Turn it all around

 

When Rico awoke, he thought he'd kissed someone, but it was only his pillow.  He winced hard, thinking..how..just how had one person made such an impression on him?

Her name was Mona, (actually Mona Lisa she'd told him later over hot chocolate). He'd broken up a row she'd had with some guy at the skating rink. He was certain then that Mona might get hurt. The tall dude had slammed her into the cement wall. It was only an accident that he'd seen what happened while taking out the trash at the end of the night.

Rico couldn't just stand and watch. Honestly, he didn't know how he'd rescued her, but he'd pulled the guy off of her and of course, she was crying and he'd taken her back in, promising to call the cops. Although, she'd begged him not to. He'd driven her home that night. Luckily, he figured out who she was at school. 

And now it was good to have a friend to eat lunch with. He really didn't think anything else would come of it. Yet, she was on his mind.

"This is no time to start dating," his brother Mario insisted he needed to think about grades and what his future would be. Unfortunately,  they got into an argument and Rico had left with the bitter line, "What have you done with your life lately?"

Oh, he knew he'd hurt Mario. Rico couldn't help it. He didn't mean for the friction to build. At least he could see Mona at school. He kept telling himself how right Mario was, but Mona made everything a little bit sweeter.

But then again, Mario was back with questions, each night even in the morning. "Maybe she doesn't even like you. Maybe she's misleading you?"

"She's not that kind of person." Rico was certain. "We're just friends." Although, he'd dreamed about kissing her at lunch, the hallway at school, and even the public library.

"And you'll get hurt," Mario snapped. It was as if he was retelling his own life story, but he wouldn't dare admit it. "You need to be careful. Don't let her get the best of you."

He said Rico was too nice to people.

"So are you," Rico told him Mario wouldn't even know it if somebody actually liked him.

"Who are you talking about?" Mario winced as if his little brother was wrong. Completely.

Rico only smiled. "Oh, I know someone." 

Even now, Rico thought his brother's expression was priceless, as he went on with his daily activities. Especially, when he told him LaLa was totally there for him.