< Nina >
It’s strange really.
At first, I was worried about my future predicament and Gene’s as well. But here we are chatting about the most ridiculous gossip we’ve heard from school.
“I didn’t know that Mr. Roacher writes poems.”
“Apparently, he has a huge crush on the cafeteria lady and he thought women like poems.”
“We’re in the 21st century, you know?” Gene arches a brow.
“Well, old-fashioned romance isn’t that bad. If Mr. Roacher finally marries, he won’t be so cruel to you anymore.”
“Nah, he’s probably worse, knowing the cafeteria lady’s temper. Besides, I’d rather if he gives me the toughest equations because I’m starting to question his ability to teach.”
I turn to his direction with a frown. “Sometimes, you’re harsh, Gene.”
In return, Gene just looks at me with a deadpan expression. “He started it.”
We keep talking about random stories we’ve heard from school, more like Gene just listens and asks questions as I talk about the most random things. Occasionally we giggle like children at the silliest tidbits that only the two of us find laughable.
It should be boring, yet, Gene never bores me out.
As the clock goes past three, I can feel my eyes getting heavier by the minute. I keep yawning and Gene immediately notices my drowsiness.
“You should get some sleep.”
“How about you?” I ask. “You have school tomorrow.” Speaking of which, I didn’t expect trapping in the janitor’s closet would be the last memory I have in that school.
“I’m already sleepy but you kept talking,” he yawns. ”Not that I’m complaining.”
I frown a bit. “You just did.”
He smiles a bit then lies down on his pillow, I follow suit as I stretch out a bit.
I scoot a bit closer to him and lie my head on his arm.
We haven’t slept together since 2nd Grade but for some strange reason, being next to him gives this familiar feeling of comfort.
He flinches a bit, staring at me with an indescribable expression before he smiles.
“You sure are daring, Nina,” he muses.
“I know...just let me sleep,” I yawn one last time. “Good night, Gene.”
As I close my eyes, I can feel his eyes staring at my direction. Too tired to peek, I just address it lazily.
“What?”
My best friend doesn’t say anything yet I feel his hand slowly reaching out to my cheek and pinching it.
Real hard.
“Ow!” I give him the “what the hell” look. “What g-gives?”
“Nina, whatever you do, don’t go defenseless like this with your new guardian just because you and I are used to each other’s skin,” he says as he smiles.
“T-There’s no way I’ll do that to him!” Not in a million years especially when he hates my guts!
Gene just hums as he lies back on his pillow. “Good. Go back to sleep now.”
Like a spell casted on me, I did what I’ve been told as my eyes slowly shuts down, drifting to a deep slumber.
The last thought that comes to my mind is that hopefully I’ve already locked the door because otherwise, my mom won’t stop teasing us seeing us like this the next morning.
--
“So, this is it.”
Three days passed by in a flash and now at 9:15 AM, Gene and I are waiting at the bus stop. With me I carry only one travel duffle bag that has all the clothes I’ve got, my necessities and a picture of my mom, Gene and I.
Since I’m just staying with my future stepbrother for a year, I’ve already had my stuffed toys, presents and other clothes shipped to Spain.
Mom had prepared all of these for me.
Speaking of which, I remember the day before she left, she gave me a warm longing hug. I could feel her shoulders tremble when she told me that everything would be just fine and she couldn’t wait to see me during her wedding day.
Afterward, a night alone in my room made me feel empty. I never felt so alone in my own house. It was as if the house I used to call home no longer exists.
My loneliness didn’t last long when the next morning, Gene came knocking on my door so he could pick me up at the bus station. He is also willing to skip school for me, a rarity since he never plays hooky before.
“I’ll find a job,” Gene suddenly says, which interrupts my trail of thoughts. “And then I’ll go visit you there during Thanksgiving.”
I should be happy, really. But in this small town where everyone knows everyone, Gene Sullivan might not get a job easily here. “Is...is it possible?”
He nods, his green eyes showing a new side of Gene that I rarely see: determination.
As the bus arrives, and the door slowly opens in front of us, an impending uncertainty and fear await me.
But I shake those thoughts off as I give Gene one last embrace. It will etch in my memory before leaving.
“I’ll call you every day, I promise.” And I meant every word.
As I release him, he shows me a small black box and, before I could say anything, places it in my coat pocket. “Please take good care of this one, no matter what.”
“W-what?”
“Consider it as your birthday present.” Without warning, he gently pushes me inside the bus. I could almost trip if it weren’t for the iron bars next to the bus door.
I turn to look at him once more and he gives me a warm smile, waving a bit. “See you, Nina.”
“S-see you, Gene.”
And the door finally shuts.
As I enter the bus and walk straight to the available seat, I immediately slump down as I give a long dreary sigh.
Gene Sullivan is going to be alone in Freedomville. The more I think about it, the more I’ve become a worry-wart.
I need to stop thinking about it. I am the one who decided to live with Luca de Milano from now on.
Oh, right. Gene just put a black box inside my pocket. I take it out and examine its features: it’s nothing but a black small box that is usually meant for engagement rings.
Hesitantly, I open its lid.
“What the?” I blink thrice and take out what’s inside.
Inside the box is the silver cross necklace. A necklace that is very precious to him.
His brother’s necklace.
It was a spur of the moment and regrettably, I almost made her trip when I pushed her inside the bus. A part of me thinks that I shouldn’t let her go. In any case, she just moves on and finds better friends in Dawn City.Another part of me, my selfish side that I had secretly been hiding from her, handed over my cross so she will keep it as a keepsake.A reminder of me, even if it’s just a bit.But I should have known Nina, she is too unselfish and prioritizes her loved ones over her own sake.You will be safer there than here.This line has been in my mind for these past three days like a replay button is being pressed repeatedly.I shouldn’t involve Nina with my problems anymore. She has suffered enough already and every time I looked at her bruised eye, I knew that I couldn’t protect her all the time.Yet, regardless of what I thought, I still handed over my cross.Have I regretted giving up my brother’s cross? Nah, I entrusted it to her no matter what.“Move aside, kid,”
“This is 12 Quartz Square Bound C Express train. The next stop is Dawn City. Stand clear of the closing door, please.” Just one more stop. I have been moving from one train to another and it’s the very first time I’ve been in many places. The last two trains I’ve ridden are packed with people like sardines in a tin. For the entire trip on this last train, I’ve been standing and holding the pole, while my other hand is carrying my travel bag. My hand is getting numb thanks to its weight. Mom and I didn’t go around a lot since she’s busy working a lot of jobs and I don’t go out often. It’s a new experience for me. It was no joke when Gene told me an eight-hour trip tires anyone out. I feel really tired but my mom told me not to sleep in the train alone or else I’ll definitely miss my stop. And it’s just a few minutes till I’ve reached Dawn City. All throughout the trip, I keep wondering if Gene is going to be fine. It keeps me awake, thinking about his safety. As soon a
“Do you mind eating Italian pizza?” I shake my head, my thoughts are more focused on finding a payphone. As we enter the pizza parlor, my eyes are scanning for a payphone in this area. “Are you looking for something?” I hesitate, looking down on the helm of my hoodie as I say, “I’m just looking for a payphone so I can call my friend.” “Well, why didn’t you say so?” he chuckles, and then he hands me his phone. “You can just call your friend using mine.” “B-but, I can’t do that! What if you have some emergency calls from your job or something?” Like Luca checking up on us or something like that. “Don’t worry, it’s just a phone call.” “Are you sure?” I ask reluctantly. “If you are going to be Luca’s family, then I’ll treat you as family. So, be a good kid and just take it.” I smile and give him a thank you before accepting his phone. “You can call and wait on that available table there,” he says, gesturing to the table farther from the cashier. He is definitely being c
Funny how fate works. I was hoping that we would never cross paths again. I thought that his threats were proof enough that we weren’t supposed to see eye-to-eye. Sigh, why does he have to live eight hours away from my small town? I mean, he knew that I live in the US but then again, I’m aware that the country is vast with greener pastures. A part of me is hoping he would rather stay in Italy there for good.But here I am, just one door away to finally reunite with the man who almost made me pee on my pants. Yu doesn’t seem to notice my anxiety as he slowly and gently knocks on the front door.No response.A few knocks.Still no response.“Tch!” Yu grimaces, his eyes glaring towards the door. His clenched hand trembles and I stare at him with anticipation.“Y-Yu?”The usual cool and kind Yu won’t get mad, right?Right?Then he starts banging the door.“LUCA! OPEN THE FUCK UP!”This is the side of him that I didn’t expect. I instinctively backed away from him.Is it normal
I don’t know why it has become a habit of mine now. Maybe because I grew up in a small town, the only fanciest trip I had was in Italy—and the worst one. Or maybe since everyone knows everybody in my hometown so I have no reason to stare.But it hasn’t been one full day in Dawn City and I have been entering some kind of staring contests all the time.Well, towards my future stepbrother, that is.Unlike the first time when I was ogling his face, I just stay frozen stiff, my eyes still widen and it should really hurt by now because I have been doing this for a while. Not to mention my cheeks are clearly flushed. My skin might be the same odd color as Gene’s hair right now.Finally, Luca’s features change into disgust and his mouth opens a bit. like he has something to say before he shakes his head, indicating his final decision not to remark.“Your room is on the left side next to mine. If you have questions, just talk to Yu tomorrow morning,” he says as he heads straight
The sound of knocking breaks this awkward situation. I back away from him, making him release his gentle touch on my hair.“Luca, this is Yu.”Luca sighs as he stands up, not a single glance at me after my sudden response before muttering something Italian again.He proceeds to go get the door.If it hadn’t been the knock on the door, I didn’t know what would happen next. I should really apologize for screaming and well for saying something I shouldn’t.Yu is coming, you should greet him, I mentally thought.The door opens and Yu is standing there, looking amused. “Hey, boss.”“Yu,” Luca says, flatly. “Have you ever considered calling me before you arrive?”“I gave away my phone to your kid sister, remember?” At that moment, Luca’s lips curve into a frown. Then Yu perks up from Luca’s direction and scans the room. When he sees me, he smiles.“Good morning, kid.”“Good morning, Yu.”Then he makes his way inside, going in my direction. “I brought the charger, the USB cord, and
Yesterday was nice.I didn’t expect my whole day would be eventful. Yu made me feel very welcome in Dawn City as he showed me not only the bustling streets but also the places he and Luca hang out when they want to get out from the noise. The school was...different from my old one, though. But I don’t really like thinking about school since I will start tomorrow.I had a call with Gene right after and he insisted that I should get a Whatsapp to send pictures of the city. And that I did.“He does look like a celebrity from Korea,” Gene commented last night after I showed him an awkward picture of Yu and me as he was the one taking the selfie. Yu smiled warmly as his arm was holding his old phone and I only gave a sheepish smile. It was embarrassing, really.To me, it looks like a father-daughter picture.“But it is nothing compared to our first picture.”“Why are you so competitive all of the sudden, Gene?” Deep down, I kinda agree. Because since I’m used to being with Gene,
NINA I think my eye is getting better. Looking closely at the bruise, it used to be bluish-dark color but now the discoloration becomes lighter, like yellowish-green. It still looks hideous but thanks to the topical arnica gel and of course, the occasional placement of the ice bag, I think within two or three days my eye is fully healed. Just as the bruises in my body. Looking at my stomach, waist, and wrists, I’m happy to say that they are no longer visible now. It would be a problem if Yu starts questioning my preference for oversized hoodies. I start dressing up in my new uniform to see if it doesn’t look too big or too small for me. First I put on the light blue dress shirt. I was at first worried if it’s too loose on me (that makes me look like a child) or too tight (I’d rather not get attention) but thankfully, it fits right on me. From what I’ve been told, Rodrigo and my mom were the ones who picked the size for my uniform. Then I slip the blue and white plaid pleated ski