Chapter Twenty-five: Awkward Messes.
"What? Who?" I gasped.
"Perhaps someone who hated my parents, someone who was jealous of their fortune and fame. Maybe someone who wanted to take what they had just so that they could be in power." Angelo replied, bringing out a potato chip and inspecting it closely.
In my mind, there was only one person who could fit that criteria. "Like Franca Frances?" I whispered.
He only shrugged in response.
"You know, I was the one who insisted on a night drive that day, I was seven. They said okay and decided to just...drive. Then a biker came at them from the side, making my dad swerve to collide with a tree. I had my seatbelt on but the both of them weren't so lucky. The biker had a gun so... he finished them off."
"What?!" I put down my coke and sat straighter. "Heather Frances Sullivan was shot to death?" But that was not what the millions of news stations said.
She had an accident while driving with her family, only her son made it alive. That's what everyone thought!
"How did something so huge get covered up?"
Angelo took a deep breath and I wondered if talking about this was hard for him. He was still as passive as ever so I couldn't even tell if he was sad or not.
"Franca must have gotten the right doctors on the case. I know it was her all the way, I just don't have proof."
"Then how do you know what truly happened?"
"I had pull a few strings of my own when I came to town one summer. I found the actual footage from the security cameras in Franca's office."
"You found it in her office, that's great proof!"
"It's not enough. It'll be her words against mine there would be no way to prove that I got it from her. Plus I invaded her privacy."
"Oh," I mused. "Why would Franca keep such a thing with her though?"
"I wouldn't know, blackmail perhaps? The biker's plate number showed for a second. But most times she does things just because."
I sighed, thinking of something else that maybe even he could have missed. For his sake, I did not want Franca to get away with something like this, this was huge!
"Didn't the police ask you about your account of the event? You know, weren't there investigators around?" I asked.
"I don't remember, but even if there were, I won't have said anything." He explained. "I didn't speak for nearly a year after the accident, don't know why."
"Trauma, I guess?" I said, quietly. "Made you lose your voice."
Angelo leaned into his seat and he suddenly looked so tired.
He stayed silent for a long while and so did I.
I had no idea what to say but the silence never got awkward. It was heavy and thoughtful.
"I feel like I'm going to fail them." He suddenly said, and he sounded so different.
For once, there was real emotion in his voice but it was sad. I didn't like that one bit.
I leaned forward, shedding the blanket off my shoulders so I could free my hands.
"You're not going to fail your parents, Angelo." I said, reaching across the console and taking his hand.
"You're a good person despite all the things you've been through and not nearly everyone in your shoes can say that about themselves."
He looked down at our joined hands then up at me.
As an afterthought, I added with a shrug. "I personally think you have nothing to prove."
Angelo blinked and a slow smile appeared on his face.
My heart skipped a beat and just kept on skipping especially when he tried to hide it by pressing a kiss to my hand. Emphasis on "tried".
I grinned, he was so beautiful, my goodness.
"You're literally perfect, you know that?" He asked, quietly.
Was I dreaming or what?
I just about melted into a puddle on the fancy leather seat of his new car.
"I don't, but thanks." I replied breathlessly, it was a wonder I could even speak because there was a whole butterfly festival going on in my belly.
"Now you do." He murmured, pressing another kiss to my hand, closing his eyes.
My breath caught in my throat at how different that felt all of a sudden, then he opened his eyes and the air around us changed drastically.
For a second, all I could hear was the thumping of my own heartbeat, the air between us was static, heated and almost too much in the confines of the car. My eyes widened as I let out a small gasp.
"You feel that too?" He whispered, his eyes swirling with the dark grey of a storm cloud and I realized I wasn't the only breathless one.
I didn't bother with a reply. There was no need.
Tugging my hand out of his, I cupped the side of his face in my palm and urged him closer, not even giving myself time to think about this.
A shallow breath escaped me before his lips brushed lightly against mine for one electric second.
"Hey, break it up you two, no parking here!" A muffled voice called from outside followed by tapping on the glass.
Our personal bubble popped so harshly I found myself falling back into my seat, shielding my eyes from the brightness of the night guard's flashlight.
Angelo didn't even bother with an apology before turning the car on and driving us out of there.
The short drive to the Hotel's parking lot was so full of leftover tension from what happened. What I did!
Oh my goodness, I initiated the kiss or whatever that was. When did I get so bold?
I didn't say a word and neither did Angelo. I didn't even dare to move except it was to subtly touch my lips still tingling from the aftereffects or to get down from the car when we finally parked in the hotel.
"Uh I-" I started to say before changing my mind and turning around to walk to the elevator. "Nevermind."
"Wait," Angelo called softly and I cringed, my face flushing with embarrassment so badly I didn't dare to face him.
"Oh it's no problem, I'll just go up ahead and I'll even sleep- I mean, in Elena's room for tonight while you um... yeah! Thanksseeyoulatergoodnight!" I rushed out and darted into the elevator, jamming the up button repeatedly till the doors slid shut.
"I'm a huge disaster." I mumbled, hitting my head with my fist repeatedly. What a way to end such a nice night out.
Elena was still awake when I knocked on her door and she watched me walk in silently and fall face first into her mint green pillows.
"Meow," Moo observed from the headboard of the bed.
"Exactly, kitty." Elena agreed. "It's karma for ruining karaoke night."
"Don't gossip about me when I'm right here, that's worse than rude." I murmured into the pillow.
"What happened though?" She asked.
"Oh you know, nothing much."
"You guys kiss yet?"
"Almost! And I made it awkward and cringe-y after, I'm so embarrassed right now." I whined.
Jeez, it was like we'd switched ages and I was now the middle schooler while Elena was the high school senior.
"Boys don't just have germs, they are germs, especially my family members, so you should be embarrassed." She said firmly and I heard her sit at her table, followed by the sounds of her sewing machine as she worked on her outfit.
Then I drifted into sleep filled with dreams of the nice night I had with Angelo.
(╭☞•́⍛•̀)╭☞
Waking up to a period was definitely not nice at all.
I groaned and clutched my tummy as I rolled over in the bed, partly awake.
Then my eyes popped open to see if Angelo was sleeping next to me.
The bed was empty and the sheets were mint green, not black. I broke into frantic thanks to God for making me stay in Elena's room last night.
"Rise and shi- oh!" Elena said, pausing on the way out of her walk-in closet. "Are you okay?"
I groaned into the covers like a dying bear in response.
"Alright, I'll get you everything you need." She said and walked back into the closet.
After I'd downed pain relief tablets and half-eaten a toaster waffle, I made my way to Angelo's room to get fresh clothes and stuff.
Honestly, I was too tired to remain embarrassed about last night but I made sure to knock first.
Angelo wasn't in, or he would have answered, but the door was unlocked so I just made my way in and got the stuff I needed from my clothes bag.
I was still at it when he walked in, wearing my (our) favorite hoodie, some of his blonde hair pulled back in that bun I really liked.
"Good morning to you too," he deadpanned and I realized I'd been staring unabashedly at him, a pile of clothes in my hand as I knelt near my bag. How could I not when he was looking so freaking good!
"Hi Angelo, I came to get my stuff," I said.
"You're leaving?" He asked putting the mug of coffee he had been holding on the table.
"No" I frowned and he let out e a small breath of relief. "Why would you think that? I just want a shower, there's school, remember?"
I got up with a small wince, sharp pain tugging at my insides.
"Are you sure you want to go? You look tired." He observed, and I held the pile of clothes to my chest, suddenly feeling like my shirt was see-through.
"I'm fine, honest." I said and made my way into the bathroom.
But I wasn't exactly fine, I was so freaking tired by the time I got out of the bathroom.
Angelo was on his bed, tapping away at his phone. I didn't even know where my phone was but I still wasn't picking my dad's calls.
He looked up at me and sighed, patting the bed next to him.
"Come on."
"I'm calling in sick." I murmured going to curl under the covers. Closing my eyes, I felt Angelo's hand on my forehead, probably feeling for a fever.
"It's not that, it's cramps." I said.
"Oh..." Angelo said, "oh, I see. How bad is it?"
"Really, really bad and energy sapping"
"I'll ask Tía to send a note for you, maybe?"
"Thank you so much." I replied..
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