Author's Note: well here's the second chapter, it's pretty long but surprisingly only took me half an hour to write so it might be bad. Thanks to lukina starhopper for being my first reviewer. Yes it's pretty original; hopefully it won't sound too repetitive. Well this chapter's more of a get to know character thing, so it may be a little bit boring but enjoy and review.
Chapter 2"So you live down here?" Mia asked as she skipped to keep up as they made their way out of school.
"Yer, on the 7th avenue."
"Cool, so do I. I'm at 74. You?"
"Um…somewhere further down." Letty muttered and Mia sensing that Letty was obviously sensitive to the subject, changed.
"So you got any siblings?"
"Yer, sister and two brothers. Older. You?"
"Snap on the older brother. Three years older so that makes him… seventeen I guess. Yer seventeen. Still annoying though unfortunately."
"Mine are out of town, but I'm stuck with my sister so that sucks."
"I'd kill to have a sister. Younger or older?"
"The latter by a year."
"She like you?" Mia asked, interested to know whether there were two Lettys in the world. Letty's eyes nearly popped out at this question. No-one ever asked her whether the two girls were ever alike, because anyone who knew the family were clearly aware and assured that the two sisters were never the same.
"God no. She's the type that dresses to please, though she barely wears anything. You know what I mean?"
"Yer… skanks. Sorry didn't mean it like that," as Letty started laughing.
"No, it's not that. My sister's pretty much a bitch but you and skank, not a word I'd expect out your mouth."
"Yer, well when you're living with a brother whose leeched by them twenty four seven you know stuff," she answered matter of factly, "well, I'm here. You want to come in?"
"Think I'll pass. Another day maybe." Her fingers hooked on the back of her shorts. "So I'll see you sometime."
"Yep Letty. Thanks again," and to Letty's surprise Mia flung her arms around Letty, "For everything."
"Not a big thing." And with that she walked down the road whilst Mia skipped into her house.
"Yo Dom! Your sister's got a new Barbie." A boy of seventeen years called out to the living room as he reached into the fridge for some juice.
"Is it blonde and blue-eyed?" a voice shouted back.
"No?"
"Then V it ain't a Barbie!" he laughed as he entered the kitchen and peered through the kitchen window. "Well, it ain't in a dress, so Mia's probably on something."
"Maybe weed, bro." As Vince hoisted himself onto the table, whilst Dom threw a Coke can at him, hitting him squarely on the head. "HEY!"
"Don't bullshit about shit like that. You forgot about Maria?"
"No shit bro. One of the few times I actually shitted myself.
"Not funny Vince. I catch her doing shit like that and I'll…"
"You'll what? Bro, if she tries it, she tries it. I mean we can't stop her. No one stopped us even when we went to school half-stoned. What happened with Maria was stupid but hey she's still alive."
"Yer, but it weren't funny…" his thoughts came flooding back to that night about a year ago.
"Come on Maria. One's not gonna do you any harm" his voice slurred, thickened by the alcohol he'd been drinking.
"No!" pushing his hand away from her. "I'm not doing that stuff" and she walked away to dance in the living room. Dom watched her as she started grinding with some boy from school that Dom clearly didn't remember he'd invited. "Fucking bitch," he mumbled as he raked his fingers through his black hair.
"She giving you trouble bro?" Vince asked as he reached into the fridge for a swig of milk.
"Yer, refusing the weed."
"WHAT?" Vince spat out the milk, "You're kidding me? You don't even have to have permission, you know she wants to do it, just slip it in, she's never gonna know."
He slipped it in somehow. Few minutes later, eyes wide, Dom was getting what he had bargained for. Her. Until…
THUMP! She landed on the floor; eyes wide open; her body shaking; frothing at the mouth.
"FUCK! Someone call 911! NOW!"
"HEY Dom you listening?" as Mia's voice jolted him back to reality.
"Um… what?"
"Wow, first time you didn't scream at me. You on something or what?" looking at Dom's confused face she continued. "Okay, I see that you aren't awake yet. But anyhow, Papi said that you gotta make dinner tonight."
"Sure whatever."
"Hey Mia!" Vince's voice shouted out. "Who's the Barbie?"
"Barbie?"
"Yer the girl you're hanging with?"
"Oh, no one," she replied, as she reached to cover her bruises on her arm with her sleeves. Jesus Christ, she thought, you forgot to cover them. She turned to walk out of the kitchen, whispering "Thank God" under her breath, that Dom hadn't caught her bruises. She was less than an inch from the door, when "Mia, what's on your arm?"
Shit! "Nothing!"
"Show me," Dom's voice getting impatient. He hated not being answered directly.
"It's nothing… Stop it!" she cried as Dom grabbed her wrist and pulled up her sleeve revealing the bruises and cuts which reflected this afternoon's events. "Who did it?" his voice was low barely audible. "I'm asking you one more time. Who did it?" Vince sat there, obviously uncomfortable at this scene. Sure, Dom and him had known each other since third grade but man were there times when Dom made his presence feel awkward.
"Trust me Dom, it's nothing. All sorted now. Now will you please leave me, I've got work to do," and she removed Dom's hand and left.
"What's that all about brother?" Vince asked popping a peanut into his mouth.
"I don't know but something's going on. You don't come out of school with bruises 'cause of physics, you know."
"Maybe it's got something to do with that girl," digging his fingers deeper in the peanut packet.
"Maybe," Dom mumbled, whilst Vince carried on munching on the peanuts.
Mia undid the hairgrip letting her hair fall down to her waist, as she sighed and stretched. Two hours of hard work, she thought, physics, calculus and politics. Not bad. She got up and jumped down onto her bed.
She landed with a soft bounce, but the mattress provided little protection for the bruise on her stomach. "Ouch," she winced as she went to her wardrobe and opened the door uncovering a full-length mirror.
She though of Letty as she unbuttoned her dress letting it slide of her shoulders and onto the floor, revealing this afternoon's markings. Mia stood back a little taking in her pubescence body. Slowly she turned to the side, her fingers gently touching the bruises running along her upper arm. She estimated that it would take at least a week to fade. Then she turned back in front of the mirror, softly tapping the discoloured skin on her stomach. Christ, she deliberated, it's worst than before. He must really hate something or me.
Mia was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she was oblivious to the trudging of Dom's footsteps as he approached her door. His hand on the door knob, he firmly twisted it and said " Mia dinner's ready" his eyes, however, had not rested on his sister's reflection as he assumed she was studying.
Expecting a reply, he said again, "Mia…" and his eyes finally rested on her; her half naked body covered in purple marks. "Bloody hell! What happened?" he shouted.
"DOM!" Mia shrieked attempting to pick her dress off the floor to cover her. Jesus Christ, he's gonna go apeshit, and he's seen me in my underwear, how much worse can it get? She cringed. "Yo Dom what's the matter" as Vince nosily stuck his head in the room. "Holy shit!" as his eyes lay on Mia's bruises. Shit, now Vince's seen me half naked too, I need a paper bag, she cried embarrassed.
"You've got sixty seconds to tell me what's going on." Dom's husky "do not mess with me" voice ringed in her ears"
Sixty seconds, she was going to need more than that.
Comments: phew that was long. Hope you thought it was okay, I know that there was a lot of dialogue but I need to have some interaction between Dom, Mia and Vince. Hope you liked it, and don't forget people review. I just want to know what you think. Oh, and the drinking and drugs bit, Yer I've never done them so I don't really know how to explain the feeling. sorry if there's too much swearing and blaspheming.