╔═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╗

╚═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╝

"Sonny, pass me the wrench," Usnavi demanded, reaching out his hand from underneath the fridge. Usnavi waited, but never received an object. "Come on man, stop playin' and hand me the wrench."

Nothing. Usnavi groaned in frustration. He slid his way out from underneath the surface, only to see that his little cousin was no longer with him.

"Where in the world—"

"Hey Usnavi," Sonny called out, walking around the corner into his line of sight. "Look who's back."

Usnavi raised his curious amber eyes, only to meet with the familiar radiant hazel ones he hasn't seen in years. Nor did he ever wish to see again. It was Sonny's childhood best friend, but Usnavi's lifetime nemesis, Sophia Lopez.

"Wow Usnavi, you're just as ugly as when we were kids," Sophia insulted, crossing her arms. Usnavi's jaw tightened in irritation. "Maybe even uglier."

"Still thinkin' you're hot shit huh?" Usnavi mocked, returning to fix the broken fridge. "Once a bitch, always a bitch."

Sonny chuckled awkwardly while stepping in front of his best friend. Sophia scoffed at Usnavi's comeback. He always got on her nerves, and as did she for him. Sophia was five years younger than Usnavi, but three years older than Sonny. 

When Sophia entered Sonny's life, they clicked immediately. She saved Sonny from a group of kids who were ganging up on him, and sort of took him under her wing. As years went by, she met Usnavi. Usnavi hated her the second she entered his life.

Frankly because he believed Sophia was a bad influence on Sonny. She would be the reason he was out past curfew, late to activities and dropping out last second on things him and Usnavi had planned. It was clear Sonny was favoring Sophia over his own big cousin.

Usnavi would have been happy, but the fact that he would return home with cuts and bruises said otherwise. His big brother instincts would kick in, and it wasn't long until he banned Sonny from seeing Sophia. But knowing Sophia, that didn't stop her from seeing her best friend. She found ways to continue the adventures with Sonny.

Sonny thought it would be like that forever, but one day, Sophia disappeared. Without a trace, she left the block. Nothing to say. No goodbye. It left both Sonny and Usnavi confused, but also raised Usnavi's hatred toward her. She really hurt Sonny, and never even cared to tell him why. Usnavi can forgive people who wrong him, but if they wrong someone he loves, it's a whole other level of loathing.

"Now that Sophia is back in town," Sonny retracted, approaching his distracted cousin. "Sophia is need of a job right now, and I was wonderin' if she could—"

"Hell no."

"Yo come on man!" Sonny exclaimed, staring down at his older cousin. "She's real good with customers. I promise you."

"How can we be so sure she'll stick around?" Usnavi asked, implying on her past disappearance. Sophia sighed in response, lowering her guilty gaze to the floor. "I can't hire someone who won't even show up to work the next day."

The bell of the front door rang, capturing the attention of the three individuals. Sonny motioned toward Sophia to put her charm into action. As Usnavi was climbing up to his feet, Sonny put his hand in front of him, whispering for him to watch Sophia do her magic. Usnavi rolled his eyes in disbelief, but went with what his cousin wanted.

Usnavi narrowed his eyes at Sophia as she approached the customer. Sonny couldn't help but smirk at the sight of his best friend impressing his cousin. A few minutes had passed, and the customers left with five items. Usnavi was shocked. It was difficult for him to sell even one item to someone.

"I told you Usnavi, she's a natural at persuading people to buy things," Sonny pointed out, nudging Usnavi with his elbow. "You should hire her. She could do great things for this store."

Usnavi sighed in defeat. Sonny was right. Sophia closed the register and swung her eyes up to see Usnavi and Sonny approaching her. Usnavi inhaled deeply before exhaling the two words he didn't want to say.

"You're hired."