The summer heat was burning skin like a breath from Hell. Not that anyone noticed. Nobody was paying attention to anything but the last seconds of the game. Team was a single point behind, and the only way for victory to be theirs was that by some impossible miracle, Lucas Rossi would manage to score a touchdown.
But Lucas was the Miracle man. If anyone could do it, was the young state's promise, as the newspaper called him. His future was a bright path to Ivy League, courtesy of his talent to kick ass in football. Although it was rumored that he wouldn't get to go to College, for there were NFL teams interested in recruiting him fresh out of Highschool. He was a damned sports prodigy.
The Stadium was tomb silent. The Quarterback's call rumbled like a thunder. Or was the storm finally upon us?
Marie was tightly holding on my arm, her nails digging in my skin, but she didn't notice. Adrien was facing his back to the field, like every time a difficult play would fall over his little brother's shoulders. Vittorio Rossi, who'd never place his butt on the seat during a game, was fixed on his child, attentively studying his every move and facial expression, his hands pressed on his chin, exuding nervousness.
I enjoyed infinitely more watching the people in the bleachers, than the game. Specially the Rossi, my adoptive family.
The roar of the crowd set my attention back in the field.
Miracle man had done it again.
Marie jumped to her husbands arms, crying her eyes out, like every time he won. Adrien hugged me tight -thats why I loved this events...- and than waved his fist up in the air to his brother, who was buried under a pile of sweaty bodies... Yuck...
Vic would snap picture after picture on her camera for the schools newspaper. She wasn't interested in the sport, only the news.
I was desperate, praying the game would end. I was the only one noticing the summer storm forming above. The blackened sky was closing in on me, threatening.
The buzzer went off exactly at the time a lightning struck, dying the horizon violet. It could have gone unnoticed between the camera flashes, but not to me. I could smell the earthy scent after the electric bolt.
I slipped out of the bleachers and ran to the school building. I wouldn't get home before the worst of the storm, so it was better to look for a quiet place inside to go through the inevitable. This had happened before, and I knew where to go: the library. Something in books soothed me, and there was this little dark corner behind some shelves, under the staircase...
A dreadful explosion boomed right the second I crossed the door. The hallway's darkness light up blue for a second, so I ran faster, before I started to shiver and couldn't walk anymore. The last thing I needed was to make a psychiatric scene at school. That would definitely kill my wallflower reputation.
I crawled to my spot and covered my ears with my hands. My phone was vibrating in my shorts pocket, but I couldn't pick up. Not now.
Rain started pouring, intensely. It hit the roof really hard. It surely took everyone in the game off guard.
I turned into a ball in the corner, counting carefully every inspiration, like the therapist said. The silence that followed made me pop my eyes open. This storms didn't seem to last long, and I was doing surprisingly good today. I was kind of happy...
Another flash of light followed by the struck of thunder made the window's glass shake.
I was too quick to think I was getting better at this...
When I carefully opened my eyes again, I found Adrien and Vic crouched before me. They were talking with worried faces, but I couldn't listen. A second later, Lucas came running in, through the shelves. He was drenched, still wearing his uniform pants and his shoulder pads, but not his jersey. The eye black smudge on his cheeks made the green in his irises highlight in the distance. They were fixed on me. The weight of his words a few days back under the bleachers, still heavy on my brain.
We hadn't really talked to each other since. And on friday, when Adrien came back planning to be here for his game, everything went downhill.
That day, when Vittorio's car parked on the entrance, Marie excitedly ran to the door, waiting to receive her older baby. We were making his favorite for dinner: lasagna.
I came straight from work. She made me promise, since my Grandma was taking extra shifts lately. I brought some of their favourite pastries from the coffee shop: cinnamon rolls for Vittorio, fruit crepes for Marie, Chocolate chip muffins for Adrien and Dante, red velvet ones for me, and chocolate volcanoes for Lucas.
Marie hugged her son tightly and hurried to put his dirty clothes into the washing machine. He picked me up in a hug next.
"How's my girl been doing?", he asked, and all kinds of warm sensations fluttered on my belly.
Lucas came through the door from the street that second. He fist bumped his brother but passed right through all of us, getting into the kitchen. I saw a little hurt in Adrien's eyes at his brother's coldness. They used to be really close too, but lately they'd been drifting apart... Lucas seemed to be drifting apart from all of us.
Dante and I set the table laughing out loud as he told me how terrorized my best friend had all the first years. She was the leader of the Judo team, and they used the gym at the same time the first years trained.
"She's a monster, Belle! She just grabbed the guy by the collar and made him fly to the other side of the mattress! He was twice her size!", he described, representing all the movement. His mouth open wide. I couldn't stop laughing!
"Yeah, well... she's good isn't she?", I teased. "I wouldn't get on her bad side, If i were you", I winked.
From the corner of my eye I saw Vittorio and Adrien chatting in the living room, while Lucas was sat alone, watching a football game. Marie called on us over to the table, setting the huge lasagna platter on it. It smelt mouthwatering.
I sat in my usual spot, between Marie and Adrien, who was in the other end of the table, opposite his father. Lucas was in front of me, pointing daggers at my forehead. My stomach flipped inside of me.
Dinner went by in a comfortable chat, mostly with Adrien talking about life in campus. When the time for dessert came, Lucas go up saying he was going out.
"But... Belle brought pastries...", she tried to convince him.
"I'm full", he answered, not leaving room for discussion.
"Don't worry, I'll eat his share", Adrien teased. "I like those volcanoes too..."
"Take anything you want, like always, Adrien. See if I care.", he snapped, smashing the front door shut.
I was out after him before I noticed.
"Lucas...", I called after him. He was fast walking to his car, didn't bother to stop. "Whats wrong with you? You havent seen Adrien in weeks..."
"And that is your problem, how...?", he turned to face me, almost making me bump into him.
"I... It's... It's not, but...", I tried to explain, but he cut me off.
"Stop meddling into our business, Isabelle", he spatt. "He won't wake up and realize how good of a girl you are, just because you defend him at any chance you get."
I stood there, looking at his flaming eyes with my mouth shut, 'till he got into his car and drove off.
"He's been acting like more of a dick lately, hasn't he?" Adrien's question startled me. My heart jumped out of my mouth. How much had he heard?
"He's been stressed by the upcoming games. The scouts are coming..." I blurted, but he interrupted me.
"You and I know he's not worried about his performance, Belle...", Adrien stated. "Nothing gives him the right to talk to you like that."
"You heard what he said?" I asked, feeling my pulse rise.
"No, but I didn't like his tone and his body language."
My soul literally came back to my body.
"He needs you to remind him who you are. Don't let him walk all over you. No matter how right he thinks he is to be mad at you."
"I don't understand...", I breathed, sitting on the gardens hammock. "I don't know what happened to us, Adrien. I don't have a clue on what could I have done to make him change like this... He's been ignoring me for years, but it still hurts."
"You didnt do anything, Belle... Puberty did", he laughed.
I sighed. He did change since then. When girls started to be meant for fucking, not befriend them.
"Anyways... Don't mind him. He'll come around. He does care about you. That tough shitface he wears is just to hide he's actually a softie", he laughed. And I smiled to myself.
And now, here he was. Even when he said he wouldn't.
Adrien and Vic turned to see him standing there, making a puddle of water while taking off his shoulder pads. I inwardly smiled watching Vics starstruck face checking Lucas naked torso.
They talked for a bit before both my friends moved away leaving room for Lucas to hunker down. He was staring right at me with and unreadable expression.
"I'm fine", I blurted out, diverting mine. Lucas froze in place. Coldness oozing off of him in waves.
A loud thunder bounced in the hall making the lights flicker.
"That must have struck close..." Vic said.
Lucas skin was cold. He smelled so good... even after all that sweat in the game. My arms were around his neck, my face pressed against it. His,were tightly constrained around my ribcage.
"Have the parentals left, A?", he asked his brother, soothingly moving his fingers across my sides.
"Yeah. I told them we would take your car."
'Can you get it? The keys are on my locker. Jason will give them to you."
"You need a ride, Vic?" Adrien offered.
"Oh, I'm staying at Belle's tonight...", she said. Adrien looked at me in confusion. He knew I wouldn't sleep tonight if i wasn't in his house.
"She'll be fine in a while. The storm's passing. It was just a summer rain." Lucas said, and I felt a pang of hollow pain in my stomach.
He was right. I had to learn to recover from this. I'd go to College in a few months and he wouldn't be around to do this. That's why I took more therapy. I needed to work this through before I went away. Away from home, away from the Rossi, away from Lucas.
"Can you stand?", he asked, loosening up the pressure of his arms around me just a fraction.
I nodded softly, feeling his body heat peel away from me.
"What does 'Promise' stands for?", Vic commented out of nowhere, biting her lower lip. She was talking about the tattoo across his back, that went from one shoulder blade to the other.
She'd been watching his ass all the time. God, she was so embarrassing sometimes... she had no filter!
Lucas didn't respond, as per usual.