My Mob Wedding

I twirl my fingers aimlessly through Devon's hair.

"You know, we're going to be heading off to college soon. What's going to happen?" He says as if it's supposed to mean something to me. Devon is one of the many guys who I hang with but never date or sleep with. He's just the only one that doesn't get the fact that we aren't really serious. I hang around with mostly guys and not many girls because of that. They get jealous too easily.

I shrug. "We're just going to have to go our separate ways, I guess."

He sighs. That probably wasn't exactly the answer that he was looking for. "I should get going."

"See you later," I say. I don't move from my position on my bed. I lay perpendicularly on my stomach.

Devon closes my bedroom door behind him and not too long after, I hear him close the front door.

I roll off my bed and emerge from my room and into the living room. Dad won't be home for another hour or two so I have the house all to myself. What am I going to do with that time? Something so absolutely amazing that I can't even say.

I run back into my bedroom and squirm out of my skinny jeans. I crawl as fast as I can into the soft, warmth that my oversized sweatpants bring me.

I head into the kitchen and go to grab myself a jar of peanut butter and find that not only are we out, but I've taunted myself and left an empty jar in the cupboard. I angrily toss the jar in the trash.

I head over to the window in front of the fridge and open both the window and the screen. My hand shoots out the gaping opening in the wall and I feel the air. Good springy temperature. I shouldn't need a jacket.

I grab my keys and my wallet and head outside. There is a small convenience store a block behind my house. I like having a house on the corner. I have more yard space and better access to everything.

I start walking down the street, passing the houses as I go along. There aren't really many people outside. There's just a bulldog tied to a front porch barking at me as I go along on my peanut butter expedition.

I am close enough to the store now to see the sign with Anthony's written in curvy, neon lights. Around the back of the store, a shady looking group of males mess around. I avoid meeting any of their gazes. I don't know what they're capable of. I could probably try and talk my way out of trouble but some of those guys could easily crush me with just their pinkie toe.

I walk past them and hear a few calls out to me. I ignore them out of fear for my life.

I go in and take my time wandering up and down all three aisles contained in the store.

Once I find the largest jar of peanut butter they have, (which is not nearly as large as I'd like), I check out. The peanut butter is $2.99 and all I have is $3.00. I lucked out.

I thank the clerk and head back out of the store, wallet in hand, but not for very long.

As soon as I step out of the door, one of the guys that were looking mischievous outside snatches my wallet from out of my hands and opens it up. I jump at him in an attempt to get it back.

"Hey!" I shout at him. I try to break his grip from the zebra print fabric but another guy comes and wraps his arms around me, holding me back from going at the guy. I thrash around. I will get free.

"Babe, seriously, I'm not even trying here. Could you just make this easier for both of us?" The guy holding me back suggests. I think about it for a moment and realize that it is pretty much helpless and stand still. Not relaxed in the least bit, but more relaxed than thrashing about.

A man that was standing behind the guy with my wallet comes up and takes the bag with my peanut butter in it.

"Hey!" I object.

"Really?" the man says, pulling out my personal jar of heaven. "Peanut butter?"

"Don't mug me and then judge me for what I'm carrying," I say in an annoyed tone. "What kind of muggers are you?"

The guy with my wallet laughs. He has a shaved head with a pattern. He has several tattoos up his arms and one I recognize as a gang sign in the space between his thumb and forefinger on his right hand. I expect him to realize that there's nothing other than a penny and a few low-balance gift cards in there and then give it back. He does something else.

"Hmm," he says, "Still in high school?" He holds up my school ID card in my face.

I nod hesitantly.

He puts my school ID back and pulls out my driver's license. "Seventeen years old?"

I nod again. I am trying very hard not to show them how scared I really am right now. "Why are you so concerned with my age and education? I mean I could have just told you that stuff. It wasn't worth stealing my wallet."

"Well," he checks my driver's license one last time before sliding it back into place. "Diana Saunders, if you must know, I've been ID carding everyone that passes. I'm an undercover cop looking for a suspect," he says in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Yes, and I'm a natural blonde," I tell him dryly. I flip my dark hair over my shoulder and lean into what's-his-name behind me.

"Well fine then," says the man holding my wallet. He tosses it back to me and instructs his goon behind me to release me.

He steps back from behind me and I nearly fall. He was holding me up.

I stagger back a bit, then regain my balance quickly.

I snatch my peanut butter back from the man who stole it. I sashay away but not so fast that I couldn't yell out to them, "You guys are the worst muggers ever."

Deep laughs erupt from behind me. That was strange. It was almost like they were searching for something...