Music - Piece by Piece by Kelly Clarkson

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Tony

I sighed, lying still on my bed with my body facing the ceiling and my left arm covering my eyes. It had been five minutes since I woke up, but I always take my time in the morning before preparing myself to work. My days had always been very hectic, I wake up in the morning at six, serve food at the diner, attend auditions if there was one, go home and take a shower just so I could be fresher and cleaner for my clients, then go out and actually sell my body. It could feel reductive and tiring but I knew my life wouldn't stay forever like this. It felt too simple and miserable to be permanent. But it would be permanent if I didn't persevere enough.

I couldn't afford to be lazy, even just for a day.

I got up, slowly opening my eyes. But it wasn't as if the sun would hit my eyes harshly as my windows had always been closed and my room didn't have lights. I didn't need them anyway. I was just savoring the last minutes of my favorite moment of the day - just lying on my bed and not doing anything. I got on my feet and went to open the small window so I could have a small amount of light entering my room, allowing me to see where I left my clothes at. They were usually just on the floor.

I scratched my balls before picking up my dirty clothes on the floor. Once I had them on, I made my way out of my room to prepare breakfast. Joanne was probably still asleep in her room. It was a Saturday anyway, she had no classes. My job at the diner was seven days a week so I was used to waking up early in the morning.

As soon as I reached the kitchen, I turned the faucet on and let the water run through my hands so I could adjust to the temperature. It still made me shiver whenever I splashed water on my face. Every morning, it still always did. We didn't have an option for warm water since our unit was the cheapest.

I scrambled my way to the fridge to search for something to cook. I had just stacked enough food in it two days ago, we had plenty of options.

I stayed home last night. I didn't need to whore around as my previous client gave me more than enough money to let my ass stay sober for dicks for a good week.

The table was almost set, the eggs and pancakes had been made and I was only just flipping the patties when I heard the door to Joanne's room open. As I turned around, I jumped in my place when a boy stepped out of my sister's room just casually fixing his shirt. He didn't seem to notice my existence. With eyes wide open, I pointed the spatula that I was holding towards the boy. "Who the fuck are you and what are doing in my sister's room?!" I raised my voice, making him jolt in his place.

The boy, clearly surprised and caught off guard, avoided my gaze as he scratched his head. "I...uh..." He stuttered and was unable to form words. My sister came out of her room, yawning as she tied her hair in a ponytail.

"T, relax. This is Cris, my boyfriend." She told me as she made her way to the table, tapping Cris on his shoulder to signal him to follow her.

"Boyfriend? Huh..." I raised my brow as I glared at the blonde guy she just called her boyfriend. "Do you mind telling me about this boyfriend of yours huh, Jo?"

"Oh nice, you made patties, yay!" Joanne dodged my question but I wasn't having it. She then grabbed another plate from the dish rack and some silverware and handed it to Cris. She told him, "Cris, you should try the patties, those are my favorite."

I scoffed in disbelief as my sister chose to ignore my question. With a sigh, I returned to the stove to get the remaining patties on the pan. As soon as I settled on my seat, I began interrogating the guy. "So, when did you two start dating?" My eyes were fixated on Cris.

"Umm...uh...last month." He answered quietly as she sliced his pancake.

Joanne grabbed the maple syrup from my side and put some on her pancakes and Cris'. "He goes to my school, T."

I leaned my elbow on the table as my hand played with my non-existent beard. "Right, so do you use condoms?" I cut to the chase, and I heard my sister scoff in the background while Cris remained silent in his place, obviously intimidated by my question. "I'm just sayin', you knock her up, I'll knock you the fuck down."

"What the hell, T?!" Joanne dropped her fork and looked straight at me, her eyes brimming with annoyance. "Will you please stop? It's six fucking thirty in the morning, it's too early to be an asshole."

I turned to face Joanne. "Do you seriously expect me to act normal and shit when there has been a guy in your room the entire night?!" I snapped at my sister and slammed my hands on the table.

"I'm gonna go," Cris got up and excused himself as he went straight to Joanne's room to get his stuff.

"Yes, we had sex, so what?" Joanne rolled her eyes and left the table. Mid-way towards her room, she turned to me and spoke, "And if your nosey ass is still wondering, yes, we are practicing safe sex. We're not stupid."

"You're seventeen years old, Joanne. You're a fucking minor!" I reminded her. I was still worried about her getting knocked up by a guy who obviously wasn't even brave enough to answer my questions. "You have to be very careful with your actions."

"Tony just shut it, I'm turning eighteen tomorrow!" She exclaimed in disbelief as she crossed her arms, her face red in annoyance. "It's not your place to control my life and the people I choose to be with. You're not my mom!"

I was taken aback by her words and it felt like someone had just slapped me in the face. I bit the side of my cheeks and stared at my seventeen-year-old sister in disbelief. "I may not be mom but I'm your only family that's left."

Growing up, Joanne had always been a mommy's girl. I knew she got mom's carefree personality. Mom was a risk taker and she had always been braver than dad. I was more like my dad - I always looked at the consequences of my actions and I cared more about the future than what was happening presently.

"You know what? Fuck you, Jo." I said, but she didn't seem to care and flipped me off instead before making her way to her room. With a sigh, I returned to eating my food. Joanne was just being a teenager.

•••

I had just finished my breakfast when Cris stepped out of Joanne's room and was preparing himself to leave. "Cris?" I called his name and he immediately turned his head towards me. "Dude, let's talk."

He hesitated for a few seconds before deciding to come near me.

"How's Jo?" I asked him as he settled on a seat in front of me. His plate and Joanne's remained untouched.

"She fell asleep," Cris answered.

"Okay, Cris. As you can see, we don't have our parents around anymore and as much as Jo believes I have no right to interfere with anything that's happening in her life, I have." I explained to him, fortunately, I could tell he was actually listening to me and not just staring at my face. I continued, "I really can't do anything if she decided that it's the right time for her to be in a relationship, but if you're not taking what you have with her seriously, you better leave her alone."

Cris ran his hand through his hair and sighed. "I was a transferee last year and she was the only one who made an effort to get to know me. Just a month ago, I realized I was in love with her, so I took a shot and somehow it worked. 'Us' worked." He told me, his eyes now staring right through me. "I am taking my relationship with your sister seriously, Tony. I hope you trust me if say this, I love her and I would never hurt her."

I couldn't trust him completely, but I had to trust my sister's decisions. Cris seemed sincere with his words, but anyone could be sincere and still be an asshole. While Joanne was my responsibility, I couldn't control her life and the only thing I could do was guide her.

"I really do hope you're telling the truth, but if I find out you're lying, you're dead to me." I clenched my fist that was resting on the table as I smirked at my sister's boyfriend. "You haven't touched your breakfast yet and we don't waste food. Eat it before you leave."

I finally excused myself and made my way to my room. I closed the door and changed into my workout attire. I slipped in my rusty sneakers and finally made my way out to workout at a nearby playground, leaving Cris eating in the dining area.

•••

When I returned home, Cris had already left the apartment. I stopped by Joanne's room and knocked on her door, but she wasn't answering. She could still be sleeping or she just didn't want to talk to me today after how I behaved around Cris. "Jo, there's still food on the table. If you're hungry, please eat. I'm gonna go prepare for work." I said. I then added, "And...I'm sorry."

With a sigh, I went to my room to get my towel and stripped my way to the bathroom. I turned the shower knob on and let the cold water hit my face as it ran through my body.

I didn't know how I was going to react after finding out about Cris. For years, I had always been very protective of my sister. She was the only family I had and I didn't want to see her hurt once everything between her and Cris go wrong. Joanne was young,  and I really didn't believe that relationships at that age were strong enough to last. But I couldn't really speak from experiences. I never had a boyfriend before.

It was ironic how between me and Joanne, I was technically a slut that slept with different men every night, yet she was actually the first one to find someone special in her life.

Obviously, no one wanted to date a prostitute. I was no Julia Roberts after all.

When I got out of the shower, Joanne was having her breakfast at the table. I went straight to my room and quickly changed into my diner uniform. As I was knotting my shoe, my gaze fell onto something in the corner of my room. It was the sewing machine.

Before leaving for work, I decided to talk to her to make up. I was the older one anyway so I should be more understanding. Joanne was almost done with her food when I settled on my seat. "Jo, let's talk."

She heaved a sigh and avoided my gaze. "I guess," She muttered.

"I've talked to Cris a while ago," I said, finally getting her attention. I continued, "I guess I'll be alright with him and I trust you. I just can't help but worry, Jo."

"No, I'm sorry. I should've told you about him before I invited him in. It's just that...I rarely see you anymore," she explained. "You're always out."

"J-"

"I know, you have to." Joanne cut me off, she then continued, "and I understand that. I'm just hoping that you'd understand my decisions too."

I sighed as I got up my chair and patted her shoulder. "I will," I assured her and ran to my room to get my present for her. I lifted the sewing machine and put it behind the wall near the door of my room. I returned to my sister with a wide grin on my face, "Hey, tomorrow's your birthday right?"

"Yeah?" She quirked her brows, completely confused why I was grinning at her.

I held her hand and guided her to my room. "I got you something for your birthday," I told her, and when we got to my room, as dim as the morning light illuminated the room, it was enough for Joanne to see the pastel pink sewing machine case in the corner, making her gasp.

"Oh my God, T?!" Her face was filled with delight as she got on her knees to check the machine. "How much did you spend for this?"

I shrugged, "It doesn't matter, " I said, my lips curled into a smile. I decided to pick the sewing machine and carry it out of my room for better light. As I was carrying it to our small living room, I told her, "It's just second hand, but it still looks good as new and it works."

When I finally put the machine down, Joanne quickly ran up to me and gave me a tight embrace. "I've been saving up for one. But thank you so much." She let go and checked the machine again, her face looking happier than a kid rewarded with a lollipop. "I have some good news to tell you."

"Oh," I raised my brow, wondering what she was about to tell me. "Do tell."

"Well, I realized I wasn't making much with my babysitting gig, and I don't really want to ask you for money since you pay the bills." She explained as she stood up. "You know Silk N' Threads? They were looking for a part-time seamstress...well, I got the job."

I was about to ask her about her studies when she continued, "I know what you're thinking, but the job's actually way past school time. It's perfect." She returned to her sewing machine and finally opened the case. Joanne squealed at the sight. "Isn't it great? The job's almost like an internship! Plus, I can actually help you now with the bills."

"No, Joanne. I'm fine with the bills. You can keep your money." I said as I walked towards her and patted her back . It was unreasonable to not let her. "Work on your maths though."

•••

When I arrived at the diner, my co-workers were at the bar counter. I walked towards them to ask them why there were no customers around. The diner never had many customers but its busiest time had always been in the morning. "Hey guys, no customers today?"

"No dude, Mrs. Waters died last night." Carlos, our cook, said.

"What? Oh my God, what happened?" I asked them, then I noticed the white envelopes they were holding.

"Heart attack," Jack told me as she handed me one of the envelopes. I checked what was inside it - money. "Her daughter dropped by just an hour ago and gave us these."

I bit my lip and feared for the worst. "Jack, does this mean what I think it means?" I asked him and he nodded. I knew the diner wouldn't last long but I never thought its closure would be this soon.

"I'm sorry man." He patted my shoulder, took his bag on the counter and left. My other co-workers were still chatting at the bar counter.

I just lost my job.

------ end of chapter six -------