Saving Angelo

Two - Raven Hair.

Chapter Two.

Blaze Montenegro stands in front of me, holding my hand tightly, her eyebrows drawn together and a frown on her face as I fail to answer her question.

Who am I? Well in comparison to you I'm no one. Nobody special.

That's what I wish I could say, if it wasn't a downright ridiculous answer because I've only just met her and it would be weird. Also the fact that I couldn't speak if I tried. I have a feeling my first words to her probably wouldn't be words at all.

So I just shake my head and try to walk backwards away from her before I have another breakdown, but she won't let go of my hand.

She holds it firmly and steps closer, mimicking my actions in reverse, her eyes confused.

"Hey," she says cautiously, "I'm not gonna hurt you or anything,"

I swallow nervously, and form my free hand into a fist by my side.

This isn't him. It's not him.

You're being paranoid. Time to be brave for once, Angelo.

She won't hurt me.

I unclench my fist, wipe my face void of any emotion, and finally speak.

"Uh- sorry," I clear my throat. "I'm Angelo. Angelo Greene." That's it. The bubbling sensation in the pit of my stomach dies down a little, but I still worry. Why would a girl like her want to have anything to do with a boy like me?

The corner of her mouth lifts up slightly.

"Angelo, ey?" she grins, and if I was sane myself in this moment I would notice the strange look in her eyes.

The only thing that comes to mind is something Jaxon Carlos said earlier;

"Don't worry about Montenegro. I'd just stay away from her if I were you. You do not want to get into her shit,"

I can't help but wonder what this girl could have done that is so bad, that even a buff guy like Jaxon is intimidated by her. Aside from punching him in the face, of course.

She steps back and finally lets go of my hand, and I let out a breath I didn't know I had been holding. For a moment there, I had actually not been completely uncomfortable with a physical interaction.

How did she do that?

Blaze Montenegro opens her mouth and it looks like she's about to say something but-

Suddenly a loud ringing sound pierces the silence and I wonder if I've actually missed all of my lunch break and its already fourth period, but I realise it's just Blaze's phone. She sighs and holds up one finger to me, the universal sign for 'one moment'.

I nod briefly to her before she turns around, and answers the phone in a curt tone. I watch as she runs a hand through her raven black hair, ruffling it so her copious thick curls fall haphazardly down her back.

I try avert my eyes somewhere, anywhere other than her but it proves to be a next to impossible task. However I take into account the harsh voice she uses to whoever is on the other side of the phone, and more importantly the fact that she's speaking in another language.

I can decipher a couple of the words she's saying, and from what I can understand I think she's speaking in Spanish. She's cut off from a particularly heated sentence, and I can vaguely hear someone shouting on the other line. Her hand forms a fist by her side and I can almost feel the anger waving off her.

"Joder, Alejandro! La uniqua vez que te mando a hacer algo y lo dejas escapar?!" she hisses into the phone. I give up trying to make out what she's saying and instead focus on the way Blaze's raven hair cascades down her back and curls at the bottom.

Raven. Her raven hair.

Suddenly she spins around, and I quickly avert my eyes to the ground so she doesn't notice I was staring at her. She hangs up on the phone and shoves it into her pocket, hastily.

"Um, sorry," she says, tucking a stray tendril of hair behind her ear. "I have somewhere to be,"

I frown, but manage to cover it up quickly before she sees. "Okay," I say quietly.   

"I'll see you around, Angel," she smiles briefly, turning around, hands in the pockets of her jacket, and walks around the corner, out of sight.

Angel? Maybe she misheard me.

I want to think that, but I'm reminded of my mother, and the way she used to call me her little angel, before tucking me in at night.

Flashback

"Charlie!" I shout, running into the living room and jumping on top of my twin brother, before tickling the life out of him.

"Hey, Ange!" he squeals, trying to push me off him but I cling onto his t-shirt and bring him down with me.

"Nooo!" Charlie screams, but laughs nonetheless, and attacks me with tickles too, causing bubbles of laughter to erupt from my mouth.

Five minutes pass and we're lying on the ground, breathless, our throats sore from all the laughing, and that's when Mum comes in, and grins at us both.

"What are you two doing, huh?" she puts a mock stern look on her face, but spoils it by letting a smile fill her face. "Come on boys, time for bed now, your father will be coming home soon," she says after a pause, as if she's just had a fearsome epiphany.

The moment we hear a word uttered about our father, Charlie and I scramble up from the ground and race each other to our rooms, where we split off, and I dive under the covers.

"Haha! I got into bed first Char!" I shout, to which my brother replies with denial. I pull off my t-shirt and replace it with my pyjama top, and do likewise with my trousers and pyjama bottoms.

My mother walks into the room just as I pull my duvet over myself, and turn on my little lamp.

"Nine o'clock at night, and two little five year olds still have the energy to have tickle fights?" she ruffles my hair fondly, and tucks me in. "That's a first," she smiles.

I frown, and suddenly fear settles in as I picture what would happen if my dad saw us up at this hour. "Mummy, you won't tell daddy, will you? I don't want to upset him," I whisper.

She smiles sadly. "Of course I won't, Angelo. This stays between you me and Charlie, alright? It'll be our little secret,"

I giggle. "Okay,"

Just then Charlie runs in, a worried look on his face. "Angey! Mum! Dad's home!" he says in a rush, looking behind him anxiously. "I'm so sorry Mum! I was looking out of the window, up at the stars and the full moon, when he pulled up in the driveway, and he saw me! I'm sorry!" he whisper-shouts.

Mum stands up in a fluster, and looks between Charlie and I, and tries to put on a brave face.

"It's okay boys," she looks to Charlie. "Charlie honey, go to your room, turn the lamp off and tuck yourself in. I'll be there in a minute,"

My brother rushes out of the room, and Mum kneels down in front of my bed. I reach over to the light switch to turn it off but she stops me.

"Wait, not yet," she whispers, patting my hair down so it's not sticking up all over the place, but she knows it's useless. My brother and I share the permanent-bed-hair-gene.

"Listen to me, Angelo, and listen carefully. I'll be saying the same thing to your brother," she speaks quickly, and I know it's not long before my father manages to get through the door in his state.

"One of these days, we will escape this. One day, I will get you, and Charlie, and we'll get out of here, and never look back. One day, we will be able to live in peace, and we won't have to live this way anymore, you hear me? I promise you, my little Angel," she says, brushing the hair out of my eyes. "I promise,"

My mother kisses my forehead, and she turns off the lamp...

"MARY!" an angered shout comes from below us.

And the light goes out.

© 2015 Saving Angelo, (rebelsymphony). All rights reserved.