(A/N: Chilled opened my package [the second one in the video, the white one with blue painters tape] on his first episode of "What's in the Box" and it was awesome. And Jess was literally the cutest when she saw the little Bolshevik I made, and the t-shirts I sent them, and everything. They're just so cute and awesome, okay!?
Also, I was watching Tom play Alpha Sapphire the other night and I noticed that he battled a female trainer named Johanna, hence their costumes in this chapter.
BTW, "cielo" is the Italian word for "heaven", which relates back to this chapter's title.)
"On my way, Chilly :)" the text from Steven read on my phone. I smiled and quickly replied, then placed it on my desk, finishing the rest of my costume before he made it here.
Today is Halloween, aka my favorite holiday all year because I get to be as diabolical as I please. Sitting at my desk in front of my mirror, I place the last bit of gel in my hair, comb it back, and insert my plastic fangs. Steven is on his way to pick me up for a party at Johanna's house and this year I'm going as a vampire. Pretty basic costume, I know.
For a darker touch I add eyeliner that I borrowed from Cielo and smear some dark foundation all over my cheeks. I stare at my half-done make-up job and smirk. I'm excited about tonight, but I'm more excited about Steven's going to be. He's been all secretive about his costume this week so I can't wait to see it.
I hear a knock on my door. "Come in," I call out, not before hiding behind the door and pulling the ends of my cape across my face.
"Anthony?" It was Cielo and I jump around the corner, opening my cape. I shrieked to try to scare her, but as soon as I saw her my jaw dropped. She was wearing a panda hood with a black-and-white dress and black heeled boots. I was surprised because it was definitely a... change from her usual Halloween get-up. I'm just not used to seeing her like she's almost 15; sometimes I still want to believe she's 10.
While I stood there silent, she took a finger and closed my jaw, pushing my face up to make eye contact with hers. "You okay there, Anthony? You seem a little shocked."
I shook it off and fixed my cape. "Me? Y-yeah, I'm fine, why do you ask?"
She looked down at her own outfit then back up at me. "Is it this?"
I tried to play it off. "No... well, maybe? It's... nice... just, nice."
"I know what you mean. You hate it, don't you?"
Oh yeah, definitely. "No, not at all. As long as you like it."
She scoffed and rolled her eyes, grabbing the eyeliner from the desk and putting some on. "C'mon Anthony, I know you. You have to hate it just a little bit, because you're still in big brother mode. Trust me, I'm not the biggest fan of it either. I mean, I'll be ready when I finally get to take these boots off."
I cocked my head to the side. "Then why are you wearing it?"
As soon as I asked that and she was going to answer, we both heard the doorbell rang. "That's probably Ryan. I'll go get it." She bounced out of my room and I leaned back against the wall, taking a deep breath.
Then I had a realization: Cielo has changed a lot since she started seeing Ryan. She wore make-up for the first time ever the night she had her first date with him, and ever since then she's seemed more mature for... well, her. She was never the type of girl to dress up for someone like she has for him. I tried not to worry about her because I had faith in her to keep her own identity, but now I'm scared she might be changing everything to make him happy. And if she does that she'll hurt herself, and I don't want her to be hurt.
I bring myself back to reality and leave my room to wait for Steven. I rounded the stairs and came down in time to see him in his basketball uniform, with his arms around her waist and hers around his neck. From the looks of it, it looked like the only way I could pull them away was with a heavy duty crowbar. But I did the next best thing: I cleared my throat and sat down on the couch beside them.
"Hey, Tony," he greeted when he saw me, after telling him ten times that I hate it. "Nice guy-liner," he smirked, wrapping his arm around Cielo's waist.
"Thanks," I responded, trying not to sound too bitter. "Nice costume, so original."
"Oh, this? I'm more of a fan of Ci-Ci's." He runs his finger under her chin, pushing it to his while she giggled, sort of uncomfortably. This is hurting, it really is, but I don't need to make her uncomfortable in front of him. I'll be talking to her about it later, though.
Like a savior from the awkward, the doorbell rang and I hopped up to get it. I open it to find Steven standing there in his pirate costume.
"Well, well, well," I greeted slowly, wrapping my arms around his waist and pulling him close. "This is a nice surprise." I let him inside so I could grab a few things.
"You like?" he asked, patting me with his sword. "I'm glad, because if you didn't" - he pulled me close and leaned in towards my ear - "I would have to come for the booty."
I blushed deeply and chuckled. "I'd love that anyway." I pulled away and turned around to find Cielo and Ryan staring at us. Steven hugged her and waved shyly at Ryan, this being their first time meeting.
Then I had another thought: Does Ryan know I'm bisexual? I'm not worried about him knowing, unless he decides to go behind our backs and spread our secret out of spite or bribery. As I grabbed my things and came back to Steven, Cielo broke the silence.
"Ryan, this is Anthony's" - she turned to me for permission, which I gave - "boyfriend, Steven. Steven, this is my boyfriend, Ryan."
"Oh," Ryan started. "I didn't know you were gay, Tony."
"Bisexual, and for the last time I told you to call me Anthony." At this point I had no patience for him. I leaned in and whispered, "But please, we're not ready to come out yet, so don't tell anyone else. Okay?"
He nodded yes, which was the first thing he's done that hasn't irritated me all day. Feeling okay with his answer, I went back to Steven and laced my hand in his, heading out to his car and to the party. The two of them are going to one of his friends' house, and I told her to call me or Dad if she needs to come home.
When we got in the car Steven tightened his grip on my hand and gave me a kiss on my cheek. "Are you feeling okay, Chilly? You seem tense."
I shook my head. "Kinda. It's just... I'm still worried about him and her, you know? It almost seems like she's trying to change herself to keep him around and I don't want her to change for anyone."
"I know what you mean. She'll be okay, at least for tonight." He pulled me in for a kiss, which calmed my nerves. "Ready?"
"As ready as I'll ever be." He pulled off the curb and I took a deep breath, sinking into my seat. I felt a certain kind of relief being with my little pirate.
~~~
Not too long after sunset, we pulled into the gated community where Johanna lives. She and Tom have been dating since Homecoming and they invited all of us and some of her friends to her house for a party. This is my first high school party since we moved to Sacramento, and I would be nervous if I didn't know anyone.
"I think this is it. Can you look at that slip again for me?" Steven asked, driving around the subdivision looking for her house. I broke out of my silence to turn the overhead light on and look at the directions slip again. Eventually, we saw a house with a giant lit pumpkin in the yard and faintly heard music playing.
Steven parked his car beside GaLm's and led us to the door. He knocked, and we saw Tom answer it, standing in the doorway wearing a Mudkip costume from Pokemon.
"Uh, hey, Tom?" I asked, Steven stifling his laughter.
"Shut up, I'm adorable!" he shouted, smacking us with his sleeve. "Come in, everyone's here." Steven and I squeezed past him, greeting Smarty and GaLm on our way in, as well as Johanna as May from Pokemon, matching with Tom.
"Look who finally showed up. Dracula and Jack Sparrow!" Smarty stood up from his position beside Marissa in his Mario costume. Marissa was matching with him as Luigi.
Steven and I glanced at each other, then back at our friends. With GaLm and Myla dressed as Wario and Toadette, I realized we were the only ones not dressed as video game characters. "Uh, guys?" I started, waving my finger around to everyone. "Did we miss a memo?"
Everyone else looked around and laughed. "Yeah, we have no idea how it happened either."
Steven sat down and I grabbed us some candy and cups of punch, and we joined our friends in the living room. I'm not sure if it was just me, but the music seemed louder from the outside than it did in the house. For the night it was just us. I think everyone else had other parties to go to but I was okay with that. We spent almost two hours alternating between chatting, watching the slasher movie that was on the TV, and dancing to whatever was playing over the speakers. That was, until we broke out the games.
"I have Cards Against Humanity, Apples to Apples, and Uno. Who wants to play what?" In unison, we all voted for Cards Against Humanity and decided to play in couples. Steven and I partnered up together and no one even knows we're a couple. With our four pairs ready to go, the cards were passed out and the GaLm/Myla pair started with a pirate voice.
"Hello everybody, welcome to another episode of __ plays __," their card read. While everyone decided on their cards, Steven and I saw the answer we wanted: "Enormous Scandinavian women" and "Neil Diamond's greatest hits". I think we won because Smarty played up our card by singing "Sweet Caroline" in the raspiest voice possible, making Steven and GaLm bawl up into a fit of laughter. Smarty and Marissa's turn came, then it was up to me and Steven.
"What will always get ye laid, and have many a booty upon thee face?" I read, making Steven squeak with laughter again.
He whispered in my ear, just low enough so only I could hear, "Well, since you asked politely..." before his voice drifted off. I pressed my hands against my cheeks trying to hide the creeping pink on them. I tried to hide it but then everyone started looking at us weird.
"Chilled, are you okay?" GaLm asked.
I nodded lightly, sweating nervously. "Yeah, kinda. Anyway, just shut up and play your cards." Across the room my phone dinged, but I brushed it off as a Facebook notification. If it was really important whoever it was would try to call. We picked the winner, which went to Smarty and Marissa. A few minutes after the first ding, I heard another one, then one right after that.
"Chilled, you seem pretty popular tonight," Tom smirked. I stood up and went to grab it from my coat pocket to see who was trying to contact me. I unlocked the screen to see three missed messages, all from Cielo.
8:33: Anthony, are you there? I need a ride home.
8:35: Anthony, it doesn't look like you got the last one so I'm calling Dad.
8:36: Dad's on his way to get me. Sorry if I was bugging you.
My heart dropped as I read my sister's pleas. I told her to call me if she needed to go home for any reason but instead she chose to text. She could be hurt or in danger for all I knew, and I chose to ignore her. "Hey, guys," I called out, getting everyone's attention. "I need to make a call. Steven, play whatever you want."
I stepped out into the front yard and in the chilly October air to call her. I knew it was too late and Dad was on her way to get her, but I needed to call and make sure she was okay, and remind her that I wasn't ignoring her. The phone rang once, then twice, then a third time, each ring making me more worried than the next. Finally I heard something on the other end.
"Anthony?" her tiny voice broke through. "Did you get my messages?"
I nodded. "Yeah, I got them a little late though. Are you okay? Has Dad gotten you yet? Are you in a safe area?" I asked her every question I could think of.
"Okay, to answer your questions: yes, not yet, I'm outside in the yard. It's just... Ryan and I had a bit of a fight. It was nothing serious, but now I'm just ready to go home."
I nodded and gritted my teeth. I swear, if I find a single mark on her... "What happened? Or do you want to talk about it? Because I swear if he tried to hurt you-"
"It's fine. It was small and kind of stupid." I heard a nervous chuckle, followed by a voice crack. Oh no, is she crying? "It's nothing for you to worry about. Go, hang out with your friends. I'm ready to get home and go to sleep or something."
"Okay, are you sure? Because I can go home right now if you want me to."
"Anthony, I told you, I'm fine. I'll just wait for Dad, this house isn't too far from home."
I sighed and sat down on the steps, running my fingers through my hair. "Okay, I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I swear, I wasn't trying to ignore you, it's just-"
"Anthony!" she shouted, sort of impatiently. "For the last time, I'm okay. Dad's on his way, I'll talk to Ryan later, and it's all good and settled... and I think I see Dad's car now. I'll talk about it tomorrow, alright?"
I nodded in agreement. "Alright. Go home, get some rest. It sounds like you need it."
I heard another chuckle on the end. "I'll try. See you later, Anthony." She hung up before I could return the goodbye. I sat and stared at the end call screen and her contact photo, probably my favorite of her: last year, before everything went wrong, when we went to Disneyland and she took a picture in a Minnie Mouse costume. Sometimes that's how I think of her. Now, I'm so afraid of losing her, maybe not today but someday. Honestly, I should have trusted my instinct the first time I met him. I need to keep her safe, that's my job. I can't lose my favorite person.
I must have been outside longer than I thought, because soon the door opened and Steven came looking for me. "Anthony?" he whispered, closing the door behind him. "Is everything alright?"
He sat down beside me and I shook my head slowly. "I'm scared, Steven. I really am."
Steven pulled me close and brushed my hair. "Cielo?"
"That was her texting me earlier. She needed a ride home after she had a fight with Ryan."
"Oh, is she okay?"
"She said she is and Dad picked her up but... I'm probably overreacting right now. I don't want her to be hurt because of a guy, and this is her first relationship. Steven, am I doing something wrong?"
"What? No, what do you even mean? Anthony, all you ever do is talk about her. Everyone knows that you love her more than life itself. All you really can do is stay by her side and keep her happy, you know, be supportive. She probably needs you now more than ever.
She probably needs you now more than ever.
"Thanks, Steven," I muttered, kissing his cheek. "Now, let's go back in. I think I'll be ready to go home in a bit." Steven took my hands and pulled me up, leading me back into the house where our friends were probably waiting for me.
Everything's going to be okay, Anthony. Remember that.
~~~
"Here we are," Steven muttered sleepily when he pulled up in front of my house. The "party" at Johanna's was over, the clock on Steven's radio reading 10:19, and I was ready to go home - and check up on Cielo. It's been over an hour since I talked to her on the phone, and my concerns were returning.
"Thanks for tonight, Steven," I smiled, reaching over the console to give him a kiss. "I really needed this."
"Hey, any time, love. I know you're ready to get to Ci-Ci and make sure she's okay. Plus, I think my parents are looking for me at this point." I kissed him again and again, not ready for him to leave. "Goodnight, Chilly."
I opened the door and unlaced my hand from his. "Goodnight, Stevie. Be safe getting home."
"Will do." I closed the door and watched him drive away before turning to my house. The living room light was still on, meaning that Dad and maybe Cielo were still up.
I unlocked the door and opened it to the sound of Michael Myers' theme song. "Hey, Anthony!" Dad shouted from the couch, a bowl of popcorn in his lap. "Did you have fun with Steven?"
I sat down beside him and grabbed a handful of popcorn. "Yeah, it was a lot of fun. Hey, how's Cielo doing?"
He sighed and shook his head, putting the bowl down. "She's... so-so. She seemed sort of upset when we were coming home but she wasn't saying anything about it."
"I know, I was worried about that."
"Why, did you talk to her?"
I nodded. "Right before you picked up. Her voice was cracking and everything. I can't just let him hurt her like that. He's stupid messing with a Mariani."
"Now, Anthony, I know you want to jump on him next chance you get, but if she can work out what's going on, she will. You know how stubborn she is."
I shook my head in agreement. "Yeah, you're right. But I'll still make sure he knows he picked the wrong girl to hurt." I stood up and started heading to the stairs. "I'm gonna get ready for bed now. Goodnight."
I heard "goodnight" muffled behind popcorn. Before going to my room, I stood in front of Cielo's closed door, hearing a sad Three Days Grace song playing. Now or never, I guess. (A/N: I kinda forgot that there's a TDG song called "Now or Never", but I didn't write that line because of that. And that wasn't the song I was thinking of, either.)
"Come in?" she responded. I peeked my head through the cracked door while she turned the radio down.
"Hey, you're still up," I greeted, sitting down beside her. "How're you feeling?"
"Anthony," she chuckled. "I swear, I'm fine. It's just... his ex was there and I got a little... jealous? Sounds like something out of a cheap teen movie, I know. But, I still wanna talk to him about it. Like I said, it was really stupid."
I shrugged my shoulders and pulled her close. "If you say so. But we can go get some ice cream tomorrow if you want, my treat."
She smiled and nodded. "Sure. That sounds good." Her phone started ringing and I read the caller ID: Ryan McConnell. "Hey, can I..."
I hugged her one last time before leaving. I went to my room next door and grabbed my clothes for a quick shower, but I could hear what she was saying through the wall.
But why did you do it?
Her voice sounded stressed by whatever they were talking about. I put my clothes on my bed and leaned against the wall, listening to her half of the conversation.
Oh, I'm not worried about her. She's not my concern, you are.
What? I'm not overreacting. Don't you dare turn this around on me.
You had your hands on her. That's not called 'being just friends'.
*faint sobbing* It still hurt. Do you even care about me?
I pulled away at the last line. She's crying, I can hear it, and... it's breaking my heart. I don't know what he's done, but he's got a lot of explaining to do. And he'll be hearing from me pretty soon.
She needs you now more than ever.
(A/N: How's this sideline story going? I know it seems random now but I plan on weaving it into Steven and Anthony's story soon.)