Beauty and the Gang Member--ON HOLD :(

Chapter 8-Alex

Shit. Everything was all good until she got pissed at me for calling her princess. I immediately regretted saying all that stuff to her when she ran out crying her eyes out. I wonder what I said to make her be like that.

I sighed and rubbed the back of my head as I turned around and slipped my shirt on back over my head. I saw that she had left her purse and backpack in here, so I grabbed them. I didn't know when I'd give them to her, but I didn't want someone else to find them.

When I got home, I dumped the contents of her purse out on my bed. Man, she had a ton of makeup. There was also her wallet, which I didn't open, and she had a picture of her and some little girl. I assumed it was her sister, and they were standing by some frail woman in a wheelchair. Maybe a grandma. There was also a folded up piece of paper sticking out of a pocket, and I opened.

                                Anorexia signs:

                   Extreme weight loss  ✓

                  Thin appearance  ✓

                 Abnormal blood counts  

                 Fatigue   ✓

                  Insomnia   

                 Dizziness or fainting

                 A bluish discoloration of the fingers

                 Hair that thins, breaks or falls out

Was she anorexic? Down at the bottom was a number scrawled across it with the listing for treatment centers for Alzheimers. Okay, this was weird. Either she had some problems of her own, or she knew someone who did. This information couldn't be all for her, could it?

I sighed and stuffed the contents back into her purse and set it on my floor. That kiss had meant something, hadn't it? It had, to me. Brittany had always seemed to complicated for me, a little too high maintenence, yet, she was intriguing, someone I wanted to truly sit down with and learn every piece of her life.

Crap, what the hell was wrong with me? Where was all this sentimental shit coming from? I sure as hell have never felt this way about anyone before, certainly no blonde cheerleader. And sure as hell no blonde cheerleader was gonna like me, a Mexican gangbanger with no future with her. Maybe no future at all, at the rate I'm goin'. I've been in too many fights.

But this was a bet. I just needed to fuck with her and get her to fall in love with me. Back in Mexico, my slogan was 'love em' and leave em'. That was my plan with Brittany.

I was warned by Raul not to fall in love with her too, because that would create some drama and the bet would be forfeited.

"Alejandro Cruz! ¿Qué estás haciendo?¡Ven aquí!" I heard mamá yell from the kitchen.

"What?" I asked when I got in there. She was standing over the sink washing lettuce.

"School how was it? Bueno?" She nodded at me.

"Si. Fine." I sat at the table and watched her. We've come a long way since Mexico, since mi padre was killed right in front of me. I had never witnessed something so horrific, and I vowed that day, only 12 years old, that I would do anything it took to protect the people I loved.

"Alejandro. You're staring." She chided. Mamá was all about respect.

"Triste."  I aplogized. I watched her for a little bit longer, making our supper, then got up and walked back to my room. I muddled through the rest of the night thinking about Kate and what set her off. It was true, though; I had had a harder life than her. Her father didn't get killed in front of her own two eyes.

Maybe, just maybe, way down deep inside of me, I had sympathy for her. If she hadn't treated me like shit and judged me, then I would have respect and sympathy. But, nope.

But maybe down deep, I understood her hostility. God knows people have enough to pass around.