Running Out of Time

Part I: Theo and Alex

"Theodora!" the sharp tone halted the girl at the door.
The tall slim teenager winced. "Mama! I told you I don't want to be called that anymore."
"And I told you not to hang around that Sanchez boy anymore!" Her mother stood in front of her, hands on generous hips. The very picture of a wrathful Italian mother.
Theo groaned inwardly, but did not ask how she knew. Her mother had contacts everywhere.
"It's not my fault, mama! He's in my English class and Mr. Fitzpatrick put us in pairs. We have to work on a play together."
Her mother's eyes narrowed . "You are not allowed to go over to his house. I don't trust any of those Sanchez men. If you need to, he must come here, and you will work here in the kitchen, with always someone nearby."
The rolled her eyes. "Mama. It's not as if he's dangerous or anything. Like he would do anything to me in my own home!"
"Boys like him, cara - dear, are not to be trusted."
She stared at her mother, mouth slightly agape. "You don't even know him! How can you say that?" she cried, indignant.
Her mother's eyes were flat. "I don't have to know him. I knew his father...and that was bad enough. Now, we will not discuss this any further. Go get changed out of your uniform, then help me with dinner. I know it isn't your turn, but Isabella is going out with Rafael tonight."
Theo seethed inwardly, feeling her mother was being biased. In her mind she glimpsed the shy Alejándro, haunched over his desk, two rows behind, to her left, his dark head bowed, never meeting anyone's eyes.
Most of her friends thought he had dark, brooding good looks, and that his silence was a part of his mysterious facade. Guys just thought he was too arrogant, or ignorant, to say much.
Personally Theo thought he was trying, although unsuccessfully, to fade into the background. Like he didn't want to be there at all.
Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she walked into her bedroom to get changed.

*****

"What are you doing?"
Alex whipped around at the sound of his brother's amused voice.
He swallowed, watching his brother lean against the doorframe. "N- nothing."
Ricardo raised his eyebrows in disbelief, grinning wickedly, setting off his darkly tanned good looks, inherited from his Spanish ancestors.
"Little brother, I know you. For all those hot little high school girls panting after you, you are not vain. Why were you staring at yourself in the mirror looking like you were preparing for a hot date?"
Alex quickly lowered his eyes. "I don't date."
Ricardo chuckled. "Querido hermano - dear brother - I know. That's why I'm so curious."
Alex's jaw tightened. "Leave it, Rico," he growled softly, his Spanish accent light but still discernable.
"Ah. Alex, you know I..." He was cut short by the slamming of the front porch screen.
They both looked at the doorway, slightly apprehensive. They relaxed when Diego walked in.
Alex rolled his shoulders to ease the tension.
Diego came over to them, smiling broadly. "Hey, mi amigos." He nodded to Alex, then turned his attention to Ricardo. "Rico, the next...shipment is in. The boss wants it gone."
Alex tensed slightly again, knowing he probably didn't want to know what was in the 'shipment'. Or the past several 'shipments' for that matter
Ricardo gave Diego a hard look, shutting him up. He then looked at Alex, nodding in the direction of the door.
Alex took the hint, leaving the room without a word, not looking at his brother.
As he was closing the door, he heard his brother's fierce whisper. "I told you not to discuss business in front of Alejándro."
Through the closed door he could hear Diego's derisive snort. "Get over it, Rico. He's bound to have guessed what you do by now."
He was torn wether he should stay to eavesdrop or leave before he heard something that he would regret.
Another slam of the front porch screen decided for him. He froze, a feeling of dread curdles in the pit of his stomach. He looked down the hallway, a dishevelled man stumbled towards him.
"Alejándro," the man slurred, speaking to him in Spanish. "What are you doing here? Why aren't you at school?"
"It's 5 o'clock, padre - father. School has finished." His voice was tight with suppressed emotion. Fear? Hatred? Both? He didn't know.
Stopping about five feet away from Alex, he blinked groggily at him, weaving as he stood.
Alex could smell the stench of drink on him. It wafted forward, filling his nostrils. He grimaced, turning his face away.
For a second his father's eyes seemed to sharpen and narrow focussing on his face.
Alex glimpsed the look, but it quickly disappeared when his bedroom door opened, leaving him wondering if he had just imagined it.
Ricardo stepped out of the room, his gaze immediately drawn to their father. He glared down at him, the shell of the man he used to be.
He still retained a seed of the dark good looks he had passed on to his sons, but now, all that was really left was his devil-may-care smile and a full head of thick, black hair, which was now greying at the temples. His tanned skin now held a sallow, ashen tone, his face was deeply creased and his dark eyes, that had once sparkled with mischief, were now dull, empty from the saving grace of numbing drink. Once he had stood tall and proud, but now his broad shoulders and muscular physique has wasted away to that of a slightly haunched countenance.
"What brings you home this time, padre?" Ricardo's voice was like a sharp rapier wielded by a master swordsman.
Emilio Sanchez just stared at him.
The silence was awkward for both parties and was fortunately interrupted by the ringing of the telephone.
Diego, who had been forgotten , stepped forward. "Should I get that?" he offered, hedging his way out into the hallway, hoping to get out of the crossfire.
Alex broke out of his trance, then shook his head at Diego, taking the speedy sprint to the kitchen himself.
Luckily the phone was still ringing when he got there, picking it up, he breathlessly answered. "Hello?"
"Alejándro?" a timid voice asked.
He cleared his throat uncertainly. "Uh, yes. May I ask who's calling?"
"Oh, hi, sorry. It's Theo Alessi. From Mr. Fitzpatrick's English class?"
He swallowed nervously, trying to sound nonchalant. "Oh, hey Theo. What's up?"
"Well I was wondering if we could start this play thing soon. Do you have any idea what play you want to revise? If you don't, I have a couple we could think about."
He tried to think about what the assignment entailed. "Was it only Shakespeare we could use?"
He heard her mumble, and there was a rustle of papers in the background. "Oh, here it is! Umm.... It says here we can pick someone other than Shakespeare, but it has to be someone else in Shakespearean times."
He grunted in annoyance. "Let's just stick with Shakespeare. I can't be bothered looking up and researching someone else. How about Romeo and Juliet?"
He heard her sigh of exasperation. Oh, come on, that has so been done before. I bet there are at least two other groups doing it in our class."
Alex rolled his eyes, "okay, so what did you have in mind?"
"Well, we can always do A Midsummer's Night Dream, or Much Ado About Nothing."
He snorted, "Like, they are much better than Romeo and Juliet."
"So, Hamlet and Othello are out of the question as well?"
"Are you kidding?" He thought for a second. "What about Twelfth Night?"
She paused, considering. He could just imagine her biting on her lower lip and pinching her chin between forefinger and thumb, looking out into space.
"Well, to tell you the truth, I never did really like it."
He sighed. "Alright."
"Listen, why don't you come over to my house after dinner. I'll look on the web for more plays, so when you come over we can discuss it," she trailed off, waiting for his reply.
Alex didn't answer immediately, torn between joy and anxiety. He thought about how it would be good to get out of the house, and made up his mind.
"Sure, what time do you want me to come over?"
He heard her sigh, thinking it sounded strangely like relief.
"Um, how about seven?" she asked.
"That's fine. See you at seven," he said, about to hang up.
"Wait! Do you remember where I live?"
He laughed, "Theo, we live on the same street."
"Well, you could have forgotten the number or something," she mumbled through the phone.
Alex could almost feel her blush. He smiled, "It's okay, I haven't forgotten," his smile was evident in his voice.
"Um, okay then, I'll see you later."
"At seven," he agreed. "Bye."
"Uh, bye."
They both hung up.
Alex smiled again thinking of Theo's embarrassment, but he soon forgot the conversation when he heard Ricardo's shout.
Wanting to avoid the conflict, he decided to take a long walk until it was time to go to Theo's.
He would come back for his books just before seven o'clock. He hoped both parties would have cooled down by then, or at least moved away from the front of his bedroom door, he thought as he quietly exited out the back door.

*****

"What do you mean, you invited him over here?" her grandmother practically screeched at Theo. "Giorgio, your daughter has invited that Sanchez man's son over here! What are you going to do about it?"
Theo rolled her eyes. "Nonna, we have to do an assignment together. Mama said I couldn't go over to his place, so I could invite him here."
"Francsesca", the petite white-haired woman wailed to her daughter-in- law, "You are going to let that boy in your home?"
Theo's mother sighed, Well, it's either that or let her go over to his place. In my mind, there is no question."
Her grandmother made a disgruntled sound, rapping her knuckles on the table.
Theo's father, who opened his mouth to several times ready to talk, only to be cut off, finally spoke up, "Mama, what's done is done. We will all be here besides. There is nothing to worry about," he said gently to his mother.
Nanna muttered darkly about rampages and shot guns but didn't dispute with her son.
Theo smiled gratefully at her father. "May I please be excused babbo - daddy? It's nearly seven."
He smiled indulgently. "Of course, carina - darling."
She left the dining room table, taking her plate to the kitchen to wash.
When she heard a knock on the door, she hurried to answer it, only stopping once to quickly check her appearance in the hallway mirror.
Taking a breath before she opened the door, she slowly exhaled to calm herself. She opened the door swiftly to find a darkly handsome face smiling down at her, but it was not the handsome face she had been expecting.
"Rafael! What are you doing here?"
Isabella pushed past him to mock frown at her sister. "Theo, do not talk to Rafe like that! Show him some respect, ragazza - girl!"
Rafael laughed, coming forward to sling an arm around Theo's shoulders.
"Don't be too hard on her carina - darling, she's only allowed to be disrespectful to her elders for how long, then she becomes one of them."
Isabelle laughed and Theo grinned.
Someone coughed. They all turned to see a dark figure, Theo recognised as Alejándro, standing on the porch steps.
Rafael raised an eyebrow. "New boyfriend, Theo?"
She blushed, then elbowed him in the ribs. "Oh, shut it, Rafe" she mumbled. "Go see Mama, I'm sure she'd love talking to you."
He sighed dramatically. "Alas, that it the problem with being perfect son-in-law material!"

***** A/N - Well, what do you think so far? I know, kinda boring but it gets better! I've got the next couple of bits so if you want more, give me a shout out. Peace!

P.S - Grrr!! For some reason when I upload my stories, italics, bold and even underlining doesn't turn up!!! Frustrating I tell you! Oh well, use your imagination where you think it should be. Later.