Business And Hopelessness

CHAPTER ELEVEN: Giddy

Valentina got ready for school early as always, this time taking the time to curl her blonde hair as she saw in a YouTube video. She got home late the previous night and after studying, couldn't get much sleep, so she thought she would trade a few more minutes on the hair curling tutorial she was dying to try for weeks. She was a bit more satisfied with her outlook than she usually was when she looked into the mirror, happy to see that her school uniform wasn't so horrible on her body.

Collecting all the scattered textbooks from her room, she stuffed them into her schoolbag and unplugged her phone, sliding it into the pocket of her blazer as she grabbed her jacket. Her father was either sleeping or was already off to work and Valentina didn't take her time to write him a note either, so she just pulled her shoes on and exited the apartment in silence.

As she was on her way to Silver High, she lingered at the flower shop, staring at all the plants and flowers as she noticed a familiar rundown SUV, causing her to slow to a stop. She looked through the shop's large windows instantly, hoping to spot the brown-haired boy inside. She wanted to know if Luca Lennox was actually buying flowers for someone.

Although she didn't quite know the reason for her sudden interest in his life, she ducked behind the nearest tree as soon as she noticed him beginning to walk out of the shop with a small potted plant in his hands, cradling it like it was a newborn baby. She thought he would be buying something nicer for his potential girlfriend or boyfriend, but a cute plant could still end up as a thoughtful present. At least she'd be happy to receive one.

Despite feeling like a stalker, she watched from the other side of the tree as he got into his SUV, placing the plant on the seat beside him, and even fastening a seatbelt for it so it wouldn't fall. Valentina couldn't help but think how adorable that was and waited with an amused smile until his car pulled out of the small parking space. An old lady passed her on the pavement, the judgment apparent in her eyes as Valentina awkwardly let go of the tree, dusting her blazer and skirt off.

She walked to school as Luca was already far away with his car, slipping in through the only half-open front gates of Silver High to jog up to the rooftop again. She dumped her bag and jacket into her locker and pulled out her phone, sending a quick text to Odette to ask if she was up yet. Knowing her, however, she was out jogging for at least another fifteen minutes before she dragged herself to school.

Valentina walked to her classroom in eerie silence, surprised to find it locked. She wondered if she got there too early, but she had never encountered a closed classroom that didn't have any pricey equipment in it before. She let go of the door handle with a sigh, hearing some shuffling inside that caused her to frown. There were people inside, she was sure of it, but she never met other students being so early at the school before. Even only a couple of teachers came in at such early hours.

There was some shushed talking, and to avoid any awkward encounters, she took off towards the couch area instead to have somewhere comfortable to sit. Except drama didn't seem to let her be as she walked down the corridor, bumping into Sasha who was hurrying to the Student Council Room. Her hair was up in a neat ponytail, her mood seemingly better than yesterday as her lips stretched into a smile. It made Valentina think that Ray didn't at all talk to her about the issue, which made her as angry as she became confused.

Sasha mumbled a quick greeting as she unlocked the door with her keys, waving once to Valentina before disappearing through the door. If the blinds weren't shut on the window, Valentina would have been able to see why she was hurrying so much. Hesitating, she started down the corridor again, walking until she reached the couches.

She slept for a while, then sat there, scrolling through TikTok – as the WIFI in the school was the strongest there, hence why everyone wanted to sit there so much – until Luca texted her, asking to come and meet him on the roof as usual. A loud groan escaped her involuntarily as she got to her feet, pondering if she should get her jacket first, but deciding against it as she didn't want to spend that much time in the cold anyway.