Luca's Salvation

E l e v e n

After what seems like forever, I slowly rise myself up and pick my phone that now has a cracked screen up,

After numerous tries to get a hold of Jasmine, I call my sister, Ana. After two missed calls, she finally answers.

"Sophia, if your life isn't in immediate danger, I would really like to go back to doing what I was doing," she screams into the phone. As a party girl, it made complete sense that she was at the club this late.

"C-can you please come pick me up," I whisper into the phone.

"Omg babe, are you okay?" She says with concern in her voice. "Where are you? I'll be on my way ASAP."

"Yes," I say taking a deep breath. "I'm okay."

"You don't sound okay," she says. "What the hell happened?"

"Can you just please some get me?" I ask.

"Share your location with me. I'm headed out right now."

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After what seems like 15 minutes of sitting on the grass picking at my new bruise, I hear footsteps approaching me.

"Don't run away," Michael says with a kit in his hand. "I don't really wanna chase you as you're hurt."

I don't say anything as he sits down facing me. He opens the kit and removes what seems to be a cleaner, wipes, and a bandaid.

As he reaches for my foot, I slightly jerk it away.

"Me too?" He asks with a smile on his face. "I didn't shoot anyone, though."

"Sorry," I whisper.

"Oh, is that a smile I see creeping up on your face?" He asks. He takes my foot into his hands again. He wipes the blood away.

"I spoke to Laila today," he says focusing on my foot. "This'll sting," he says as he rubs the cleanser against my bruise and I wince in pain.

"What did you say to her?" I ask trying to distract myself from the stinging pain.

"Well, I asked her where Luca was," he says blushing.

"And?" I ask.

"Well," he says scratching his head. "That was all." He rips apart the bandaid and sticks it on. "She told me he was outside and I caught him just as he was heading inside from being here with you."

"Did he tell you what happened?" I ask. "He shot a man, Michael. Like actually SHOT HIM. WITH A GUN."

"That bastard had it coming for him," he whispers under his breath. "Luca is a good man but there is a side to our lifestyle that he thinks you just simply wouldn't understand."

"What do you mean he had it coming?" It was an old man. Luca shot and killed a poor old man. What is so good about that?"

"He didn't kill him. It's so much more complicated than it seems but I want him to be the one to explain it to you."

"Explain what to me? I'm so confused," I say feeling dizzy.

"There is a lot about us and our lifestyle that you don't know. Luca believes its best to leave you out of it."

"Is that why he was so angry when we got drunk together?" I ask.

"That was only a small fraction of it," he says ripping the bandaid open. "I think his anger had more to do with his pride that day."