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“Tell that to him.”
I wish I could. But if I were to talk to Roland about all the dumb things he’d done, I’d never finish.
“Some day, I will,” I promise Lorenzo. We reach Aurora and looking at her face alone, I can tell she is much better. But I know that could just be a mask. Now, thinking about it, Aurora only ever hangs out with us. Does she not have any other friends? The thought circles my mind, before Aurora’s voice brings me back to the present.
“Hey Violet. Lorenzo,” she greets with a smile.
“Hey Aurora. How are you today?” I ask her.
“Good, but still pretty upset,” she replies. I return the smile to her, hoping it helps her somehow.
“Where is Elias anyway?” Lorenzo asks, taking a step closer.
“He’s not coming today. He has some things to do.”
This whole situation is tiring me. I should just go and talk to Roland myself. Tell him to stop being an unreasonable asshole. Or maybe I should kidnap Elias. Then Roland can’t leave, andI don’t have to think about the whole situation. Never mind, that’s not a good idea. I’d need his permission, or I’d probably get charged. I also need a place for him to stay. Never mind, I’ll think of a better idea.
“So, I forgot to ask you, are you and Elias still going to Valentina’s concert?” Lorenzo breaks the silence, reminding me. They’re coming to my concert on December 7. How did I forget that? Are they still going? I don’t know if they still are.
“Yes, he agreed to go as a final gesture before he leaves. Their flight is on the December 13, and the concert is on the seventh,” she tells us. The thirteenth? Why is Roland in such a hurry? If he would just be a bit patient, he wouldn’t have to worry about me at all. I’m not going to take his business away from him, I don’t know why he’s so paranoid.
So I have about three weeks to find a solution to all this. I think I can do that. I can come up with a plan. I just need a starting point, which I’ll hopefully get today.
When the final bell rings, I leave the school and find Lorenzo waiting for me. I approach him, and he fixes his posture when he notices me. “Hello, fiore mio. It’s been quite a while since I saw you,” he jokes at my arrival.
“Please don’t call me that,” I beg, and his face beams.
“So, why did you want me to wait for you at the entrance?” he asks, crossing his arms.
“I’m going to Aurora’s house in, like, two hours, and so I wanted to ask if you can come over and hang out for a bit until then, so you can drive me there. If you don’t have any plans, that is,” I explain, bringing my hands together at waist length. Hissmile grows, and he turns to the side, raising his left arm as if he’s hooked together with another arm.
He jerks his head, and I come closer. My arm hooks with his, and we begin walking. “To answer your question,” he starts, “I don’t have any plans. I’ve grown to become friendless,” He jokes in a hurt manner. I turn my head toward him, and raise my eyebrows. He puts hand on his chest, as if hurt, pouting.
“You are not friendless, you just have a thing for people with busy lives,” I clarify, He drops his free hand, along with his expression, and nods in agreement. “I’ll try my best to free up some more time. We have a weekend now, I’m sure I’ll find some time,” I assure him. His eyes glimmer, before we come to a stop in front of his black car. He unhooks our arms, opening the car’s door. The leather seats inside the car match the outside. Pure black, like night. “After you, fiore mio,” He says. When is he going to drop that name?
“If you keep calling me that, you’ll be waiting until tomorrow for me to get in,” I tell him. A smirk forms on his face.
“Funny, considering you’re the one who needs to go somewhere,” he points out. Damn it. I roll my eyes, extending one leg into the car and pulling myself inside. The door shuts, the sound of metal hitting each other ringing in my ears. The other door then opens, and Lorenzo slides into the driver’s seat. “I honestly don’t know why you don’t like the nickname,” He adds, placing both his hands on the top sides of the steering wheel.
“Because it has a connection to my middle name, not my actual name.”
“Flowers have a connection to your first name too. Plus, your middle nameisyour real name to me. It’s my unique privilege for being your great friend.” I laugh at that, and Lorenzo begins driving. We get to the house eventually, and Lorenzo drives tothe back to park. We slip out and walk to the door, and I take out my keys and unlock it.
The door opens, and Lorenzo and I enter. No one is in the living room, which is unusual. That is until my mom enters. She stops when she sees us. “Hey Vi. Hello Lorenzo,” she says. Lorenzo waves at her in exchange.
“Hey Mom,” I reply while I go through my normal routine of taking all my extra accessories off. First the shoes and bag, then the wig. I’m not fully comfortable and able to relax until I’ve taken them all off. This time, I leave the brown contacts in. “Aren’t you going to Aurora’s?” Lorenzo asks as I hang the wig at the front hanger before answering.
“In two hours. It gives me some time for my head to breathe,” I tell him.
“So you’re going today?” Mom asks, and I hum in agreement. The plan is to go and try to cheer Aurora up, while also getting some advice from of April. Lorenzo walks to the couch, grabbing a grape from the plate in the center table before sitting down. It’s then that I notice the small fruit platter in the middle.
“Good luck with April. You’ll be lucky if she answers you, she’s an extreme gatekeeper when it comes to what she knows,” Lorenzo warns me, munching on the grape in his mouth. Gatekeeper. Great. I can deal with that. I’m convincing. And Aurora is affected by this, so it gives me an advantage. That’s better than nothing to me.
I don’t need her help; I just need advice. Anything I can do or use to change Roland’s mind. I don’t need leverage over him or anything, I just need to stop him from going to New York. If I wanted to affect his success, I would have done it easily long ago. I could ruin his life if I wanted to, by just talking to April. But I’m not doing that. I just want to keep him in Los Angeles. That’s my priority. For Aurora, for Lorenzo. For Elias. And for me.
Chapter 28 – Cinquantasette
Val
