~so it took a while to figure out I guess I'm going to continue this~
~Mia's POV~
I wipe down the counter at the store and place my books on it. Damn studying! The air is hot, but not sticky today and I'm cool enough in my tank top and shorts. Business is slow. Not many people have come in for anything. Dom sits in the back, nursing a beer and Letty's at my feet, sleeping behind the counter.
I hear a car door close and quickly look up, but it's only a taxi dropping off a young girl. She can't be more than 16 or 17. Her hair is dark brown, about the same shade as mine. It's fairly long, but half covered by a navy bandanna. Her eyes are hidden behind sunglasses. She's wearing a huge Hornets jersey with a wifebeater underneath and dark mechanics jeans with boots. The girl is about 5'5 or 5'6. She comes up to the counter and spins around on the stool for a moment.
"Can I get ya anything?" I ask.
"Coke?" she replies, with a slight accent, almost a drawl.
"Sure." I agree, going to the case to get her drink. I return and she's slipped her shades onto her head and I can see her face clearly. Green eyes, reminds me of.....
"So where's Leon this time of day?" Her accent is southern, very light, almost unnoticeable, but I've heard it somewhere before.
"Leon?"
"Leon. Santos?" She draws out the word slowly.
"He's at DT. You looking for him?" I ask, curiously.
"You feelin' ok, Mia?" She asks with a laugh.
"Huh?" I'm confused.
Letty picks this moment to stand up from her nap. Immediately she smiles. "How you livin', Caro?"
"Pretty good, Let. Soon as I got out of the clutches of Ma." She laughs good-naturedly. "Now, since Mia's acting spastic, you know how I could find my bro?"
"He should be here soon, actually. The guys get hungry about this time."
Finally it makes sense. "But you aren't supposed to be here for a week or two."
"Got an earlier flight. Damn, can't believe you didn't recognize me!"
"Sorry Caro. You just took me by surprise. I can't believe I didn't recognize you either. You look just like Leon."
"Dress like him too." Letty laughs.
Caro rolls her eyes, but laughs too. "Ya can take the girl outta the south, but ya can't take the south outta the girl."
"Dom, Get out here." Letty yells into the back.
"What!"
"Caroline's here."
"Caroline? Caro!" Dom smiles when he sees her. "How are ya?"
"Pretty good, Dom." She hugs him. "It's nice to be back in LA. Though I don't know how all the boys back at the courts and garage will get on without me. CJ and Erik and Chad, Gary too, if he lets the others get to him."
Dom just looks her up and down and smiles. "Damn, Caroline. You haven't changed a bit."
"Yes I have. Before I left, what 6 years ago?, I didn't know how to ballroom dance..or paint.or do ballet..or catch a husband. But now I do. God, could momma have been any more obnoxious!" she rolls her eyes again.
"Yeah, but you still look 14!"
She smiles. "That's the way it goes. You should see me try to buy beer. Erik thought it was the funniest thing. See, the clerks at the store won't even card me for being 21 and they get pretty angry when I try to explain that I am old enough." Her eyes crinkle at the corners as she recalls the tale.
"Well, Caro, it's good to see you after so long. What's been going on down south?"
"Oh, not too much of anything. Finished school up in December, so I've just been working and playing ball. Not much to do down in Bourbon town, 'cept get drunk off your ass, and that gets old by the time you turn 18."
"You crazy! Getting drunk off your ass is a time-honored tradition!" Letty teases.
"Amen to that!" Vince shouts, coming in from outside. How you been pipsqueak?" He grabs Caro in a headlock.
"I was good till you got here." She grunts, tickling him to get him away. He grins and makes way for Leon to attack her.
"Babygirl!" Leon shouts at her. "Good to have you back. How you been treating the homeland?"
"Pretty well. N'awlins is same as ever."
"Is Lousiana anything like how the rest of the country thinks of it?" Vince asks honestly.
"Well, digging for crawfish ain't as much fun without Leon around." She jokes. "You know the south. I think the Civil War's still going on, right? Naw, dawg. South's just as fly as LA. N'awlins is nothin' like 'bama, or Arkansas."
"Good. Cuz we wouldn't want to hang out with a hick or anything." Vince rubs her head hard.
"You hang out with Leon, don't you?" She shoots back. At this moment, Jesse enters the café silently, and Caro stops laughing. His eyes follow her for a second and then flit away, behind the shelf housing the food in the market. She quickly starts to talk to me again, but I definitely didn't miss the look on Jesse's face when he saw her. It was a mixture of joy and pain.
~Mia's POV~
I wipe down the counter at the store and place my books on it. Damn studying! The air is hot, but not sticky today and I'm cool enough in my tank top and shorts. Business is slow. Not many people have come in for anything. Dom sits in the back, nursing a beer and Letty's at my feet, sleeping behind the counter.
I hear a car door close and quickly look up, but it's only a taxi dropping off a young girl. She can't be more than 16 or 17. Her hair is dark brown, about the same shade as mine. It's fairly long, but half covered by a navy bandanna. Her eyes are hidden behind sunglasses. She's wearing a huge Hornets jersey with a wifebeater underneath and dark mechanics jeans with boots. The girl is about 5'5 or 5'6. She comes up to the counter and spins around on the stool for a moment.
"Can I get ya anything?" I ask.
"Coke?" she replies, with a slight accent, almost a drawl.
"Sure." I agree, going to the case to get her drink. I return and she's slipped her shades onto her head and I can see her face clearly. Green eyes, reminds me of.....
"So where's Leon this time of day?" Her accent is southern, very light, almost unnoticeable, but I've heard it somewhere before.
"Leon?"
"Leon. Santos?" She draws out the word slowly.
"He's at DT. You looking for him?" I ask, curiously.
"You feelin' ok, Mia?" She asks with a laugh.
"Huh?" I'm confused.
Letty picks this moment to stand up from her nap. Immediately she smiles. "How you livin', Caro?"
"Pretty good, Let. Soon as I got out of the clutches of Ma." She laughs good-naturedly. "Now, since Mia's acting spastic, you know how I could find my bro?"
"He should be here soon, actually. The guys get hungry about this time."
Finally it makes sense. "But you aren't supposed to be here for a week or two."
"Got an earlier flight. Damn, can't believe you didn't recognize me!"
"Sorry Caro. You just took me by surprise. I can't believe I didn't recognize you either. You look just like Leon."
"Dress like him too." Letty laughs.
Caro rolls her eyes, but laughs too. "Ya can take the girl outta the south, but ya can't take the south outta the girl."
"Dom, Get out here." Letty yells into the back.
"What!"
"Caroline's here."
"Caroline? Caro!" Dom smiles when he sees her. "How are ya?"
"Pretty good, Dom." She hugs him. "It's nice to be back in LA. Though I don't know how all the boys back at the courts and garage will get on without me. CJ and Erik and Chad, Gary too, if he lets the others get to him."
Dom just looks her up and down and smiles. "Damn, Caroline. You haven't changed a bit."
"Yes I have. Before I left, what 6 years ago?, I didn't know how to ballroom dance..or paint.or do ballet..or catch a husband. But now I do. God, could momma have been any more obnoxious!" she rolls her eyes again.
"Yeah, but you still look 14!"
She smiles. "That's the way it goes. You should see me try to buy beer. Erik thought it was the funniest thing. See, the clerks at the store won't even card me for being 21 and they get pretty angry when I try to explain that I am old enough." Her eyes crinkle at the corners as she recalls the tale.
"Well, Caro, it's good to see you after so long. What's been going on down south?"
"Oh, not too much of anything. Finished school up in December, so I've just been working and playing ball. Not much to do down in Bourbon town, 'cept get drunk off your ass, and that gets old by the time you turn 18."
"You crazy! Getting drunk off your ass is a time-honored tradition!" Letty teases.
"Amen to that!" Vince shouts, coming in from outside. How you been pipsqueak?" He grabs Caro in a headlock.
"I was good till you got here." She grunts, tickling him to get him away. He grins and makes way for Leon to attack her.
"Babygirl!" Leon shouts at her. "Good to have you back. How you been treating the homeland?"
"Pretty well. N'awlins is same as ever."
"Is Lousiana anything like how the rest of the country thinks of it?" Vince asks honestly.
"Well, digging for crawfish ain't as much fun without Leon around." She jokes. "You know the south. I think the Civil War's still going on, right? Naw, dawg. South's just as fly as LA. N'awlins is nothin' like 'bama, or Arkansas."
"Good. Cuz we wouldn't want to hang out with a hick or anything." Vince rubs her head hard.
"You hang out with Leon, don't you?" She shoots back. At this moment, Jesse enters the café silently, and Caro stops laughing. His eyes follow her for a second and then flit away, behind the shelf housing the food in the market. She quickly starts to talk to me again, but I definitely didn't miss the look on Jesse's face when he saw her. It was a mixture of joy and pain.