Business And Hopelessness

CHAPTER SIXTEEN: Trapped

First thing in the morning, Valentina texted Luca not to come to get her. He thought he did something wrong, and he asked her what he did repeatedly, and she couldn't reassure him enough that nothing was wrong between them, and that it had been her father who ruined everything. She told him not to worry, and that they would talk at school later. He promised he would cheer her up when they met, as there was no way she would be moping around, not on his watch.

Then, as she was getting ready, her phone rang, and it was Odette, whose voice was sleepy, but very much intrigued at the same time. She asked about what was going on with her father the previous day, so Valentina decided to tell her about it.

"What do you mean you can't visit your mother? Is that man nuts?" Odette yelled into the phone, her sleepiness disappearing in a second. Valentina kept the phone away from her ear as she kept cursing loudly on the other side of the line.

"I know it's bad, but maybe when I won't be grounded anymore, he will loosen up or something," Valentina whispered back, pulling her blazer on. She sat down to get her extra warm thigh-high socks on.

"Don't make excuses for him! He is a dick!" Odette grumbled again, letting out another set of curse words.

"We'll talk at school, I have to go now," Valentina sighed into the phone, still keeping quiet so her father had no way to hear her conversation through the walls.

"Okay, but I'm making sure we'll be getting drunk in my favorite karaoke bar once this shitshow is over, hm?" Odette grumbled, but as her voice went on, Valentina could hear a smirk taking over. "Now go and kick ass while I go on my morning run. Love ya!"

Valentina stared at her phone once the call ended, a soft smile pulling onto her lips. She didn't know what she would do without Odette and her sassy personality. It was also the first time she told her she loved her, which meant a lot to Valentina since Odette was warming up to her with each passing day.

Valentina exited her room, clipping her hair back as she balanced her coat and bag on one shoulder. To her surprise, her dad was already ready, sitting at the kitchen counter with a dirty plate beside him. He ate breakfast at home, that was for sure, and Valentina wondered whether he would think about her well-being for once. How could he not see his own daughter getting reduced to skin and bones? That she barely functioned with the little food she got?

Wordlessly, her father got up and went to open the front door, letting her exit the house first. She tugged her coat on as they descended the stairs, exiting the silent, run-down building side by side. They walked up to their car parked nearby, and Valentina stared at the spot where Luca would usually wait for her, her heart aching at the thought that he might not take her to school ever again. Even though it was selfish, she sincerely hoped they would get to drive around together again soon.

The air was suffocating in the car between Valentina and her father, and the silence was incredibly tense, but she was stubborn enough not to speak to him the whole way to school. She wanted to go and see her mother, but due to her father, she couldn't do anything about it. She texted her about how unfair her father treated her, and her mother promised to talk to him on the phone, but either that conversation didn't happen yet, or he ignored her mother's pleading altogether.

When Valentina finally exited the car, mumbling a goodbye to her father, she felt the weight from her chest getting removed, letting her breathe better and feel lighter. She didn't think there would ever be a time when she would rather be at school than at home, but life was again, unpredictable.

The school was empty, like always, but Valentina was used to it already, finding it peaceful rather than creepy. But the school wasn't abandoned after all, even though it seemed like it, as she spotted a familiar face waiting for her in front of her classroom.