We won the game, all thanks to teamwork. As I always say, teamwork is the key to success... Nah, I don't say that, but I wanted to sound sophisticated. I think it worked!

~~~

Latoya called for her manager and showed him that she had brought more hungry customers who would pay a lot. "Sir, I will make you rich tonight because we are hungry after a successful basketball match. "Do I get a raise?" she asked straight to the point, pleading puppy eyes. The manager laughed and nodded. He seemed friendly.

"I was going to give it to you anyway since you are a hard worker and sweet to the customers, and you do extra work sometimes, but now I have a reason that the other employees can't argue with; they are teenage needy, money-loving freaks." He pointed out the bitter truth, and we all laughed at Lee's facial expression and the accuracy of his description. Milo stood next to her, then kissed her temple.

"At least you'll get the raise, so let's eat," I remarked, and we all sat on a big, round table that fits all of us. I sat between Theo and Arlo, Alice sat between Theo and Latoya, Milo between Lee and Holden, Jess between Holden and Jude, and the brothers next to Jude. Oh, and Gavin sat on a baby's chair. Did you get the formation?

"I suggest you all order today's special because it's absolutely delicious. Mark my words and, for little Gavin, there is a children's meal that he can eat: it's basically crushed rice with sweet milk," Lee explained, and we all nodded. I trusted her enough to trust her with my food choice. That was a big deal for me. No kidding! "Great, now let me just get the attention of my annoying coworker..." she said, and we waited for her next move, which was whistling loudly using her fingers. You know, that move where you put two fingers in your mouth and... Okay, I'll stop. You know-how.

Milo groaned, then tapped his ear. "Lee, a little warning would have been wonderful!" he clarified, and she laughed.

"That's the only way he will come, as he doesn't like me because I'm serious about my job, and he always picks on me, so it's my turn. I'm the customer now!" she replied with a sly smirk. Milo paled, and I prayed we would not have to bail her out of jail. We all turned and looked at the waiter. He seemed pretty young... fifteen years young. He was picking on Lee? Who does he think he is?

"What can I do — you!" He stopped mid-sentence and looked at Latoya with an annoyed expression. "What are you doing here? It's your day off. You're not supposed to be here. It should be my happy day!" he exclaimed monotonously, but he never looked into her eyes. He kind of seemed nervous? Oh... I get it.

"Ha! It's my day off, and I have the right to wander around as I want to. Now, care to take our orders?" She fired back with a calm expression, leaned back on Milo's chest, and the waiter clenched his fists when she did that. Yes, he is. I smirked, leaned forward, and placed my elbows on the table.

"Lee, I think I know why he acts like he doesn't stand the ground you walk on...." I pointed out and caught everyone's attention. She looked at me with raised eyebrows, and the waiter eyed me to see if I really knew what was up with his rude attitude. "He likes you," I stated. It was the truth for sure, based on the boy's reaction. His cheeks turned crimson red, and his eyes were wide open. Lee looked at me, then at the boy, then back at me with a nod, then laughed.

Milo wrapped his arm around her waist to show that she was his girl. The funny and amusing thing was that the boy didn't deny it. Latoya composed herself and looked serious all of a sudden. "You are not kidding? He didn't deny it." With all due respect, I love her as a sister... but she was slow.

"Nope," I replied, then leaned back on my seat and made myself comfortable on Arlo's chest. No one talked. We were waiting for the drama to begin.

"I do like you; ever since I first saw you," he said in a hushed tone, but we all heard him. He was about to get his heart broken. But it was not Latoya's fault. He acted rudely, and she was naive, so he should have said that from the beginning and not let his heart be too attached to the idea of liking her.

Lee looked at me, and I nodded for encouragement. She fixed her gaze at the boy and crossed her arms. I knew she did not want to sound rude now that she knew his reasons. "Okay. Listen. I'm very sorry. I can't answer your feelings, and that's for two reasons. One, I have a boyfriend." Milo raised his hand, indicating that he was the boyfriend. Way to rub it in. boy!

"Two, even if I didn't have a boyfriend and was single, you're a bit too young for me. I'm twenty-three, and you just turned fifteen; that's a huge age gap, and I'm not up for that. I hope you understand. You deserve someone better who will love you for who you are. I know I can't because I have Milo. Thank you, though," she explained softly, and the boy nodded while looking down. She got up and gave him a quick hug that made Milo restless, but he remained still.

"It's okay. Thank you for hearing me out, and I'm sorry for all my rude acts. To make it up to you, the dessert is my treat today." Once he let those precious words leave his mouth, I clapped with a grin.

"Are you sure about that, buddy? Because sweets are my favorite food, and I'm hella hungry. You should know that a meal won't do the trick," I countered, and everyone snapped their necks at me. I just smiled innocently. He looked at me, suddenly regretting what he said.

"Y-yeah..." he replied, unsure about his once-brilliant idea. It was not so brilliant anymore.

"Perfect," I said.

"You should be prepared, boy, because she eats a lot," Arlo pointed out, and the boy laughed. He nodded, took our orders, and walked away.

"Poor him, but it was not his fault because my girl is so beautiful, and I'm proud. He had good intentions. He didn't lay a hand on you, right?" Milo asked as he kissed her cheek. I was starting to get uncomfortable when she kissed his jaw and said no. Too much public display of affection.

"My poor eyes," I yelled, and they parted almost immediately. "Thank you," I said, then chatted with Jude about the latest psychology lecture. Everything was normal until I heard a loud slap from behind us. I quickly turned my head and saw a gruesome sight.

A man grabbed a woman's hair, and his other hand slapped her face. She was crying and whimpering for him to let her go. I got infuriated and stood up. "Hey! Let go of her!" I grabbed others' attention who had not seen him doing his ugly acts. He was about to slap her face once more but stopped his hand midair and gazed at me with an angry expression. You don't get to look at me like that, jerk!

"What did you say?!" he asked as if he did not hear me, and I scoffed. He triggered something inside of me. My brothers tried to stop me, but I shrugged them off roughly. I was not stopping now.

"I said let her go, you bastard, or else." I stepped closer to him. He stood up and hovered over me. He was tall, but that did not intimidate me. Nothing will after that...

He smirked, and I gagged. "You don't scare me. Girls don't scare me," he stated with crossed arms. I glanced at the woman from the corner of my eye and saw Jess, Lee, and Alice comforting her. Good, now I will deal with this man my way.

I mirrored his pose and raised one eyebrow. "You think girls aren't scary? Try pissing off a girl on her period. And on the second day!" I replied with a serious tone. My brothers, Jude, Holden, Danny, and Zach, slowly stepped one step back. They knew better than to be close to a girl on her period, especially on the second day. My brothers saw hell once.

The man looked at the guys and suddenly shifted in his place. He finally realized the seriousness of the situation. "So what?" He dared to say those words, and I stepped closer to him. I had anger issues, and he did not help my case. I looked at him with rage and disappointment.

"Who gave you the right to hurt a person who took nine months to form herself in a mother's womb? No man on earth has the right to do that because hearts are not toys, and obviously, girls are not your punch bags. You must treat them like rare diamonds!" The people in the diner nodded, and some even yelled at the man.

"What are you to her?" Alice asked with a disgusted expression. The man looked at her, then at the woman, and scoffed.

"Unfortunately, her boyfriend," he replied, and I grabbed his collar, not taking any of his bullshit any longer.

"Unfortunately? You're lucky she hadn't called the cops yet, which she should have done when you laid a hand on her. She was probably scared of you; that's why she didn't," I spat and looked at the woman, who nodded weakly at my statement. "See?" He glared at her and wanted to beat her up, but I did not let that happen. "You are not going anywhere near her, ever again." I raised my voice and swung my fist to his cheek.

When he did not seem affected by my punch, I kneed him in the abdomen, and the kick was painful for sure. He fell to the floor and grabbed his stomach. "Why are you with her anyway if you are incapable of treating her right?" I asked as I walked to the woman, who was now calm and had stopped crying. I squeezed her hand in reassurance, and she smiled.

"She has money," he replied, without any care. "I mean, who would be with her if it wasn't for her money?" he added, and surprisingly, Danny stepped forward and punched the jerk in the face. His nose started bleeding.

"I would, and that is because she is pure-hearted. I saw her others one day. She is kind and sweet and doesn't deserve an ignorant kid like you," Danny snapped, and we were in a daze from his outburst.

"I'm not a kid — I'm twenty-two!" the man stated, and Danny scoffed.

"And I'm twenty-seven, so that makes you a kid to me. Now, scram and don't ever come close or lay a hand on her again, or I'll call the cops. Go and screw yourself," Danny replied, then pushed the man out of the diner. We just stood there in shock. What just happened?

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