Angie wasn't sure she was cut out for parkour, but damn it, she was going to try. It was much harder than she thought it would ever be. And seeing Tom jumping, swinging, balancing off stuff was more impressive than she wanted to admit. Even if his mood had suddenly turned foul.

Okay, maybe, just maybe, all her secrecy was annoying. But she couldn't help it. She wanted Tom to look at her curiously, like he did now, like she was a puzzle, a mystery, a mirage. Not look at her with pity. Or worse, expectation.

He'd never look at you like that. Not like the leering teacher, her customers, the people back home who knew how desperate her family was. Maybe not, but she'd rather not give him the chance either. Their relationship was comfortable the way it was.

At least for her. And she decided to be selfish for once. She didn't ask stuff about him. Why did he need to know about her?

But the foul mood kinda got to her. Enough for others to notice.

"Ah, come on, Angie," Lily said, pulling on her arm. "Cheer up. It's going to be okay."

"Yes, of course..." Except she didn't know that. She never did. And she kinda needed advice. She'd thought of going to Kay, but knew what her friend would say.

Just tell the truth and get it over with. If he's a sleaze bag, kick him and walk away. If he's not, she'll know he's not and take it from there, move on. She didn't want to move on. Didn't want to find out if Tom was a sleaze bag or not. She just wanted to spend time with him like they were now. She wanted to freeze the two of them in a bubble, the rest of the world be damned.

So maybe it was time to ask someone else. "I'm kinda having guy trouble," she admitted sheepishly.

Lily's eyes widened and she suddenly looked a lot more interested. "I didn't think you had time for guys, Angel."

"It's..." Ugh, how did she even start explaining this. "I'm sort of seeing someone, but we're more hanging out than anything. But he's starting to get curious about me."

"So? It means he likes you."

Did it? Not the point. "Yeah, but..."

Lily tilted her head, waiting for the rest of her explanation.

Damn it. She should just get it out. Lily was a girl. She wouldn't be all over the news.

"Look, I'm a bit on the down side with cash. That's why I study so much. My only chance to get into college is a full scholarship. And my family is depending on me."

"We kinda gathered that," Lily said with a nod. "Ross and I. It's pretty easy to tell by your clothes, the fact that you barely eat. But why is that a problem?"

Angie stared at her new friend, wondering if it was really that obvious and she was making an unnecessarily big deal out of it. It must be obvious or the teacher wouldn't be harassing her. Could Tom already know, then? But, on the bright side, Lily and Ross didn't care and it made her feel much better.

"It's just... people have always tried taking advantage of me because I'm poor. Try to get me to do... um, stuff for money or food." Or grades.

Lily frowned. "That's awful."

"Yes. That's why I avoid telling people. And why I don't want to tell this guy. I don't want him to look at me any differently."

"Then don't tell him. He can't make you." Lily shrugged. "Just deflect. And if he doesn't like it, screw him."

Angie smiled, because she totally agreed. She didn't want her relationship with Tom to change. Well, not in the way they'd both start sharing sensitive information. It wasn't forever. Why couldn't they just have fun?

"Thanks."

"You're welcome," Lily said joyfully. "Honesty is overrated anyway. It's not like you're marrying the guy. Just have some fun."

"I think I will." And with a new spring in her step, she headed for her next class.

She could act like she didn't notice he was pissed. She could just whistle while they worked. All it took was to make him laugh once, and it wasn't hard. Well, unless he wouldn't show up at the cafe.

But it was already past four and he was there and smiled when he saw her, as if he'd never been pissed. And it warmed her up, and made her wish she could see his eyes even more. She bet they would get this beautiful glint in them.

"Hey," he said, when she sat down. "What are you having today?"

"Frappucino?" she answered. It was weird how it no longer bothered her that he got her coffee. It was sweet and she appreciated it.

"Coming right up." He got up and headed for the bar.

Angie dived under the table for her books, and just as she cleared the table to get back up, she realized he was already back. "Wow, that was fa--" She froze. It wasn't Tom.

Some other guy had joined her at the table. An extremely hot guy. His hair was black and messy, just like Tom's, he had black eyes, tanned skin,  broad shoulders and bone structure to die for. He was also looking at her with an amused smirk.

"You must be Angie," he said in a voice that was very similar to Tom's, just a little deeper.

Before she could confirm or deny, Tom came back with her coffee.

"Jimmy?" he asked surprised.

"Hey, how about getting me one of those?" Jimmy nodded at the coffee.

Tom looked at the drink in his hand as though he'd completely forgotten it was there. "A frappucino?"

Jimmy rolled his eyes. "No, Newton, double espresso."

"Um, okay." Tom looked at Angie a little worried as he placed the tall glass in front of her, then hurried back to the bar, leaving her alone with Jimmy. Who intimidated the hell out of her for some reason.

"You're..." she started lamely.

"Tom's brother," Jimmy said with a nod.

"Tom never told me he had a brother." But, to be fair, they hadn't discussed families at all. It was part of the serious, deep and potentially dark conversation topics.

"Do you have brothers?"

"I actually do. Two brothers and two sisters."

Jimmy let out a low whistle. "Must take you ages to use the bathroom."

Angie couldn't help but giggle. "It was a problem."

He raised an eyebrow. Damn, he could do it, too. "Was?"

"My family lives in a small town two hours away. I'm here for school." And she had no idea why she'd just told him that. But he was weirdly perceptive, so maybe it was better not to lie.

He just nodded and fortunately didn't ask anything else. She knew she should just drop it and steer him away from this sort of conversation, but it was maybe her only chance to find things out about Tom's family without asking him.

"How about you? Any other siblings?"

"Nope. Just me and Tom." He was quiet for a few seconds, drumming his fingers on the table. "So, are you up for the dance competition?"

"I hope so." She got a really uncomfortable knot in her stomach as she wondered if Tom had told him about her reaction.

"Excited?"

"More like nervous. We haven't even started practicing yet."

"Why not?"

"I don't know. We just didn't get around to it."

Jimmy watched her thoughtfully and she felt like screaming. Even without sunglasses, his expression was so hard to read. She had no idea what he was thinking, if he liked her. And she had no idea why she was desperate for him to like her.

Fortunately, Tom came back with another cup and sat next to his brother, interrupting the awkward silence.

"What are you doing here?" he asked without further ado.

Jimmy just raised the cup. "Needed a refill." And he downed it like it was water.

"Bad day?" Tom asked, tilting his head as if trying to convey a secret meaning to his question.

"Not yet, but it's bound to be. I'm trying to squeeze in a little training before the tournament."

"What tournament?" Angie asked curiously.

"Martial arts. Damn, Tom, you don't brag about me at all. I feel hurt."

"Wow." That was impressive. "Do you do parkour, too?"

Jimmy smirked. "Who do you think taught this guy?"

"Stop bragging or I'll tell her you fall off a skateboard," Tom said.

"So what?" Angie asked. "So do I."

Jimmy grinned at her and she felt an odd sense of satisfaction. Tom's brother seemed really cool.

"Refill?" Jimmy said, waving his empty cup.

Tom got up and waved towards the bar. "Get your own damn coffee."

Angie expected Jimmy to roll his eyes or scoff or something, but he actually got off his seat and headed for the bar. Tom took his place in front of Angie and pulled out his own books.

"He seems nice," she said tentatively.

"He is," Tom answered, spreading his notebooks.

She bit her lip, wondering if to probe further or not get into this at all. But she was curious. "Is he older?"

"A senior."

"Wow. Where's he going to college?"

Tom winced for some reason, but didn't get to answer because Jimmy was back.

"MIT," he said, dropping in his seat.

That was seriously impressive. Angie wouldn't even dream of trying to go somewhere like MIT. Arizona State was as high as she could aim. Apparently Jimmy had big dreams and bigger goals.

"Congratulations," she said and was surprised to hear a little longing in her voice.

"Thank you," Jimmy said joyful and took a delicate sip from his cup. A lot different from how he'd practically inhaled the first.

"How about you?" she asked Tom.

He just shrugged, seeming very uninterested in the issue. "I don't know. Haven't decided yet." He pulled his notebooks closer, and started working on something.

Angie waited for a few seconds, looking at Jimmy, but he just sipped his coffee, gazing out the window so she started off on her own homework. This was getting really awkward. Tom seemed a little pissed and Jimmy was just observing them, like a silent judge about to pass judgment. It made her nervous. Unprepared.

"You seem tense," Tom said all of a sudden. "Maybe I should take you out drinking."

She raised her eyebrows. "We're both underage."

"When has that ever stopped teenagers?" he asked with a grin.

Angie's stomach tightened. This didn't sound good at all. "Are you trying to get me drunk?"

Jimmy leaned forward in his seat, his full attention on her. Tom raised an eyebrow.

"I'm trying to get both of us drunk. But no, it's still not a date, and no, I'm not taking you home afterwards if that's what you're afraid of." He raised his hands as if to prove his innocence. "I just think you should loosen up."

"By throwing alcohol at a sixteen year old," she said, unimpressed. Her heart was still beating wildly, unconvinced by his argument. And the way Jimmy was watching them both without giving his expert opinion on the matter was a bit unnerving.

"They have soda too, you know. I'll drink beer, you drink Coke or whatever. Everyone's happy."

This sounded like such a bad idea. But if she backed out he'd probably start grilling her about her reaction. How bad could it be to go to some place and get a soda? Ugh, the uncertainty was killing her. She needed a second opinion.

Tom seemed to have picked up on that because he gave her a way out. He ripped a page from his notebook and wrote down an address. "If you want to come, it's here. Tonight at eight. We'll make a show of it and show up hangover in school."

She didn't nod or shake her head, just took the paper and stuffed it in her pocket. She'd think about it later. Talk to Lily. Talk to Kay. To Ross. To anyone who would talk her out of going.

"I'd ask you if you wanted to come, but you're already totally rude staying here," Tom said to Jimmy.

Jimmy just laughed and got up. "I get the message. It was nice to meet you, Angie."

And before she could answer, the silent judge was gone.

🔱🔱🔱

This chapter felt a bit... weird. I do hope it was interesting.

So what do you think about Jimmy? Also, Tom's offer to get sloshed. Do you think Angie will turn up or stay home?

Thanks so much for read and if you liked it, don't forget to vote and comment.

Pictured above: Jimmy