~Virginia's POV~
I walk up the front steps of Dom's house. Oh God, what if he says no. That
would be embarrassing. I knock on the metal frame of the screen door and
walk inside. "Hello?" I call out.
"In here." A couple voices call from the kitchen.
"Hey guys." I greet Leon and Vince, who are lounging in the kitchen, eating cereal. "I was looking for Jesse?"
Leon grins and nudges Vince. Vince glares at him. "He's upstairs. Go on up if you like."
"Thanks guys." As I walk up the stairs, I can hear Leon chuckling to himself, "Damn, dawg." Vince laughs as well. "Guess she's sprung on him too."
Wow. Jesse likes me a lot? I'm not sure how to take that, whether to freak and run, but subconsciously, I just start to hop up and down. I didn't know I liked him that much! I continue up the stairs until I hear noises coming from behind the only closed door. "Jess?" I call. "Is that you?"
"Yeah. Mia?"
"No, it's Gin."
"Oh!" I hear fumbling and I think he's putting his pants on. He opens the door, his hair tousled and bare-chested. My heart skips for a moment. He looks so innocent and, well, gorgeous.
"Hey? This is going to sound very odd, but I was talking to Letty this morning at the store, and my friend Jack called me on my cell. He was supposed to be my date tonight for this stupid gala thing my dad's holding, but he got sick. And I know I barely know you, but I figured I might be able to take you up on last night's offer?"
"Offer?" Oh god, he's so cute when he's confused.
"Yeah..you asked if we could get together sometime. This could be sometime?" I hope he doesn't say no, or I'll be incredibly embarrassed.
A light kind of comes to his face. "Sure." He smiles. "Where do I need to be at what time and all that shit?"
"Ok, its coat and tie. Let said you probably have one around somewhere. Just be at 423 Anderson Court at around 8:00. It's a big yellow house, can't miss it."
"Yeah." He smiles again. I have an urge to kiss him, but I resist.
"Alright see, you then. Just ring the bell."
I walk down the stairs, smiling to myself. He's so adorable! Now I've got to go make sure my dress is pressed for tonight. I drive home in anticipation.
LATER, 7:30 pm
~Jesse's POV~ My palms are sweaty. Vince was going to help me gel my hair, but Mia wouldn't let him. I look so out of place in this suit. "I can't believe she asked me to be her date at this party. She's a freakin' rich girl, with all the class in the world." I say to Mia and Leon in the kitchen. Dom just smiles at me, almost proudly.
"Don't be nervous, Jess, You look adorable." I try to glare at her. "Er.you look rugged and...and manly!" Vince almost spits his drink at that.
"I'm going before you guys give me any more grief." I walk out the front door, hop into the Jetta, and drive to her house. " 417, 419, 421, 423. Here it is." My jaw drops as I step out of the car at this mammoth of a house. It's decorated with twinkly lights along the balcony and in the manicured bushes in the front. The house must be 4 stories!
I almost leave, but then imagine a disappointed Gin and get out of the car. Walking up the front steps, I keep pricking myself on the flower I've brought her. I put my sore finger up to the bell, and a maid answers.
"Yes."
"I'm Jesse, I'm here for Gin, um, Virginia?"
"Let me go get her." She says. I walk inside the house. It's even more impressive from the interior. A gigantic chandelier hangs in the front hallway, and an elegant banistered staircase curves upward. From another room comes Gin. She's looking amazing in a red cocktail dress, her brown hair down and curly. She's so beautiful, so thin. When she walks up to me, even with her strappy, heeled shoes, she's a good head shorter.
"Hey." She smiles sincerely. "I'm glad you came. These people are going to drive you nuts in a little while." People spilled all over the downstairs. In every room, elegant, well-dressed adults are talking and sipping Cosmos, and other drinks. I hand her the flower and she puts her arm around my waist. She stands on her toes to whisper in my ear. "You look adorable. I love the ruffled hair."
As we walk around the downstairs, she tells me about all the guests and their scandals. "That's Marge." She points to an elegant blonde in a long black dress. "Give her a couple more martinis and she'll be falling all over everyone. And that, " She points to a tall grey-haired man hanging onto a young beautiful blonde, in a low cut shirt, and unbelievably short skirt. "is my father. The bastard himself." She frowns. "That's actually a different girl from this morning. I saw him go into the pool house with a brunette earlier." She points out other people and their drunken habits. I laugh, but keep thinking back to her expression upon seeing her father with another girl.
"Virginia darling, How are you? You look stunning!" A tall, brunette with a large string of pearls and many diamond rings puts a hand in Gin's shoulder. "And who is this charming man who's escorting you?"
I look a little bewildered. Upon seeing my face, Gin almost laughs but regains her composure. "This, is Jesse. He's my, well he's a friend of a friend." She offered no more explanation and the woman nodded.
"Well, you two look picturesque. How long have you been dating?"
"We aren't dating Linda, we're just good friends."
The lady smiles and winks at Gin, going off to down another drink.
"Sorry I didn't offer more information, but if I said anything, she would twist it so that we had been dating for 6 months and were thinking of marriage after college." I laugh. "Do you want to go get a drink?"
I nod fervently, and she leads me over to a bar manned by a few men dressed in tuxedos and white gloves. "Hey Jon." She greets him. He smiles at her. " Vodka for me and, for you?"
"Uhh, rum and Coke ,I guess?" I try to smile, knowing I only want a corona.
"Nice try, Virginia. How would your father feel about my serving you two alcohol." She stares in surprise. "Ok, ok, he wouldn't give a 'flying fuck' as you so aptly put it last time, but I could get in serious trouble for serving alcohol to minors."
She leans over the counter and pulls a $50 out of a box. Then she slips it into his breast pocket. "Vodka." She repeats. "The bottle and a shot glass. And I'll throw in another $50, if you make this guy's a Corona." The bartender smiles and does as Gin instructs. We take our drinks up the back stairs and she leads me to a game room, with a sofa and chairs on the side. She slides into one of the chairs, kicks off her shoes, and takes a shot from the Absolut bottle. I collapse onto the couch with my Corona.
"Your life. is very different from mine." I say, not knowing what else to do.
"Yeah, and it SUCKS. A hell of a lot more than yours does. Everyone around here is phony. My father the biggest one of all." She keeps drinking from the bottle, the shot glass set on the table next to her. "Sorry but I'm aimed to get a little sloshed. I just want to escape from these parties."
"We could leave?"
"No, my dad has me on watch. I always used to escape, but now he's got people guarding all the exits."
"Oh, ok."
"So Jess, tell me about your life. How did all of your friends meet up?"
"Well," I start, sitting her on my lap. "Dom and Mia are, as you know, brother and sister. And, Vince grew up with Dom. They've known each other forever, something like since they were 8 or 9. Brian, he's more of a recent addition. He came around the store a lot to see Mia. We found out he knew about cars." I don't offer any more explanation for Brian. I don't know if anyone should know. "Letty, well she's always been around, like Vince. She grew up down the street, always loved Dom. He finally fell in love too, when she was 16. And then a little while later, Leon and I showed up. We'd been friends before, and I don't know, I was browsing Harry's store-he owns The Racer's Edge downtown-and Leon was around there with me, helping Harry bring parts to the front, and Dom needed help so I helped him. He invited us to a barbecue, and we've been at the garage ever since. My parents were no good. Leon's weren't either. Moms left our families, my dad's in jail."
"I know how that goes." Gin's drunk a lot of the vodka by now. Any normal girl her size would be long gone. "I hate him...SO MUCH." She slams the bottle onto the table next to her. I think she's starting to feel the effects.
"Why?"
She starts to shake a little and when she looks up, I see tears rolling down her face. I go to her and carry her to sit on the couch next to me. "What is it?"
"I hate him. He's such a jackass." I just sit there with her as she starts to talk. I know she's only telling me because she's drunk a lot of Absolut Kurant, but I want to know. "I told Mia about my mom already. She was killed, when I was 13, by a drunk driver. She doesn't know that the drunk driver was my dad." I stare in shock at the floor, staying silent. This poor girl. "He was driving home from a party, wouldn't let my mom drive of course, and he was sloshed. I was in the back, driver's side. He hit a rough patch on the road, or something, and went into a spin, slamming the passenger side into a wall. My mom died on impact. Not once has he said he was sorry. He didn't even go to the funeral. And through the course of his marriage to my mom, he had mistress after mistress."
" I'm sorry Gin, I really am."
"Yeah. He also..well, I can't say it was all his fault, be he was definitely the start. He caused me to go into a sortof downward spiral, you could say. He always brought home pretty, young, skinny-as-a-pin girlfriends, and would constantly tell me I was too large, that I needed to lose a little pudge here or there. He also told me if I wasn't careful what I ate, I'd turn out like my mother. She was never fat, and neither was I. I'm 5'6 and I weighed, what 105 lbs? But when you're 13, just starting to change, you're confused, insecure. I was anorexic, and Sam, the auto shop teacher at my school told the school counselor. He kind of caught me before I completely fell. I was something like 82 lbs. Sick skinny. I owe her my life, but it went on for a long time. Years, till I was 15."
"Gin, how can you stay here when he did those things? I would have killed him."
"Yeah, well I handled it differently. I was icy, put up a front around everyone. I think Jack was the only one who knew me, really knew me. He told Sam."
"What was your mother like?"
"She was great. She was one of the party crowd, drinkers like the ones downstairs, but she was a great mother. So much fun. Mi madre was Brazilian, but she grew up in Costa Rica and Mexico, so she spoke Spanish, which is where I learned it. My father flips when I speak it in this house. He doesn't want any memories of her, any guilt to spoil his life. When I was younger, I loved my life. I didn't understand that money couldn't buy happiness."
"How can all this have happened to such a young girl. You're so strong, Gin. I mean how do you do it?"
"Like this." She smiles and kisses me. I kiss her for a second, but push her away. This isn't right. Any other time I would, but she's drunk. I can't take advantage of her. She probably wouldn't do this under normal circumstances.
"Gin. No. Not now." She stares at me for a second, her green eyes looking hurt, and the flashing with anger.
"Fine! Go, now!" She stumbles out of the room. I don't know what else to do, but leave.
SATURDAY, ONE WEEK LATER, MID-DAY:
I'm in the office in DT. I didn't tell the guys what happened, even though they hounded me for info. I don't think she'd want me to tell them. Working on some specs for an Altima that came in for repairs, I hear an engine turn off. Figuring it's Mia with lunch I continue to work on the specs. In a moment, the office door opens up. Gin stands there, in all her beauty, looking completely different than last week. She still looks amazing, but she's not hung over or stumbling.
She comes up to me an says softly, " I'm sorry about the party. I was drunk. I told you things I shouldn't have told you. I'd appreciate it if you don't tell your friends what I told you. And I'm sorry for kissing you. Obviously, you don't feel the same way about me as I do about you. I guess I'll see you around." She turns away and starts to walk out the door. I grab her wrist and whirl her around. I stare into her eyes for a second and then I put a hand on her cheek, pull her head close, and kiss her like I wanted to that night. Her defiant stance drops and she holds on to the bottom of my wifebeater for support, gripping it until her knuckles are white. I pull back and look into her eyes for an answer. Before I can really get a good look at her, she pulls my body next to hers, her fingers hooked through the belt loops of my jeans. She stands on tiptoe to reach my mouth and we kiss again, deeper this time, with more passion. Our kiss becomes rougher and I open my mouth as her tongue teases mine. We stand there, in our own world of ecstasy, for a few minutes, just enjoying our reunion. When we break apart, I'm shaking. I didn't know she can have that effect on me.
"I do feel that way about you Gin. I, I, I really like you. I didn't kiss you because, well because you were drunk. How was I to know you weren't only doing that because of the bottle of Absolut you downed. Did you even get sick?"
She smiles and shakes her head. "I drink like a fish," she whispers, then turns her head away as she says quietly, "and, I, I didn't just tell you about me because I was drunk. I wanted you to know what kind of a mental case you were getting yourself into. Then when I didn't think you wanted to get yourself into that, I got hurt, which came out as anger."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. You're a mental case, but you're my mental case!" She grins at that and I kiss her on the tip of her nose.
"Tu eres un caballero, Jesse, un caballero verdadero." ~ You are a gentleman, Jesse, a true gentleman.~
* OK FEEDBACK PLEASE! I WANT TO KNOW PEOPLE ARE READING THIS!* Oh and sorry if my Spanish is wrong, any corrections would be greatly appreciated!
"In here." A couple voices call from the kitchen.
"Hey guys." I greet Leon and Vince, who are lounging in the kitchen, eating cereal. "I was looking for Jesse?"
Leon grins and nudges Vince. Vince glares at him. "He's upstairs. Go on up if you like."
"Thanks guys." As I walk up the stairs, I can hear Leon chuckling to himself, "Damn, dawg." Vince laughs as well. "Guess she's sprung on him too."
Wow. Jesse likes me a lot? I'm not sure how to take that, whether to freak and run, but subconsciously, I just start to hop up and down. I didn't know I liked him that much! I continue up the stairs until I hear noises coming from behind the only closed door. "Jess?" I call. "Is that you?"
"Yeah. Mia?"
"No, it's Gin."
"Oh!" I hear fumbling and I think he's putting his pants on. He opens the door, his hair tousled and bare-chested. My heart skips for a moment. He looks so innocent and, well, gorgeous.
"Hey? This is going to sound very odd, but I was talking to Letty this morning at the store, and my friend Jack called me on my cell. He was supposed to be my date tonight for this stupid gala thing my dad's holding, but he got sick. And I know I barely know you, but I figured I might be able to take you up on last night's offer?"
"Offer?" Oh god, he's so cute when he's confused.
"Yeah..you asked if we could get together sometime. This could be sometime?" I hope he doesn't say no, or I'll be incredibly embarrassed.
A light kind of comes to his face. "Sure." He smiles. "Where do I need to be at what time and all that shit?"
"Ok, its coat and tie. Let said you probably have one around somewhere. Just be at 423 Anderson Court at around 8:00. It's a big yellow house, can't miss it."
"Yeah." He smiles again. I have an urge to kiss him, but I resist.
"Alright see, you then. Just ring the bell."
I walk down the stairs, smiling to myself. He's so adorable! Now I've got to go make sure my dress is pressed for tonight. I drive home in anticipation.
LATER, 7:30 pm
~Jesse's POV~ My palms are sweaty. Vince was going to help me gel my hair, but Mia wouldn't let him. I look so out of place in this suit. "I can't believe she asked me to be her date at this party. She's a freakin' rich girl, with all the class in the world." I say to Mia and Leon in the kitchen. Dom just smiles at me, almost proudly.
"Don't be nervous, Jess, You look adorable." I try to glare at her. "Er.you look rugged and...and manly!" Vince almost spits his drink at that.
"I'm going before you guys give me any more grief." I walk out the front door, hop into the Jetta, and drive to her house. " 417, 419, 421, 423. Here it is." My jaw drops as I step out of the car at this mammoth of a house. It's decorated with twinkly lights along the balcony and in the manicured bushes in the front. The house must be 4 stories!
I almost leave, but then imagine a disappointed Gin and get out of the car. Walking up the front steps, I keep pricking myself on the flower I've brought her. I put my sore finger up to the bell, and a maid answers.
"Yes."
"I'm Jesse, I'm here for Gin, um, Virginia?"
"Let me go get her." She says. I walk inside the house. It's even more impressive from the interior. A gigantic chandelier hangs in the front hallway, and an elegant banistered staircase curves upward. From another room comes Gin. She's looking amazing in a red cocktail dress, her brown hair down and curly. She's so beautiful, so thin. When she walks up to me, even with her strappy, heeled shoes, she's a good head shorter.
"Hey." She smiles sincerely. "I'm glad you came. These people are going to drive you nuts in a little while." People spilled all over the downstairs. In every room, elegant, well-dressed adults are talking and sipping Cosmos, and other drinks. I hand her the flower and she puts her arm around my waist. She stands on her toes to whisper in my ear. "You look adorable. I love the ruffled hair."
As we walk around the downstairs, she tells me about all the guests and their scandals. "That's Marge." She points to an elegant blonde in a long black dress. "Give her a couple more martinis and she'll be falling all over everyone. And that, " She points to a tall grey-haired man hanging onto a young beautiful blonde, in a low cut shirt, and unbelievably short skirt. "is my father. The bastard himself." She frowns. "That's actually a different girl from this morning. I saw him go into the pool house with a brunette earlier." She points out other people and their drunken habits. I laugh, but keep thinking back to her expression upon seeing her father with another girl.
"Virginia darling, How are you? You look stunning!" A tall, brunette with a large string of pearls and many diamond rings puts a hand in Gin's shoulder. "And who is this charming man who's escorting you?"
I look a little bewildered. Upon seeing my face, Gin almost laughs but regains her composure. "This, is Jesse. He's my, well he's a friend of a friend." She offered no more explanation and the woman nodded.
"Well, you two look picturesque. How long have you been dating?"
"We aren't dating Linda, we're just good friends."
The lady smiles and winks at Gin, going off to down another drink.
"Sorry I didn't offer more information, but if I said anything, she would twist it so that we had been dating for 6 months and were thinking of marriage after college." I laugh. "Do you want to go get a drink?"
I nod fervently, and she leads me over to a bar manned by a few men dressed in tuxedos and white gloves. "Hey Jon." She greets him. He smiles at her. " Vodka for me and, for you?"
"Uhh, rum and Coke ,I guess?" I try to smile, knowing I only want a corona.
"Nice try, Virginia. How would your father feel about my serving you two alcohol." She stares in surprise. "Ok, ok, he wouldn't give a 'flying fuck' as you so aptly put it last time, but I could get in serious trouble for serving alcohol to minors."
She leans over the counter and pulls a $50 out of a box. Then she slips it into his breast pocket. "Vodka." She repeats. "The bottle and a shot glass. And I'll throw in another $50, if you make this guy's a Corona." The bartender smiles and does as Gin instructs. We take our drinks up the back stairs and she leads me to a game room, with a sofa and chairs on the side. She slides into one of the chairs, kicks off her shoes, and takes a shot from the Absolut bottle. I collapse onto the couch with my Corona.
"Your life. is very different from mine." I say, not knowing what else to do.
"Yeah, and it SUCKS. A hell of a lot more than yours does. Everyone around here is phony. My father the biggest one of all." She keeps drinking from the bottle, the shot glass set on the table next to her. "Sorry but I'm aimed to get a little sloshed. I just want to escape from these parties."
"We could leave?"
"No, my dad has me on watch. I always used to escape, but now he's got people guarding all the exits."
"Oh, ok."
"So Jess, tell me about your life. How did all of your friends meet up?"
"Well," I start, sitting her on my lap. "Dom and Mia are, as you know, brother and sister. And, Vince grew up with Dom. They've known each other forever, something like since they were 8 or 9. Brian, he's more of a recent addition. He came around the store a lot to see Mia. We found out he knew about cars." I don't offer any more explanation for Brian. I don't know if anyone should know. "Letty, well she's always been around, like Vince. She grew up down the street, always loved Dom. He finally fell in love too, when she was 16. And then a little while later, Leon and I showed up. We'd been friends before, and I don't know, I was browsing Harry's store-he owns The Racer's Edge downtown-and Leon was around there with me, helping Harry bring parts to the front, and Dom needed help so I helped him. He invited us to a barbecue, and we've been at the garage ever since. My parents were no good. Leon's weren't either. Moms left our families, my dad's in jail."
"I know how that goes." Gin's drunk a lot of the vodka by now. Any normal girl her size would be long gone. "I hate him...SO MUCH." She slams the bottle onto the table next to her. I think she's starting to feel the effects.
"Why?"
She starts to shake a little and when she looks up, I see tears rolling down her face. I go to her and carry her to sit on the couch next to me. "What is it?"
"I hate him. He's such a jackass." I just sit there with her as she starts to talk. I know she's only telling me because she's drunk a lot of Absolut Kurant, but I want to know. "I told Mia about my mom already. She was killed, when I was 13, by a drunk driver. She doesn't know that the drunk driver was my dad." I stare in shock at the floor, staying silent. This poor girl. "He was driving home from a party, wouldn't let my mom drive of course, and he was sloshed. I was in the back, driver's side. He hit a rough patch on the road, or something, and went into a spin, slamming the passenger side into a wall. My mom died on impact. Not once has he said he was sorry. He didn't even go to the funeral. And through the course of his marriage to my mom, he had mistress after mistress."
" I'm sorry Gin, I really am."
"Yeah. He also..well, I can't say it was all his fault, be he was definitely the start. He caused me to go into a sortof downward spiral, you could say. He always brought home pretty, young, skinny-as-a-pin girlfriends, and would constantly tell me I was too large, that I needed to lose a little pudge here or there. He also told me if I wasn't careful what I ate, I'd turn out like my mother. She was never fat, and neither was I. I'm 5'6 and I weighed, what 105 lbs? But when you're 13, just starting to change, you're confused, insecure. I was anorexic, and Sam, the auto shop teacher at my school told the school counselor. He kind of caught me before I completely fell. I was something like 82 lbs. Sick skinny. I owe her my life, but it went on for a long time. Years, till I was 15."
"Gin, how can you stay here when he did those things? I would have killed him."
"Yeah, well I handled it differently. I was icy, put up a front around everyone. I think Jack was the only one who knew me, really knew me. He told Sam."
"What was your mother like?"
"She was great. She was one of the party crowd, drinkers like the ones downstairs, but she was a great mother. So much fun. Mi madre was Brazilian, but she grew up in Costa Rica and Mexico, so she spoke Spanish, which is where I learned it. My father flips when I speak it in this house. He doesn't want any memories of her, any guilt to spoil his life. When I was younger, I loved my life. I didn't understand that money couldn't buy happiness."
"How can all this have happened to such a young girl. You're so strong, Gin. I mean how do you do it?"
"Like this." She smiles and kisses me. I kiss her for a second, but push her away. This isn't right. Any other time I would, but she's drunk. I can't take advantage of her. She probably wouldn't do this under normal circumstances.
"Gin. No. Not now." She stares at me for a second, her green eyes looking hurt, and the flashing with anger.
"Fine! Go, now!" She stumbles out of the room. I don't know what else to do, but leave.
SATURDAY, ONE WEEK LATER, MID-DAY:
I'm in the office in DT. I didn't tell the guys what happened, even though they hounded me for info. I don't think she'd want me to tell them. Working on some specs for an Altima that came in for repairs, I hear an engine turn off. Figuring it's Mia with lunch I continue to work on the specs. In a moment, the office door opens up. Gin stands there, in all her beauty, looking completely different than last week. She still looks amazing, but she's not hung over or stumbling.
She comes up to me an says softly, " I'm sorry about the party. I was drunk. I told you things I shouldn't have told you. I'd appreciate it if you don't tell your friends what I told you. And I'm sorry for kissing you. Obviously, you don't feel the same way about me as I do about you. I guess I'll see you around." She turns away and starts to walk out the door. I grab her wrist and whirl her around. I stare into her eyes for a second and then I put a hand on her cheek, pull her head close, and kiss her like I wanted to that night. Her defiant stance drops and she holds on to the bottom of my wifebeater for support, gripping it until her knuckles are white. I pull back and look into her eyes for an answer. Before I can really get a good look at her, she pulls my body next to hers, her fingers hooked through the belt loops of my jeans. She stands on tiptoe to reach my mouth and we kiss again, deeper this time, with more passion. Our kiss becomes rougher and I open my mouth as her tongue teases mine. We stand there, in our own world of ecstasy, for a few minutes, just enjoying our reunion. When we break apart, I'm shaking. I didn't know she can have that effect on me.
"I do feel that way about you Gin. I, I, I really like you. I didn't kiss you because, well because you were drunk. How was I to know you weren't only doing that because of the bottle of Absolut you downed. Did you even get sick?"
She smiles and shakes her head. "I drink like a fish," she whispers, then turns her head away as she says quietly, "and, I, I didn't just tell you about me because I was drunk. I wanted you to know what kind of a mental case you were getting yourself into. Then when I didn't think you wanted to get yourself into that, I got hurt, which came out as anger."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. You're a mental case, but you're my mental case!" She grins at that and I kiss her on the tip of her nose.
"Tu eres un caballero, Jesse, un caballero verdadero." ~ You are a gentleman, Jesse, a true gentleman.~
* OK FEEDBACK PLEASE! I WANT TO KNOW PEOPLE ARE READING THIS!* Oh and sorry if my Spanish is wrong, any corrections would be greatly appreciated!