Katherine and I wanted Luca and Juli to meet Tia, so we went to a Mexican restaurant by the popular cafe downtown. The aroma of hot sauce filled the air and I saw a white boy in the back with a face redder than a tomato. He must have overdosed on the hot peppers, I thought.
We walked to a table outside, waiting for a waitress or waiter to give us our menus.
"So, you're James' little sister?" Juli asked.
"Yup."
"I never really liked you" I blurted out.
I knew what I had said came off rude but with my charm I knew I could turn it all around.
"Why?"
"Well, it always seemed like you were out to get me, especially with the rumours about me flying around. I thought you had heard what people had said about me."
"Oh, I haven't? What have they been saying?"
"Not everything is about you, Jordan. Stop being so paranoid. His ex girlfriend started a rumour about how he's a cheater" Juli cut in.
I learned a lot about Tia as the minutes passed. I think I proved myself not to judge people to fast by who they are friends with and such. It changed my perspective on things. And I really thought everything was going well until our waitress showed up.
She was hiding her face with the menus, slipping one menu to one person then covering her face again with another. I found it very creepy but I figured maybe they just had some kind of anxiety problem. But when she dropped my menu, I reached down and so did she and our faces met. I felt like I faced the devil right then and there. Her eyes connecting with mine, no smile or laugh. Her lips were firm, almost cemented or planted together. She wanted to move quick but I was stuck like a statue. I couldn't believe I was facing Penelope. Wasn't she two states away?
She got up in a rush with my menu and slammed it on my plate. She stormed off into the distance and I stared.
"What the actual fuck?" Juli questioned.
We were all thinking the same thing. I was probably more amazed than anyone at the table, but Tia? Tia sat there clueless.
"Huh? Who was that?"
"Jordan's ex" Katherine answered.
"Why was she so... so rude about herself dropping the menu? Did you guys not end well?"
"We ended weird" I stated.
"How?"
"She broke up with me to focus on herself and I don't know how from there but everything went downhill."
Before Luca could change the topic, Penelope showed up with a notepad and pen, she was ready to take our order. I wondered why she hadn't just switched with another waitress but as I looked around, I realized her waitress/waiter friends were all staring at our table.
"So... What can I get you guys?"
Juli blurted her order out, loudly and rudely. She wanted Penelope to know she didn't like her, as if Penelope didn't already know it. Luca did the same, they were both just angry. I thought at one point Luca would get up and just demand for all of us to just leave, but we didn't. Katherine eyed Penelope, no rudeness or loudness, just stared at her and told her what she wanted. And Tia, she said her order with calmness. Penelope seemed to write her order down with kindness.
I was ready to say what I wanted until Penelope said "Okay, that's all" and turned around.
"I didn't order" I said.
She turned around.
"Didn't even see you there."
She wrote on her notepad aggressively, as if I was the man that killed her whole family and cat.
It was an interesting event we went through, I could have sworn Penelope had spit in my food but I ate it anyways. After all I did eat the girl out at one point, not like her spit was even more gross.
-
It was a unique time in my life when I developed a crush on Tia. I actually told her I had a crush on her on Easter Day but things changed when I realized everything I felt was unstable. Katherine warned me hours before.
"Don't tell Tia you like her unless you're sure."
"I'm positive I do. What isn't there to like?"
But the question wasn't what I didn't like. I was running away from my problems with Molly. I was declaring being over her way too fast. I was becoming numb because of it.
Days later, I ran away too much from Tia that she realized something was up. We sat on the balcony of her apartment building when it all went down.
"What's wrong?"
"What do you mean?" I asked back.
"I mean with us. What is with us?"
I was scared to answer. I wasn't good with feelings or with comforting girls. It hurt to even leave Erica. Tia was someone else, she was the sister of my best friend's boyfriend. Not only that but everyone loved Tia, even I did and I didn't want us not liking each other in that way to stop us from being able to all hang out.
When I finally explained everything to Tia, she sat there dangling her legs over the balcony and she calmly told me things are okay and will be. I explained to her to not take it to the heart, I was just too messed up at the moment.
-
The pile of leaves continued...
