Book 1: Valentina

Chapter 20

"Do you need a ride to school?" I asked standing in the threshold of Danny's room.

It was two days after the argument that Danny and I had and he hasn't talked to me since then and since Tony went back to boarding school and my dad left on business again, it was just us and it's been too quiet. He stayed locked in his room and I stayed out with Naomi.

" Yeah, I'm on the way out now." He said and turned walking straight past me.

I followed him downstairs and grabbed my keys from the key holder, when I got outside Danny was getting into someone else's car, he didn't even look at me when he reached for his seatbelt. He was really mad at me over this, and I didn't understand why, he was younger than me so he couldn't understand the situation.

My phone rang in my pocket while I was locking the door, it would only be Naomi because she was the only person who called me this early, I finished locking up and answered the call.

"Morning babe." I greeted her.

"Hey handsome, how you are this morning?" she asked.

"I've been better." I said throwing my bag in the back of my car.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"Nothing important just stuff with Danny. He's just upset about something." I said vaguely.

Naomi only knew what she heard in the halls about Artura and how she mysteriously disappeared, I didn't talk about her and tried not to until Danny brought her up a few days ago. I'd admit that it was hard the first month but after a while I had to realize that she wasn't coming back and that was Danny's problem, he was hell bent on believing that she'd be back and he was so blinded by that, that he would let it split us up.

Not even going to deny that I was a little hurt when he got in the car with someone else, but I knew how he felt, because that's how I felt when our mom left and I know that he wants what I wanted, space and I was going to give him that.

"Oh well I'll see you when you get to school then." She said.

"Alright, bye." I ended the call and parked closer towards the entrance of the school.

If I were to admit to another thing, it's that without Artura, the school day just seemed to drag on, especially second period. Even Brittney isn't the same , before she'd come into class stop at my desk and flirt but now all she does is come in and sit down. She doesn't even talk to me anymore, because she feels like she has something to do with Artura's disappearance.

But no one has had it harder than Nate, he barely comes to school anymore and that's probably out of fear, since Artura left all I've been hearing is that Jason Rue has been back to bullying him but this time it was worse because of what Artura did to him on her first day. Everyone thought that Rue was over it but apparently he wasn't and he was out for revenge, as long as Artura wasn't around.

The bell rang me out of my thoughts and out of first period, I grabbed my bag and flowed into the crowd of students. I felt someone grab my arm, I saw the yellow dress before I felt her grab me so I knew it was her before she even came up to me.

"Hey, baby." I said grabbing her hand.

"Hey, where's Danny? I didn't see him in first period." She asked digging her hand in her purse.

"He wasn't?" I asked stopping in front of my locker.

Danny usually always goes to first period, it was the only senior class that he had and as a junior that was a big deal. He didn't care to miss any other classes but Art and AP World History he never missed, not for anything .