AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Prologò
Lorenzo
The sound of people walking out and being welcomed by their loved ones is the only sound that can be heard. Check out in security and passport control, walk through customs, and let your friends and family welcome you into the arrivals area.
Not me. No one knows I’m here. No one’s here to pick me up. The only person who does know is the person who calls my phone the second I get a signal. “Fashion mom.”
I move through all the crowds, dragging my luggage behind me, and continue to walk toward the exit of the Los Angeles Airport until I’m outside. The wind hits my face, sending a weak shiver through my body. I then take my phone out and call her.
It only rings once before there’s an answer. “Ehy Lore,ètutto okay? Ci hai messo di tempo per rispondere... mi hai spaventata,” she exclaims, a hint of panic in her voice.
“Hey mamma, sì sto bene, l’aereo c’ha messo più tempo del previsto per atterrare,” I answer her. I hear a breath of relief through the line. I know me being here alone worries her, especially now. I’ve never been away from her for so long.
“Non so come farò a superare le tua assenza per due mesi. E se succedesse qualcosa?”
“Mamma conosci il motive del quale sono qua, dovevo venire. Inoltre starò con papa, sono solo due mesi e poi mi vedrai ancora,” I assure her. I try to, at least. But I don’t think anything could.
“Ma non posso garantirti questo, cosa succederebbe se non torneresti da me? Non so cosa dovrei fare se non torneresti.” She cries.
I look down at the luggage in front of me. “Torenero, te lo prometto, ti fidi di me no? Sono qui solo per vedere Val e altre persone fin quando sarò qui. Dopo questo sarò da te con te, non con qualcos’altro,” I tell her. She goes silent for a bit at the other end of the line.
“Okay tesero... stai attento.”
“Tranquilla mamma starò attento, ti voglio bene.”
“Ti voglio bene anch’io.” The line then disconnects, leaving me to stand on the sidewalk, waiting for a taxi or Uber to pick me up. I’ll be back. I know that. I just don’t know how I’ll leave.
Chapter 1 – Ottantaquattro
Val
“VAL! VAL! I’M YOUR BIGGEST FAN!”
The shouting continues to echo in my ears as the space around me shrinks. My vision starts to blur as the fans get larger and closer.What happened to personal space and the right to breathe?
“Val, has your hair always been blonde, or is it fake?”
“Val, when’s your next album coming out?”
“Val, everyone has been wondering if you’re dating anyone?”
What kind of questions are these?I suddenly get pushed from the side as they all continue to blurt out questions and requests, and something suddenly snaps inside me. “Oh my God, can everyone give me some space! I can’t breathe!” I yell into the crowd. That might be an exaggeration, but it won’t be if they keep going. Their label doesn’t give them the right to break boundaries.
Everyone takes a step back, and a silence descends over them. I calm down, realizing what I’ve done. I yelled at my fans, what’s wrong with me? Oliver’s going to kill me. I take deep breaths, looking around me. Okay, I can fix this.
“Just, everyone relax. You’ll all get what you want, but at a distance.” I tell them. People then start screaming questions in my direction, each one more personal than the other. They should just live at my house at this point, seeing as there’s nothing they don’t want to know. I look around trying to find an escape, but I find nothing. This park is too open. It’s surrounded by grass and plants. No buildings. No closed spaces. No hiding spots. I sigh, accepting the fact I’m just going to have to work with them.
God, when is this going to end?
Nearly two hours pass by the time I free myself. The breeze is soft, the sun shining through the clouds and onto my face. That’s the one lucky part of the day, looking at my choice of clothing. I never really get hot, so I always wear something light. I run to my car before anyone spots me and start the engine. A breath of relief leaves my mouth. Finally.
I grab my phone and scroll down the notifications, seeing I have a lot of missed calls. All of them are from Mom. I forgot to tell her I’d be late. It’s not like they would’ve let me tell her anyway. I press on one of the notifications and call her back.
“Took you long enough. What happened to you? I thought you died,” my mom shouts into the phone in a panic. Now I know where I get my exaggeration gene from.
“Sorry, I got caught by some fans, and you know how it goes from there,” I inform her. I already know she’s frowning on the other side.
“Look, I told you that you can have this career if you’re happy with it, but I can easily change that if it keeps interfering with my knowledge of your safety and where the hell you are,” she threatens.
