Thuggish

Chapter 17 Forgivness

/Yaz/

We sit at one of the booths in Chick-fil-A talking. For once I feel almost safe and unaware of all the people crowding me in the restaurant. Santo had a way of making me feel secure even if he didn't know that he did. It just oozed off him like he had a natural instinct to keep me safe.

"Yea, I wanna join the dance team at school. What you think?"

"I think you've really been missing dancing so you should go for it. Just watch out for some of the girls on the team though"

"Why?"

"Let's just say before you, I was a hoe" I laugh at the way he looks at me.

"It figures"

"Yaz, what do you wanna do after school? You've told me you wanna go to college and all but never for what or..." he pause "where"

I knew where he was coming from when he paused before saying where. He knows I'm missing my hometown and living in Connecticut hadn't created the best of memory's with the rape and all, we had already discussed that. "Well you know I wanna go back. I wanna get into University of Florida or Florida State" I shrug and look down "study Marine Biology"

"I understand but could you at least consider getting into a college closer to here"

"Santo there's nothing for me here, there's no reason for me to stay"

"Oh really?" He looks at me hurt.

"Santo that's not-" I was cut off by a group of girls running to our booth yelling.

"Oo myy gossshhh Roc is that really you? O my goodness I cannot believe this can I have a picture" The first girl rambles off.

Santo breaks his stare towards me "Yeah sure"
and stands up as all the girls crowd around him.

"Um could you take the picture?" She reaches the phone out to me.

I take one last look at Santo before taking the phone "Yeah.."

I count it off and they all smile.

"I can't wait to post it" They squeal and fan out over the picture.

"Santo" I reach out for his arm but he only pulls back.

"What's your names?" Santo flashes them his infamous smile.

"I'm Alisha"

"Renae"

"Bre"

"And I'm Yasmin"

"Oh Yasmin," Santo looks back at me "that's a pretty name"

"Is that your girlfriend?" The girl named Renae asks.

Santo hesitates which makes my heart sink to my stomach "uh... yeah," he smiles at me with a tinge of hurt in his voice but only I can notice "she actually has the same name as your friend here" he rubs his hand together and points at Yasmine.

I smile and slightly wave at them. The Yasmin girl steps up to Roc and whispers in his ear. This sets off my alarms but I sit to watch what Santo does. He pushes her away making it known that she was to close but the girl only sends him a flirty smile and winks before they all walk away gawking at what she just did. Santo sits back down in front of me.