THIS BOOK CONTAINS: TALK ABOUT SUICIDE AND SUICIDE ATTEMPTING, SELF-HARM, RAPE, ABUSE, AND STRONG LANGUAGE. THIS IS THE ONLY WARNING, AS I WILL NOT BE WARNING IN THE STORY, MAYBE IN SOME. (mostly because I will forget)
Calista Perez is a sweet and...
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"You knew my mom?" She asks Gran, and she smiles sadly and nods.
"Veronica was very dear to me; she was like my second daughter." She smiles at that. Her smile always made me happy; it always brightens a room.
"She didn't have a good home life, and she and Sofia were like sisters." Her smile slightly falters, but she quickly nods.
I clear my throat to get us all out of the weird, awkward silence. "So, why'd you bring Jameson? Not that I care."
"Well, I remember you talking about how devastating it was when your best friend moved." I feel Calista's eyes burn into the side of my head.
"So I brought your cousin! Cousins are your built-in best friend, always."
I nod at that. I look over to Jameson, who is totally checking Callie out, and my heart pumps twice. I start playing with my fingers, since I broke the hair tie I stole from Callie the other day.
A knock is at my door, my eyebrows furrow, and I excuse myself. I head over to the door and reveal a worried Alex. Alex is clutching his side.
"Cal texted me to come over. Is everything okay?" She walks around the side of the wall.
"Everything's fine, you have explaining to do, bucko." She walks outside with Alex and shuts the door behind her. I chuckle and walk back to the living room.
"Jameson, don't, you know, Elijah has liked that girl since 2nd grade. Don't play coy." Gran lectures him.
I clear my throat as I walk in. "Everything okay?" I ask, acting like I didn't hear anything.
"Who was at the door, bunny?" She changes the subject, and I don't care.
"Alex," When she raises her brow, I add, "Calista's twin." She raises her brow again. I swear to god. "Veronica's son, Gran." She nods, finally.
I chuckle and sit beside Jameson, well, his name is JD to me. I've always called him that since his name is Jameson Dallas Darmos. So our whole family calls him JD, well, except Gran.
"So, got a bitch?" He asks me, and I chuckle.
"JD, I don't refer to females as 'bitches'; they are women." He nods his head.
"Well, do you have a woman?"
I smile and think of Calista, but instead of saying her name. I say, " No, the woman I want is... going through a rough patch and the last thing I wanna do is make anything harder for her as is."
He nods understandably. My family is originally from Italy, so Gran and JD have thick Italian accents, but not too thick.
I hear the front door open. Alex and Calista walk in, well, Alex is limping. Calista sits beside me on the couch, and Alex sits beside JD. Gran and Callie are talking, so I turn to Jamseon and Alex. They are whispering agrily.
I clear my throat. They continue the agrily whispering. I hear Alex ask JD something. "Jameson, what are you doing here?! What about Gio and Rocco?!"
Jameson pokes Alex's hurt side, and Alex barely flinches, only the slight lean away and furrow in his brows. I continue to listen in, wait, that came out more creepy than I wanted it to.
"Alex, chill. I came here for family stuff and bui.." He turns his head towards me. I just smiled sweetly. I wasn't just eavesdropping.
"Do you guys know each other?" I ask with the same smile.
"Jameson saved me a few years ago from being killed in an alley." Alex shrugs like that's an everyday thing.
Jameson elbows his hurt side hard. "¡AY, CABRÓN!" Alex yells. (OW, YOU MOTHERFUCKER)
Gran and Callie's heads turn, and they eye us three. I put my hands up in surrender and lean back. Alex and Jameson just smile sweetly at them. They turn back to they're conversation.
Alex, Jamseon, and I started talking about school, and when JD got a tattoo, the last time I saw JD was when we were 12. Jameson's phone begins to ring; he and Alex make brief eye contact.
"Excuse me, I have to take this." I nod, and he walks outside.
"I have to go to the bathroom." Alex begins to limp upstairs.
I groan and lean my head on Callie's lap, tired. She doesn't even falter, continuing the conversation she's having with Gran while playing with my hair.
I yawn and fall asleep with my head on her lap.
I wake up to the smell of lasagna, and I hear a little girl's laugh that I recognize as Rosalie. I open my eyes and see Rose sitting on my stomach watching Moana, again, and Callie is asleep on her back, and I'm between her legs on my back.
"Rosie, baby, come eat. Gran didn't visit to watch princesses all night." She jumps off me, running into the dining room.
I roll over, wrapping my arms around her and putting my head between her side and the back of the couch, sighing. I feel her stir, and she puts her hand in my hair,
"Amor, get up, your mom cooked." She whispers, and I groan quietly.
I sat my head up with my eyes half open. "Are JD and Alex still here?" I ask, and she shrugs.
She looked around behind me, and I lay my head back down. "Eli," She drags out. When I don't answer, she tugs my hair, and I groan. That shouldn't have turned me on. I pull my head up, smirking.
"What's that face for?" I shake my head and look around us briefly, then kiss her forehead.
"Nothing." I stand and walk to the kitchen, and I hear her scoff from behind me.
I walk into the dining room and see that JD, Gran, and Alex are all still here. I sit across from JD, and Rose is to my left. Callie walks in and sits to my right.
Mom walks into the dining room with the food and sets it in the middle. She gives Rose a small portion and lets the rest of us dig in.
Gran looks around at all of us. "Calista, honey, you should date Elijah."
Calista and I both start coughing while JD smirks and chuckles. Alex laughs at it. "Mom! Why'd you say that, you know these kids have liked each other for so long." My mom attempts to whisper to Gran, but everyone hears it. Calista and I make eye contact, and her cheeks are pink; mine are too, I bet.
