it, but they don't like him much either. He's too 'rough' for their upper-class snob-factory school. And art is great too. I really like cars and art together, you know designing decals and just car lines. Cars can be such beautiul works of art." She stops at my snort, looking a little hurt.
"Sorry," I say. "I didn't mean that. You just talk about them so passionately."
"Yeah, well they're the one thing I take a real interest in. I noticed your car, and Letty's had decals on them. Who designed them?"
"Jesse, who you'll meet later, and I did."
"They're great. Mine's a little plain, but I like it."
"Yeah, I was wondering about that. Do you race or something? Cuz you definitely have a racer's ride, and trust me, I should know."
"Does it look that way? YEAH! Haha, I'm such a freakin' poser. My car is seriously, well, not souped up. I just watch movies all the time and I saw those gorgeous racing cars and thought, hell, why not at least make mine look cool."
I laugh at her excitement. She's so pretty, and so thin, very thin.
"Well, I'm done with the lettuce. Anything else I can do?"
"Well, let's see, maybe-"
"Oh! You have a keyboard. Can I play it?" She looks excitedly at the piece of shit keyboard in the corner. Vince brought it home for Leon as a joke a couple months ago.
"Sure, but it's a POS."
She grabs it and puts it on her lap as she sits on the countertop. She sets it to normal piano and suddenly the room is filled with music. She's an amazing pianist, even I can tell that on the worthless keyboard. Then I hear the screen door slam shut and boots shuffling on the floor. Guess the guys are home.
"Hey, what is that?" Vince comes in. "Mi, are you playing that keyboard?" He laughs shortly. When the guys walk into the kitchen, Gin stops, looking a little embarrassed.
"Oh sorry, thought you were Mia." Vince says gruffly, sticking his head in the fridge for a Corona.
"Hey Gin, How ya livin' girl?" Letty comes over with Dom, his massive arm wrapped around her waist.
"Oh, so that's Gin." I hear Leon say softly to Jesse. "Damn."
"Hey Letty. I'm doing pretty well."
"Get back to school ok?"
"Yeah. I don't think anyone noticed. Got back just in time for AP Bio. SCORE!" she says sarcastically.
"You're still in high school?" Leon said a little louder, looking disappointed.
"Yeah, my last year, thank God. That place is such a hell hole." Gin rolls her eyes.
I can see Jesse smiling at her. She's smiling back. Oh God, I can see him getting whipped over Gin.
"Guys, clear out of the kitchen if you aren't going to help." I say, a little annoyed.
Leon and Jesse go out back with Vince to shoot hoops. Dom takes the chicken outside to grill it and Letty follows, with silverware to set the folding table. Brian stays in the kitchen. I look over at Gin and she winks, hopping off the counter, putting the keyboard back into the corner, and says, " I think I'll go see if the guys want any more people for basketball."
As she leaves Brian comes up behind me at the stove, wraps his arms around my waist and whispers in my ear.
"Need any help?"
"With the cooking?" I smile to myself.
"Sure." He grins and then turns me around to face him. Our eyes keep darting to each other's lips, and soon we kiss, gently at first, and then more passionately. His tongue slips into my mouth and I laugh. I scoot myself onto the countertop, my legs next to his hips and we continue our embrace. I hear someone clear his throat and Leon and Dom stand in the doorway.
"Mia, chicken'll be done in a few. You got the rest ready?"
"Yeah, almost." I say, blushing furiously.
"Alright." They return to the backyard, with Leon chuckling.
"Damn, dawg," I hear him say. "She works fast. They weren't even alone for five minutes."
Damn it, Leon. Shut UP! Brian laughs at that. "You do have a power." I smack his arm, but smile.
"MIA!!" Dom calls.
"I'm coming, I'm coming!" I yell back.