Chapter 2

Celestine's POV

Do not pass out. Do not puke. Do not pass out. Do not puke. It becomes a mantra as I chant this in my head over and over again.

"I'm sorry if this seems unexpected," Cade mutters, looking between Lucenzo and me, not really sure what to say to make this situation any better. Honestly, nothing he says can cipher how I feel. I'm Hurt. Confused. Surprised. Angry. "and I know it's obviously a lot to take in."

Obviously, I parrot in my head.

I turn to look at Lorenzo whose mouth is agape with no words coming out. His lips remain parted for a few seconds then he blinks, his throat moving up and down as he swallows. "Is this why you divorced mom?" The harsh words bite out of him and pierce through his dad, whose expression takes on a look of hurt. "Is this why mom left us? Because of her?" He points angrily at my mom whose gaze remains on the table linens.

"Lorenzo, I and your mom's relationship ended a long time ago." A tiny wrinkle line creases his forehead, probably a sign of irritation. "It's not Lora's fault. It's no one's fault."

Lorenzo scoffs, his chair squeaking loudly against the floor and drawing the attention of the other occupants in the restaurant. "I'm out of here."

The crease in his father's head deepens. "Lorenzo, sit back-" but he is already out of his seat and heading towards the exit and he doesn't look back.

"He probably just needs some time to get used to it." My mom's voice is shaky. She faces me. "Maybe it will be better if someone going through the same situation as he talks to him." Please don't say it. "Could you talk to him sweetie and get him to understand?"

Dear God no. In fact, even I don't understand what the fuck is going on here.

I rack my head for an excuse as my mom blinks slowly, once, twice, three times, and I immediately feel bad for her. I clear my throat. "I-- I will see-- I will see what I can do." My voice sounds strained even to my ears and I mentally facepalm myself. Why can't my fucking brain think of something?

Please don't be outside. Please don't be outside. This is the mantra in my head as I walk as slowly as possible to the exit all the while praying that Lorenzo has caught a cab and gotten out of here.

Fuck.

Through the see-through doors, Lorenzo is leaning on a wall, his lips curled around an unlit cigarette with a lighter in his hand. He still has that habit.

Lorenzo was what you called the bad boy in high school with his torn jeans and too-big faded tee shirts with smudges. He always smelled of cigarettes, caused trouble, and even got caught in a few fights. While I had been the version of a good girl with a 4.5 GPA, class president, and title of valedictorian in my back pocket. I was literally little Miss perfect or at least that was what Lorenzo liked to call me whenever we were assigned to a class project or made to sit together and I hated the name, with every fiber of my being but as the typical cliche stories go, I had fallen for him and the bad boy turned out to have not been that bad after all.

I exhale forcefully, push the door open, and walk over to where he is. "You are not allowed to smoke here." I point to the sign on the wall that he is currently leaning on. It says "Smoking is prohibited."

He faces me. "Hello, Sis."

"Don't call me that." Not only does it sound weird. The word 'Sis' coming out of his mouth creeps me out.

"Oh, but you heard them," he taunts. "We are going to be siblings very soon." He takes out the pack of cigarettes from his pocket, keeps back the unlit cigarette, and shoves the pack back into his pocket. "So might as well get used to it."

"I will never see you as my brother."

"Why not?" He has a confused look on his face and a crunched-up forehead then he arches an eyebrow at me. "Because we fucked a few times?"

"What?" Is he being serious? What we had was way more than just meaningless sex.

"I won't tell our parents about our little flings if that's what you're worried about."

Little flings? My throat closes up. I'm now in danger of really puking.

"Don’t worry, Sister," he says. "Our dirty little secret is safe with me.  In fact, it is already forgotten. It wasn't even that memorable. Just a few lousy sex."

I gape at him, not wanting to believe the words coming out of his mouth. This isn't the Lorenzo I knew. It's like he changed to this cruel bastard standing in front of me.

What happens next is out of character for me. It's like someone takes over my body and controls me. I don't even think about it, I just act. The slap I give to him across his face lands with a crack that draws the attention of passersby who murmur and point at us as they pass away, probably wondering who the crazy bitch is. I back away from Lorenzo in horror, my now throbbing palm held in my other hand like I just touched a hot pan. 

Lorenzo brings a hand to his cheek which is now spotting an angry red color and stares at me in shock then he laughs, the sound bitter and cutting through the still night air. "When did Little Miss perfect get feisty?"  He drops his hands and eyes me, a leering look in his eyes. "Maybe I shouldn't have been so quick to dump you." He rubs his jaws, still eying me. "Who knows, you might have brought this attitude to bed. It would have definitely made things more exciting."

My heart sinks and the corner of my eyes starts to sting. No, no, no. I'm not going to cry in front of him. I will rather die than show him how much his words affect me.

"Fuck you." The words tumble out of me before I can help it, another thing that is uncharacteristic of me. I hardly ever cuss but the new Lorenzo just has me shocking myself with each second I stay in his presence.

I need to leave.

I'm halfway back to my seat when the thought crosses my mind- If my mom is marrying Cade then that means that we will probably move into his house. With Lorenzo. And it's summer break. Oh dear God.