After my birthday, shit settled down, and life… life was pretty fucking incredible. Well, except for school, but I only had to get through a few more months of that bullshit. I more or less moved in with Dom and Mia pretty damned quick, even though I still kept most of my shit at Leon's – I dunno, it just seemed easier that way. Plus he and Amber were still doing their on-and-off merry-go-round shit, and lemme tell you, they got loud sometimes. I didn't wanna be hearing that! I mean, it's one thing when it's me being loud, and it's another when the boys are watching Spice or something, but shit… I don't need to be involved in my cousin's sex life, even if it was just listening, thank you very much. Besides, why be at home listening to them when I could be at the fort getting some action of my own?
And shit, maybe I was hedging my bets, too…keeping some sort of back-up just in case. Christ, even after all these years I've got those same insecurities, even though I know they make me pretty fucking pathetic. But yeah…life with Dom was good. It was my friends that were driving me crazy, and it all started when Jamie decided the way to get Vince more interested in her was to give it up to him.
"Somebody's in love…" Amber teased, leaning over and nudging Mia as Joey walked away from the table after bringing our food. Yeah, another Saturday afternoon, another girls-only meal at Jerry's. And Mia'd moved up in the world – it wasn't just a crush she had on Joey anymore, they'd actually gone out on a few dates.
"I am not!" Mia retorted, blushing. "He's just…sweet…"
"Just don't tell Dom…" I laughed, rolling my eyes as I grabbed a fry an' popped it into my mouth. "He'll be down here threatening to break Joey's neck if Mia gets hurt…."
Amber just grinned, shaking her head. "Nah, I won't tell Dom…as long as you give us all the dirt!" She laughed, pointing a cheese stick at Mia before popping it into her mouth, groaning loudly.
I could almost feel Jamie rolling her eyes in the seat next to me. She was still crushing on Vince for some reason, even though I kept trying to push her towards Miguel to take his mind off of me. It wasn't like they were a couple or anything…. Christ, I can't remember Vince ever being part of a couple. But they got along pretty good, and lately Jamie'd been dropping hints about how she should give it up to him.
"What makes you think there's any dirt to share?" Mia asked, her cheeks flushing even pinker.
"Yeah, I don't think Dom would let that buster anywhere near Mia's room," I teased, laughing. She just makes it too fuckin' easy sometimes!
"Letty!" Mia retorted, glaring at me a little…as much as she ever glared at anybody, I guess. "You're not helping!"
"You're all fucking ridiculous…" Jamie muttered, so low I could barely even hear her.
"Shit, Jamie…what'd that fry ever do to you?" Amber laughed, gesturing to the shredded pile on Jamie's plate. Then she turned back to Mia, trying to get some more information out of her. "C'mon… how far have you let him get?"
"Just because you and Leon can't figure your shit out doesn't mean I'm gonna let you live vicariously through me!" Mia retorted.
"You're such a fucking hypocrite…" Jamie said, her voice louder now as she gestured towards Amber. Swear, everybody's eyebrows raised in shock. Sure, Jamie was definitely part of the group, and she could pretty much hold her own with us by now, but she was still the new girl, the one who didn't quite fit in, with her two-parent, upper-middle class family. We all just sat there, waiting for her to keep going. "You keep trying to spread Mia's legs for her, but then it's like me wanting to be with Vince is the worst idea ever!"
"It is the worst idea ever!" Amber retorted, and I swear, I knew the look on her face…the same one as when she and Leon got into arguing over music, the kind where she's arguing her point and not really mad about it yet but getting there.
"Vince is… Vince…" I said, shrugging, trying to play it off, to explain why nobody was pushing Jamie at him anymore since me and Dom didn't have to hide our relationship. "You know how many skanks I've seen him with over the years? We're just trying to make sure you don't get hurt by him being an ass, which he'll undoubtedly be. And besides," I shrugged again, "it's different for you."
"What is that even supposed to mean, it's different for me?" Jamie retorted, getting even louder.
"It means you ain't never had to worry where your next meal was coming from and what you were gonna hafta do to get it, where you were gonna sleep at night…" Amber said, her voice rising right along with Jamie's. Christ, people were definitely staring at us.I almost thought we were gonna get kicked out, and then I'd have to kick both their asses 'cause I hadn't finished eating yet!
"What, and Mia has?" Jamie asked, glaring back at Amber. "What am I supposed to do, apologize for my family? It's not like I got to choose them or anything!"
"I grew up in Echo Park!" Mia practically shouted, and I just rolled my eyes. You know when Mia's getting heated everything's about to go to shit. "I lost both my parents, my brother was in jail!"
"So anybody who wasn't born and raised in Echo-fucking-Park has to stay a virgin until they're eighty?" Jamie shouted, and shit…. She actually got up and stalked out of the restaurant, leaving me and Amber and Mia just kinda looking at each other, wondering what the fuck just went down.