Thank you to everyone who has liked, reviewed, or even just glanced at this story so far! I just want to add the note that it has been about three to four years since Rules of Attraction so ages go: Marie – 15 (almost 16) Luis – 16 (almost 17), Carlos/Kiara – 20, Alex/Brittany – 22. I'm thinking this story should be about 15 chapters so 12 more to go, happy reading everyone! :D

Marie

"Yeah dad, I'm fine. Don't worry." I say, trying to do the complicated act of cradling my phone between my shoulder and the side of my head as I went looked in the small bathroom mirror as I clipped my hair back. God bless the person who created banana clips. Easy to use but classy to look at.

"Well I'm glad you're settled in kiddo." His voice sounds old and worn and familiar.

"And you're sure you can handle everything on your own?" I ask skeptically, putting the phone down quickly so I can throw on a new shirt. One that wasn't wrinkled from hours of sitting on the plane.

"I have dinner made and everything, and you thought this old man wouldn't be able to handle living alone." As he said this I hear the clang of pots hitting the ground. "Dang it!"

I can't help but laugh, "That's because you can't old man." He laughs at my teasing which is why I love him. He and I have always gotten along; he can be my best friend and my dad all in one. "Well I've got to go eat, I'll talk to you later dad. Love you."

"Love you too baby girl." He calls before hanging up. I sort of wish he and I were still talking but I knew if I wanted him to think I was okay I had to get on with my life for now. Besides, I am okay. I'm a big girl and can handle myself.

Giving myself one quick glance in the mirror I take note of my appearance. Jeans, black boots, green tank top. Despite the chill of Colorado in November I was pretty warm.

Knock, knock, knock.

"Coming!" I call as I brush a stray strand of hair out of my eyes. When I open the door Luis is there smirking down at me. It's one of the disadvantages of being short; everyone is looking down at you no matter what.

"You're late." He told me.

"I wouldn't be if you would get out of my way." I tell him rolling my eyes and slipping past him. He laughed as he followed me while I followed my nose to the food. When I entered the small kitchen I saw a large group of people in a very small room.

"Luis!" Mrs. Fuentes calls, "Ayudame with the plates!"

Despite being annoying, I was sort of glad Luis had been behind me because I at least sort of knew him. Or I knew him before, which was the best I could get for now. But he went off in the direction of the oven to help his mother.

Before I had time to figure out who was who Mrs. Fuentes was calling us all to sit down. I quickly took a seat between Alex and a girl with dark hair. "Hola chickita! I wanted to introduce you to someone," He said with a smile putting his arm around the blonde next to him. "This is my fiancée Brittany. Brittany this is Marie Burns."

"Hello Marie." Brittany says politely offering her hand to me, which I shake gently. She looks so out of place here, but oddly belongs. Alex kisses her on the cheek and she pushes him away playfully, "How was your flight?"

"It was alright." I tell her as I hear my name come from behind me.

"Kiara the little chickita over there is Marie. The girl from Chicago." Carlos's voice is loud over the mass of noise coming from the room. Kiara's brown eyes look down at me and from her loose fitting t-shirt she's a strong contrast to Brittany in her nice skirt and sweater. "Ay chickita this is my novia, Kiara. You're almost as pretty as her…if you squint."

Kiara punches him in the arm, hard, for his teasing. Which makes me laugh. Which in turn makes her laugh, and then Brittany and Alex as well. It's a nice tension breaker, my smile feels less forced and more relaxed now. Settling back in the chair Kiara says, "I'm at Colorado State, my dad teaches there, this asshole next to me," Her elbow very neatly catches him in the side but he grabs it and turns her around.

"I might be un culero but you love me anyway." He says giving her a smirk and then a peck on the lips. Kiara rolls her eyes but kisses him back. Which gives me the feeling I'm sitting between two very in love couples. Yay fifth wheel.

Where is Luis…

"The asshole is going to the Military Academy." Luis says as he puts plates in front of each of us and takes a seat across from me. "Alright let's eat!" He declares as if it was his job to inform us when we could eat or not.

I'm starving, normally I'm not big on eating a whole lot but after seven hours of travel one builds up an appetite. I quickly reach my hand out for a roll which is right in front of me. Instead of meeting a squishy piece of bread my fingers graze against a hard and smooth bit of skin. Immediately I jerk my hand away and take the next closest piece as Luis's hand closes on the roll I was going for.

When I look at him he winks with a wicked smile and takes a bit of his roll. Luis has grown up a lot. He's no longer a skinny little kid. He's got features like his brothers, tan skin and big hands, hair that curls into his eyes, and is around five foot eleven if I had to guess. And he's no awkwardly lanky bean pole either; he's got enough muscle on him to show that he works out in some way, shape, or form.

But honestly I've dated guys that look like him before so it really wasn't a big deal. Not that I'm a slut or anything, I've only dated two guys before, and both were from the Latino Blood hood so they were naturally bad ass Latinos. So overall Luis is nothing I haven't seen before.

Though he does have very smooth and sturdy hands…

I quickly load some chicken and rice onto my plate so as to stop thinking what I had just been thinking about.

"So, you're in Luis's grade, right?" Brittany asked over the other voices in the room.

"Yeah, I'm a junior." I tell her with a grimace.

"Tough year, but not impossible." She says with an encouraging nod, "You can do it."

If this girl had lived in Fairfield she was definitely on Poms.

"What do you like to do?" She continues, taking a bite of chicken, "I used to live in Fairfield you know. I was co-captain of Poms for a while, it took up a lot of my time. But you know, extracurricular are always good."

I totally called that one, not that there's anything wrong with Poms. Isabel, a girl who babysat me when I was younger, was on Poms and I thought she was the coolest person in the world. Being the impressionable kid that I was at the time I thought I would join Poms when I got older. But when I finally got to high school it really wasn't my idea of a good time anymore. Too many north siders.

"I used to dance when I was younger, but I was never really Poms material." I tell her as I take a spoonful of rice. It's spicy so I quickly take a bite of bread.

Word to the wise, when you eat something spicy always take bread over water. Water only spreads the spice, bread will calm it.

"What kind of dance did you do?" She inquires, I'm a bit tired of talking but I can't very well say that.

I don't dislike Brittany, she's very friendly, it's just I'm tired and so being near friendly and peppy people isn't really working for me right now. I try to turn back to my food but I realize I've eaten most of my dinner so I can't stuff my face to avoid continuing talking.

With a sigh I put my napkin on my lap and say, "I used to take classical-"

I hear a snort from across the table.

"Got a problem Luis?" I ask giving him a smile that contradicts the sassy tone of my voice.

"No chickita not at all." He says with a smirk, "I'm just imagining you with your ghetto looks doing anything classical."

"Luis!" Alex snaps at him as Mrs. Fuentes shouts, "Callate la boca!"

Rolling my eyes, something I've done a lot tonight, I tell Alex, "It's okay, I don't think Luis would know class if it hit him in the face. And I've only been with him for a good half hour so that's saying something." With my smile still sticking I turn to Luis and say, "Could you pass me a roll?"

"This chickita has fire!" Carlos says with a laugh, "I like her." Everyone else laughs because no one was taking the conversation seriously. Obviously it was just two kids being rude to one another. Nothing new.

I'm glad Carlos approves, it makes me feel like I won this fight. But when I look back at Luis I can see him chuckling darkly, a sly smile on his face. He passes a roll to me and raises an eyebrow when I don't take it right away. And suddenly I'm more frustrated with him than before, because I don't get him!

There's a beep outside and Luis hops up, giving his mom a kiss on the cheek, "Mis amigos are here. I'll see you later mama. Adios!"

Before he gets out of the room he gives me a sly smile like he knows something I don't and then runs out of the room.

The door shuts and the car drives away. Mrs. Fuentes is asking me something about Fairfield, it's about their cousin Elena and her son Jose I think. But I'm a bit distracted. Because as I went to take a bite of the bread Luis passed me, the bread that for some reason in my travel tired mind meant victory, I noticed something.

There was a bite out of the left corner. And all I can see now is the wink Luis gave me when grabbed this role as I blushed stupidly over brushing hands with him. That stupid wink.

Take a bite out of the right corner but it's not worth it, I'm not hungry anymore. Tossing it onto my plate I begin to talk to the rest of the Fuentes', Brittany, and Kiara.

That stupid wink.