Playing with Fire

Chapter 24 - Brooks

After Mrs. Luna shut the door the room went completely still. I'm wasn't even sure if Adrianna was still present with all the silence that filled the vicinity. That was until I heard her shuffling around.

Getting out of my crouched position, I peered over the desk as I gradually stood up. Rather than getting upset or mad, Adrianna simply started tidying the already organized room. Once she notices I'm still here, she smiles politely and continues with her arrangements. There is not one sign of distress on her and it baffles me. I've never had someone treat me the way Adrianna's mother did just now and if they were too no way in hell would they live to see the end. 

It was as if they were nothing more than boss and employee. Now that I'm thinking about it, everything I once thought I knew about her has gone out the window. I always believed the perfect face she played out was for her personal intentions of looking pristine. I thought she acted the way she did because she was looked at so highly. But I was wrong. Adrianna is practically forced to live the lifestyle she has. Her family seems to be a constant pressure, always sophicating her.

At this point I'm not sure what to say. Do I pretend nothing happened or try and comfort her? Before I can come up with a solution she interrupts, "I'm sorry you had to see that...but...that's just my mother being her true self."

While looking down at her feet I can tell that she is trying to hide any hint of embarrassment.

Treading lightly I walk closer to her, trying to give my most sincere smile. "Do you still want to know why I came by today," I ask trying to divert the topic.

Adrianna's eyelids flutter up revealing her brown orbs. I'll take that as a yes then.

My hand moves towards her face where I use my finger to lift up her chin in my direction. "Earlier I called Mary and asked if you had gone on your lunch. When she told me no, I knew that as a friend I couldn't let you starve so I brought some food, that is now waiting for you."

Widening her eyes, she slowly begins to smile, glances towards the door, and then back to me. I nod, signifying that it's there now. With the simple assurance I give her she bolts out and returns seconds later with a box of warm pizza. Once she places it on her desk she sits down and begins to dig in. I laugh to myself knowing that I have never seen anyone get so excited for food, and nor will I ever.

Joining her at the table, I get a slice and note, "This is also my form of apology for ditching you at the club."

Adrianna lifts her head up displaying her messy eating. A string of cheese clings from her mouth down to her chin. I gesture with my thumb onto my face for her to understand. Immediately, she comprehends and finishes chewing to clean herself.

"Apology excepted, but how did you know to get me pizza?"

We both pause and in unison blurt, "Mary!"

"I don't know what I would do without her," she adds.

"Honestly me neither, without her who else would let me come and go as I please."

Adrianna shakes her head and then begins on her second pizza. Now, she's back to normal.

Once we have both devoured more than half the box, we both lazily sit back in our chairs and talk about the most random things. So far I have learned that her favorite show is American Horror Story, she doesn't have any close friends, at the ages of six until eleven she was sent to an all girl boarding school, she can sing the alphabet backwards, and lastly she actually enjoys pineapple on pizza. That fact threw me off for a moment and had me almost reconsidering our friendship/partnership.

"Now, it's your turn, tell me something fun about you!" Adrianna says while placing her face in her palms. Her deep brown hair comes undone from behind her face and surrounds her frame.

It takes me a few seconds to come up with something, "Well once, while I was sleeping over at Lorenzos I discovered that I can drive with my eyes closed pretty well and for a good distance."

"I've never done that."

"Driving backwards? Yea not many have..." My words trail off while trying to think of anyone else who would do something as stupid as me. "I mean I wouldn't recommend it unless you learned to drive at a really young age like I did and have an urge towards death." Adrianna presses her lips together in a straight line and shakes her head. "No stupid, I mean, the sleeping part. I've never been to a sleepover or have had one myself."

"How," I question. "That's like a key ingredient to a childhood. Like where else are you suspposed to fuck around where your parents won't see?" I think back to all the things Lorenzo and I have done without our parents knowing, and the number goes on forever.

"Did you not just get a glimpse of my everyday life about 20 minutes ago?"

I licked my lips and bite on the bottom thinking about that awkward moment. Raising my hands out I say, "Fair, I do see your point, but didn't you ever sleep at your boyfriends house or do shit in college."

"No," she says quickly. "Up until college, everything I did was monitored. I had no freedom. Anything I wanted to do required me having to come up with elaborate lies. And in college one night stands don't count as sleepovers."

Concluding her statement, Adrianna gets up and places the remaining pizza on a little table near the door. I swivel the chair around to follow her but while doing so come up with a plan.

"Would you still want to attend a sleepover?"

"I think sleepovers are a thing of the past now, don't you think?" She goes over to her purse and unzips it, only to retrieve a pink lip gloss and mirror. I watch her untwist the top and begin to apply the shimmery gloss onto her plump rosy lips. She does this was such precision and afterwards looks into the mirror while puckering her lips. I wonder how many people she's kissed those lips? How would they taste?

"I mean maybe, but grown up sleepovers are better because there's no bedtime, we can do whatever we want, and there's alcohol involved," I remark. Adrianna joins me back at the table and clasps her hands together. "And what are you proposing?"

"A sleepover at my place, of course."

"Why?"

Her question is slap to the face. What had we not just gone over about her terrible life?

"Adrianna, we have a limited time together until our partnership is done, unless of course you would like to remain in touch. Otherwise after the Cinco de Mayo party, that's it. And if that's the end, what do you have to lose. Your never going to see me again, I might see you of course on magazines or the news but never in person. Why not enjoy the little time we have together?"

Adrianna shakes her pointer finger around. "I hate to admit it, but you may have a good point for once."

I scoff loudly, "For once, you mean all the time."

"Hmmmmm, I wouldn't say that but you tell yourself what makes you feel better."

My phone silently buzzes in my pocket. Checking to see who its from, I find it's a text from Lorenzo. It reads:

Your father is looking for you, where the fuck are you?

Placing my phone back into my pocket I get up from my seat and throw on my suit jacket. While doing so, Adrianna gets up and walks towards the door to say her farewell.

"Sorry, duty calls, but we will have that sleepover."

Adrianna crosses are arms and gives me a serious look. "When, you know I'm constantly preoccupied. A date would be nice."

Quickly I think of a date and then say, "Friday, I should be free. Just stop by around 5." My phone buzzes against, letting me know I must get going.

"Okay, that works but just let Mary know so she can put it in my schedule."

"Alright," I say while exiting.

Once I'm out of the building and on my way to my car; I can't help but hope that the week goes by fast. Excitement is slowly beginning to fill me and I can't help from smiling.