"Clearly, Sam," she stressed my name the same way I did hers. "It IS my business, being that he's my bro, and I like to watch out for the kid. So, what happened?"
She threw down her McDonalds apron and waved to a stocky tan girl working the other counter.
"Liliana, watch the register for me?" Flashing the girl a mega-watt smile, she led me to a table at the back door near the playset.
Seating swiftly into a chair at a two-person table, she beckoned me to sit at the one next to her.
Wasting no time, she took my McFlurry from my hands and placed it on top of the nearest trashcan emblazoned with the McDonalds trademark golden arches.
"Wha--" I protested, but she threw daggers at me with her eyes.
"Spill your guts if you want it back," Serafina singsonged, gesturing to my slowly melting ice cream.
Taking a breath, I knew I had no choice. And so, for lack of a better term, I proceeded to 'spill my guts.' When I was done, I leaned back slightly in my chair and reached over for my McFlurry, which by now had turned to melted M&M slush.
Slurping what was left, I tried to gauge Serafina's reaction to my story. Finally, after what seemed like minutes later, she began to laugh wildly.
When she was done with her laugh fest, which took up yet several MORE minutes of my time, she stopped abruptly and said seriously, "Well, I hope his rebound this time won't be a piece of trash."
"Rebound?" I questioned, confused.
Serafina chuckled again, which was probably at the moment the worst sound that could come from her body, considering she had literally spent minutes on end doing just that.
"You know, a rebound relationship with a random and usually trashy girl. Happens every time Matt hits a hard breakup-he goes on a flirt fest with the nastiest girls in school. Been going on since his first girlfriend at fifteen."
Serafina's eyes clouded, and for a brief minute, she looked caring and considerate.
Whether it was an exhibition of random shining compassion for me [next to no chance of that] or for her brother, I couldn't tell, and the minute passed so quickly anyways that there was very few time for deliberation.
But, regardless, what she had just spoken bothered me and I quickly gathered my things up and waved goodbye, rising from my seat. "Gotta go, Serafina. Folks'll be expecting me home, I'm sure. Thanks for that info."
I tried flashing that perfect smile she could master so well back at her, but I'm sure that considering my current emotional state it looked more like a grimace.
Smiling curtly and waving back, Serafina rose from her chair and strode back to the counter and register waiting for her. I had just nearly made it in the clear when she yelled something that stopped me in my tracks, and I let the exit door snap back into place after my feeble attempt to push it open.
"He really loves you, you know!" Serafina shouted gently.
It was all I could do to shake my head in disbelief at her words. From there, I must have really looked like a moron as I threw the door open with such force I think I broke the automatic doorbell on the top of it.
Making a mad dash for my car, I unlocked it and threw myself in, breathing hard until finally the lull of the air conditioning began to calm me. Rebounds? Love? Which one was the truth? Was he going to chase someone else or fight for me?
And why was Serafina telling me all of this, when up until this point in my life I figured that I was still on her hit list? We were getting along, but she wasn't exactly my best friend in the world. She also usually never shared such personal information about other people. So why..? It was all so confusing, and all I really wanted at the moment was to know the truth.
Falling In Love With My Enemy's Brother (Chapter Twenty-Four)
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