A//N: OH! MY! GOSH!! I JUST MADE A DISCOVERY!!! I WAS SCROLLING ON TIKTOK AS ONE DOES AND I SAW A VIDEO OF LUKE ESINER WHICH MADE ME REALIZE: HE LOOKS EXACTLY LIKE ANGELO!!!!! JUST LOOK AT HIM! LOOKKKKK AT HIMM!!! The only thing probably different is that Angelo has wavier hair, but that's IT! When I looked Luke up on Pinterest I literally screamed at my phone, haha! (Ps. It's okay if you imagined Angie differently.)
Chapter Sixty-Three: Familiar.
Everyone was worried.
Dad was afraid I was a ticking time bomb just waiting to blow up and Mom kept trying to get me to talk to someone who could "help". My friends weren't any better, they lingered around but they all seemed to be walking on eggshells around me now ever since I snapped at Hunter for a silly joke he made during lunch one day.
Everyone in town knew I was suing the Franceses and they never stopped asking me the most outrageous questions especially since the trial was fast approaching. I just kept my head low, all I wanted was to be miserable in peace, but I couldn't even have that either.
The only good thing that happened to me was that my cast was finally taken off. But even then my skin was weird and different and I only ever wore long sleeves so I didn't have to look at it. I really couldn't have anything.
"What's this?" I asked one random afternoon after school when Annie dropped a glass bowl of something in my lap while Susan was knelt behind me on my bed, braiding my hair. They were about the only people I could tolerate at the moment.
"Yoghurt and honey." Annie said, folding a leg under her as she sat on my bed, "don't think I don't see how you struggle to swallow your food."
"I don't," I mumbled. "I just find it hard to eat huge portions nowadays."
"Right, because of Angelo." Annie said plainly, knowing it'd cause me to jump out of my skin.
"This is NOT-!" I paused and took a deep sigh, "this isn't about him. It's been ages, you'd think you guys would stop talking about him by now." I couldn't get the agitation out of my voice.
"It's been two months." Susan corrected, "We're counting if you aren't."
"I don't care." I said, scooping a spoonful of yoghurt into my mouth, only noticing the rumble in my tummy after I did.
"Siiiiince we're on the topic," Susan leaned over to try and catch my eye.
"We are not!" I turned my face away, sucking on my spoon.
She ignored me, "Do you think he's coming back anytime soon?"
The question stirred things in me, anxiety and hope, both of which I shoved down with a good dose of anger. "He's not, you've seen the news, he's a bigshot, his life is changing and all, what's he need from this small town?!" I snapped, shaking Susan's hands off my hair.
"Okay, we don't know that." Annie sighed.
"How would you? He's unreachable and hasn't been in contact with any of us in weeks..."
"Violet Zara Adams!" Annie shot to her feet and faced me with one hand on her hip.
"OoOhh!" Susan sang, holding the tips of her fingers over her mouth.
"Why on earth did you want this break in the first place?" Annie asked, "Because from what I've seen, you're worse off than you even started, you're further and further away from that self security you wanted in the beginning!"
"She has a point, you literally spent Christmas alone, according to your parents," Susan said, coming around to sit so she could look right at me. "And no one could find you on new year's day, after we planned on going to Frisbee for weeks!"
"I know something like this is hard but we have given you enough time. You have to talk about it. Why are you so angry?!"
"Because I can't be sad!" I replied, louder than was necessary, so I heaved a breath through my nose, "I'm tired of being sad over things I can't control. I'd rather be angry."
Susan watched me for a second before tucking some hair behind my ear, "At this rate if Angelo showed up, you'd just punch him in the gut."
I let out a wet chuckle despite myself but it quickly disappeared when I had to sniff and wipe my under my nose on my shirt sleeve. "I really want to." I confessed. "I want to strangle him for not even texting me, I know we're on a break but, ugh! And I don't want to do it first because I'm too mad at him."
"So let's get you to stop being mad first." Annie said. "Focusing on other things could help."
Susan nodded, "Focusing on other things would reeeally help. I didn't want to tell you but I heard Cassandra got a higher grade than you in chemistry."
I suddenly felt awake, like up until that moment, I'd been watching the world through half closed eyes, "Excuse me?"
"Right? Your grades are at risk, and your integrity!"
"Oh my god, what if I start f-failing?" I stood up and started pacing on the carpeted floor of my room. There were some things more important than others and my good results definitely had a higher ranking than boy problems. I may have gone through an abnormal amount of disappointments and tribulations all my life, but I always prided myself in how despite everything, my grades remained unaffected.
There was no way in this whole wide world I'd let a man who didn't even bother to wish me a merry Christmas ruin my chances of getting into my dream college, getting a great job and squashing my plans to travel the world! "This can't be happening... Cassandra's like a... C student!"
"Uhhh have you forgotten about us?" Susan said, coming to hold my shoulder with her confident smile, "You think we're going to stand and watch your grades go lower than that?"
"We've already built a study schedule," Annie scoffed and casually took out a folded piece of pink paper from her hoodie pocket, then she unfolded it and unfolded it and unfolded it... it was glorious!
"That is beautiful," There could have been stars in my eyes as I watched them go and hold the massive schedule by the ends, showing off the magazine cut outs and stickers and decorations. "What's with all the blank spaces, though?"
"Fun activities obviously, we didn't want to pick them out without you." Susan said pinning an edge to my bulletin board while Annie did the other. "The Ramirez's send off party is coming up soon, we're going to that, it'll be a great way to end the day after coming back from the library."
"Oh yeah... Pedro's leaving for Canada." I nodded. "How do you feel?"
She shrugged, her ears turning red, "I don't think it's really hit me yet..."
"She's going to confess to him, watch." Annie chided and squealed when Susan feigned poking her with a push pin. Then Annie decided to arm herself with her own pin so that they started a mini sword fight.
Their laughter suddenly made me feel all kinds of bubbly and I couldn't fight the giggle that spilled from my lips, "What day can we fix swimming? We can go to Mom's estate."
"That is a great idea!" Annie gasped, grabbing my hand.
"Wait are you serious?!" Susan came to squish my face, crazy and excited from this angle. "A heated pool!"
"Then we can visit the spa!" Annie said.
"Your Granny can hook us up with some yoga classes, Susan." I turned to her.
"Heated pool!!" She screeched and somehow we'd joined hands and spun in a loop in the middle of my bedroom like we were little again, laughing and swinging around and around till we collapsed on the floor, cackling.
"Are you girls okay?!" I heard Dad call from downstairs, causing us to laugh some more.
It was only a regular weekday, but there was just something about it that made me feel like the luckiest girl in the world.
✧✧✧
"If i encounter paparazzi today it's your fault, Susan." I tried to sound exasperated but honestly, I found my foot being stuck in some snow a little funny. "I don't know how you managed to get me out today."
"Right? How did you get me into wearing such a long skirt?!" Annie lamented, trudging over the crunchy snow.
"You're wearing that because it's zero degrees out, Annie, not because you're going to church." Susan laughed, beconing us from up ahead the street. "Besides, I told you you could wear jeans!"
"You're lucky I'm good at styling clothes." Annie said, helping me yank my foot out from where it was stuck. I should have worn better boots.
"Don't worry, I like your skirt, it's so bohemian." I said, pulling her along so we could catch up with Susan.
"Isn't it? Thanks! I actually like the way it swishes, but don't tell Susan." Annie stage whispered and gave me a wink. She'd made a good choice pairing it with a long brown sweater with pink flowers that stopped right on her hips.
I just put on a regular old hoodie and trousers guaranteed to keep me warm all under my winter jacket. Then there was Susan who was probably immune to cold with her single leggings and simple green sweater.
There was a heater in the church at least.
"Come on guys we're practically there already, hurry we're running late!" Susan said and pulled us both by our arms.
"Oh, you're all so early! Hi Susan." A lady at the door grinned happily as she saw us walk up, she had a cake box in her hands while trying to push the door open with her foot.
"Hi Mel, these are my friends, Annie and Violet!" Susan smiled back, going up to take the cake box. "Let me help with that. Is this for Pedro's send off?"
"Oh yes, Donna made it." Mel replied before waving at us. "Hello Annie and Violet, welcome! Let's get out of the snow, eh?"
There were already quite a few people around despite us being early, probably the set-up committee seeing as everything was already prepared. Susan made a beeline to the table at the end of the hall where a display of food was, everyone was nice and majority of them seemed like good people to talk to.
In a matter of minutes, I'd found out that one of the girls here happened to be in my class and while she mostly stayed glued to her phone, it was nice to know it was a small world.
Annie and I watched more and more people come in, while munching on sandwiches we were offered. Well, Annie was doing most of the munching, I could barely keep it down.
"She's really in her element, isn't she?" Annie asked, watching Susan excitedly greet everyone walking in, she'd been put on welcoming duty and she looked so cute and at home that I had to make a video of her.
"Yeah, this is definitely her vibe." I replied, watching her hug another set of girls before whispering something to them with that mischievous grin of hers. They laughed and one of them playfully pinched her cheek before hurrying in. "I don't know anyone else who can make new best friends so fast."
Annie nudged me gently, "Don't worry, we're the originals. Besides, we're going to college soon, sure we're chasing different dreams but are we going to let that take away the closeness we've built from scratch?"
I couldn't even fathom it, "No, I guess not."
After the service which wasn't actually that bad, Pedro (most likely against his will) got pulled up to the stage so that everyone could sing him a farewell song and I had a good laugh at how nervous he seemed.
"Heyyy, you came!" He said, coming in to hug me after he finally managed to get out of the spotlight, "¿Que pasa, Violet? It's been a while. Hello, Annie, we haven't officially met."
"Hi, Pedro, nice to- oh...!" She immediately got sidetracked when someone complimented her outfit.
"Well Church Boy, nice to see you in your zone." I grinned at him, warm brown eyes and straight teeth and all.
"Nice to see you in my zone, I didn't think that Susan would actually manage to..."
Suddenly, my attention shifted to somewhere behind Pedro where I spotted a familiar flash of gold hair, paired with that same height and broad shoulders. I immediately felt my cheeks warm as I dragged my eyes back to Pedro.
Holy crap, I was definitely far gone to the point of hallucination. Either that or that guy really looked like Angelo.
"...so what did you think about the message today, was it nice?" Pedro was asking and I nodded automatically, only for my eyes to go back to the figure in the distance.
"Did you see someone you know?" He suddenly asked, looking over his shoulder.
"Oh I'm sorry, I just...thought that man in the grey sweatshirt looked familiar... it's nothing-" I gestured vaguely.
"You mean Dr. Malachi? Yeah, he's my mentor, hold on I'll introduce you!"
"No wait-! Ay Pedro!" I hissed but he was gone. And he was bringing the man over!
I looked around and saw that Annie was in a conversation with two other people a little ways from me and Susan was nowhere to be found.
On the bright side, now I could see the face of this man who was approaching me and I could to my relief tell he looked nothing like Angelo, his eyes were a vivid green for starters and though his smile was very charming and shy, it didn't pull at my heartstrings.
"This is my friend, Violet," Pedro said, just as they got to me, "and Violet you are standing in the presence of Dr. Alex Malachi, and the lovely Grace Elordi, soon-to-be Mrs. Malachi!"
Grace was the only person I could look at on eye level instead of craning my neck skywards. "Pedro, you goof." She said dryly in a deep, rich voice before smiling slightly at me, "Hey Violet, so nice of you to join us..."
"I am sorry, I am so sorry to bother you both I just- I thought you looked like someone I knew and... he just ran off..." I gushed, anxiously interjecting my sentences with awkward laughs.
"Don't mind, Pedro." Dr. Alex said, scratching the back of his head, with that same kind smile, "he's always eager to show off his friends. And you're the fifth stranger to tell me I look familiar, it's the hair isn't it?"
"It's definitely the hair," Grace said, before stage whispering to me, "I liked him better as a brunette."
"I was just trying something new." Dr. Alex lamented before grabbing his giggling fiancé by the arms, "Miss. Grace I asked if you'd still love me if I were blonde and you said yes."
"I thought you said if you were bald!" Grace laughed and I smiled at them, they were so cute. Just then, I realized I'd heard the name "Alex Malachi" before.
"You might have heard of him, I referred Susan to him once." Pedro chuckled, before looking at me and making a gesture with his hand reminiscent of holding a piece of paper. "He's an amazing psychotherapist."
"Oh!" I exclaimed and turned back to Dr. Malachi, even though I couldn't see Susan going for therapy, "your business card is currently fluttering around my house, it's been ages but it keeps ending up in the most random places."
"Susan must not have been asking for herself then." Grace said.
I waved my hands, "oh no no, my Dad's the culprit here. He's always...um, looking for someone for me. I wonder how he got it."
"It is a small world." Grace shrugged.
"Well, do you need help?" Dr. Malachi asked me kindly and I looked up at him.
"Oh you know, don't we all?" I chuckled, trying to be dismissive.
"Most definitely," He replied before shrugging, "But dang, it would've been nice though if there was a place that offered Pro Bono therapy, so one could try it out and see if they'd like it. Just saying."
"Yeah..." I was actually quite lost until he gave a pointed look at something behind me and I wheeled around only to see a huge poster on the wall behind me that said: 'free therapy every third Sunday!'. "O-oh! Yeah I see what you mean." I laughed, embarrassed. "That's actually really amazing."
"Glad you think so." Dr. Malachi said before ruffling Pedro's hair and making him laugh. "God inspired it through this guy."
"Oh yeah, you're a youth pastor." I mumbled before speaking up, "Look I wouldn't want to take up your time...."
"I'm not complaining, I guess you can say I live a double life." Dr. Malachi did finger guns at me, "Youth pastor by day, therapist by... well...also by day, I am not a night owl."
"No he's not." Grace and Pedro confirmed, shaking their heads.
I couldn't help but chuckle, he was kind of silly.
"So I ask again, Miss. Violet." He asked, looking right at me like he already knew me. "Do you need help?"
I could deny it no longer, "Yes."
A//N: I've been waiting to write this chapter and the next for MONTHS. Enjoy the double update!