Big 5 (tags Felipe)

[Anibal Desales]

Attempting to beat up Jandro Juarez yesterday had not proved as cathartic as Anibal had hoped, probably in large part due to the fact that Jandro was more agile than expected and had managed to squirm away with all his teeth still intact. Perhaps at a later date a better chance for revenge would reveal itself, but for now the other boy was safe. Which was unfortunate, as far as Anibal was concerned.

Even more unfortunate was the fact that his nemesis now knew his greatest secret, and would undoubtedly use it against him, probably tell Archana. Or Carter. Or everyone on the Soccer team. Come to think of it, there wasn't anyone that Anibal wanted to be privy to this secret. It wasn't as if anyone would understand, and once everyone knew he'd be even more alone than he'd been after people had found out Jorge had been part of a gang.

The rain ruled out street basketball as a viable activity, though even had the skies been clear Anibal would probably have avoided his usual haunts simply out of fear that Jandro had told his friends. So he decided to wander through Big 5 Sporting Good's, eying equipment and clothes and wishing he had the money to purchase any of it -- or that the money he did make as a server at TGI Friday's (he had work this afternoon, which excited him) wasn't being saved up. But he needed to save it, he wanted to be able to afford treatment as soon as he was eligible.

Comparing his own feet to the shoes in the men's department was really, really depressing. "Tão injusto." He muttered, annoyed that he had to be of such tiny stature; even most of the other biological females his age were taller -- and wore a larger shoe size. Unfair indeed!

He sighed and knelt down to return the much-too-large shoes into their box, but when he stood up he failed to see the person behind him and found himself stepping on someone else's feet. "Desculpe!" He apologized, then switched back to English hurriedly. "Sorry."

[felipe]

That morning Felipe was back at the same shoe shop where he'd encountered the acidic Reese the evening before. He'd had a change of mind about the boots he'd bought and wanted to exchange them for the antique-look pair he'd seen. The price was more or less the same and so it shouldn't be a problem.

The assistant was more than happy to make the swap - and take the extra $15 from him. Felipe turned to leave, happier with the new pair he'd selected.

If he had been taken by surprise when the other boy had trodden on his left foot then the words spoken in his native tongue came as even more of a shock. He answered automatically and without really thinking. "Nenhum problema."

Felipe frowned as it slowly registered and he peered down at the shorter boy, still speaking in the same language. "You are Portuguese? Or Brazilian?" If so then this was a very fortunate encounter as he missed conversing in his primary tongue.

Felipe looked a little more closely. "I think I have seen you around school." As he could recall, the boy had been present in the cafeteria on that fateful day. "I'm Felipe," he added, one hand reacing out in greeting. "Felipe Vila Nova. You want to get out of here and get a coffee? That said, the coffee around here isn't that great!" Nothing like he was used to back home but then any coffee was better than none... Even Starbucks!

[Anibal Desales]

Anibal was just as shocked to be replied to in Portuguese as Felipe had been to be addressed with it. He was much more accustomed to being told he needed to learn English, and although he was aware that Los Angeles had a fairly sizable Brazilian community, he found himself far more frequently in contact with Spanish speakers -- like Jandro Juarez, for instance.

"Anibal, Anibal Desales," Anibal followed Felipe's introduction with his own, taking the proffered hand and shaking it firmly. "From Campinas. You go to Silver?" But then, as Silver had occupied Gould for so much of the school year even a Gould student could easily have said I think I have seen you around school. so that wasn't much of a clue to go on, really.

Coffee sounded excellent on such a wet day, and Anibal eagerly took the other boy up on his offer. "As long as it's hot and has caffeine then it's good." He informed the other boy with a grin. And as he now had a companion to converse with in Portuguese then it didn't matter to him where they went. It was just nice to meet someone he could reminisce about home with, someone who wasn't family -- family had an annoying habit of reacting to any mooning over Brazil with We're not there right now, are we? So deal with it.

Of course, as neither of them were all that familiar with the local coffee shops, they wound up at 101 Coffee Shop. Anibal was fairly outraged at having to pay almost two whole bucks for one cup of coffee, but as that was the least expensive drink on the menu he supposed he was getting off lighter than everyone else, at least. "Extortion!" He muttered darkly, looking around at the amazingly cheerful (for a Sunday morning) waitstaff. "They know we'll pay anything for the caffeine."

[felipe]

Felipe wasn't so sure he agreed with the other boy's attitude towards coffee as he was far more particular but it was true that a hot drink infused with caffeine sounded good right about now. "Campinas?" he queried as they settled down opposite each other with a cup of coffee apiece between them. "I have relatives near there. Have you heard of Limeria? I have an aunt and uncle living there. For myself, though, I was born not all that far from Campinas. São Paulo. Anibal had to have heard of the city. No one from Brazil could fail to.

"How long have you lvied in California?" he went on to ask. "I haven't been here all that long. In fact, my first day at school was when the gang fight took place." He shrugged a little ruefully. "Not perhaps the best welcome to my new school but..." He lifted his shoulders again, "... I survived and am here to tell the tale... right?"

He took a sip of his drink and grimaced. It was even worse than Starbucks and Felipe wished he'd brought a supply of Matas de Minas blend with him. Maybe one of his old friends would send him some if he begged hard enough? It was worth a try!

[Anibal Desales]

"Ten years," Anibal eyed Felipe consideringly, wondering if the other boy would disown him as Brazilian. Ten years was really most of his life, but as his parents and older sibling spoke Portuguese at home, and they returned to Brazil every summer -- there were grandparents and aunts and uncles who demanded visits, after all. "My mother lives in Sao Paulo." He offered. He had only been three when his parents had split, so he couldn't say he really missed her. She hadn't wanted him or his siblings, anyway, and she wasn't one of the relatives who ever asked for them to visit. "I don't see her much."

He grimaced, however, when the other boy mentioned the gang fight. "Lucky you." He muttered in response to Felipe's comment about surviving. "Would that everyone could be so fortunate." It really wasn't Felipe's fault, of course; he was new, he had no way of knowing any of those killed. Had no way of knowing it was Anibal's older brother who had held Jessica hostage and been killed for it.

But even knowing that Felipe couldn't be held responsible for bringing it up it was difficult not to scrunch his face up into his coffee in a failed attempt not to start crying. Jorge's loss always hit him at the most inconvenient of times!

[felipe]

"Ten years? A long time," Felipe answered, adding a grin when he said, "Glad you haven't forgotten how to speak Portuguese. I miss hearing it." He'd only been here a short time himself and yet homesickness was already rearing its ugle head. "Small world about Sao Paolo, though. Who woulda thought I'd run into someone whose mother was from there?" Sao Paolo was immense, though, Felipe knew that. The chances of him ever encountering Anibal's mother lay somewhere in the region of 'unlikely' and 'not a chance'.

"The seige was a great shock and to know that so many died makes it stay in all of our memories." Of course, he had no way of knowing that Anibal had lost his brother.. or that Felipe had actually witnessed that happening. All he could recall of that particular instance was of Jessica being held hostage and he being unable to do anything about it.

"Enough of that," he quickly added, unable to miss the mood that had started to descend upon them. "Tell me what you do for entertainment around here? I'm finding it difficult to settle," he admitted. "Are you attending the bowling later today? I have been invited. Kian... Do you know him? I asked a girl to go with me... Jessica Pruitte... but am not sure if we should go. Apparently she tried to kill someone else who will be there although I'm not entirely sure I can believe that!"

[Anibal Desales]

Anibal shrugged uncomfortably when Felipe made reference to all those who had died during the shooting. He wasn't about to advocate in favor of gang violence, but he couldn't help but feel that any words against it were directed at Jorge personally. "Yeah..." He mumbled into his coffee, not wanting to get into a lengthy discussion on the subject.

Fortunately, Felipe changed the subject to fun and entertainment, which was a much easier topic to expand upon without crying. "The gym is always fun. And sometimes I play street ball with my friends." That would mostly mean Carter, but it sounded better to say friends plural, made him sound less anti-social, even if he really was kind of anti-social sometimes.

"Bowling? I dunno, I wasn't planning on it. I don't think anyone I know is going." He admitted. Archana might want to, though, she was interested in pretty much anything that could even marginally be considered a sport. He wasn't real sure about going with Jessica, though, because it had been his brother who had held a gun to her head, which could potentially make the event a little awkward. "She uhh does kind of have a temper." He agreed, pushing his now empty mug to the side of the table in the hopes the waiter would notice and refill it. "I dunno about kill. I know she got into a fight at lunch, once, but who hasn't?"

[felipe]

Anibal did have a point. Everyone got into a fight at some time or another during their school lives... Be that verbal or physical. Ok, so maybe not EVERYone but most kids... up to and including himself! "Well, you know me and I will be there," Felipe pointed out. "Apart from Jessica and Kian I probably won't know many others either so we could at least be the odd ones out together... right?" Felipe threw the other boy a grin, not wanting to lose contact with the one other person he'd run in to so far who could chat in his native language.

It was a relief to be told that Anibal didn't think Jessica to be capable of any attempted murder as Felipe had struggled to accept that before. Patch had to have been exagerrating. "Oh yeah... Someone else I know is going bowling. Patch," he stated. The list was on the increase and that could only e a great thing!

"I admit, though, Felipe continued, "... I haven't really seen Jessica in a temper." Sure, she had some up and down moods but, again, who didn't?

"So, what do you think? Fell like keeping a fellow Brazilian company later today? We probably won't stay all that long anyway..."