Luca
~
Anderson and I picked up Cassie on our way to Reagan's house. Marcus texted us the details and told us to arrive around ten p.m. She came out the front door ten minutes after we arrived. Anderson was getting impatient wondering what was taking her so long. I convinced him it was a girl thing—you know how they can be, but I already knew what she was doing by her text message earlier.
Dealing with my mom
I'll be running a lil late
Everything ok?
just another episode,
you know the usual
Just reading her text made me aware of how exhausted she was. It honestly made me upset, knowing there wasn't anything we could do about it. I'd give anything to take her pain away.
I'm sorry, take your time. I'll keep Anderson busy.
She responded instantly.
:) i appreciate it
"It takes her thirty extra minutes to get ready?"
I rolled my eyes. "It's been ten minutes."
"Okay, still," he says, rubbing the back of his head.
By this time, I see Cassie run outside, closing the door behind her. She makes her way toward my truck, stepping inside the front seat.
"Gentleman," she says smiling.
"Lady." Anderson murmurs.
She is dressed casual again, dark black skinny jeans with a white shirt, black converse, and my class Letterman is wrapped around her chest. I seriously forgot she had my Letterman.
It looks so much better on her than me.
"Ready?" she says, pulling me away from my thoughts.
"Uh, yeah." I shift in my leather seat, put the truck in reverse, and back out of her driveway.
The drive to Reagan's house was maybe twenty-five minutes. Cassie cranked the volume up letting Post Malone blare through my speakers. The three of us basically scream the lyrics to Fall Apart out the windows as the coldness from outside blows through our hair. It felt amazing.
After arriving at the party, we walk toward the back of her house where everyone is at. Some are in the hot tub while the others are filling drinks and rocking to the beat of Blue Foundation.
A few jocks from the football team come and greet me. I am picked up awkwardly and placed on someone's shoulder. It's Trent's. He yells and slurs his words at the same time. Anderson and Cassie both look at each other and then me. They are clueless just as much as I am.
"Yo, can you please put me down."
Yo?
He sets me down with a laugh.
"I'll meet you two later." Anderson tells us once he spots Sydney talking to a few girls on the dance team. We don't have time to respond as he walks away quickly.
"Want a drink?" Cassie says after we laugh at Anderson. "Water is fine." She makes sure to clarify since I told her I'm not drinking at all this time.
We step away from Trent and any other jocks, mentally hoping nobody picks me up again. In a weird way, I liked the attention.
"Water sounds perfect." I chuckle.
I follow her inside through the messy house filled with drunk kids and cups everywhere. She spots the kitchen and grabs my hand.
"Water it is." A cup is handed to me.
I take it softly from her. "Cheers."
"Everything okay with your mom?" I manage to ask hoping she doesn't think I'm being too nosy.
She brings the cup slowly to her lips, downing a small sip before replying. "She's been worse, but she will be fine."
"Do you think this psychiatric hospital will help?"
A sigh escapes her mouth as she throws her empty cup in the recycle bin. "I sure hope so. I've read so many amazing things, and she's all for it. It took her forever to accept the fact that she needs help."
"They say that's the first step in recovery, asking for help when you need it."
"Is that why you have an unopened pill box on your nightstand?"
My eyes widened. "You saw that?"
She nods. "You have a sleeping problem, why didn't you tell me?"
"It's not that big of a deal," I shrug. "And besides, I don't have a problem, I'm not recovering from anything."
"Luca—"
"Stop, please," I take a deep breath. "I'm okay, really. My grandma keeps convincing me to take them because I can't sleep well. I'm always making sure she's okay in the middle of the night. But really—I'm fine."
"When's the last time you slept well?"
"It's been a while."
"Luca," she scolds. "You should have told me."
"And what? You're going to sleep in my bed and make sure I go to sleep, okay?"
"Yes." she exclaims, giving me a weird look like she can't believe she just said that.
Out loud.
"Okay, I definitely need a drink." She quickly turns around and digs for—well—anything really. "Where the hell is Marcus anyways?"
"I'll uh, go look for him." I say awkwardly.
And with that, I down the rest of my water and search through the house for him, making him hard to find since there's basically orgies everywhere. I shake my head once I spot Anderson and Sydney outside sharing a red solo cup and laughing about something rather funny.
He looks like he is finally having a good time. She brushes his shoulder as she tilts her head back in laughter. He bites his bottom lip and takes the cup out of her hands, throwing it on the lawn.
What's he doing?
Next thing I know, he is grabbing the back of her head bringing her closer to him and plants his lips onto hers. She smiles against his mouth and wraps her arms around the back of his neck.
That's my boy.
I stare for only a few more seconds until I realize I'm still in search of Marcus.
Where the hell is he?
I hear a lot of commotion coming from a basement downstairs. My feet walked toward the sound and noticed a familiar voice.
Finally...
I take a few steps down the stairs and am instantly hit with the smell of weed. My lungs feel like they are about to explode as I inhale secondhand smoke, making me choke instantly.
"Took you long enough to find me," he says after taking a hit from Reagan, who is sprawled on the couch beside him.
"Seriously?" I cough out.
The room is dark with no windows. A small coffee table is placed in the center of the room with a dark red loveseat.
"Come join us," she says with a smirk.
"I think I'll pass."
"Come on, Richards. Don't be such a pussy."
He is so high right now. I'm standing maybe ten feet from him and noticed how red his eyes are. Both arms are draped across the back of the couch as Reagan snuggles next to him.
"We're back to calling me a pussy now?"
"Hey," he shrugs. "It's not my fault you're acting like one."
Reagan giggles before blowing smoke into his face. He smiles once her tongue enters his mouth.
Jesus.
"I'm leaving." I turn around, almost making it up the steps when Reagan calls my name.
"Will you be tutoring me next so I can be your girlfriend too?"
I abruptly turned to face them.
"Excuse me?"
Marcus chimes in. "The little deal you and Cassie made."
I draw my eyebrows together. "How do you know about that?"
"What? You think she wouldn't have told me?"
"She wouldn't."
He laughs, leaning up in the loveseat.
"A deal to be your girlfriend so she can graduate with flying colors by the one and only Luca Richards. Biggest nerd the whole school has ever seen."
I scoff. "And yet you're still the biggest dick."
"Yes, he does have that," she giggles.
"I can't believe how low you are. Taking my girlfriend away from me."
"Get over it," I yell, making everyone remain quiet. "She's not your property like she's stated before."
He jumps up from the couch, basically throwing Reagan off of him.
"She will always be mine."
"Hey," Reagan shouts.
"Oh, shut up, all you are good for is blowing me off."
"Luca was right, you are such a dick." She storms off making her way upstairs.
"You know what I think. You can't stand the fact that Cassie is with me, with someone else besides you."
"You think this is real between you two? She is using you to pass Biology and graduate. There's no chance in hell that she would ever have feelings for a loser like you."
"Fuck you, Marcus."
"Don't worry, Cassie already has."
• • •
Don't forget to vote and comment. ❤️