Break My Heart

Chapter 3. The Debt

Remi's POV

I shoved him off of me, and he stumbled into the wall across the narrow hall. My knee stopped between his legs, and my forearm pressed against his chest. My eyes narrowed into slits, and I gave him my best threatening look. "Let's get one thing straight, dickhead. I'm not six years old anymore. I won't put up with your shit, unlike some girls, and I have never liked you."

Luis wasn't slightly bothered by the look on my face. I didn't scare him at all. "That's not how I remember it," he said with a sly smile. "Give me a break, Remi. We grew up together. I've missed you too. I would never really hurt you. . .your brother wouldn't be too happy about that, and your brother is my best friend."

"Just stay the hell out of my way," I said. I spun around and walked away from him. 

"I forgot just how passionate you are," he called after me.

I spun back around. My lips parted in shock and disgust, and the air escaped my lungs. "Excuse me? Don't mistaken my anger for passion. That's gross."

He knawed at his bottom lip to keep a smile from spreading, but a slight chuckle escaped. "Passionately in love or passionately angry, it's all the same. Anger just makes for rougher sex," he said.

"I threw up in my mouth." I spun around and started storming down the hall again while Luis broke down laughing somewhere behind me. 

Kat was the first one that approached me when I entered the foyer again. "Remi, is something the matter?"

"No."

"Luis gave you a hard time when you were young, but you know he cared for you. Boys do silly things when they like girls. They just don't know how to act." Kat gave me a reassuring smile. 

Wow. So she has no idea what kind of sexual deviant her son is, does she? I mean, I guess I don't either, but I'm sure I'm not too far off base. "Um, you know, it's not like that. Ryan gave me a hard time too. It's a kid thing. I'm over it. I was just trying to take all of you in. So many memories," I lied and mashed my lips together, hoping she wouldn't call me out. 

Kat smiled and patted my shoulder. "I can only hope that Luis brings home a girl like you one day," she said and pecked my cheek.

Lord help me and help this woman if she thinks her son is ever going to bring a girl home for more than a night. I smiled. "One can hope," I said and then turned on my heel. I can't keep having this conversation. What is wrong with these people? 

I grabbed a bottle of Jack Daniels from the liquor cabinet, which was unlocked but being supervised—obviously not supervised well enough because I made it out with an entire bottle. I snuck back up to my room and let the alcohol consume me for the night. After such a dreadful day, I deserved it.

***

My first week in California flew by. Time moved faster in California than in New York City. I learned some things about Ryan, Dad, and Mom. Ryan smokes marijuana and drinks too. Dad doesn't care that we do, which made him the laid-back parent. Dad and Ryan learned things about Mom, too—thanks to me. I learned that Mom left Dad because he is apparently part of a mafia—I about shit, metaphorically speaking. It's not every day that you learn that your dad serves a man that is compared to Satan—not just because of his name, either. Lucifer James is the most feared mafia leader in San Diego, if not all of California. According to Dad, Lu is actually a really nice guy, but he doesn't let people know it.

Dad swore up and down Kat never would have went for Lu if he were as bad as he seemed. Ryan and Luis apparently worked under them, too—go figure. How did that saying go? Like father like son. Well, Luis had more of a sense of humor. I hadn't seen Luis get serious at all. Of course, I didn't know him quite that well—not that I wanted to.