Post by silent.lullaby on Feb 22, 2010 16:53:49 GMT -5
//We Run This Town//Chapter 012// Jesters
The football team was practising on the field in front of us. Blaire, Gemma, Lucia, and I watched and ate. “What’s everyone wearing tonight?” I looked behind me to see October and her best friend Kaper Callahan.
Gemma just grinned, “it’s a surprise, I haven’t shown anyone!”
“And you have no idea what a feat that is for Gem,” I inform them as they sit with us. October sat with many different groups during lunch hours, so she only sat with us about once a week. Kaper only came if October did, she was a quiet girl, October assured us- much to Kaper’s embarrassment- that she did eventually come out of her shell.
“And the rest of you?”
“This shimmering blue dress with black tights and blue pumps,” Blaire responses, “probably wear my hair in ringlets pinned back.” Blaire looks a little dreamy, “and I’m going with Linden!”
“Holy shit, when were you going to tell us that?” Gemma bursts.
Blaire grins, “I asked him today if he had a date, he said no, I asked if he wanted to go with me, he said yes, and he’s picking me up at seven so we can go and eat first.”
I pretend to brush a tear from my eye, “it was just yesterday you were calling dibs on him.”
Lucia and I had both yet to decide what to wear and Gemma looked stunned. “The dance is tonight!”
“I’ll find something,” Lucia assures her, “I have plenty to wear, I just haven’t decided yet.”
Gemma sighed, “you two are nuts leaving this to the last minute. You two do realize this is a semi-formal?”
“Yes, we’re not idiots,” I retort, “the signs have been all around the school!” I look to Kaper who looks completely put out. “Kaper, are you going with anyone?”
She smiles sweetly at me, “I’m going with Gavin Burke.”
“Who’s a total hottie!” October gushes, “she got herself quite the catch!”
I swallow hard and in my peripheral vision I see Gemma’s jaw clench and unclench. “Yes, he seems... very nice,” Lucia speaks up trying to lighten the tension. “What will you be wearing?”
“I have this really pretty black dress, a sweetheart neckline, strapless, tight bodice and it just kinda flows from there.”
“That sounds beautiful,” I try to sound encouraging but my words get all choked up.
“Hey, look, they’re starting a game!” Blaire grabs our attention and everyone goes quiet and stares at the field and eats their lunch.
I can tell Gemma’s still pissed even about the mention of Gavin Burke, because his father put ours away. Me? I was devastated he had a date. Which was stupid. I rubbed my temples. I felt like running. Running always helped clear my mind of everything, including crushes.
Mr Harrison gave us ten minutes of free sketching time before he stood in front of the class giving us a lecture on the Group of Seven. I wrote notes sitting beside Blaire, who was sending paper notes back to Linden when Mr Harrison wasn’t paying attention. But it wasn’t only Linden at the wide table behind us. There was also Darren, who surely didn’t like that his friend was taking Blaire to the dance. Gavin who put insects in my belly- cause this sick feeling surely couldn’t be butterflies. And Ohiko, who seemed to interested in the lecture to care about anything else going on around him.
I was itching to get out of the class, the bell didn’t ring soon enough for my tastes. I ditched my books in my locker and grabbed my gym bag and headed to the girls change rooms. We were still in the soccer unit and all had to do our warm up laps outside. Two laps around both fields. I ran with Lucia and we kept up with the flock of guys who had gym the same hour as us. I pushed myself wanting to run since lunch. Lucia noticed my increase and kept up for a while before falling behind to her own pace again.
I passed most of the guys Gavin, Brian and Darren were the only ones left. I kicked it up, ignored the sting in my lungs from the cool air rushing in. I passed Darren and soon after that I passed Gavin I mean, I didn’t get to be a track star for being mediocre. Gavin picked up the pace but I moved past him again and then overtook Brian. We started the second lap, and I was ahead of everyone. I pushed harder, my legs enjoying the workout I hadn’t given them fully in a while. My lungs protested and I ignored them taking the turn my arms were chilled not covered. I took the last corner and both Gavin and Brian had kicked it up for the last bit catching right back up with me, but not surpassing me. We all stopped after the finish at a stalemate.
Both Miss Gilbert and Mr Doors clapped, “looks like we’re going to have some real track stars this year,” Mr Doors said sounding absolutely delighted. “I know you boys were going to sign up but what about you miss...”
“Lombardi, it’s Lilianna Lombardi. ” I huffed, “and yes, I intend on signing up.”
“Excellent!” Mr Doors smiled. “I’m the coach, I look forward to working with you Lilianna.”
I stretched tall and looked to Brian, who looked like he ate a bug with the news. Then to Gavin but he was looking away. Which was fine, I don’t care what he thinks... or at least that’s what I tried to convince myself.
“Did you get it worked out?” I look over my shoulder to see Lucia. “What you were running from, did you work it out?”
Lucia was insightful, she knew me incredibly well. I could talk to her about thinks maybe Gemma wouldn’t understand, or I thought she’d be to critical about. Part of me wanted to tell Lucia about my crush on Gavin, but my brain shut down my mouth. And I just nodded, though I hadn’t worked it out, the running made me feel a little freer.
I was chosen my Miss Gilbert as team captain for our soccer game. Lexie was chosen as the other. I chose Lucia and October first while Lexie chose her sister Kara and a girl with a coloured mohawk who scored all of the points last class. We continued choosing till we were all out of classmates and the game was on. I played defence, Lucia played as a forward and October was our goalie.
We lost the game 5-2.
“Sorry,” Lexie says passing me with a smug smile, “but you guys suck.” Agitated I showered and got back into my normal clothes and hoped on the bus. Once home I grabbed my silver hand bag twenty bucks and a clear lip gloss.
I was a couple minutes early as I stepped into The Jester. It was run by my family, and helped hide some of the money that comes in from more shady jobs. “Lilianna, long time no see,” Paul smiled from behind the bar. I grinned back, he had no idea what went on, that he was working for a crooked business.
“Hey Paul, I know.”
“How was Italy?”
“Beautiful, has Lucia arrived yet?”
“DeLuca? No, she hasn’t been in, in a while.”
The bell above the door rung and I looked over my shoulder to see Lucia. “We’ll be eating in the VIP lounge,” I inform him and Paul nods.
He unlocks the door and opens it for us, ushering us in. He sets down a menu in front of each of us and asks us what we’d like to drink. Lucia orders an iced tea and I order the same. “I’m absolutely famished after that gym class,” Lucia informs me reading over the menu and skipping right passed the appetisers.
Paul returned setting down our drinks, “you two know what you want?”
“Spaghetti, vegetarian sauce, and garlic bread with extra cheese,” Lucia ordered.
“The spicy penne with rotisserie chicken and garlic bread no cheese.” I order grabbing both of our menus and passing them to Paul.
We talked about gym class, and bitched about Lexie till our food arrived, and I informed Paul that we didn’t want to be disrupted, when he left I stood and locked the door behind him. “So, the deal?”
Lucia spun long spaghetti noodles around her fork with the spoon in the other hand. “With the recession going on, the Wetherill’s were going to be foreclosed upon.” Lucia popped the fork in her mouth and closed her eyes, she chewed slowly and swallowed. “I haven’t been to Jesters in forever, I’ve really missed their spaghetti.”
I grinned and took a bite of my spicy penne, died, went to heaven and came back. “Two years, Lucy, two years with out this heavenly pasta.”
Lucia scoffed, “you were living in the land of pasta!”
“Not the same. It’s not Jesters.”
Lucia sighed and started swirling more. “Anyways, the Wetherill’s didn’t want to loose their house, of course.” She took the bite and chewed quickly.
I cut up a piece of chicken and speared it with my fork adding on a couple noodles before eating it. The spices bit at my tongue and I took gulp of my iced tea. “So they borrowed some money?”
Lucia pursed her lips for a moment. “With out Enzo, Zarah... was lost. She went to the Wetherill’s to work out a deal. Personally.”
“Personally!” I shouted before clamping my hand over my mouth. I took a deep breath and lowered my voice. “You never do anything personally, not someone like Zarah.”
“She wasn’t thinking straight. Besides, with out Enzo or Antonio, there was nearly no income. There was a lot of chaos while you were gone. People didn’t want to pay up, the big men were in prison, they could get away with it. Preston, Ceasario, and Adam tried to keep things as together as they could.” Lucia shrugged, “but things were falling to pieces.”
“Still, Zarah could have sent Preston, or someone lower.”
“The income of the mafia wasn’t enough to pay what we all have.” Lucia pushed some spaghetti around on her plate. “Things weren’t organized, people weren’t paying, and with out Enzo and Antonio they were getting away with it. You’ve seen Zarah’s place, it’s huge. They have properties all over, their hands in everything. The only steady income was from here, Jesters. And... it wasn’t enough. The Wetherill’s needed money, Zarah could charge outrageous interest and would be able to pay for herself and her daughter.”
I mulled this over and ate some more of my pasta. “So what went wrong.”
“Zarah went to collect a payment and Mrs Wetherill didn’t have the money.”
Knowing where this was going I sighed. “Zarah beat her.”
“I’m sure she didn’t do it on purpose, but in the scuffle, Zarah grabbed a bat, she hit too high.”
Lucia’s hands were shaking a little, “you okay?”
“Zarah paralysed Mrs Wetherill.”
“Son of a bitch.”
Lucia didn’t scold me for swearing for once. Instead she pushed her plate away, apparently her appetite had faded away.