So I'm sooooo sorry about the delay with this chapter. I have a timeline of events for this story and long story short it wasn't perfect, so I got a touch of writers block. But I'm over it now so here we are.
As usual I like to thank you all for reviewing.
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"Tj! Teej? Are you okay?"
He sat on the ground doubled over in pain with his hands covering his face. Spinelli sat idly by waiting for him to regain the strength to sit up. She leaned over his side to try to sneak a look at his face. It was far too early to see any signs of bruising but she was worried about him. She leaned her head close to his and listened in to his breathing pattern, he sounded fine but he still wasn't responding to her.
She was starting to get nervous. She shook him gently to try to get his attention. Still nothing.
"Come on man give me a sign that you're okay."
He inhaled deeply, Spinelli leaned closer to him in anticipation of his response. He uncovered the lower portion of his face and let out a sizable belch. Spinelli rolled her eyes and backed away from him. Tj sat up slowly still holding a hand over his left eye.
Spinelli kneeled down next to him and rubbed his back. "You want me to get some ice for that?'
Tj shook his head and sighed. "Man you really did a number on my face."
"The cupcakes look fine though." Spinelli pointed to a dessert filled Tupperware container that was dropped up-right on the ground. "Did you make them yourself?"
"Yup just for my best friend who sucker punched me in the face, Happy Birthday Spinelli!" Tj shouted enthusiastically with just a little hint of sarcasm.
"I'm sorry Teej but you scared me, I wasn't expecting a strange man jumping out of the bushes."
"What'd you think someone's ganna to hurt or abduct you in front of your house at 8 o'clock in the morning?"
"Hey you never know, my brother Joey has done some of his most successful scams before dawn."
Tj smiled as Spinelli told him about one of her brother's infamous crimes. The tale was a tad gruesome, but he was glad too hear her open up about one of her brothers as she does so rarely.
At some point during their conversation Tj took his hand away from his face, revealing a slight discoloration under his eye. Spinelli stared at the damage she did to her friend's face, without thinking she gently touched the sore spot with her finger tips. He flinched at the touch and pulled away.
"Sorry! Are you sure you don't want ice for that?"
He shrugged "I'll be fine, now come on we gotta get to school."
When they arrived at school Tj excused himself so he could run to his locker. Spinelli headed to her own locker to grab her books. As she got close she noticed something covering her locker, students were stopping in front of it and admiring it. The first thought that came to mind was that someone vandalized it. Defacing lockers had seemed to be a popular way of communicating at Spiro T. Agnew Middle School. In the past students had vandalized lockers to; protest causes, to tease their peers (Randall's was defaced on a weekly basis.), and they were vandalized as an act of vengeance. One kid in her gym class once had his locker vandalized after he cheated on his girlfriend, she spray painted it pink and wrote numerous profanities and drew risque pictures on it. Normally Spinelli would assume that the prank was preformed by the Ashleys but now a days she seems to have more enemies than friends, it could've been anyone.
"Scram foremans!" She yelled at the crowd of students blocking her path and they scurried out of her way in fear.
Her feelings of anger disappeared when she finally reached her destination. The locker hadn't been vandalized, it was decorated. Birthday themed wrapping paper, streamers, and a collage of pictures covered it top to bottom. One particular picture caught her eye and brought her to a trip down memory lane. It was a picture of the gang during their prime, around the Kings throne at third street elementary. She snapped out of it when the bell rang signaling students to get to their first class.
"AHHHHH!" She screamed bloody murder after finding herself victim of a confetti bomb. The scream drew the attention of the entire student body and soon all eyes were on her. The hallway became silent until the tune of 'happy birthday' began to blast from her locker. She looked around frantically to see where it was coming from. She blushed as a group of students swarmed around her to inspect the noise. She looked into the crowd confused and found Tj standing there with a smug grin on his face.
"You!" She pointed at him accusingly.
He laughed at her accusation and pointed to his bruised eye. "Now we're even."
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Tj and Spinelli walked back to Spinelli's locker before heading to their third period class- history, and for the first time that school year they actually seemed content.
"Wow Tj you really out did yourself on the birthday junk; the cupcakes, the locker, Randall's absence."
He raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly. "Well I had nothing to do with the last one, but you're welcome for the other stuff."
"This has been the least whomp-iest school day this year."
"That's good. I worked hard at making your day not whomp as much, I'm sorry that I didn't work hard enough to make it a good day." He said sarcastically.
She pushed him slightly. "Oh you know what I mean man. Hey can I get another cupcake?"
"Can I get a real compliment first?" He crossed his arms.
"Can I get one of those really good cupcakes, please?" She fluttered her eyelashes.
He chuckled and opened the container of cupcakes, he picked one up and waved it in front of her face teasingly. "Compliment me, and you can have one."
Spinelli opened her mouth to retort, but found Tj's face pressed up against hers. The force of the movement caused the cupcakes to lunge forward out of the container and hit her pretty little white dress.
"Like watch it Detweiler, you're blocking Ashley T's locker." Ashley Q. snapped at him.
Spinelli shot the Ashleys a dirty look and Tj held her before she could pounce.
"Oh don't get upset Spinelli, the frosting is like a huge improvement to that hideous ensemble of yours." Ashley A. laughed, the other Ashleys cackled along with her.
Knowing all to well what would happen next if they stuck around, Tj dragged Spinelli down the hall towards the restrooms. He held the door open to the girls bathroom for her, she shook her head.
"I'm not going to be able to get the stains out and there's no way I'm walking around school covered in frosting all day. I look like a clown threw up on me." She scoffed.
"Can you change into your cheerleading uniform?"
"It's drill team, and no I don't bring it to school unless I have practice or a game. I'm just going to go home and change." She started to walk down the hall towards the exit.
"Wait what about class?"
"Oh they won't miss me in one class."
"Spinelli we're already in a lot of trouble as is. Can't you just have your parents bring you a change of clothes?"
"They're at work, I'm just going to run home and change and I'll be back by lunch. No one will even notice I'm gone."
There was no way he was going to get her to stay, and after all they've been through already they might as well continue down the path of trouble together. Tj ditched class with her and walked her back to her house to get a fresh change of clothes.
"You want something to eat dude?" Spinelli asked Tj as she slid down the stair railing.
"What do you got?"
They walked to the kitchen to rummage for food when the back door opened. A large rugged Italian looking 20 something year old man walked in, wearing a leather jacket, a dark blue t-shirt, dark jeans and leather combat boots. He bore a resemblance to the goon Spinelli hired to be her father on parents night.
"Joey!?"
"Ashley? Hey aren't you supposed to be in school or something?"
"Aren't you supposed to be doing community service or something?"
"Touche baby sister."
She embraced her brother in a hug. "What're you doing back?"
"They let me off community service early cuz of good behavior. So now I'm visiting for a week or two." He took a bottle of root beer from the fridge and cracked it open with his teeth. "So who's your little friend here?"
Tj extended a hand out to Joey. "Hi I'm Tj."
Joey shook his hand and chuckled. "So this is the crazy ringleader of the gang. I'm Joey, Ashes here told me about some of your pranks. I must say impressive work."
"Oh thank you." For the first time in his life Tj was feeling a bit shy. The only thing he knows about Joey is that he was in prison for a few years, but he didn't want to insult the guy by bringing that up. Tj just stood there awkwardly scratching the back of his neck and praying that someone else continues the conversation.
Spinelli had never seen this side of Tj before, she thought it was hilarious and was curious to see what he'd do with this awkward silence, but she also didn't want her friend to be uncomfortable. "So Joe-bro what're you plans while you're in town?"
"I plan on catching up with the boys at some point, but other than that I just came to see the fam. Speaking of fam, have you visited Vito lately?"
"Nah, I haven't seen him since he went in the slammer. Mom thinks that if we visit the prison too often that I'll get too accustomed to it and follow in yours and his footsteps."
"Yup that sounds like Flo's logic. Hey uh visiting hours start in half an hour, you wanna go see him?" Joey waved his keys in the air.
"Definitely!" Spinelli sprinted towards the door, Tj yanked her jacket pulling her towards him.
"Did you forget? We gotta get back to school. Lunch is over in 20 minutes, and we still have three classes left."
"You're ganna have to go back without me Teej, I wanna see my brother."
"Spinelli we can't afford to get caught skipping, we're in so much trouble already. Do you want to get suspended again?"
"I aint stopping you from going back."
Tj crossed his arms and gave her a look of disappointment.
She gave him an apologetic look before following Joey out to his car. Tj was expecting to see a motorcycle or a truck parked out front, he was surprised find that Joey was the proud owner of an old Subaru station wagon.
"Sorry Teej."
"You sure you don't wanna come kid?" Joey opened the back door to the car inviting him to join in on the fun.
Tj looked at Spinelli and sighed. "Okay, I'm in but only cuz it's your birthday."
"Wait it's your birthday sis?"
Spinelli rolled her eyes Joey wasn't always the brightest.
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"This is so exciting! I haven't seen Vito since I was eight!"
"He'll be pleased to see you, he asks about you every time I see him."
Tj silently laughed as he watched Spinelli try to contain her excitement. She looked like a little kid in a toy store; she was bright-eyed grinning ear to ear and she couldn't sit still in her seat.
"I told him how you still wear his old boots, Last time I saw him I gave him a copy of that picture of you from the first time you tried the boots on. You remember that picture?" Joey nudged Spinelli's arm.
Spinelli stopped fidgeting and turned a deep shade of red. "Shut it Joey." Her family just loves to embarrass her.
"Tj remind me to show you that picture." Joey caught Spinelli's fist in action and put her in a headlock, she struggled to break free from his grasp. "Ashley couldn't have been more than two years old, she jacked the boots while Vito was polishing them. We were trying to get them back from her before she got the polish everywhere, but she was in a "everything is mine" phase... So there she was buck naked, putting the boots on and she gets polish all over her...OW!" Joey yelled. Spinelli freed herself and punched Joey in the arm.
Spinelli turned to Tj who was giggling uncontrollably. She shot him a dirty look, he got up from his seat and sat next to Joey. "So you say there's photographic evidence of this?"
Joey lost it. Spinelli growled and stood up to attack them. Joey calmed down and smiled. "Ashley wait!" He pointed over to the door where the inmates arrive. A line of inmates made there way to their families. Joey and Spinelli searched the crowd for their brother with no luck.
"Where is he?" Spinelli pouted. Tj walked over to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
Joey spotted a corrections officer and walked over to chat with him. "Hi I'm here to see my brother Vito Spinelli."
The corrections officer looked confused and exchanged eye contact with his supervisor. "I'm sorry Vito Spinelli won't be taking any visitors this week."
"Excuse me!?" Joey crossed his arms. The corrections officer flinched and looked back at his supervisor.
"Vito Spinelli has been in the SHU for a month, he won't be getting released anytime soon."
