mona lisa , chris sturniolo

5 | you can't cheat in hangman

Layla, Sabrina, and Dana had all rolled out around noon, leaving me to lock up once all my stuff is loaded into my car and Matt's van. The sun is kissing my skin and the sky is a clear blue, but I can't help the twinge of sadness that spikes in me as my eyes take the house in front of me for the last time: the red brick that is crawling with vines, the small porch that Layla and I shared many mornings on, and my window on the second floor that I climbed out to sit on the roof far too frequently. Thanks for being my home for the last year.

With one more smile at the house, I turn away and head down the gravel pathway to where Nick, Matt and Chris are leaning against the side of my car. Matt and Nick are staring at something on the former's phone, but Chris is watching me with a fond expression that makes my heart skip a beat. "Ready to go?"

"Fuck, yeah," I breathe, grinning when Chris rolls his eyes in amusement.

"We'll see you guys back at the house," Matt ruffles my hair as he heads further down the driveway to hop into the van. Nick tromps after him, but not before sending a wide grin and a not-so-subtle wink in my direction

Rolling my eyes, I flip him off as I climb into the driver's seat of my car. I am so going to regret telling Nick that I used to like Chris.

Chris settles in the seat beside me and immediately grabs the aux cord to connect his phone. "Should I play something depressing to get the waterworks going?"

"I hate you," I grumble, following Matt out of the driveway.

"I'm too pretty to hate." Chris scrolls through his phone, eventually finding what he was looking for. "I think we need to update our playlist."

"I literally listen to it all the time and it's in prime condition," I glance over at him quickly before focusing back on the road. "But I'm always down to make a new playlist."

"Chrislee 2.0," Chris sniggers, dropping his phone into a cupholder now that our playlist is drifting through the speakers. He air drums, a brilliant smile overtaking his face, as he begins to sing along. "Uh-huh, look, I can see your face in the Parisian paintings, the Mona Lisa."

I crank the volume up and roll down the windows, grinning when the fresh April breeze kisses my skin and whips my hair away from my face. Tapping along to the rhythm on the steering wheel, I match the volume of my voice to the music. "Love is when you try to place it your mind, but you can't turn the radio down!"

"And you can't think of anyone else!" Chris hollers, his voice cracking as he does a little shimmy in his seat.

I suddenly hiss in annoyance when Matt hits the brakes in front of me. "Matt is driving like such a grandma! It's going to take twice as long to get back," I groan. "I'm fucking hungry!"

"Let's stop for food," Chris turns the radio down slightly, peering out the front windshield. "Your navigational skills suck ass, so it won't be a surprise to anyone if you manage to lose Matt and get lost."

"Okay, rude," I huff. "I can get to some places without GPS."

"Yeah, from your mom's house in Boston you can get to my house, Lizzy's house, the high school, and maybe three different restaurants, and from your house here, you can get to campus," Chris looks at me expectantly. "Tell me I'm wrong."

I make a face, but don't deny his claim. "At least I can actually drive."

"I like being the passenger princess," Chris grins, adjusting his white Red Sox cap on his head. "Look there's an A&W, and Matt's turning right. Just keep going straight."

Abiding by his wishes, I cease following Matt and instead turn into the restaurant parking lot. I pull into a parking spot, turning the car off and checking my reflection in the mirror. My hair is a wild mess and there are shadows drawn across my face, but there is a lightness to my eyes that I haven't seen in a while.