Beauty and the kid with the Beats

CHAPTER 19 TIFFANY 9:30am

We continue walking and soon it starts to rain. I don't have a hood and cold rain drops pelt my head. I start freaking out a little.

"My hair is going to get wet!" I say upset. "Then it'll look all ugly and frizzy!"

Antonio stops and pulls off his hoodie. My heart beats fast. He hands it to me in a ball.

Its soft and smells like him.

"Oh my god." I say. "I can't take your hoodie.

"No." He says. "Take it. You need it more than I do."

Hesitantly, i slip it on. Its big on me so the sleeves stop at my finger tips. I put on the hood and notice a specific tattoo on his chest.

Its an flag.

"Italian?" I ask, gesturing to his chest.

He looks down at himself, as if to double check.

"Yeah." He says. "..Is that okay?"

"Its perfect." I smile.

He takes off his beats, folds them up, and slips them into the pocket of the hoodie I was wearing to avoid getting them wet.

I feel his knuckles brush against my stomach through the pocket and I blush.

"What about you?" He asks.

"I'm black.." I answer quietly.

"....is THAT okay?" I ask

He smiles back. "Its perfect."

--

We arrive at his "cleaning corner"

At 9:45. The officer says good morning to me and tells Antonio to get started.

"Talk to you later?" Antonio asks to me. He pulls the strings of the hoodie teasingly and it makes me laugh.

"We should meet somewhere." I suggest.

He nods. "Here tomarrow."

I shake my head "I'd be in school this time tomorrow."

"Alright. Here tonight. Like 7."

"Okay. Seven."

I turn and start walking away. "See you." I say.

He nods his head upwards as if to say 'goodbye', and he starts scrubbing the brick wall.

I stand there, watching him shirtless in the rain. I snuggle against his hoodie and turn to start walking back towards home. The butterflies in my stomach were intense, and all I could think about was '7'.

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