Empty As I Am (boyxboy)

Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

          We hit the grass rolling. We had lived! Other than a little grass in my mouth, I was fine.

          “See I told you there was nothing to worry about,” said Dominic.

          I followed him through the streets of the North side. I had never been there before. It didn’t look too much different than the East, where I grew up. As we walked, I wondered if we were looking for a house or an apartment. I was eager to get to rest.

          “So how old are you?” asked Dominic.

          “I’m fifteen.” I replied. “You?”

          “Seventeen. I was your age when I first hit the streets,”

          “How ironic,” I said sarcastically.

          We walked a little farther and continued our small talk. Dominic occasionally flashed his cute little mischievous smile that I found so attractive. I wonder what he would say if he had any idea what I was thinking. After walking for some time we came to an old, run-down car repair shop.

          “This is it,” said Dominic.

          “You’re joking, right?”

          “Not at all,” replied Dominic as he walked towards the building.

          I followed of course. Where else was I going to go? He raised a large garage-type door that revealed a large room with concrete floors. There was an old blue sofa in the middle of the room, a sink against the wall in a corner, a mattress near the sofa, and piles of stuff all over. Three teenagers (one girl and two guys) greeted Dominic as he entered. I stumbled in behind him.

          “Who’s the kid?” asked one of the guys.

          “I met him over on East side. He needs a place to crash. What’s your name again, man?”

          “Tyler,” I replied quietly.

          “His name’s Tyler,” said Dominic to his friends.

          “Well welcome, Tyler” said the girl.

          She was pretty, with long brown hair and a lip piercing. She wore a white tank top that didn’t really cover her black bra.

          “That’s Alexandria,” said Dominic.

          “Call me Lexi,” she said, getting up and shaking my hand.

          “Mi Hermana Mexicana,” said Dominic as he gave her a big hug.

          I guess he could tell from my face that I had no clue what he had just said because he quickly answered my question.

          “It means my Mexican sister,” he said, smiling.

          “You didn’t tell me you had a sister.”

          They both laughed at my statement.

          “He’s not my real brother.” said Lexi. “We call each other hermano and hermana because we’re both Chicano and we gotta stick together.”

          I nodded and smiled. I felt a little embarrassed. One of the other guys got up to introduce himself as well.

          “I’m Jake. Nice to meet you, man.”