1953…

"Do you always have to be a royal pain in everyones ass Geovani?" Gina stated as her eldest brother continuously kicked the leg of her chair with the toe of his shoe.

"I'm bored!" said Geovani as a point of reason. "Then go be bored elsewhere!" Gina shot over her book. "Why don't you go bother Gavino or Grace, or her royal highness Gabriella, I know they ain't doing nothing."

Geovani tucked his hands into the wholly pockets of his hand-me-down slacks. "I already got into it with Gavino earlier."

"Then go help dad out and get a job stupid!" Giada said from the only other room of the house walking into the next room with Gavino at her hip as she ranted. "The rest of us are lookin for jobs or standin on the corner askin for handouts. You think we like it? No, but at least we have a right to complain."

"See what I mean Gina!" Geovani pointed at Gavino seeing an opportunity to start up a fight again; which was a favorite past time of his. "Gavino is lazy! Lazy lazy lazy!"

"Don't you start with me Geovani! Don't you start with me!" then the bunch of them started in all at once in a loud crusade of being crude and argumentative for arguments sake. The only ones who did not join in were Giuseppe, Giorgio, Gabriella and Grace who weren't in the house at present.

Now to be perfectly clear, there were 8 children in the Grammario family and they were all born in order of appearance; Geovani who is 22, Gabriella 21, Gavino 20, Grace who just turned 19, Giorgio and Giuseppe (the twins) at age 18) Giada 16 and Gina who is 12. Their father and mother are Gus and Glinda Grammario who were immigrants who managed to go from bad to worse, from poor to even poorer.

But this story isn't about the people who are in the two bedroom tiny house at present, is it? No, this story is about a rise of a star, its about a boy and a girl who fall in love, its about…all sorts of things, just not things that have to do with anyone in this house at this moment!

Let's go to the street where the story really starts. Here, here she is our star, our heroine, our fem fatale. A cute little blonde carrying some shopping bags out of a dress shop walks elegantly across the street in a pair of pristine heels. She walks with confidence, her beautiful face held high, she meets the world with a smile. She had the look of old money to her and refinement.

To the blonde the world is her oyster and nothing can obstruct her from being the pearl and the center of attention. Nothing except for that dirty, mousy girl standing at the corner waiting to cross the same street she was about to cross, how vulgar!

The blonde sauntered up to the shoeless girl and waited as the cars raced by. This girl was tan, with dim, repressed blue eyes, chocolate brown hair that looked like it had been cut with a butcher knife and a brown dressthat was covered in patch work.

The urchin girl was leaning up against the light post with her arms folded across her stomach as if it would keep the hunger at bay. When the blonde set her bags down the other girl greeted her by turning her head and smiling a small smile "Unusual Autumn we're having." The urchin started, to which the blonde said nothing. "Its an Indian summer." The urchin girl tried again just as warmly as before. "Hot and dry, good for swimming if you know a place to go."

"I don't have any money to give you." The blonde said curtly.

"I didn't expect you too." Answered the brunette with a shrug. The blonde rolled her eyes and tapped her foot waiting for the light to change. She then looked down at the girls bare torn up feet and snarled. "Isn't the cement hot?" she asked out of spite.

The urchin girl smiled again glad for the small window of conversation even if it was in bitter context. "it is." She consented tucking one foot behind the other as if to try and hide them. "I felt sorry for myself, until I saw the man without feet." She said hoping that the cliché would lighten the mood.

"Well, I think Scotland yard should do the world a favor and get rid of you both." The other girl snickered looking at her perfectly manicured nails. "Its your lot of people that drags my lot in the mud, begging on street corners for other peoples hard earned cash."

The urchin girl uncrossed her arms and stepped down firmly from the light post. "There is no need to be so rude." She said crossly. "I wasn't asking for money. I was simply trying to pass time until the light turned red and we both could cross." The light then turned red and the blonde sucked in a breath through her nostrils. "I'll give you this, my lot may have no money but at least we don't look down on the world from a high horse. Good day." And at that the brunette crossed the street two join to identical looking young men in similar patchy garb.

"You should have punched her." said the one to the girl's left. "Punch her lights right out." Added the boy to her right slamming his fist into his palm.

"Oh yeah?" she mused. "And where would that have gotten me, Giorgio? A night in the slammer? No thank you." She shook her head before turning to them. "Anyway it doesn't matter, how did the job search go? Any luck?"

Giuseppe the oldest of the twins by 13 minutes ran a hand over his greasy slicked back hair, shuffling his feet along. "I had an interview with that mechanic place."

"Good Giuseppe." Beamed the girl walking a head only a little. "Do you think they liked you?"

"I dunno Grace." He murmured. "Alotta good lookin hicks in there with some actual schoolin and experience."

"Besides." Added Giorgio. "How many people do you know that actually like us? Look at that bitch earlier." He said pointing back towards the crosswalk. "Maybe she was onto somethin, maybe someone should just shoot us and put us outta our misery."

Grace gave the idea only a moment of thought as her stomach growled and than came to her senses. "Don't talk like that." She scolded. "You're starting to sound like dad. We just-" she faltered. "We just gotta stay positive."

The boys stopped in their tracks and stared at her until she turned to them. "and end up like Gabriella…"

Grace felt coldness in her heart at this remark. How could they be so cruel, so judgmental about their own sister. Grace took a breath. "Gabriella saw the goodness in others and didn't piss and moan like the rest of us. Being taken advantage of wasn't her fault." She said with a warning before resuming walking. "We should all try and be more like she was."

"Was being the optimum word." Stated Giorgio flatly.

"Why don't you just shut up, will ya." Grace replied. "You'll never know what she has been through until you've walked a mile in her shoes."

The trio was silent. Giuseppe broke the quietness by saying. "You didn't tell us about you Grace, any luck with the job search?"

Grace shrugged. "I applied at the dress shop and to be a telephone operator. The lady I got the application from said I had a nice voice."

"Yeah?" asked her brother.

"Yeah." She confirmed with a smile. She then looked up at the town clock tower that read six o'clock and turned back to the twins with a laugh in her voice. "You two better get home, its dinner time." The two gave her a kiss on the cheek. "You're not comin?" Giorgio asked cocking an eyebrow.

"No, I'm gonna stay out and keep looking. Besides I drew the short straw last night, remember?"

The boys nodded solemnly in unison. It was an awful practice that the family had to do twice a week. Draw straws to see who had to fast for a day so there would be enough food for the rest of the week. So there really wasn't much point in going home right at six to watch everyone else eat.

She walked around for a few more minutes trying to decide if she had done the right thing with that girl today. She could have been tougher, she could have said for the girl to go take a flying leap off of a tall cliff. No one would have blamed her, her family would have commended her for it. but she also knew that in the back of her mind she would hear Gabriella reminding her that "you get more flies with honey…". She didn't want to be bitter, but at the same time she didn't want to be dirt poor and friendless either.

It was getting hotter, so hot that it was nearly unbearable. So, at this she slipped into the first available shop with an AC.

Grace stepped into the cool candy shop and let the air wash over her sticky, wet skin. It was hotter than the Dickens out there. The bell above the shop door announced her arrival and once more she was in a world she didn't belong, a world that required money. And to make matters worse, seated at the counter was the pretty, rich blonde girl from her earlier.

The girl eyed her with pretty eyes framed by thick mascaraed lashes, her hair was done in perfect curls that hung in a ponytail in a Chantilly scarf that matched her dress. Grace momentarily gripped at the ends of her short brown hair, wishing that it was long enough to style and that she had the tools to do so.

At that moment the candy store clerk waltzed back with a cherry cola with a dopy smile on his face. "Here you go Helen!" he tweeted. "The best soda pop you will ever-" the young man trailed off when he saw poor little urchin Grace standing by the door by the lollipops. He was judging her, he had to be, she felt it. He was watching her closely if she was going to steal something, all store clerks looked at her this way, why should this one be different?

"OH Willy this is to die for!" the girl named Helen burst averting the young man's attention rather flamboyantly by smacking his wrist. "Cute and nifty." She giggled before pursing her red-red lips on the straw and batting her eyes. Grace gagged inwardly at the blunt pass but was glad for the distraction so she could look around freely.

The smells of the shop were tantalizing and as she read wrapper after wrapper with their bright colors, the room began to spin. She was so, so hungry. Hungry enough that she felt light headed and likely to get sick and pass out. She was overheated, overheated and starving.

A sudden cool hand brushed her forearm gently, and the coolness of the touch somehow revived her momentarily, she gasped a little more intensely than she meant to and whirled around to meet the face of the clerk who looked…concerned? She backed away like a frightened animal at first, having been gruffly thrown out of her fair share of shops in the past and being battered from it. But then she straightened and thought of what her siblings might say if they were her. she put on a brave face and swallowed, before meeting the clerks eyes. "I wasnt stealing anything." She said. "I was just looking, an-and I have a right to look around and try and cool off, right?" at this the clerk smiled, seeing her struggle as she brushed hair away from her eyes, trying to look tough. "Quite right." He agreed, taking Grace aback.

"You have siblings right? I see you guys around often." He continued taking some bars down from a higher part of the shelf and Grace watched in silence. "Forgive me but I like to study people and guess what their favorite candy would be."- he paused and handed her what he had. "You look like a Carmel girl, or maybe a soft toffee, or a mocha something." Another pause and he smiled. "Something sweet and classic, and fine."
Helen back at the counter stomped her foot and whined "Willy!" the clerk gave a halfhearted nod towards her and then set his full attention back on Grace. "That's my name, Willy, I prefer Willy or Will but you can call me William if you want. Don't call me anything you like just call me late for dinner." As soon as the words left his lips he shut his eyes in frustration. "Strike that, reverse it."

Grace smiled a bit. What a backwards chap! Here he was handing an urchin merchandise, ignoring a pretty rich girl to talk to a homeless girl and he talked strangely. His eyes glistened and he put one hand against the shelf. "You have a very pretty smile, iridescent really. You should smile more, I hope that you do. Whats your name?"

Grace answered his question with one of her own. "What are these for?" her eyes flashed down to the sweets in her arms. "I cant pay for them….any of them." She said honestly. The clerk looked deep into her eyes and grinned. "I already told you these are for your family, no payment required. Now will you tell me your name." there was a whim to this, like he really wanted to know.

" I cant just take this." Grace argued. "It wouldn't be honest." She started to hand them back but the clerk argued and at this point Helen was boiling. "William if you don't come away from that street rat, I will leave and never go on another date with you again!"

To Grace's shock the young man waved over his shoulder and said "Goodbye Helen, don't let the door hit you." As calmly as possible. Helen stomped her foot with a sob and stormed out. Grace hung her mouth open and shook her head. "I have never met a boy quite like you in my life!" she gawked, and the clerk laughed. "You must be hitched in the head! You must be crazy!"

The clerk then realized this wasn't a compliment, he had really put her off. He hung his head and started away. Grace bit her lip and then reached out to him. "But apparently I like crazy, Willy, my names Grace, just Grace…and I'll take the candies back to my family and tell you if you guessed right about their favorites, you know."

"You mean, you'll come back?"

"If you really want me to."

The clerk nodded. "Very much so."

Grace gave a smile. "Okay then." She blushed looking down at her feet. "I'll see you around." She slung open the door an exited. What had just happened? Had she really just agreed to go back to a store? Agreed to go back and see a boy no less? Could a boy have really wanted to see her again? He didn't know her well enough to like her or dislike her, nor she him but here was an opportunity to find out. A golden opportunity to make a friend or enter into dangerous territory, or a many array of things. The point was, there was at last an opened door.

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I like how this came out, a little scattered and unconventional, not a lot of interaction but enough to get the ball rolling...
i hope you like it

reviews are love