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Ituck the letter back into the envelope and place it inside one of my big textbooks to keep it safe. As the final bell rings, the hall clears out and I say goodbye to Delilah and Kelsey telling them I’ll see them at graduation. I hope Lorenzo is there so I can talk to him.
∞∞∞
Graduation day arrives and Lorenzo doesn’t show. So, my hopes of talking to him one last time drift away with the thought of him.
Chapter Nine
4 YEARS LATER
Lorenzo
I haven't had the best start in life and if I could change my parents, I would. Though I would need to know who they were first to be able to change them. I was raised by my grandfather and since he passed away, I’ve been working my ass off to keep myself above water. It isn't an ideal situation but somehow, I have managed. My gramps wanted nothing more for me than to finish high school so at least I had that going for myself.
He was a proud man and didn't accept help when we needed it and I think I got that trait from him. He lost the love of his life when I was nine years old, and he would tell me stories of their great love. He would always tell me we get one great love in our life and when we find it, we need to hang on to it. He also said my grandma needed convincing Gramps was her great love but there was no way he was going to let her go so convince her he did.
He also told me we don't get many second chances in life but when we do, we need to grab them by the horns and hold on for dear life because we will kick ourselves later if we let the chance pass through our fingers a second time. So, when the girl I had a crush on for years at high school walked into the bar where I work, I knew I was getting the second chance my gramps always talked about. I was going to gear up and go bull riding.
The dirty rag in my hand that probably needed changing, slid back and forth over the now rough surface of the wooden table. It was a Thursday night like any other week. The same crowd and the same music ready for line dancing all night long. It was a whole vibe. I had never been one to get up and dance but when my grandparents were both still alive, they'd teach me a few steps in our kitchen when they were having one of their many loved up moments. Those memories of them being happy and in love always gave me hope I'd find the same love in my future.
I had a secret love for country music and the dances, making Thursdays my favourite night to work. Everyone was in a good mood for the upcoming weekend and what's not to love about country music. Friday nights were spent serving rowdier crowds while Saturdays were the nights tempers flaredand fights started for some reason. Sundays were mellower, the regulars hung out because they had nowhere else better to be.
So, on a random Thursday in May; my missed opportunity came back into my life dressed in a navy blue off-the-shoulder dress, wearing brown cowboy boots. It was the hair that caught my eye. It has always been the hair. Her bright red hair always had a way of drawing my attention. I'd never come across anyone with hair the same color and I don't think I ever would. The hair drew my eye to her, but it was her lit up smile as she two stepped that had me sucking in a breath. Sophia.
I hadn't seen her since the day we finished high school. I’d crushed on her back then, but I’d been too chicken and too focussed on school and keeping my head above water to do anything about it. She realised I wasn’t eating lunch and so started dropping lunch at the table I sat at. Some days it would be sitting there waiting for me and other days she’d place it on the table as she walked past. No words said. No acknowledgment. I kick myself when I think back over those days and wonder if things may have been different if I’d sucked up my pride and talked to her. Thanked her to her face instead of in a letter. It probably wouldn’t have changed anything. We are from two different worlds and that’s something we can’t change.
She had no idea her kindness was the only thing getting me through some days. Especially the last few months after Gramps died when I struggled to make ends meet and keep myself fed. She was the bright star amongst all the dark and gloom in my life. I took her appearance in my life as a sign I was being given a second chance and I wasn't about to blow it.
She held hands with a girl and together they laughed at their missteps as they tried to keep up with everyone else but failed. Most of the people on the dance floor had been dancing here for years continuously but they didn't know that. When the song finished, they made their way giggling to the bar whileanother song started, and the regular patrons fell into their steps naturally.
Finishing up with the table I’m at, I grab the empty glasses left behind and carry them with one hand while I tuck my rag into my back pocket. I place the dirty glasses on the far side of the bar so I can keep an eye on Sophia without her noticing me. I'd never had the chance to watch her uninterrupted before and I want to savour it. While I wipe down the next few tables, I take my time and keep my eyes on the wild haired beauty who had stolen my heart all those years ago. They make their way to a booth around the other side of the bar, but I can easily still watch her.
Most girls who come in order some fruity cocktail. The owner Ted got sick of telling them we didn't have the fancy stuff so instead he capitalised on it and now has a list of fruity drinks all with matching umbrellas he taught the staff to make. Usually on nights like this when the richer folk come along to try their hand at line dancing, those umbrella drinks make up fifty percent of our drink sales for the night. I notice Sophia's friend has a drink with an umbrella but not Sophia herself. No, she has straight no-frills brown liquor in her glass. I'm guessing whiskey and coke. I wouldn't have taken Sophia for a whiskey drinker but then again there are a lot of things about her I probably don’t know.
She always made me nervous. The only girl to ever make me feel nervous. I'm not sure if it was how she held herself or because of her rich family but I always felt like I was never good enough to be in her presence. As if I wasn't worthy. I once told my gramps about her and how I felt, and he told me it wasn't the fact I didn't feel worthy but the fact I knew in my bones this girl was worth everything that made me nervous. He said he felt the same way about my grandma.
I watch Sophia and her friend unnoticed for a good hour. They both order a few drinks, and they start to sway a bit more every time they go up to the bar. It isn't until a couple of regulars who are usually here on Saturday nights starting trouble that I step closer to them. To her.
Billy slides into the booth next to her friend and from the angle where I'm standing, I can't tell what he's saying to her, but I can see Sophia's face and she's not happy. Billy's friend Mick stands at the table and before he can think about sliding onto the black leather seat next to Sophia, I'm by his side, placing my best smile on my face. Sophia is too engrossed keeping an eye on her friend to notice me yet. I quickly glance at the friend and can see why she's concerned. Her friend’s eyes are half closed, Billy has his arm wrapped around her shoulder now and she's too drunk to fend him off.
“Billy, Mick, how are things tonight?” I greet them. We've always been friendly as it's my job, but they know I won't put up with any shit they try to start. They both look at me, but my eyes find their way to Sophia's face where she finally turns my way. Her eyes widening in recognition before Billy speaks up.
“Just introducing ourselves to some new customers,” Billy tells me, with a smug smile across his face.
“Renzo?” I hear whispered from the table, and the sweet sound of her voice saying a nickname for me has my heartbeat galloping in my chest while I keep a blank stare on my face.
“Hey Soph,” I casually reply, as if it's normal to have nicknames for each other. In all honesty, I don't think we uttered each other’s names except possibly a few times.
“You know her?” Billy asks, as his eyes flick back and forth between us.
“Sophia and I go way back. So how about you remove your arm from her friend and find someone else to bother. Preferably someone who is conscious.”
Mick's body turns towards me as he crosses his arms over his chest, puffing it out. I pay him no attention and keep my gaze on Billy. Raising one eyebrow at his lack of speed, I remain in the same position while I patiently wait. He removes his arm and Sophia's friend's head lies back against the booth, her eyes closing more. Billy pushes up out of the seat getting in my face.
“She's not worth the trouble,” he grunts, as he pushes past me. He saunters off to the other side of the bar, Mick trailing behind him.
Sophia slides out of her seat and into the one next to her friend, shaking her arm.
“Ally, come on. Open your eyes,” she pleads. I drop down into the seat she vacated and sit opposite her. She lets out a huff at her friend, which flutters her bangs briefly. Her eyes turn to me, and I watch as the bright blue orbs move across my face. As if she's examining every inch of me carefully and unashamedly. I stare back at her, doing my own perusal of her face while I wait for her to speak. Her smatter of freckles still peeks through the layer of foundation she's applied. It always amazed me how one person could have so many freckles. In all my life I'd never come across another person who had as many as Sophia. With her bright hair and beautiful skin, I think she was destined to stand out in my eyes. I can't help but wonder if her freckles coat the rest of her body, the parts that have always been kept covered from view.My eyes trail down her neck to her chest where the faint spots continue to grace her skin.
