I'm glad you guys liked Carlos's POV of Friday night! :) This starts out with a short flashback of Saturday night. Hopefully that is a good compromise between those people who wanted his POV from Saturday and those who were ready to move on. In future chapters I'll try to combine Steph and Carlos's POVs in the same chapter so that we don't have to repeat! Thanks for your PMs and reviews! :)
Carlos's POV - Sunday
I woke up Sunday morning, and a grin stretched across my face. If the guys could see me now, they would tease the shit out of me. I didn't care. I was so happy I felt like my heart would burst. I had asked Stephanie to Homecoming, and she had said yes. She had even kissed me on the cheek before I left. I closed my eyes. I couldn't believe the difference that one day made.
Yesterday had started out pretty dull. Lester and I had spent the entire day at my Uncle Enrique's car dealership. He had hired us this past summer to help out as needed. Mostly we detailed cars and did janitorial work. If they were short handed or really busy, we occasionally helped out with minor mechanical problems or did oil changes.
Usually I enjoyed spending the day there. It was good money and I loved working on cars. Yesterday, however, was torturous. Lester had spent the whole day harassing me about Stephanie. It didn't matter where I went or what I was working on. Lester would pop up behind me and make comments like, "Maybe she'd give you a private half-time show if you asked nicely." or "That long curly hair is just begging to have someone's fingers tangled in it."
If we hadn't been at my uncle's dealership, I would've punched him. Not there, though. My uncle would have been pissed and probably would have fired us both. I didn't want to lose that job. It was good money, and the hours were great. I worked a few hours after school each day and during the day on Saturday. The dealership was closed on Sundays and in the evenings, so I could make it to every football game and go out every Saturday night. Other than a shift during the day on Saturday, my weekend was basically my own. There was no way I could find another job like that.
Besides, then Uncle Enrique would have called Mama. That would be even worse. I'd get a never ending lecture about how important family is and how it wasn't appropriate to kill family members. Even Lester.
Mama had hounded me about Stephanie from the time I got home from work. Was I going to call her? Why didn't I go out with her tonight instead of the guys? Was she seeing anyone? Did I want to invite her over for Sunday dinner?
I had finally escaped by telling her that I had to take a shower and get ready to go. The new action film was out, and the guys wanted to go and see it. We were all saving up to buy newer cars, so we took turns driving. Tonight was Bobby's turn, and we all piled in and headed to the movies.
We got our tickets and walked into the lobby. I was headed over to the concession stand when I saw a flash of curly brown hair out of the corner of my eye. Stephanie? Before I could even think about what I was doing, I started walking over towards her.
She was walking towards the arcade, scanning the crowd as if she were looking for someone. A good looking blond guy came up behind her and grabbed her arm. He spun her around and started talking to her in a harsh tone. "Stephanie, stop acting like a child! I'll drive you home. Let's go."
I picked up my pace and was almost right behind her as she wrenched her arm free. "I don't want you to drive me home! I don't trust you to drive me home!" She spat out.
What was going on here? Was this guy harassing her? I stepped up right behind her and gave the guy a menacing look. He looked back at me, shocked, and I put a hand on Stephanie's shoulder. She turned around and looked at me, and I was certain that I could see relief in her eyes.
"Everything OK, Babe?" I asked. I forced my tone to sound calm, but inside I was far from relaxed.
She blushed. "Um, actually, I need a ride home again." I would gladly take her home, but I wanted to know what was going on. Who was this guy? Had he hurt her?
Before I could ask her anything, the guy interrupted in a biting tone. "Everything is just fine. I'm Stephanie's date for tonight, and I'll make sure that she gets home."
She looked at me with wide eyes, and I knew that she didn't want to go with him. She was afraid of this guy, and there was no way in hell that I would let her leave with him. I put my arm around her shoulder. "She doesn't seem to want you to take her. Why don't you run along? I'll make sure that she gets home."
He glared at my Babe. "Stephanie, let's go!" Was the guy a fucking idiot? I had clearly told him to run along. I really didn't want to get into a fight in the middle of the arcade, but that was what was about to happen if this guy didn't walk away. And soon.
She shook her head and my heart swelled as she said, "Carlos can give me a ride home."
"You've got to be kidding me!" he said contemptuously. "You're going to let this guy drive you home? Even if you do manage to make it there in one piece, your mother will kill you once you get there!" I knew that he thought she was too good for me, just like her mother did. But that was too bad, because Stephanie had chosen me over him.
"Good night, Dickie!" she responded. I put my arm around her and guided her away from him.
I was furious when she told me what had happened in the movie theater. How could anyone ever dream of taking advantage of someone as sweet and innocent as Stephanie? Or was that the attraction? Did he just want to take that from her? I was glad that I had been there for her. Otherwise she might have accepted a ride home from Dickie, and who knows what would have happened. Dickie. Seriously, who goes by Dickie?
The only behavior more shocking than Dickie's had been her mother's. Even after hearing how he had treated Stephanie, her mother still wanted her to go to Homecoming with him. Just so that she could have a date and go to the dance. What kind of mother treats their child that way? If one of my sister's dates had treated them like Dickie had treated Stephanie, my parents would be shipping them to Abu Dhabi in a crate, not encouraging my sister to go to a dance with them. At least Stephanie's father seemed to be rational. He had put his foot down, absolutely forbidding Stephanie to see him again.
I wasn't sure how he would react when I offered to take her to the dance, but he seemed fine with it. Maybe even happy.
I grinned like a lovesick idiot until I realized that I still had to tell my parents that I was going to Homecoming. With a girl. I groaned and rolled out of bed to take a shower.
Steph's POV- Sunday
The good thing about working at a bakery was that I worked at a bakery! I was surrounded by sweets, and the owners didn't mind if I ate a couple pastries every now and then. The bad thing about working at a bakery was that the busiest times were early mornings. That meant that even after a late night, I had to get up early to go to work.
Sunday morning was a pretty boring repeat of Saturday. I woke up early and headed into the bakery. Sunday was always the busiest day of the week. Everyone stopped in to get doughnuts on their way to or from church.
The lines were long, and the first few hours of my shift flew by. Looking up to wait on my next customer, I was startled to see a flaming skull tattoo. "Cal!" I grinned.
He looked up at me and smiled as he recognized me. "Stephanie!"
He was dressed in a suit and tie. I guess the tattoo didn't get him out of church every week. The lady with him smiled at me while she elbowed him sharply in the side. He winced as he introduced me to his mother.
"How do you two know each other?" she asked me politely.
I grinned as I filled their order. "Cal and his friends helped me get my car started after the football game Friday night. My battery had died, and they were kind enough to give me a jump start."
She looked hopefully between the two of us. "Do you go to Trenton High?"
I nodded as I packed the last doughnut into their box.
"Do you have a date for Homecoming?" she fished.
"Mom!" Cal looked mortified.
"I do." I admitted. "Actually I'm going with a friend of Cal's."
Cal's mother looked disappointed for just a minute then leaned towards me and whispered loudly, "Maybe you could help Cal find a date and you could all go together!" She grinned and looked meaningfully at him. He took a deep breath and stared at his shoes. I bit my lip to keep from laughing out loud.
Finally he picked his head back up and looked at me. "If you and Carlos want to double with a friend of yours, that might be fun."
I smiled back at him. "Let me see if any of my friends need a date, and I'll let you know, OK?"
His cheeks were bright red as he nodded. His mother gave me a blinding smile. "So nice to have met you, dear!" she called as they walked out of the bakery.
I waved and thought about my mother's reaction if I went to Homecoming with Cal. I snickered as I pictured her showing everyone pictures. And here are Stephanie's Homecoming pictures. This boy here with the flaming skull tattoo was her date. I snorted. Nope, those pictures certainly wouldn't be framed and in the living room!
About an hour before closing, Carlos walked into the bakery. When I saw him, I grinned so wide that my cheeks hurt. He grinned back and walked up to the counter.
"How's your day been, Babe?" he asked.
"Pretty good so far, Batman!" I teased back.
The bakery was empty, so I walked around the counter and sat with him at a high table. We visited for a few minutes before I had to start getting things ready to close. Carlos offered to help me with my closing routine, but I felt guilty taking him up on the offer. After all, this was my job. I didn't want to take advantage of his stopping by.
"Come on, Stephanie." He coaxed. "You probably have to at least mop and take out trash, right?"
I nodded. "I'll do that and you can count the drawer and take care of the pastries, OK?"
I bit my lip and nodded at him. "That would be great, thanks!"
I locked the front door and pulled out the cash register drawer. I counted it down and got the bank deposit bag ready while Carlos mopped the front of the store. He had just moved into the kitchen area to mop when I heard a knock on the front window. I looked up.
Joe Morelli was standing outside the locked door, hands tucked lazily in his front pockets, and a sexy grin on his face. I walked over, unlocked the door, and cracked it open.
"We're already closed. Did you need something, Joe?" I asked.
He grinned at me and gently pushed the door open, sliding past me into the store.
"We still have some pastries in the display counter. I was just getting ready to pack them up and put them on the day old shelf for tomorrow." I offered.
Joe shook his head and slowly backed me up against the wall behind the counter. I swallowed nervously.
"Do you know what my favorite dessert is?" he asked huskily.
I shook my head. I was starting to get nervous about where this was going.
"Cupcakes." Joe answered breathily. "Know why I love them so much, Cupcake?"
I put my hand on his chest. "Joe…" I started quietly.
"Because they're soft and sweet and good to eat." He continued, his hands reaching around and grabbing my ass, pulling me towards him.
His pushed his hips against mine as his lips pressed against my mouth. My heart was racing, and thoughts were running crazily through my mind. I tried to push against Joe's chest, but he grabbed both of my hands in one of his. His other hand snaked up the front of my shirt and roughly grabbed one of my breasts through my bra.
I pulled my head back. "Joe! Stop!" I said breathlessly, trying to wiggle the rest of me free.
Joe pushed me against the wall, maneuvering one of his thighs between mine. "Come on, Cupcake." He whispered huskily. "You know you want it."
I shook my head. "No, Joe!"
He pulled my arms behind my back and captured both of my wrists in one of his hands. His other hand tangled into my curls and pulled my head to the side. He began sucking on my neck, and I started whimpering.
"Joe, please!" I cried.
He pulled back and grinned. "You don't have to beg, Cupcake." Then he leaned back down and captured my lips.
When he leaned back, I screamed, "Stop!" at the top of my lungs.
Joe looked at me, stunned, as Carlos came running into the front of the store. He took one look at Joe pinning me to the wall, his hand tangled in my hair, and he stalked over to us. When he saw my tear-stained face, Carlos balled up his fist and punched Joe right in the mouth. He pulled back and punched him again, this time in the nose. Joe grunted and fell to the floor. Carlos picked him up and dragged him to the back of the store.
I slid down the wall and sat on the floor as I listened to the back door swing open and then slam closed a minute later.
Carlos strode back into the front of the store and kneeled in front of me.
"What did you do with him?" I asked in a whisper.
"Put him out with the rest of the trash." Carlos answered.
I giggled as I pictured Carlos throwing Joe into the dumpster. Carlos looked at me, concerned. I could tell that he was worried about me and trying to figure out why I was laughing.
He pulled me onto his lap, and my giggles turned to sobs. I straddled him, wrapping my arms and legs around him and held him as tight as I could. I could feel my body shuddering as he rubbed my back. "Shhh, Querida," he murmured.
My sobs slowed to hiccups and then quieted to sniffles as Carlos continued to comfort me. After a few minutes, he cupped my face in his hands and leaned back to look at me. "Are you OK, Stephanie? Did he hurt you?"
I shook my head no. "I'm fine." I offered him a watery smile.
Carlos squeezed my shoulder. "Why don't you sit down and relax for a minute? Just tell me what else you need to do to close."
I took a deep breath. "I can't do that! You've already done all the mopping and all the trash."
I stood up and wiped the tears from my cheeks. I sniffed a few more times and bit my lip as I started moving pastries to containers on the day old shelf. Without a word, Carlos grabbed a container and started filling it as well.
When we finished, I wiped down the inside of the display case and the counter top. Turning off the lights in the back, I grabbed the cash bag from under the register. I gave Carlos a weak smile. "I just have to drop this in the night deposit box at the bank."
Carlos rubbed my back and guided me towards the door. "Then let's go, Babe."
TBC