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VIII- THE MAFIA

The following day, James carried on with his daily activities. With the situation he was in, he decided to call all his trusted friends. "Hey guys, can we talk?" "Sorry man. Not right now. We all have classes. Maybe this afternoon?" responded by the group. "Yeah, sure. That would be great." "Later, man." With no one to talk to, James decided to have lunch.

"Hey!" shouted Michelle as she approached James. This is what James was trying to avoid. Contact with Michelle. "So, are you ready for lunch?" Michelle asked in an enthusiastic voice. "Yeah. You?" "Sure! Oh? By the way, you remember Hannah, right? She'll be joining us for lunch. Is that ok?" "Sure! The more the merrier, right?" The three of them had lunch together.

That afternoon, just when Michelle was going home, she bumped into James and his friends. "Oh, Michelle. Hi. Are you going home?" "Yeah. And you?" "Not yet. By the way, these are my friends. You already know Michael, right? This is the only woman in the group and my dorm mate, Patrice. And these ae Timothy, Kenneth, and Jethro. Guys, this is Michelle and her friend Hannah." "Hi." Says Patrice. "You know, if you want, you can hang out with us sometimes. Don't worry, we won't bite." Laughter burst with what Patrice said. "Thank you. We will do that. Now, if you'll excuse us, we have to go." "Sure thing." Jethro said. "It was nice meeting you. If you want to find us, just ask for 'The Mafia'". "The Mafia?" "Yes. That's what we call ourselves. We all love the concept of mafia. A group that teats each other like family. Childish, I know, but, it feels right for our little group." "That doesn't sound childish at all. Don't worry, we'll hang out with you guys."

Michelle and Hannah both got excited at the idea of belonging to a group. They finally found a group where they belong.

The group got silent for a minute after Michelle and Hannah left. "So... that was Michelle. What do you guys think?" James asked curiously. "Honestly, James, she's not that bad. But, don't you have a rule of not going for someone younger or older than you?" "Oh come on, Jethro! We're not even sure if James really has feelings for this girl." Patrice said. The whole group argued about the situation James was in. "What is with you and telling Michelle what James feels? You said it yourself, he doesn't look confused. So what is this all about?" exclaimed Michael. "I just don't want him to get hurt. Just like before. That was a two-year rebound relationship." Exclaimed Patrice. "Hey! I wasn't the rebound, she was!" James said almost angrily. "I know. But you got hurt, right? By Nicole, that is. That's why you had that rebound relationship. We all watched you suffer for two years because of that relationship. I don't want to see that again. So please, don't jump into this one without being sure." Patrice explained. "You're right Patrice. I'm sorry." James said.

They ended up spending the eveningtogether at Kenneth's house. Although still unsure, James felt at ease seeingthat his friends are all there for him.