7

Amy

"Oh my God," Sonia groaned as she covered her ears with her pillow.

I was sitting next to her with a frown on my face. It was a late hour on Friday night. My fathers were out at a gallery showing, and they weren't going to be back until late. On nights like these, Sonia and I usually took the opportunity to have a sleepover. When we were younger, we'd stay up all night playing video games, talking, and watching movies. Ms. Aleena didn't mind us staying up as long as we were quiet.

Even tonight we had plans to stay up for the rest of the night – or at least for as long as we could. At the moment, both of us were lounging on Cat's bed in our pajamas, taking turns scooping out portions of ice cream from the carton of cookies and Blazethat sat between them.

The room was dark; the light from one of the SBlazemovies lit up the room. We were doing our best to pay attention to the movie. Aside from the exhaustion from our long school week and after-school jobs making it hard for us to consciously watch the movie, the loud sounds coming from Sonic's room were beginning to get on our last nerve.

The racking of his headboard against the wall adjacent to Cat's room and the high pitched moans of whatever random girl he had in his room had been going on intermittently for the past few hours.

We thought we'd be used to the noise by then as it had become a pastime over the past year. Almost every sleepover we had, we were forced to deal with the annoying noises of Sonic and whatever girl he'd managed to charm. In the beginning, we'd bang on the wall in response. That usually resulted in a screaming match from the separate rooms. Then we made the mistake of actually knocking on his door and demanding that he be quiet. Sonic had opened the door naked, scarring both of our eyes, and then he ended up making even more noise after promising he'd quiet down. At that point, we decided to deal with the noises and yell at him once his fling left. If we were lucky, Sonic would stop soon. The recent noise had been going on nonstop for almost an hour; he had to be tired.

We sighed in relief as the moans did die down, and we were able to hear the movie without any interfering noises.

Sonia rose from her spot on the bed and held her ear to the door, waiting for their retreating footsteps. "Ready to give him a piece of our mind?" She asked.

I nodded. I followed her out into the hallway and leaned against Sonic's open doorway. My arms crossed against my chest as Sonic walked down the hall, clad in only a pair of his boxers. He tried to ignore our presence, attempting to walk right past us into his room.

In unison, Sonia and I stepped in his way.

"Move," he said, irritation laced in his deep voice.

"No," Sonia snapped. "How many times do we have to tell you to not

be obnoxiously loud whenever you have one of your little flings over?"

He shrugged. "As many times as you want. If you didn't notice, I stopped listening to the two of you forever ago. I think you just like wasting your breath and bothering me. Besides, you don't see me poking my nose into your business when I hear you and your fuck head boyfriend going at it in your room. If I wanted to, I could easily just tell mom and Manic about him – and his extracurricular activities."

Sonia narrowed her eyes. "You wouldn't."

"I would. You're lucky I haven't already. I'm sure Manic and mom would love to hear about how you're banging a drug dealer under their roof when they're not home. I'd like to see how fast they put you on house arrest. I don't think you'd like that now would you?"

"You're such an ass, Sonic," Sonia said stonily before she stormed into her room.

"Why are you being so mean?" I asked. "We're just asking for a little peace and quiet."

"I don't care. You two should mind your own business the same way I do when I see you two doing something you shouldn't be. Don't think I don't know about your little detour on your way to the shops last weekend. You two helping them sell drugs now?"

I crossed my arms. "We're not helping them do anything. We were just hanging out with them."

"Oh, I never thought taking a girl to your drug deals counted as a date. It doesn't sound real romantic, but if that's what you two are into then go for it. What are you guys gonna do for your next date? Go gangbanging at the park?"

I shook my head, his words sharp against my chest. "You really are a jerk." I turned to go, but Sonic caught my wrist. I immediately whipped my hand away from his touch.

"Amy," Sonic murmured. He reached again for my wrist. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to throw a blow like that."

"Yeah, I'm sure you don't mean to let Sonia down and break down every inch of your relationship with Manic either, do you?"

Sonic looked away, the muscles in his jaw clenching.

"Of course not," I whispered. "Goodnight, Sonic." I turned towards Cat's room.

My best friend was back in her spot on the bed, her eyes glued to the television screen and her spoon of ice cream in her mouth.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

She nodded. "I'm fine. I'll be better after I put some Nair in his shampoo."

I giggled, climbing onto the bed to sit beside her. I scooted close to her and lay my head on her shoulder.

She held out the ice cream carton to me.

Wordlessly, I grabbed the extra spoon and resumed eating away my worries with her.

Late the next morning, I headed back to my house. Sonia had a shift at Mrs. Lopez's salon, and I wanted to snag a few hours of alone time before my date with Jet. I breezed through the front door and wandered into the kitchen. My fathers were sipping coffee together at the small table, a small chess board sitting between them.

"Good morning," I said. I pecked a kiss at both of their cheeks.

"Buenas dias, princesa," Marc said with a smile. "How was your night?"

"Fine," I replied with a shrug.

"You and Sonic go at it again?" Benny asked with a soft smirk.

"Yeah," I sighed. She waltzed across the room to grab a plastic

bowl from the cabinet. "Just not in our usual way. I'm actually pretty upset

with him right now."

"Why? What'd he do? Do I need to get on his case when he comes

to work later?"

I grabbed a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch from the pantry and poured the cereal into a bowl. "He didn't do anything specifically. He's just been a real jerk lately." I grabbed a carton of milk out of the fridge and added it to my cereal. "It's not like him. I know he's not the nicest person ever, but he's never been this cruel to everyone before. I'm kind of worried about him."

"Have you tried just talking to him about how you feel about his actions?" Marc asked. "You two were pretty close not too long ago; maybe you'll be able to talk him out of whatever funk he's in."

"Maybe," I murmured. "I don't know."

As much as I hated to admit it, I was sincerely worried about him. Ever since the beginning of the school year, he hadn't been the same. Sure, he wasn't always nice; he enjoyed annoying me, and we had our fights, but at the end of the day they were friends. I could go to him about anything, and he'd find some way to cheer me up. Not too long ago, I considered him one of my best friends. I'd never say it aloud, but I missed hanging out with him. I missed his mean yet lighthearted jokes, his laughter when we wrestled, and his tight hugs when I was sad. I missed the joy he made me feel. If only I hadn't messed it all up at the end of last summer. Maybe I'd still be reveling in all the pure emotions he used to offer me.

After eating breakfast, I retreated upstairs and lay in bed. I cracked open a novel on my Kindle and read to pass the time. I wasn't exactly excited about my date with Jet, but I wasn't dreading it either. Honestly, I wasn't expecting much out of our time together. I already knew what to expect: some flirting, some talking, maybe a few kisses. I wished it brought some butterflies to my stomach at the thought, but they were all hiding away in their caves. At least I had an opportunity to get out of the house for a little while. A novel could only keep the clouds in my mind at bay for so long.

Eventually, I pulled myself away from the story and began to get ready for my date. I showered and washed my hair. I straightened my pink curls and styled big, bouncy curls using the curling iron Sonia lent me. I threw on a simple yet nice outfit of black skinny jeans, long sleeved red top that hugged my shape and hid away the gruesome scars, and a comfortable pair of black heels.

I experimented with natural bronzes and browns on my eyelids, and used a matte red on my plump lips. To complete the outfit, I threw on a warm leather jacket.

Papa raised an eyebrow at me as I descended the stairs.

"I know, I know. Be careful, and call the moment I get a bad feeling," I said. I walked over to peck a kiss at his cheek. A smile tugged at my lips at the sight of the stain I left behind. "I promise I'll be home by eleven, papa."

"Be safe, princesa," Papa said.

"I will." I gave him a soft hug before clicking off towards the front door.

I walked outside where Jet was waiting. He was leaning on my stoop railing with a cigarette between his teeth. He was dressed in a simple attire of dark wash jeans, cotton button up, unzipped jacket and clean Silver 's.

He smiled at me as I approached him. "Hello gorgeous," he said. He opened his arms for a hug, and I obediently went in.

We held hands as he drove us to one of the high end restaurants downtown. It was a cute little restaurant near Main Street with elegant string lights tracing the ceiling, a quartet of musicians in the corner, and lavish velvet seats. I tried to maintain the smile on my face as I looked over the outrageous prices on the menu.

"Get whatever you want," Jet said. He offered me a grin as I looked up. "I can afford it."

"I know," I murmured. "This place is just unreasonably expensive."

"It's alright. A girl like you only deserves the best."

Blood threatened to rush across my cheeks. I looked back down at the menu. "Thanks."

"You don't have to be so shy," Jet said. He reached across the table, offering his open hand. "As long as we've known each other, you should know I have only the best of intentions."

"I know." I put my hand in his larger one, briefly studying the vast size difference. My thumb caressed the side of his palm. "Lately, there's just some things that have made me worry about you…"

"What kinds of things?"

I hesitated. "Why'd you join a gang?" I whispered almost inaudibly. "Growing up, I never thought you'd become that kind of person. I understand the generational thing, but I just…I never took you as a Crip member. It's strange seeing the most decent guy I know walking around with a gun at his waist and a bandana wrapped around his head. It's unnerving, and it scares me."

Jet raised an eyebrow. "It bothers you…that I'm in a gang?"

"Yes."

"Is that why you became so distant last year? Because I was jumped in?"

"It's not the whole reason, but it's a good fraction of it."

His fingers wrapped around my hand and gave a gentle squeeze. "Amy, believe me when I say that you have nothing to be scared about. I would never let anything happen to you nor would I ever hurt you. I've been your humble admirer since sixth grade. Do you really think I'd be of any harm to you?"

"I like to think you're not," I murmured. I slowly pulled my hand out of his. I crossed my arms against my chest and cradled myself. "I'm sorry…"

"It's fine." He scrutinized my small frown and downcast eyes. "It's good that you're telling me this. I want you to be comfortable around me. If that means discarding my bandana and my gun once in a while that's fine." He reached across the table to capture my chin. He gently brought my eyes back up to meet his. "This Crip situation doesn't have to matter when it comes to the two of us. All that has to matter is you, and me, and how we feel about each other. You like me, don't you?"

I nodded.

"And I really like you. There doesn't have to be anything else besides that, alright?"

I forced a smile. "Yeah. Okay."

Jet gently squeezed my chin one last time before finally releasing me. With a smile, he changed the conversation to lighter topics. He managed to make me laugh and smile as we ate.

During the scary movie we attended, I leaned into his embraces and accepted the soft kisses he offered. His stupid jokes and urgent kisses distracted me from the ever-present clouds in my mind. For just a little while, I was able to acknowledge the tiny butterflies fluttering cautiously outside of their safe havens. Maybe I could really like Jet. Maybe I could learn to

love him. Maybe one day he'd actually be able to make me happy.

After the movie, I was craving some ice cream. Jet suggested to drive to my father's restaurant. Everyone in town knew my Daddy not only had the best soul and fried foods, but his place also had the best milkshakes. The familiarity of my father's restaurant, and his delicious milkshakes, were sure to end their date off on a high note.

Together, we walked hand in hand into Daddy's brightly lit restaurant. The mouth-watering smell of fried meats and cheesy noodles wrapped around my body like a cozy blanket, shooing away any of the dark clouds still lingering in my mind.

We sat across from each other in a booth near the window. Jet stared at me with an eager grin, and I returned it with a soft smile of my own.

My smile dimmed as Sonic approached our table. He wasn't looking up at us. His eyes were fixated on his small notepad, his fingers flipping through the pages to find an empty one. He began reading off his usual spiel as he did so. He only looked up at them when he was finished. A wide smile erupted across his face as our eyes met. "Oh, hey short stack." He glanced at Jet. "What's up, short stack's boyfriend?"

I glared at him. "Can you make yourself useful and get me a cookies and Blazemilkshake?"

"Hmm, that seems like such a waste of my time. If you tip me twenty bucks, then maybe I'll think about it."

I rolled my eyes and shook my head. I really wasn't in the mood to entertain his antics right now.

Sonic tilted his head at me. "Hey, boyfriend, do you mind if I steal her for a second?" He asked, his eyes remaining on me.

Jet glared at Sonic. "Yes," Jet said.

"Wow, look at that: I don't care." He gently grabbed my arm and hoisted me up from my seat. "Come here. Let me talk to you for a second," he murmured low enough that only I could hear.

"Hey," Jet interjected. He moved to stand, but stopped when I held my hand up.

"It's fine," I said. "Just give me a few minutes."

Jet sighed in frustration, irritation flashing through his once friendly eyes.

Sonic dragged me through the kitchen to the back door where we went out into the chilly late night weather.

The wind whipped through my curled locks as I spoke. "What do you want?" I asked.

Sonic sighed. "Look, I'm sorry for what I said last night. I'm sorry I keep hurting your feelings. I don't mean to, and you know I don't. I just…I haven't been thinking before I speak. I've been saying things that only express the anger behind what I feel, and I haven't been considerate of how that's going to make someone else feel – especially you." He reached out to caress her arm. "You know you're the last person I ever want to hurt."

"Yeah," I murmured. "You keep saying that."

He gently grabbed my chin and pulled my eyes up to meet his. "I mean it. I'm sorry. I know words don't make anything better, but I'm willing to try to be nicer – if that means you won't be mad at me anymore."

I raised an eyebrow. "What if I wasn't done being mad at you yet?"

Sonic smirked. "Well that's too bad. I'm never nice without a price." He pulled my body against his, enveloping me into a tight hug.

A smile pulled on my lips as he gently swung me in his arms. "I guess I forgive you," I said. "But you have to be serious about being nicer. I'm tired of arguing with you."

"Don't worry, short stack. It'll only be pillow fights and smart remarks from here on out."

"Good." I relaxed in his embrace. I wouldn't say it aloud, but I missed being held in his strong arms at a time when we weren't wrestling. The rapid beat of his heart and the radiating heat of his body was something I'd become all too familiar with. I reluctantly pushed him away as the smoldering warmth in the pit of my stomach heightened in temperature. "Now seriously, go make me a milkshake. And Jet wants the same flavor."

"Fuck Jet," Sonic said. He gently shoved me back. "Don't get fucked up, short stack. I may be on the clock, but that hasn't stopped me from whooping your ass before."

I giggled. "Yeah, yeah. You're all talk."

"Mhmm, we'll see who's all talk tomorrow when I put you on your ass."

Amy put her hands on her hips. "Why wait until tomorrow? What's stopping you from doing it right now?"

"Because I'm sure Benny is about three seconds away from wondering where I ran off to. Come on; I've got money to make." He held the back door open for me. He grinned when I playfully shoved his shoulder when I passed. He followed me back into the restaurant.

I skipped back to the booth with Jet. His eyebrows rose as I slipped into his side of the booth and lay my head on his shoulder. His arm slithered around my shoulders and held me close.

I closed my eyes, listening to his heartbeat and waiting for even a slither of what I'd felt moments ago. The small flames in the bottom of my tummy had ceased, leaving my ribs cold. I snuggled my head against his chest, desperate to spark some warmth in the midst of my body's winter. But, there was nothing. Jet's heartbeat was too steady. His body wasn't warm enough. All of it was too unfamiliar - too new to feel comfortable next to.

I opened my eyes and glanced across the room. Immediately, I connected with Sonic's brown eyes, filled with green flames that would've burned Jet to the ground if he was looking. I absorbed them instead, silently telling myself I'd take whatever warmth I could - even if it meant pretending to be in the arms of the one I really wanted.