Thanks again ladies for the reviews. Tell your friends about my story, I need more exposure lol. I want everyone to read it. Even if you don't like it, tell someone who you think might. I just want more reviews and readers. Well enough chitchat, here's 36...

Chapter 36-Breaking Down

Jesse's POV

I was out in my Jetta, thinking about everything that happened today. I can't believe Leon. Getting married and not even asking how I'd feel about it. Maybe I'm overreacting. But ever since we came here from New York, he's been doing his own thing and hardly hangs with me anymore. I need him, he just doesn't know it.

I was too caught up in my thoughts to notice or hear Leon's fiance' getting in my car.

"What are you doing? I asked, turning down my radio.

"Hi, I'm Bianca." She ignored my question, holding out her hand.

"Jesse." I shook her hand. "Now what do you want?" I asked, all manners now out the window. I didn't like this 'Bianca'. She was taking away the only real family I had left. I know Leon deserves to have his own life, but what about me?

"I wanna talk if that's ok with you." She replied, not losing her cool at my behavior towards her.

"'Bout what?" I asked, sitting up in my seat.

"I just wanna get to know you. Here, I have an idea. I'll tell you one thing about me, and you can tell me something about you. We can go from there, ok?" She tried to reason with me. I nodded and took off my shades. "Ok. My name's Bianca and I'm from Atlanta, Georgia." She said, waiting for me to take my turn.

"Um. I'm Jesse and I'm from Brooklyn, New York." I said, looking out the window.

"Cool. What do you like to do for fun? I like to write. I write poetry, music, stories, things like that." She confessed. Wow, maybe she's not an airhead like those other girls.

"Really? I like to write too. But my ADD doesn't allow it much." I joked, trying to kill some of the tension. She laughed. We continued to talk for about fifteen minutes. She wasn't as bad as I first thought. She was really funny and goofy, just like Leon. We sat there, getting to know each, for awhile before I saw Diana coming towards the car.

"Well I guess I'ma go find Leon. Don't be so hard on Leon, k? He's trying." She replied, kissing me on the cheek and getting out the car. Good thing Diana's not a jealous person.

I turned off the Jetta and got out. "C'mon, let's go talk." She grabbed my hand and led me to the house. We walked upstairs and entered my bedroom.

xxx

Letty's POV

It was 7:45 and everyone was lounging around the house. Leon and Bianca went back to Leon's place, for Leon was called in on emercency. Vince was in the living room playing Need For Speed:Most Wanted on the XBOX. Brian was helping Mia study for her college finals in the kitchen. Diana and Jesse were upstairs, unpacking her things. Sasha was still up in her room, sleeping.

Me and Dom were sitting in the den watching a movie. He was sitting; I was laying down, my head in his lap. i hadn't said a word since the movie started, which was usually hard for me not to be a critic during a movie.

"You okay Let?" Dom noticed my silence and knew I wasn't happy.

"How could someone do that to her? I mean she's such a good kid and for someone to hurt her like that ... it's not right." I was still upset about Sasha and what she told everyone. I looked at her like a little sister and to think of something like that happening to her. I felt the need to protect her from everything.

"I know Let. But you don't have to worry about her anymore. She's a big girl, she can take care of herself." Dom assured as he rubbed traces of circles on my bare stomach.

"I know. But I still wanna take care of her too." I admitted, almost immediately regretting it.

"Oh gosh, does ... does Letty have a heart?" Dom acted surprised, his voice full of sarcasm.

"Screw you Dominic." I laughed, smacking him in his chest.

"Naw, I know you care about her Let. This is weird, I've never seen you take such a liken to someone before." Dom said, stroking my hair back.

"Me either. But who knows, maybe I can be nice sometimes." I replied, smiling up at him.

"Yeah right." He joked, poking me in the stomach.

xxx

No POV

In Jesse/Diana's room...

Diana was laying in his bed while Jesse was sitting against it on the floor, looking through an old photo album. It was full of photo's of him and Leon, the team, and his parents. The cover of the album had a photo of what seemed to be Jesse's family. The subject of Jesse and Leon's parents never came up a lot. They didn't feel comfortable talking about.

"Who are they?" Diana asked when Jesse came across a picture of his family and their dog sitting outside of their Brooklyn home.

"That's me and Leon. That's my parents and that was our dog, Roscoe." Jesse explained, pulling the picture from the holder.

"Do any of them have names?" Diana questioned, wanting him to futher explain.

"Yeah. Melanie and Demetrius." He said, his voice cracking at the mention of their names.

"They still live in New York?" She asked, running her hands threw his hair.

"She's dead. He's in prison." He replied, turning the page of the photobook.

"I'm so sorry Jess. Get up here and tell me about it." Diana sat up and allowed Jesse room on the bed. He laid down while she laid next to him, her head on his chest.

"Well I was thirteen and Le was sixteen. My parents always fought. My dad was always beating on my mom. She kept making excuses for him, saying he was having a bad day or he was drunk or anything like that. One day, me and Le were walking home from school when we heard gunshots just a few feet from our house. We ran to the house to find our mother dead on the floor, two shots in her chest. We ran back out of the house and down to our friend, Dorius, house. We called the cops from there and they took our dad away. We stayed with our grandmother until Le was eighteen, then he got full custody of me and we moved here." He remembered the horrifying day, fighting back the tears that threatned to fall. Diana looked up at him with tears in her eyes. She cupped his cheek in her hand and kissed him softly. Pulling back from the kiss, she looked over and gasped at the time on the clock. It read 9:00.

"Shit shit shit!" She said, running out the room. She ran down the hall to Sasha's room. "Sasha get up." She woke her.

"Damn Di. I said 8:30, not 9:00! Damnit." Sasha yelled, grabbing a hoody from her closet and running downstairs.

xxx

Sasha's POV

"Letty can I borrow Marty? I gotta run this food to my mom." I asked Letty, who was half asleep on Dominic lap in the den.

"Yeah, keys are ont he kitchen counter." I ran in there to grab the keys when I was terrified by Vince's shadow. He was standning in the dark, drinking a Corona.

"What the fuck V? Tryna give me a heart attack or something?" I yelled, holding my chest in shock.

"Sorry girl. Where ya off to?" He asked, stepping into the light more.

"Droppin these off. Wanna ride?" I asked, walking to the kitchen door. He nodded and tossed the empty bottle in the trash.

When we got in the car, I flipped my cell open and called my mom. "Ma, I'm bringing the food now. K, bye."

"So you ok Sash?" Vince asked me, staring out the passenger window.

"I'm fine, why?' I asked, curious to why he was worried.

"Well earlier you put a knife to your father's throat without remorse. I'm just wondering if that's something I should thnk about when I'm sleeping?" He said, trying to bring light to the sitiuation.

"Shut up V. I'll be right back." I jumped out the car and ran up to the house. I handed Tony the plates and walked over to my mom, who was laying on the couch. We talked for about ten minutes when I decided it would be beneficial for her to meet the whole team ... once and for all. "Ma you think me and the team could come over next week for dinner?"

"Sure. I'll get the grill up and I'll cook a big dinner. Tell that Vince to bring his appetitie." I smiled, kissed my mother on the cheek, and left. I could tell how miserable my mom was. I wish there was more I could do to help her. To release her of all her pain. But I can't and it kills me. I think it just finally hit me that my mom is dieing. I walked over to Marty and wiped away the tears that managed to creep down my eyes. I slipped in the car and as fast as I could, drove back to home.

"Barbecue at my house Sunday. Everyone is to be there." I yelled stepping into the fort. "That includes you Dom." I poked my head in the den to find Dom dosing off on the couch and Letty already softly snoring.

"Yeah whatever." He replied, picking Letty up and carrying her to their room.

xxx

I was lying in my bed when I finally cracked. The thought of losing my mother broke my heart. I began to cry hard, clasping my pillow hard to my chest. As hard as I tried, I couldn't stop crying. Even when I heard my bedroom door open, I couldn't hide the tears fast enough. I felt someone slip back the covers and get in the bed with me. They slipped their arm over my body and pulled me closer to them. I knew exactly who it was, I could tell those arms from anywhere.

"Let it out baby. It's ok to cry." Vince said softly, brushing the stray hairs from my face. The sincerity and care in voice caused me to softly continue with my cries.

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There was 36. Now stay tuned cus in 37 everything will be revealed. What's the real deal with Maria and Letty??? Hmm you'll soon find out. If you've caught on already, you'll be surprised at the truth ;

Please read&review

-Kita-