Honestly forgot I had this chapter done! So sorry for the wait! Life has been insane and it's about to get crazy. Luckily, the next chapter is done so hopefully it'll be sooner than this one. I do not own anything in this chapter, besides Savannah and Luka, everything else belongs to their rightful owners

P.S you'll find a familiar character from Kupkake's story Monster. If you haven't checked her story out yet, what are you waiting for?!

Chapter 39

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Juice was nervous as he walked into the Rossi's restaurant with Prulow beside him. It had been a couple weeks since his graduation, and he was just barely paying his side of the bills with Savannah. He couldn't get by much longer without telling her what was really going on. He had gone on two more interviews, but had heard nothing back. Once they saw him, saw his background, they weren't interested in him.

Looking around the restaurant, he was wondering what he was possibly thinking. He knew who this family was, what they did for a living. Was he really at the point he had to attempt to work for this family? It wasn't his first time finding work on the wrong side of the law, but this was different. This was the mob. Real live Scarface and Al Pacino.

"Well, isn't it little Juan Carlos Ortiz from Queens." A voice said out, getting his attention.

He had been hoping Lucca wouldn't remember him, but obviously he had made more of an impression than he thought. "H-Hey," He cleared his throat. "Hey, Luka."

The last thing he wanted was for himself to come off scared. These guys didn't want wimpy little Puerto Rican kids from Queens, they wanted someone totally badass. Something he wasn't. Maybe he could pretend just long enough for him to make enough to make it so he and Sav were set for a while though.

Luka pulled him into a hug, welcoming him with open arms. "It's been a long time, Ortiz. How have you been?" He asked as he looked him over. "You look good, man. How's your ma and sister?"

Luka had been one of his best friends growing up. Sophia never liked him, thought he was punk and the beginning of Juice's wrong path, but Luka had been there when no one else had been. It'd crushed him when he moved and they lost touch. "I've been good, could be better. Ma's married, Soph is too. She got outta Queens a few years ago." Juice told him, keeping it brief.

It might be Luka, but he had obviously changed over the years. The kid he knew, liked to dress in old baseball jerseys and ripped jeans. The kid always wore his lucky Jets hat. There was never a day when he'd forget to wear that thing. Now looking at him, he knew he wasn't the that kid anymore.

This Luka wore fancy suits like his father did. There wasn't a hair out of place on him. His smile was pearly white, not a speck of dust on his new designer suit. He screamed cash, while Juice still screamed the opposite. He was still that kid from Queens, Luka obviously wasn't that kid anymore.

"Good for her, and you. Heard you just graduated. Congrats, man." Luka said as he hung an arm around his old friend and led him into the restaurant.

Juice just smiled and nodded, not knowing what to say. This was just small talk, him trying to find out something about him. It wasn't two old friends catching up. It wasn't what he wished it could be, but he wasn't going to be an idiot and believe it was. He'd done his homework on Luka and his family. He wasn't just gonna come into this blind and expect the best. He was nervous and expected the worst.

That was probably why he'd stayed in bed with Savannah as long as he could. He wanted to stay where it was safe, he wanted to burn her kiss, her touch, into his memory if this was to go wrong. He hadn't told her where he was going, or what he was doing, but he had a feeling she could tell whatever it was he was nervous about. She comforted him, never once asking what was wrong because she trusted him.

What a stupid thing to do, he thought to himself.

He lied and kept lying to her. He was probably the worst person in the world, but she loved him and she trusted him anyway. Why, he couldn't figure that part out. She should hate him after all he's put her through.

"Prulow says you're lookin' for work. You're looking to treat your girl good."

Juice tensed at the mention of Savannah. Telling Prulow about her was one thing, but Luka was something else. He could hurt Savannah if things went south. The last thing he wanted was for her to be caught in the crossfire. Luka must have seen his look of panic. "Relax, man. I didn't mean anything by it. You still a genius at computers?" He asked, glancing over at his old friend.

Juice was grateful for the subject change. Computers, he could talk about. Computers were replacable if something were to happen to them. Savannah, well, she wasn't. She was one of kind, and he was not gonna put her in danger. "Uh, yeah. I've learned some new tricks. Why? What do you need?"

Luka just grinned, squeezing his shoulder. Juice gulped as he was led into the back. This was either going to be the best or worst decision of his life.

He hoped it wasn't the latter.

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After Luka showed Juice where he'd be doing most of his work, the two moved to the restaurant and ordered some lunch. Sitting across from each other, Juice all but piled the food into his mouth. It was so good. He'd definitely try to bring some of it back home to Savannah. He knew she was big on Italian dinners. She'd love it.

"So, I'll give ya the low down of do's and don't. Don't do more than what you're told. Don't go snooping in shit you got no business lookin' into." Luka said as he twirled his spahgetti around his fork before taking a bite.

Juice said nothing, just nodded his head as he chewed his food. More than once his curiousity had gotten the best of him, and more times than none it got him in trouble. This wasn't small time shit like changing a grade though, this shit could get him killed. It could put Savannah, Sophie, hell even his ma, in trouble. He had the Perelli's to think about too. He had a lot to lose if this was to go south.

"You wanna stay clear of Ricco too." He said, motioning to someone behind him.

Looking over his shoulder, Juice gulped at the sight of a tall butch looking man. Yup, definitely someone he didn't want to mess with. "He's the enforcer. Has no humor, doesn't give out second chances. First impressions are important to him. If he doesn't trust you, let alone like you, well . . . just don't get on his bad side." Luka went on, taking another bite.

He'd said it as if it was completely normal. Juice wasn't sure what scared him more, that or the fact this guy was an enforcer. He was in over his head, but it was too late to back out now. Telling Savannah he'd lost his job at the club because of his drug dealings wasn't an option, so he was stuck between a rock and a hard place here.

Swallowing, Juice tried not to look as nervous as he felt. His stomach was in knots, but he didn't want Luka to see right through him. Glancing over his shoulder, he couldn't help but stare at Ricco. He couldn't help but picture the worst. He jumped when Luka cleared his throat. "Staring might not be the best way to go, Ortiz." He suggested, giving him a nudge under the table.

Clearing his throat, he shifted back around and nodded. Staring probably really wasn't the best way to go with a guy who could probably very well snap him in half. "Right, uh, no staring. Got it." He muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. He was so freaking in over his head. He was kidding himself if he thought he could pull this off.

Luka gave him a reassuring smile, hoping to ease his old friend's nerves. Juice still had the same old nervous ticks. "Relax, man. Come on, tell me 'bout what I missed back home. What about that girl from sixth grade? What was her name again? Julie? No, it was Lindsey! Yeah, Lindsey. You ever make a move on her?" He chuckled, nudging him.

Juice couldn't help but chuckle at the reminder of the good ol'days when things had been a lot easier. The pressure didn't really hit until middle school. That was when his reputation of trailer trash really set in. It was when he lost his best friend, just when he needed him the most. That was also the year he'd met his first 'love'.

She'd been from his neighborhood, in a similar situation as he was. Only, it was her dad who was supplying his mom with the drugs. They never really talked in school, she was one of the cool girls who worked hard for her place in the food chain, and he was on the lower end of it. He'd walk her home though. On the walks they'd talk, get to know each other. She was shy, but she was funny.

No one at school saw the real her, but he did. He saw the girl who just wanted her junkie parents' attention. She was presented as a trophie by her football star boyfriend. She was so much more than that. She was a closet computer geek, something that bonded them in the first place. It wasn't something she promoted, it was seen as wrong for a girl to be smart, and she'd been all about image at the time.

Juice had known the real Lindsey Jennings though. He knew how she loved watching old movies, that she loved country music. He knew how she had a secret loving of those double fudge brownies, even though her boyfriend and friends would point out how she shouldn't eat things like that. The asshole would point out she was getting 'fat', even though she was way too skinny in his opinion.

There'd been one particular night when it'd been raining and she showed up at his window, soaking wet, crying, and had a black eye. He hadn't hesitated on letting her in and snuck a pack of frozen pees to use as an ice pack for her eye. They'd sat on his bed and just laid there in a comfortable silence. She didn't want to talk, she just didn't want to be alone. He was happy to have her in his arms.

He couldn't remember who'd kissed who first, but that'd been the best kiss of his teenaged life, not that he really had a lot of other girls to compare it to. That night had been the night he'd lost his virginity. He'd been over the moon after they finished. He was on cloud nine, until he realized she wasn't. Lindsey looked guilty, and told him it was a mistake. She had a boyfriend and they could never work because of who he was.

That'd been the best night of his life, and also one of the worst.

When Juice realized Luka was still waiting for an answer, he cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck. He didn't want to drudge up bad history. He wasn't the same kid from Queens, he was somebody now. He might not be Mr. Popular, but he had friends. He had people who cared about him, and definitely wasn't the awkward boy he'd been that night. "Haven't heard from her in ages, man. Last I knew, she ended up knocked up with that dumbass she was dating back in school. Stuck with the trash now." He said with a shrug.

Maybe he'd dodged a bullet with that one? Yeah, he'd really liked Lindsey, maybe he could have even loved her, but she was so worried about her image and how other people saw her. Sav wasn't like that. She didn't give a fuck what people thought of her. She owned who she was, and what she loved. She didn't give two shits about what she ate or what she loved to do even if it wasn't a typical trade for a girl. It was one of the reason he loved her.

He wasn't the only one who had a past back in Queens though. Luka had been head over heels for someone too. Unlike Lindsey though, the girl never gave him the time of day. "What about you? Wasn't there a girl you liked back then too? Rebecca?" He asked, hoping to change the subject from him to his old buddy.

"Rachel." Luka corrected.

Just from the look in his eyes, Juice knew Luka still held a torch for the girl. He wondered if maybe their paths had crossed again at some point. Luka didn't look so cocky anymore. His eyes narrowed on the napkin in front of him. "Bumped into her a few years ago. She'd dropped out senior year and went to stripping. My, uh, my buddy brought me for my twenty first, wanted to show me a good time. You can imagine my shock when I saw her come out. She didn't recognize me, not sure if that was a blessing or not." He said, chuckling bitterly at the memory.

Juice didn't say anything. He'd been at the point where he'd considered using his body to make cash. Actually, he probably would have had to if he hadn't found this gig. To know that someone he knew, someone he went to school with, had gotten to that low point made him feel numb. It'd almost been him, and as selfish as that thought was, he was glad it was her and not him. He wasn't about to say that to Lucca though.

"I kept tabs on her. I went in a few more times, each time ready to tell her who I was and save her from that life. I could never go through with it though, chickened out. She died last year, drug overdose." Luka went on, looking away when his eyes watered over.

Juice was taken back, sadness filling him over the news. His heart really went out to Rachel and what she'd probably had to go through because of the life she chose. There was always consequences to everything you did, Juice found that out the hard way a couple of times. It didn't mean it sucked any less when things like this happened though.

Luka held up his glass, his grin in place as he chuckled. "To missed bullets."

He didn't know what to do at first. Luka had seemed to switch emotions quicker than he thought possible. It was like suddenly it didn't bother him. If he could be this cold about some girl he loved, what would he do if he was to screw up? A shiver went down his spine at the thought, he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer to that.

Holding up his glass, he clinked it with Luka's, giving him his best forced smile. "To missed bullets."

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Juice felt physically and mentally exhausted by the time he'd gotten back to the apartment with Savannah. He and Luka had gone over his job again, wanting to make sure what he was suppose to do, and what was off limits to him. On the up side, he was able to bring some food home for him and Sav, and that almost made it worth it.

What had his stomach in knots wasn't the job though, it was telling another lie to Savannah. He couldn't tell her where he'd been all day. He couldn't tell her about Lucca and how they'd gone down memory lane. As much as he wanted to, it would just raise more questions than he could answer.

Taking a deep breath, he unlocked the door and pushed it open. He smiled weakly at the sight of her curled up on the couch in sweats watching tv. Her eyes were closed, indicating she had fallen asleep waiting up for him. Closing the door behind him, he locked up before going over and putting the food down on the coffee table.

Crouching down, he brushed a stray curl out of her face and smiled. Thinking about Lindsey earlier had been a real eye opener. He'd felt worthless, like scum under her shoe when she'd rejected him after they had sex. He felt like he was the trash everyone labled him as. Even white trash like her thought she was better than him.

Savannah never made him feel like that, if nothing else, she made him feel like a genius. She loved his weird quirks, something Lindsey didn't. Stroking her cheek, he made note of how beautiful she looked while she slept. She started to stir at his touch, tiredly lifting her head as her eyes fluttered open. "JC?" She muttered out half asleep.

He just smiled, taking in all that was Savannah. From her dark locks, to her chocolate eyes, to her smile that made his stomach do flips. Tracing her lip, remembered how her kisses seemed to make his toes curl. "It's just me, baby. I got dinner." He said softly, motioning back to the food.

Yawning, she laid up and made room for him. Plopping onto the couch, he watched as she got the food out and dug in. His arm rested on the couch, stretched out behind her. She sat curled up against him. "How was work?" She asked, taking a bite of her food as she looked at him curiously.

He knew this question was coming, but it didn't make it any easier to answer it. Forcing a smile, he shrugged his shoulder. "Same old, same old. Tell me about your day."

He held his breath when she looked at him confused, like she didn't fully buy what he was telling her. He almost wanted her to call him on it, make him come clean, but she didn't. Instead, her look of confusion just turned to a smile as she nodded before going on to tell him of how she had the rudest of customers at the diner. Settling back into the couch, he wasn't sure if he should be relieved or disappointed she hadn't called him on his bullshit.

Either way, he'd dodged a bullet.