Thanks for the reviews! I'm glad to it's starting to pick up! I love hearing what you guys think of the story. How hott were Juice's scenes on Tuesday? I for one died lol. He definitely inspired lol. Big thanks to my beta and friend Kupkakes! I do not own anything in this chapter, besides Savannah, everything else belongs to their rightful owners.

Chapter 8

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Savannah had to get out of here. She'd woken up with the urge to flee from the apartment building as soon as she could get herself ready for the day. Classes didn't start for a couple more hours, but there was no way she was going to be able to go back to sleep and she knew if she didn't leave early, she was risking a run in with two people she really didn't want, or need, to see right now.

All night long she'd been envisioning what would happen if she walked down the hall to Skylar's apartment and pounded on the door until the back stabbing blonde opened it. Jealousy was fueling her anger towards the both of them, but mostly just at the girl who was supposedly her friend. Now she remembered why she didn't have any. Girl friends were trouble.

On the other hand, she knew that neither of them owed her explanation. She really didn't deserve one deep down. She'd turned Juice down, multiple times, and told Skylar she wasn't interested in anything with him.

But still, wasn't there a rule about this bullshit? Skylar knew Sav had been with Juice and she liked him. She should have known not to go there, they were friends. Her only friend and that was what made this hurt so much more.

Pulling on a sports bra, she slipped her running jacket over it, zippering it to just under her chest. Track pants and sneakers were next, and she was ready to go. A run would clear her head and get her going on getting back in shape. Not that she physically was out of shape, but she sure felt it last night running from table to table like it was a freaking marathon. The walk home had been killer.

Savannah finger combed her long dark hair back into a ponytail as she went to grab her water bottle bottle from the counter. Cell phone was a check stuffed into her bra, keys in pocket, time to blow this place before the volcano inside of her erupted.

She stepped out into the hallway, pausing to lock the deadbolt behind her. She tensed when she heard another door clicking shut . Did he have radar or something? Look out of the peephole until he saw her coming out? Or maybe it was just really bad luck on her part. Whatever it was, it was definitely unwanted. She rested her forehead against the door, willing him not to speak to her.

"Hey princess, you're lookin hot." Juice broke the silence, moving away from the door as quietly as he could.

He didn't want to wake Skylar, she realized. She took a deep breath, counting to three before she turned around to face him. "I'll see you in class, Ortiz."

She had to get out of here as fast as she could. She glanced at the stairwell, considering taking it on the off chance she got stuck in the elevator with him. Maybe he'd get the next one. The small voice in the back of her head told her not to count on it. If taking into consideration every move Juice had ever made towards her, she knew the possibility of him not taking chance to be alone with her was slim to none. Fuck.

Just as she knew he would, Juice got onto the elevator with her. He looked almost smug as he rocked back and forth on his heels. He was still in the same clothes he'd been in the night before, and the dark hickey he was sporting proudly on his neck told her exactly what had occurred last night. Not that sucking face in the hallway hadn't already clued her in on that first.

"Why the long face, princess? Jealous?" Juice asked with a grin that had his tongue pressed against his teeth, making it look that much more cute.

Glancing at him with what she hoped was a bored expression, she knew that was exactly what he wanted to hear her say. He wanted her to admit to hating the fact that he slept with her friend. He was right across the hall, doing god only knows what, while she was asleep. He wantd her to say it aloud, that she wanted to slap the hell out of Skylar, but there was no way she was going to give him that satisfaction.

"You wish Juice. I don't care who you fuck." Lie, such a lie. "If you're expecting me to break down in tears over you, you've got another coming." Another lie. She did want to cry, but she was brought up better than that. You didn't let them win. You never showed how upset you really were, and you definitely didn't give them what they wanted.

She checked her walkman, sliding the headphones up, hoping to god he'd just shut up and let it drop. Of course this was Juice, and shutting up was an ability he didn't possess.

"That's bull and we both know it, Sav. You're jealous, I saw it all over your face last night." He knew he'd hit a nerve at the flash second of hurt in her eyes. He was over the bullshit, she wanted him. He wanted her. It made absolutely no sense why she was pushing him away.

Gritting her teeth, her fists clenched at her sides. She darted her eyes to the elevator controls, grateful that there were only three more floors to go. This was the longest damn elevator ride she'd even been on. The second those doors opened, she was getting out of here as fast and far away as she could. "I don't care what you think you saw. I told you day one I wasn't here for a boyfriend or any kind of distraction. You want to get your dick wet in someone else? Its fine with me. Don't read into something that isn't there." Ding. Saved by the freakin bell.

"See you in class." Savannah said, taking off quickly to leave him to think on what she'd just said.

SOASOASOASOASOASOASOASOASOASOASOA

Juice walked into the diner with his gym bag slung over his shoulder, taking in the sight before him. It wasn't too busy, it wasn't too slow either. Missy and Bridget were doing a good job with keeping up with the orders. Peter, the other busboy, was keeping everything clean. Not as good as he would have, but clean enough. He knew it was his day off from here, but it was his go to place. He had a class then a long ass shift at the club tonight instead.

He needed to change somewhere. The diner wasn't his top choice for this, but we knew the Perelli's wouldn't mind if he used their bathroom to do it. With any luck, Mrs. P would cook him something when he came out. She would if she wasn't busy, he knew that without a doubt. She was more of a mother to him than his own ma had ever dreamed of being. The older woman took care of him as much as he'd allow.

But being a charity case wasn't something he wanted. He had to eat somewhere though, and he figured he worked hard enough to make up for it anyways. On really cold nights, she'd insist on him spending the night in the diner in the pantry usually where it was warmer. He had no idea how she knew what was going on with him, but she did and she didn't like it one bit.

Juice headed towards the bathroom, checking to make sure it was empty before he locked the door. He tossed his bag onto the ugly tile floor, pulling out his spare change of clothes. He should have showered and changed at Skylar's, but he didn't want to risk waking her. The girl had been anti-sleep the entire night, only allowing him to drift after he passed out mid blowjob.

So the bathroom sink would have to do for today. He didn't have time to run to the gym and shower like he normally did, he had a class soon and knew he'd never make it in time. He grabbed the travel sponge he carried around, wetting it under the flow of water in the sink before he scrubbed himself down. A whore's bath it was normally called. Too fitting.

It was either this or smell like pussy for the rest of the day. As much as he liked it, he knew he didn't need to go to class reeking of it.

He grabbed his fresh t-shirt, pulling it on, then slid on a pair of wrinkled blue plaid boxers. Pants slid up next, and then he was done; stuffing the dirty stuff back into the bag. That left him with his hair. He didn't have enough time to wash it, but he'd need to find a time and place before work tonight. It was starting to look greasy and his OCD wasn't handling that well. Just like he couldn't stand not actually taking a shower.

Dipping his head down, Juice decided to just keep it wet until he could get to the gym to take a real shower. He rubbed the warm water around his skull before standing back up shaking his head like a dog. Not bad at all . . . The scruff made him look older, more . . . alluring.

He laughed a little to himself, grabbing his bag from the floor. He'd be late if he didn't a move on. He flipped the lock on the bathroom door, walking back out into the diner like he hadn't just did a quick hobo routine in the bathroom. His eyes fell on the counter immediately, smelling it before he spotted it. Bacon, eggs, and a pancake with a little smiley face on top of it. Strawberry syrup which clued him in on that it'd been Mrs. P that had made it for him.

Juice slid down onto the bar stool, letting the bag drop to the floor beside him, ready to dig in. It smelled like heaven. He flashed a grin to the cook behind the counter before grabbing the fork, stabbing the eggs hungrily. This was why he loved her. Once you were here for a while, you were family. The Perelli's took care of their own, treated him like a son they'd never had. Mr. P was like the father he'd always wished for, Mrs. Perelli doted on him, scolding him like a small child when he deserved it, but over all, she just loved him enough to set him straight. She'd had to do it too many times.

"Juan Carlos, you're dripping all over my clean counter!"

Speak of the devil.

Looking up, Juice mustered up the best innocent smile he could for the old lady. She gave him a scholding look that could have killed before shaking her head with a small smile. She grabbed a rag from the bucket beside the counter, tossing it to him. "Go dry off in the back, mi hijo." She instructed.

He didn't dare argue with her. He stood up, heading into the back to towel his damp black hair off. "Chico sucias." She muttered under her breath as she grabbed another rag to wipe up the mess he'd made.

Juice came back, flashing her an embarrassed smile as he took his seat, going for the eggs with fevor again. He could hear Mrs. Perelli chuckling at him. He frowned, looking up from his plate at her, did he do something wrong? Leave his boxers in the bathroom?

She shook her head, reaching forward to tuck his hair behind his ears, wiping at his mouth with a napkin. She was smiling at him kindly, pushing the pancake towards him pointedly.

"I, uh, I need to get going before I'm late for class. I'll see you for dinner though." He assured her, grabbing the pancake from the plate to carry with him.

She waved him off, already starting in on the dishes. "Have fun, don't get into any trouble or break any hearts."

It was like the woman was psychic. He knew he'd already broken one heart today, it gave him a feeling of smug, ha ha, in your face type of happiness that he really didn't like. He normally didn't mind if a girl saw him with another hook up, but this felt different. Like Sav wasn't one of those girls that would just get over it.

He walked down the alley that ran down the back of the diner and the surrounding buildings, spotting his car already. He always left it in the same spot if he wasn't going to make it back to it that night. It was a relatively safe area as long as you knew your way around, which he did. Queens had toughened him up young.

Juice walked towards it, thankful he didn't have to walk to the college too. Skylar's place was a few blocks, but the college was several. He opened the drivers side door, tossing his bag into the back as he felt his pockets for his keys to start it up. It was getting too full in here, he noticed, eyes going to the packed backseat. Clothes, tools, a little makeshift bed he'd set up; it wasn't much but it was home.

It drove decent for as old as it was too. The ride over was a smooth one, and finding a place to park was even smoother. He sailed into a spot in another alleyway, knowing it wouldn't catch any attention for the whole two hours he'd be in class. He grabbed his backpack out of the passenger side before he climbed. Cardboard boxes tossed on the back made it look like it belonged here, and he was good to go.

This was his life now. Living in his car, changing in bathrooms, showering in the gyms, snagging free meals from his boss. He used cougars like Mel and girls who wanted to hook up like Skylar for a warm bed to sleep in. It was all about survival, not sex. It was what he had to do to graduate and he'd sworn a long time ago, he'd never quit school no matter what he had to do. He'd meant it.

SOASOASOASOASOA

After his class, Juice hightailed it to his car to snatch the gym bag back out of it. He needed to grab a shower at the gym like he'd planned, and shave before his shift at the club. A real shower with hot water, not a scrub down in a tiny bathroom at the diner.

He noticed something was off the minute he got within three feet of his beater. The door on the driver's side was open a crack. Something he knew he didn't do when he left. He'd locked the doors and made sure everything was shut tight.

Glancing down, he noticed that wasn't the only thing wrong with this picture. His tires were slashed too, the car sitting on its rims. Fuck. He pulled the door open, sliding into the seat to do a frantic search of his belongings to see what was missing. The wires were hanging loose underneath the steering wheel. Someone had tried to hot-wire his car. Little motherfucker.

Panic rose in his chest as he twisted around, digging for something in the back now. His hands were shaking as he looked. It had to be here. If he lost this, it'd be the end of him. Finding his bag, he sighed in relief. His weed was still here, at least the bag was. Unzipping it he was even more relieved to see it was all in there. All wrapped up in little baggies, divided into dimes, quarters, and joints.

The sense of relief disappeared a second later when he noticed another bag he had stashed in here was tossed aside on the makeshift bed. Definitely not where he'd left that.

He reached for it, stretching a bit to get to it. The second he lifted it into his palm, he knew something was missing when the usual weight didn't settle down. His stomach lurched when he opened it. It was gone. All of it. His money was gone in the blink of an eye. Everything he'd ever saved. Gone.

Yelling, he threw the bag in ager. All of that work, and he was back to square one. Climbing out of the car, he couldn't help but kick the door angrily before taking in the damage. From the outside, it looked like it might just be the tires that needed to be replaced. He popped the hood to double check that too. A scan of the engine told him everything was good underneath there, so he at least had that going for him.

One thing didn't change though. He couldn't stay here and he couldn't go anywhere else with slashed tires. With his cash gone, it wasn't like he could go down and buy some either. He was so fucking screwed. He rubbed his hand over his hair, trying to ease the blood rushing his brain when it dawned on him. He did a place to go. Or at the very least a ride to his shift. He flipped open his prepaid, scrolling through the short list of contacts until he found who he was looking for. Mel.

She'd offered to house him for the week, her kid was going on some week long trip with his class and if left her with an empty house and an even emptier bed. Holding the phone to his ear, he waited a few rings before she answered . "Hey Mel. It's, uh . . . me. Think you could pick me up at the college? My tires got slashed and I got a shift at the club in a couple hours."

He didn't have to sugar coat his problems with her. She knew all about him and his car situation. She knew how important it was to him. Mel was one of the few who knew more about him than she should. He didn't want to be a charity case, but Mel and Mrs. Perelli had made it their business to keep tabs on him, make sure he was okay. Must be an older woman thing.

"Sure, baby. I'll be there in twenty. You just hold tight." She purred.

After hanging up with Mel, he debated on going inside to wait. It was getting cold out here. But he didn't want to risk making her wait, so the curb it was. With a heavy sigh, he sat down with his knees bouncing up and down erratically. It felt like hours had went by, but he knew it'd only been a few minutes. Huffing, he started to drum his fingers against the pavement while he fidgeted with his shirt collar.

Pretty soon, he was sure all of five, ten at the most, minutes had done by and he couldn't sit still any longer. Maybe it was his ADD acting up. Not taking his pills was really screwing him up but he couldn't afford the damn things.

"Hey Ortiz! You having a meltdown or something?" a voice called out.

His head snapped over to the direction it had come from. Savannah, no doubt just getting out of class was walking towards him, still in her little running pants that clung to her thighs. She was always the last one out, she liked making sure she was completely done before she left for the day. He was surprised she was talking to him at all after the awkward run in this morning. "

"Uh, no. Um, car troubles. I'm waiting for a ride. you're on tonight for the dinner shift right?" Might as well make small talk.

It was going to be at least another ten minutes before Mel got here. Did he really want to risk a run in between these two? It was bad enough she saw him with Skylar, the last thing he wanted was her to think he was a total man whore. Then again, he wouldn't mind the company while he waited those ten excruciating minutes.

Savannah looked like the last thing on earth she wanted to do was stay here with him and talk. She was still unnerved about this morning, he guessed, and he really didn't blame her. He wasn't sure if he should be happy about it or not. It meant she was bothered with him sleeping with someone else. She was jealous and he couldn't be happier. Of course, now he had to deal with her being pissed.

"Uh yeah,. So a mechanic with car troubles, huh? Kind of ironic, don't you think?" She asked with a smirk playing across her full pink lips.

She was uncomfortable, he could see it still. Did she feel bad about snapping at him this morning? Or giving him the cold shoulder during class? He doubted it, she didn't seem the type to feel guilty over that kind of shit. Maybe she realized she was pissed for no reason and decided to smooth things over, he didn't know. All he did know, was that she was still talking to him and that was a good sign.

Chuckling, he glanced down the street in the direction his car was at. He couldn't let her see it. She'd see all of the signs of him living inside of it. He didn't want her pity or what she might say to him. He specially didn't want her to give him that look Mel had when she realized he was basically homeless.

"Uh, yeah, real funny. Someone slashed my tires, tried to hot wire the thing before running off with my shit. Car's a piece of crap, but its my piece of crap, right?" He said with a shrug of his shoulder.

His ma had given him one thing before he left Queens. Her old ass beat up Volvo. When he realized he couldn't afford to stay in student housing, he had never been more grateful for the damn thing.

Savannah smiled weakly, knowing how he felt. She had something like that with her art work. It might be nothing fancy or worth millions, but she loved it. It might not be the same thing as his car, but she got what he meant. "I'm sure Mr. Finn wouldn't mind you using the garage to fix it up. Probably would spare a few tires for you. You're like his favorite." She said, looking around to see if she could catch sight of his car.

She'd only seen it a handful of times near the diner, but she hadn't been in it. His excuse was always the same. Why drive when he could very well walk? She never saw a reason to doubt his logic, so she didn't bother asking more.

Juice knew she was onto something, Mr. Finn really wouldn't mind him stashing his car in the garage. He could work on it after hours. "Not a bad idea, princess." He said, chuckling as he nudged her arm. He was about to say something else when a honk stopped him.

Looking over his shoulder, he noticed Mel waving him over from the bright red Mazda. He glanced back to Savannah quickly, he knew she had seen the older woman too. "That your mom or something, Juice?" She asked, curious to know who the older woman was. From what she could see, she looked old enough to be his mom, if anything his aunt. She knew nothing about his family, but it wasn't like she was looking to ask either.

He chuckled, if she only knew, he thought sourly to himself. He hitched his bag up on his shoulder, shaking his head. "Or something." He muttered under his breath before kissing her on the cheek lightly. "See you later, princess."

Juice walked off towards Mel's car, only realizing what he'd just done once he was already in and buckled. He'd kissed Savannah.

Oh fuck.