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“Hey Mrs. Miller. Is Aurora home?” I ask. She continues to look confused before answering. I get it. I don’t visit their house much, if at all. I would be confused, too.
“Uh, yes, she is.” She turns slightly around “Aurora!” she calls out.
“Yes?” I hear Aurora shout from inside the house.
“Lorenzo is at the door. He’s asking for you.” Aurora then peaks her head from the door and looks even more surprised than her mom.
“I don’t believe it,” she says, thinking out loud, walking toward the door. April, also known as Aurora’s mom, opens the door wider and moves to the side for Aurora. “I never thought the day would come where Lorenzo Russo stood at this doorstep.”
“Hey Aurora,” I answer broadly, ignoring her comments. I’d rather deal with those later. She can mock me all she wants.
“Do you need something?” she asks, raising her hand to grip the edge of the door.
“Can I talk to you about Violet?” I ask her, a hint of urgency in my voice. Cold air shudders enter my body, causing my hands to shiver.
April turns her head again. “Who’s Violet?” she questions.
“Lorenzo’s friend, I told you about her not long ago.” Aurora twists her head to look over her shoulder, answering her mom.
“Violet what?” Her mom continues to interrogate. I jump to stop the conversation before it goes anywhere else. I’m here to make sure she’s okay, not to have her exposed. It’ll be easy for someone like April to know that a Violet Hart doesn’t exist.
“She’s Ellie’s sister,” I explain, clearing her confusion.
“Oh.” She then lets out a short chuckle. Aurora looks back to her, waiting for a reasonable reply. “It’s just funny. That you guys know someone named Violet,” she says. Aurora turns her head and shrugs, telling me to ignore her.
“You said you want to talk about her,” Aurora continues. I refocus on the situation, reminding myself why I’m here.
“You spoke to her yesterday. How was she? Did she say anything?” I ask, almost in panic. Pressure increases in my chest as I ask, waiting for an answer. Any answer. As long as her being okay is in it.
“She’s okay, I guess. I won’t say she’s fine, but she looks like she’s holding herself together. I still don’t believe you two are fighting.” I let out a small sigh of relief. She’s holding it together. That’s better than nothing.
“We’re not fighting. We just aren’t talking,” I tell her. That’s the one thing I’m sure of. Val and I aren’t fighting. She’s either avoiding me because she’s scared and surprised, or because she’s annoyed that I kept my feelings for her a secret. I’m fineif she’s annoyed by me, I can take that. Rather her be annoyed than afraid.
“Well, if you’re so worried, why not go talk to her yourself?” Aurora suggests. I drop both of my hands to my sides.
“That’s why I’m here. To ask you if I can talk to her.”
“How am I supposed to know? And what does that even mean?” She pulls her brows together, her hand still gripping the beige door’s edge.
“It’s . . .” I hesitate, lowering my gaze. “It’s complicated. I just need to know if she’s feeling better. If she looks like she’s on edge or anything.”
She takes a deep breath before answering, “No. No, she’s not on edge. And if Elias isn’t exaggerating, she’s definitely better than yesterday. If not, she’s great at hiding it.” I catch one specific word.Elias.Did something happen with him?
“What do you mean if he isn’t exaggerating?” I ask as my heartbeat gains speed in my chest. I press my fingers into my palms, and Aurora opens the door slightly wider and lowers her grip.
“Elias saw her Thursday. Yesterday. He said, and I quote, ‘she looked dead.’ Now, I don’t know how dead people look, but I don’t think it’s how Violet looked today,” Aurora clarifies. So, Elias saw her. He didn’t tell me that. Surely, he would’ve told me if they saw each other. But if he told Aurora about it, that should mean that nothing bad has happened. That’s all that matters.
“Thank you,” I mutter, and a small smile appears on her face.
“You’ll fix whatever’s going on between you, you want to know why I know?” she states asks, finally letting go of the door. “Because I didn’t think I’d ever see you at my doorstep. Yet here you are, for her. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone you do the things you do for her to anyone else, and I know you’d do so much more if it means solving whatever’s going on,” she continues. I look down at my feet, another rush of cold entering my body.Aurora’s right, I would do anything for Vi. They just don’t know how much anything is. We’ll fix this. I’ll fix this. Because I don’t know what I’ll do if I leave California and she’s still upset with me.
I return a smile, then turn around and head down the short set of stairs. I get to my car, placing my hand on the handle. The cold metal reacts with my body, almost freezing my hand in place. I finally open the door and get inside. The engine automatically turns on, and I shut the door after me. I lay my head back, waiting for the car’s heating to kick in and warm up my body.
Everything will resolve itself. As long as she’s okay, everything else will be. I’ll fix this. I’ll do anything I can to fix this. Anything to take back the things she now knows. It doesn’t matter what I have to do to myself. Her happiness is the one thing I need now. The only thing I need. I will not ruin that, no matter what.
Chapter 22 – Sessantatré
Val
