✔️The Greaser and the Skirtchaser [18+]

1. That Time They Met

Stick with the family; that was the big rule with the Romanos.

If Vance was heading out for a bike ride, he ought to take Johnny with him in case he ran into trouble.

If Vance was grabbing a bite to eat, he ought to bring Bianca down with him while he was at it.

If Vance was just stepping out for some fresh air, he ought to take Danny for a smoke break.

It all meant that whatever the hell his meathead cousins got up to—he was held responsible for it, too.

"You'll be our driver Saturday night, won't you, Vance?" Danny slapped Vance's back with a too-wide grin on his squarish face. Most Romanos looked kinda broad like that, but the seedy look was all Danny. It didn't help that he had a toothpick working at something in his teeth.

Vance looked to the side, trying to keep the corners of his lips from tugging downward. He wasn't great with parties, but the argument to try getting out of it was one he'd already had a dozen times over. "You know zia Mina's gonna flip if we're late to church again. And she'll know it's 'cause you guys were drinking."

"Who cares what my mom says? We go every week; so, what if we miss one?"

"You've missed many."

Danny went on like he hadn't said anything. "Besides, Johnny's not a half-bad drunk driver, but you're the one insisting on that kinda thing."

"You kidding me?" Vance got back to cleaning grease out of the hood of a real junker some guy brought into the shop. "Last time Johnny drove drunk, he hit a telephone pole. The neighborhood lost power for a week."

"Two weeks," Bianca corrected over her coffee mug as she leaned over the hood of a station wagon. She could comfortably settle her arms on top of it, being so abnormally tall for a girl.

"Pre—cisely." Danny gestured at his sister like she was proving his point before he slung an arm across Vance's stiff shoulders. "That's why you'll do your cousin a solid and drive for us. You don't even like drinking."

"I don't even like parties."

"Well, you gotta like the girl that's there."

Vance's brows dipped down. "What?"

"Jenny Hayesworth. Blondie about yay high—" Danny's hand came to Vance's chest "—with a pretty face. Bianca says Jenny's got the hots for you ever since freshman year! Sly dog, you didn't say nothin' about her."

"I don't know who you're talking about." Vance shrugged Danny off. He ducked down into the car innards again.

"She's said she's in your English class." Bianca's ruby lips twisted down.

Vance threw his hands up. "There's plenty of girls in there. How would I know?"

"She sits next to you!"

"Details aside, you better do something about her. Rumor has it that Blake Coleman's been involved her." Danny's tone kinda soured at the name. "You can't let a bastard like him get his hands on Jenny Hayesworth."

"Why would that matter to me?" Vance crossed his arms and pretty soon realized he'd smeared gunk all over his white shirt. He sighed as he pulled it off.

Danny cocked a brow and lightly shoved Vance's shoulder. "Any hot-blooded guy would be jumping at that pretty broad, but here you are acting like she's nothin' much. Sometimes I gotta wonder if we're related."

Vance pressed his lips together and looked away. "Do I have to be so desperate for girls to count as a Romano?"

Danny was probably gonna shoot something back, but a bunch of shouting broke out at the back of the shop. Franco flew in, clearing over benches while Vin chased after him with a can of spray paint like a madman. The two idiots were shouting and laughing like goddamn kids, but the two were freshmen, so it wasn't off the mark. Danny and Vance just turned to ignore it.