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Dirty Laundry

I froze and darted my eyes to Julian and Pandora instinctively. Santina came back with bread and drinks, then after making herself scarce once again.
"You don't 'ride' it. You address it." Jared corrected him.
"Yeah whatever you know what I mean." Leo wagged his finger between exactly who everyone suspected he was talking about. "Are you guys finally putting a label on your sick but 'loving' slave-like sexlationship?"
My jaw dropped but I quickly recovered and took a sip of my wine. It was good.
"You are so lewd." Pandora scoffed. "What Julian and I do is none of your or anyone else's concern."
She dragged her line of sight from Leo, directly over to me, eyes in full dagger mode.
I forcefully sat back and crossed my arms, already so over her attitude.
"Mhm, whatever you say bunny." He berated her as he tore into a biscuit.
"Don't call me bunny." She leered at him.
"Why? Is it what he calls you? Right when he p-"
"Leo, enough." Julian said firmly. It was the first time I'd heard him sound as confident as when we first spoke.
"All right, all right." Leo held his hands up in surrender. "Just let me know when you two are done playing."
"You're disgusting." She said.
"Only if you like that."
Julian started to stand up but Pandora and Gwen put their hands up to stop him.
Santina swiftly arrived with a steaming bowl of red dip and more garlic rolls in the middle of the table at the perfect time.
"Your appetizer, directly from the chef." She presented the dish and removed a pen from behind her ear. "Have you decided what to order?"
Once everyone put in their orders she left us to our entree and turmoil. Nobody touched the food yet because everyone was trying to look distracted somehow. Leo was the only one who seemed pleased by the silence.
"Uhm.. what is this called?" I asked quietly, reaching over to the bread and picking up a fresh baked piece.
"Bruschetta fettunta with homemade dressing. Well, Aloma's version at least. I can't even tell you how good it is." Gabriella answered, picking up a piece of bread and dipping it in the sauce as well. "Let the food speak for itself."
I lightly dipped the bread in the the gravy and a thousand flavours burst in my mouth. "This is amazing!" I exclaimed.
Leo laughed at my inexperience, Pandora sniffed in arrogance and Jared looked at me like I was just too cute.
"See what did I tell you?" Julian shockingly spoke to me. I ignored Pandora's glowering and answered him.
"Okay you got me. This tastes like it was hand crafted by the Gods." I joked.
"You're close." Don reappeared at the table side, a short man in tow. He had big beefy hands, thick brown hair and an apron tied around his waist. "Everyone, you know Pip."
They all warmly murmured their hello's as they devoured the bruschetta.
"Pip this is Olivia, a new friend of ours." He introduced us formally.
"It's nice to meet you." He said in a booming, heavily Italian voice. "You are always welcome to eat here, such a pretty girl."
I blushed and chilled on the snacking for a second so he didn't think I regularly ate like a barbarian.
"Thank you. Your restaurant has already blown me away and my meal hasn't even arrived yet." I dabbed at my face with my napkin.
"Of course!" Everything he said sounded like an exclamation. "For the pretty girl who is blown away, we will have free meals tonight. For your entire table!"
"Sweet!" Leo smirked and chugged his wine, slamming his glass down to pour another.
"Oh you don't have to do that." I smiled, speaking only out of politeness. If there was one thing I never refused, it was free food.
"Nonsense." Pip waved at me. "Nothing is too much for my favourite nephew's friends."
He pinched Don's face and I giggled at seeing an almost grown man blush.
"Uncle, stop." He swatted his hand away and sat back down in his seat. Pip sucked in his teeth and shook his head.
"Now I embarrass you. When did this happen? Where did the time go? I remember when you were this high." He gestured to his thigh, a nostalgic look on his face. "My beautiful wife and I would watch him while his parents were out of town. Kid loved putting underpants on his head. Couldn't tell you why either."
Pip went on his merry way back to the kitchen, rambling on about Little Donato, leaving us shaking with laughter. Gabriella looked as if she was about to fall out of the booth.
"Yeah yeah, laugh it up." Don smiled. He had a very great attitude for someone who was being teased, and that was one of the good qualities I liked in a person.
We continued talking about nonessentials for a bit, Julian finally breaking out of whatever oppressive shell Pandora had put on him. Obviously realizing this, Pandora contributed little to the conversation and finally got up to use the bathroom for a good fifteen minutes. We received our desserts, which were exquisite, and Gabriella threw around the idea of everyone staying over for another night.
"Yeah why not." Jared agreed, letting Jay roam across the table after Santina cleaned up our main courses. Gabriella and I had each ordered a tiramisu chocolate mousse, but I pretty much finished both of ours. He paused at each dessert plate before stopping in front of Leo and licking the whipped cream off of his chocolate cake.
"Are you going to stay with us tonight, cat girl?" Leo asked as he played with Jay, nearly knocking down the now empty bottle of wine Santina had brought to us. "I promise I'll be good."
I knew I had promised I would stay the next time everyone else did while we were in the car, but for some reason just thinking about actually doing it tonight made my stomach queasy.
"You promised." Gwen leveled me with a stare. She looked soft with her hair tousled and wavy, and pink lips from a cute lipstain she had on.
"I know but..." Jay stopped rolling around in the linen napkins and trotted over to me. I picked him up and brought him close for comfort.
"Come on baby girl, we won't take no for an answer." Leo smirked.
I rolled my eyes at him but smiled when I answered. "Fine. I'll stay."
Everyone made a loud enough cheer to catch the attention of the customers in the restaurant around us, but we didn't care. I blushed furiously but felt moved by their appreciation. Pandora came back as we cleared our final courses, looking in every direction but my own. Her makeup looked freshly re-applied and I had to admit that even though her personality was revolting, she looked beautiful.
We finished up and headed back home, this time riding with different people. Pandora snatched Gwen before Jared could even reach out his hand for hers, leaving him to ride home with Adriana and Don. That left me and Jay with Gabriella and Leo who definitely did not let loose on his flirtatious side the whole ride home.
Once we got back, Jay, Gabriella and I went to my floor while everyone else went downstairs. I let him down in the apartment and he ran around the living room once before bounding into the laundry room.
"Just get some pajamas and bring your toothbrush. We have everything else you might need at our house." Gabriella raked her fingers through her hair and massaged her scalp as she perched on the edge of my bed. "Don't even worry about breakfast. Gwen and Jared love taking over the kitchen in the mornings. It's some cutesy ritual-like thing they always do together."
"Sweet." I swiped my mint silk night gown and favourite plush slippers.
"Ugh my shoulders are killing me." She moaned as I grabbed my toothbrush. I looked in the mirror and surprisingly still looked normal after the night out. Usually, I always came home from an event looking like cat leftovers.
"I get to put Don's strong ass hands to use tonight."
I made a funny face in the mirror. "Don?"
"Yeah? Didn't you see his power paws? You'd be surprised how gentle they can be." She called back from the room.
I squinted at myself and shook my head. "Wait, you like Don?"
"Yes. Isn't it obvious?"
I walked back into the room and looked at her. "Actually no."
"Well yes, I do. We've had this funny little connection or something for a while now. It's nothing like Dora and Julian's bullcrap play game though. We are fully aware of our feelings for each other, but are waiting a bit before we think it's time we should make it.. official."
I pondered what she said, raising my eyebrows. "Wait, wait wait. So are you saying that Julian and what's her face aren't really on the same page?"
"Uh..." She looked away uncomfortably. "Ask me something else."
Her silence pretty much confirmed it. "Alright then. Doesn't it weird out your brother that one of his best friends and his little sister are getting intimate?"
"Did you just say 'intimate'?" She cackled at me.
"Oh answer the question." I threw my slipper at her.
"Please. Jared can't even see anything past the jewel that is Gwen's face."
"Okay that I can believe." I nodded and looked towards the kitchen through the open room door. "I'm ready."
"Let's go!" She threw my shoe back at me, jumped up and smiled, bounding through the apartment like she hadn't just laid out everyone's dirty laundry. She probably didn't even see it that way, but since I was so pristine I found every new fact shocking.
"Hold on a sec, I gotta call my dad." I slipped my phone out of my bra and pressed speed dial.
"Aw! Can I say hi?" She grinned at the phone.
"No. Shh." I warned her, moving the phone away from her a bit.
He picked up before the second ring. "Hello?"
"Hey Mr. Stalls!" Gabriella yelled into the phone.
"Uh hello."
"Daddy? Sorry. That was Gabriella." I shoved her and she laughed her way to the couch, plopping down.
"You made a new friend?" He rumbled happily.
"I did." I smiled though he couldn't see. "She's Kavana Aveses daughter."
"Ah, Mrs. Aves. Lovely woman. Entertaining husband. I haven't seen them since the spring. Say hello for me if you get the chance."
"Of course daddy."
"So how was your day?"
I contemplated telling him about dinner and staying the night downstairs but decided against it. Instead I told him that the tech men came in, how much I loved the cars and about Acad.
"You want to go to school?" He questioned me.
"Yes daddy. I think it'd be good for me. To learn, to have something doing everyday. Plus Gabriella and all of her friends go there as well so I won't be completely lost."
He was silent for a moment before he answered. "I have to say... I'm proud of you, princess."
I flushed with chagrin. "Really? Thank you."
"I'll look up this Anton Academy school and get in contact with the administration. We'll see what I can do."
Gabriella and I gasped.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I chanted.
"This is great Mr. Stalls. You won't be disappointed."
"That's good to hear, young lady. It was nice to meet you, but I've gotta go. Duty calls. But you know what to do if you need me."
"Of course. Have a good night daddy."
"You too princess." And then the line went dead.
"Wow. Well that was easier than I thought it would be." I placed my phone back to it's original spot and smiled to myself.
"Mhm." She smirked and grabbed Jay up from the floor. "Where's his litter box? We should bring it down with us."
"Good idea." I handed her my stuff so I could carry the box out to the living room and press the elevator button. We loaded up into it and she scanned her card for the fifteenth floor.
"If Pandora says anything to you tonight, just ignore her." Gabriella shook her hair back. "She's always gonna be the way she is and there's no point in letting that bother you, though I saw you being mature about being around her tonight so I know I have nothing to worry about anyways. I kind of feel like Pandora was the main reason you didn't stay last night so I understand that you're putting yourself out on the line to spend time with us. And I for one really appreciate it. So just eat lots of sweet and salty popcorn with me and have fun, cool?"
I smiled because I thought no one had noticed me physically restraining myself from strangling her almost all night. Even though Gabriella had drank an abundance of wine, which seemed to loosen her inhibitions a bit, she was alert and looking out for me just as much as Jared was. I appreciated that.
"Okay." I agreed and we arrived at her apartment floor.