C A R L O S D I C A P R I O 'S P O V:
"Son." My father says, emotionlessly.
He's standing at the frame of my door.
I look at him and grit my teeth.
What a pleasant surprise.
"Your mother and I are having guests over tonight. I want you to be on your best behavior." He says.
What am I? Six? 'Best behavior.' Ha.
I roll my eyes and nod my head.
He leaves without another word.
My mind wanders back to Kiara.
I have to get her to talk to me.
She's upset and hurt and it's my fault.
I have to fix this.
K I A R A J O N E S' P O V :
"Kiara, we are going to go to the Dicaprios' this evening. Be ready at 5:30." My mom tells me.
"Okay." I say, sitting down with my kindle in the living room.
"Where's Fiona?" My mom asks, her voice, clipped as she sits down on the sofa with her cup of coffee.
"I don't know." I say.
"What do you mean you don't know? She's your sister. You should know." She snaps.
"And she's your daughter mom." I fire back.
"Don't talk to me like that young lady." She says sternly.
Fearing a grounding, I say, "Sorry."
She sighs and an unrecognizable emotion flashes across her face.
"What's the matter with you? You seem so sad these days." She says, softly, much to my surprise.
"Why do you care? When have you ever cared? Hmm, last time I checked, Fiona was your only daughter. You never cared about me or my well being." I say, laughing humorlessly.
A look of pain and hurt flashes across her face.
Oh no.
She doesn't meet my eye and looks at the ground sadly.
"I'm just trying to start a conversation with you." She says softly.
I can tell I hurt her and no matter how badly she treats me she's still my mother.
I hate hurting her.
"I-I- It's hard to explain." I say quietly.
"You want to talk about it? We barely get time to bond because of my work and your school."
I can't believe what I'm hearing.
My mom, wants to know about my problems? Since when?
"No, It's fine." I say.
I look up and meet her eye.
"How's Carlos? Elly told me today at work that you two have become good friends." At the sound of his name, I feel a lump form in my throat, as I remember Zara's pool party.
"He-he's fine. We were good friends." I say, sadly.
"How did you guys meet?" She asks, interested.
I'm too shocked right now to question her weird behavior so I shrug it off.
"I was walking to school and I think I was staring at him, and he made a cocky remark. I ended up missing the bus. He wouldn't leave me alone after that." I say, smiling at the memory.
"You like him." My mother says, not asks.
"N-No!" I say.
"Kiara, what is the point in denying it? I know you like him." She says.
I sigh.
"How? How do you know?" I ask, confused.
"I can see it in your eyes. Just from the way you talk about him. You start glowing. He makes you happy." She says.
I blush.
I'm still confused.
Why does my mother care? She never bothered before.
As though she was reading my thoughts, she says,
"Kiara, I have a confession to make."
"All these years, I- I don't know why I mistreated you. I'm so lucky to have you, even if you're adopted. I always compared you to Fiona. That made me think of you as an ugly and ungrateful kid. In reality, you were just an average teen who did well in school and sports. I shouldn't have treated you so poorly." She says, feeling ashamed and embarrassed.
I don't know what to say. Feeling overwhelmed, I start crying.
My mom stiffens besides me, not knowing what to do.
"Mom, I have always wished you would treat me the same way you treat Fiona." I say through tears.
"I'm so sorry Kiara. I didn't mean to be so cruel and hurt you the way I did. I messed up." She says.
Apologies from her is very rare.
I look up and notice she too is crying.
I wipe a tear from her cheek.
"Mom, please don't cry." I say.
"Will you forgive me?" She asks, her voice weak and vulnerable.
I nod my head.
"Can we start over?" She pleads.
I nod.
"I would like that very much, mom." I say.
She smiles. "I want to make it up to you."
"Elly and I our going shopping tomorrow. We'd love for you to come." She says.
I nod.
She holds her arms out, for a hug.
I lean into her embrace and feel slightly better.
"I'd love that, mom." I say, smiling.
"I love you Kiara. I'm so sorry for everything I said and did to you. I don't deserve your forgiveness." She says, softly.
"Everyone deserves a second chance." I say.
She smiles at me and wipes away the remaining tears on my face.
"Can I bring Liv with me?" I ask.
"Of course, sweetie."
My mom checks her watch and yelps in surprise.
"We should leave now. Why is Fiona late? Where is she?" My mom says.
I shrug. "She's usually with her friends. She hates me." I say.
"I'm sorry." Mom says, apologetically.
"It's fine mom. Really." I say, truthfully.
My mom calls Fiona up while I head upstairs to get ready.
"Thomas! Please get the door." I hear Elly's voice sound from inside the house.
The door opens, and I see a man with Carlos' hazel eyes and black hair, but a lot older.
I'm guessing this is his father.
"Come on in, you must be Rebecca." He says.
"Yes. And these are my daughters. This is Fiona, and this," She says, pointing to me.
"Is my daughter Kiara." She says, smiling.
The man motions for us to sit down in his living room.
"I'm Thomas Dicaprio. It's nice to meet you." He says.
Elly comes into the room.
"Hey Rebecca. Kiara." She says, hugging us.
Fiona is on her phone texting.
No one bothers greeting her.
I'm not surprised.
"Nice outfit, Kiara." Elly says, giving me a warm smile.
I blush. "Thanks." I say politely.
I never do well with compliments.
I think it's because I seldom get any.
I'm wearing a white blouse and faded blue skinny jeans.
Fiona is wearing a short skirt and a strapless red blouse.
"Carlos will be down soon." Elly tells me.
From the corner of my eye, I can see Fiona adjusting her skirt and blouse.
I roll my eyes.
Why was she telling me? I was in no mood to talk to him. I was still mad at him for making me go to Zara's party.
"Why don't you go to his room and call him down?" Elly tells me.
I nod reluctantly.
I go upstairs, and find his room easily. It has a sign that says, 'Enter at your own risk.' and a photo of two guns on either side of the sign.
I smirk.
Typical.
Last time I was here, I wasn't exactly keeping an eye out for his room so I'm not sure where it is, especially since his house had dozens of rooms
I knock on his door.
When no one answers, I push the door open.
Carlos isn't here.
I decide to check the rooftop.
Last time I was here he told me how it was his favorite place in the house.
I go up and find the door open.
The light is turned on and I see Carlos sitting in a chair, thinking hard.
He looks upset.
I wonder why.
I walk up to him and take a seat opposite his chair.
I don't think he sees me coming, because when he looks at me, I see surprise, remorse and joy written on his face all at once.
We sit in silence for some time, not looking each other in the eye.
Finally Carlos turns to face me and asks,
"How did you know I'd be here?"
"Last time I was here you told me it's your favorite place in the house." I say quietly.
"You remembered?" He says, shocked.
I nod my head and tuck a strand of my hair behind my ear.
"I've missed you."
Even though I'm mad at him, I feel butterflies in my stomach. My insides glow.
"I'm sorry for what I did. I didn't mean to hurt you." He says, sincerely.
I nod, fidgeting with the hem of my blouse.
It's been nearly a week since Zara's pool party and I've been doing everything I can to avoid the two.
"Angel, please talk to me. I can't live like this." He pleads.
I still don't look up.
I don't know what to think.
What Zara did to me wasn't right.
I should have stayed away from Carlos to avoid all the drama.
Unfortunately, given that he's my neighbor that's practically impossible.
A sigh escapes my lips.
"I shouldn't have made you come to Zara's party. Although, I don't regret hanging out with you at all." He continues, finally meeting my eye.
My heart skips a beat.
"You don't?" I ask, not believing him, but wanting to.
"Without a doubt, Angel." He says softly.
His eye hold so much emotion in them, I can't help but believe him.
"Why did you leave suddenly?" He asks.
I tense.
"I left because Zara didn't want me. I was cold and I needed to go home." I say, hiding parts of the story.
Zara is Carlos' girlfriend after all. Even if I don't like it, I can't hurt Carlos by bad mouthing his girlfriend.
"You're a terrible liar, you know that? I can see right through your lies." He says pointedly.
I look away, not sure if I should tell him the truth or not.
"Kiara, please tell me the truth." He says earnestly, and lifts my chin up to face him.
I sigh.
"After you left, I went to get my clothes. I didn't see them were I had left them. I looked around and saw them torn and ruined on one of Zara's hedges. It was clear she didn't want me, so I called Zack and he picked me up." I say quietly.
His jaw clenched.
He knew.
I didn't have to tell him it was Zara.
He knew.
"I'll talk to Zara." He says.
"Where did you go after that? I went to your house but didn't find you." Carlos says.
He looked for me?
"I stayed the night at Zack's house." I explain.
He looks dejected.
But why?
Forgiving him, I decide to lighten the mood and say,
"I hope you know that I still want my ice cream."
He smiles.
"Yes, Angel. The ice cream is still on the table." He says, throwing his hands up in surrender.
We talk for some time.
"So, do you forgive me?" Carlos asks, hesitantly.
"Hmm, I'll have to think about it." I say, trying to hide a smile.
He sighs as his shoulders slump in defeat.
"I forgive you Carlos." I say.
He looks at me intensely.
"Thank you Angel." He says.
I blush.
He was feeling upset because I was mad at him?
"So, how did you become friends with Liv and Zack?" He asks.
"Well, I became friends with Zack first. I was around three years old. I had certain family issues then, and I would go to the park and cry. One day, Zack saw me and gave me a flower from a near by bush. He asked me why I was crying. I said that I wasn't really sure. He told me to stop crying and he said that he wanted to race me. We raced to the benches. I came first. I smiled. We have been friends since then." I say, smiling at the memory.
Carlos smiles back but it doesn't reach his eyes.
"That's nice. How did you meet Liv?" He asks.
"Zack and I use to do everything together. One day, we were eating lunch at school, and Olivia was the new girl. She asked if she could sit with us. Zack said no at the same time I said yes. We argued about it and when we were done, Liv was gone. We saw her crying under a tree. I ran up to her and apologized on Zack's behalf, and told her that she could sit with us. She was different from me yet similar. The rest is history." I say.
"So, what happened over time? Why do Zack and Liv sit with their friends? Why don't they sit with you?" Carlos asks, confused.
I sigh.
"Liv and Zack became popular over time. I, became an unwanted loser and nerd. No one wanted to be my friend. People hated me. Liv and Zack tried to get their friends to let me sit with them, but they said 'no'. Because of our different social status, it became hard for us to spend time at school. So, we would hang out at Zack's place after school. Over time, even that stopped, because they were invited to more parties and other popular events." I say, laughing humorlessly.
"That's why you were so surprised when I asked you if I could sit with you." Carlos says.
I nod.
"I don't understand why people mistreat you. It's not right." He says, angrily.
I shrug.
"I'm used to being bullied all the time." I say, trying to sound like it doesn't matter.
"Why did you want to sit with me that day?" I ask.
He hesitates then says,
"Because, you're...you're just not like most girls." He says.
I laugh. "Do you realize how cliché that sounds?"
He chuckles.
"But I mean it. You're smart, strong and beautiful. You don't do things to gain popularity or attract attention. You are a nerd yet athletic. I admire that about you." He says, quietly.
My cheeks redden.
He takes my hand in his, and I immediately feel tingles go up and down my hand.
"I hope you know that I trust you with everything." He says, as my heart flutters.
"Of course, Carlos. Loyalty is the most important thing to me." I say.
"Can I ask you a question?" I ask, hesitantly.
"You just did, Angel." He says, amusement dancing in his eyes.
I roll my eyes.
"You know what I mean."
He smiles. "Of course."
"How come this is the first time I saw your father?" I ask, nervous.
He tenses.
"You don't have to answer, if you don't want to." I say quickly.
"No, Angel, it's only fair if you know the truth." Carlos says.
A/N: Carlos is finally opening up to Kiara! What do you think will happen next? Vote if you like this chapter. Tell me what you think in the comments below. Why do I feel like a youtuber? LOL.