Jesus, this dude was still drunk. Had he constantly been drinking since we left him last night? How did he even manage to get around in his state?
Paul was talking, and Bianca complained about needing to complete some paper before her shift at Two Sheets later. I’d been there a few times and bought drinks for the guys, which is how I knew exactly who she was as soon as Dad told us about the dinner last night.
Bianca was the kind of girl who was saving her V-card until her knight in shining armor came upon a horse and took her in his arms. Sure, she looked hot last night, but the girl didn’t know how to dress or hold herself. Bianca walked around in sweats and t-shirts, and a knight wasn’t going to take a girl that didn’t dress like a princess.
If she couldn’t be bothered to keep up her physical appearance, I hated to think what the inside her dorm looked like. Most likely like Adolfo’s room. As for my other brother, Carlo… any girl would do for him. He was so damn horny. He was so interested in her, he went as far as to open up a group text and include me in it. Then, he took our phones and sent messages on our behalf.
This morning she was wearing a sweatshirt a couple of sizes too big for her, and her hair was tied up in some crazy-ass bun thing, but at least she’d improved from wearing sweatpants to jeans. She had on no makeup, unlike yesterday. It was as if she wanted to wipe yesterday out of her mind and go back to her normal self.
I wondered if Carlo would be so quick to send her a text if he saw her now. The real Bianca.
“Is it logical for me to stay? Or is there any logic in your dad being drunk at nine thirty in the morning? If you’re such a great philosophy student, then shouldn’t you be doing a thesis on your dad?”
She nearly choked on her orange juice as she looked in my direction.
I continued, “Logic, ethics, motivation… he lacks everything and more in his drunken state!”
I stood up, ready to leave, when Bianca did the same and gave me a piece of her mind.
“Not everyone has everything handed to them on a plate. Some of us have to work and find it difficult to cope with the basic things in life, for example a lost loved one.”
“So losing someone gives you the right to con someone and be drunk all the time?”
“Your mom is still around, but mine isn’t,” she said defensively. “Ever since we lost her, Dad has had a hard time. He doesn’t go around creating some list and degrading women like you do. You should be ashamed of yourself, waving your gold card, preying on women. Men like you make me sick!”
“Well, we only have a gold card because we’re on a budget. Dad says that we need to know the meaning of money.”
She tutted and stormed off. I sounded like such a snob and an idiot as I told her the reason why we didn’t have a black card. I hated the idea of having to explain it to her. She thought I was some irresponsible, stuck-up jock, but she didn’t have a fucking clue about anything in my life. I chased after her, not wanting to let her get away with having the last word.
“Sweet petaled Rose!” I yelled, and she ignored me as she picked up speed. I was a fucking athlete, so catching up with her wasn’t an issue.
I grabbed her arm as we reached the hotel door.
“What?” she screamed, loud enough for everyone enjoying their breakfast to be startled.
“Your dad’s sniffing around mine as if he’s some kind of bank. If you had any decency, then you would do something about it. So don’t talk to me from your high horse. We both know that if Dad didn’t have money, then Paul wouldn’t have been eager to meet him.”
“My dad’s a grown man, and until yesterday, I didn’t even know our dads knew each other,” she scoffed.
I crossed my arms. “How fucking convenient.”
“What are you getting at?”
“Nothing, just seems like you were pimping yourself out last night in your minidress and your hair all done up. I’ve seen you around campus and at Two Sheets—you never dress like that. Never. This is the real you.” I motioned my hand from her messy bun right down to her worn-out sneakers.
I’d hit a nerve, apparently. She found herself speechless, her mouth opening and closing before she took a deep breath, stuck her hands in the pocket of her sweatshirt, and walked away.
I could have chased after her as she slowly moved in the direction of her dorm, but I felt like an asshole. I’d belittled her.
I hung my head low as I walked to my apartment.
Breakfast had been a bad idea.
I was supposed to go to calm Dad down, but instead I’d done the complete opposite and lost my cool. It was as if Dad and Paul weren’t even at the table as I took over breakfast and made Bianca feel small.
I didn’t know who I hated more right now—Paul for being a drunk, or me for being an asshole.
I’d hated him before, and after the way he spoke to me at breakfast, I hated him even more. He always had a way of making me feel insignificant. Yes, I didn’t normally dress in a minidress like I did last night, but I did it because Dad asked me to. This was why whenever Alessandro came to Two Sheets, I made a point to never serve him. I always made sure Erika did the deed. She was more tolerant than I was, always managing to serve everyone, including jocks like Alessandro, with a smile on her face. He would swarm in with his gold card and buy drinks for anyone who gave him any attention. I hated the way he did it, and I knew I wasn’t the only one. He was loaded, and he wanted everyone to know it. I knew some guys on campus were probably as well off as he was, but they didn’t flaunt it like he did with his Rolex, Gucci clothes, and every other designer item under the sun. He made it known everything on him was worth more than I had in my closet and then some. I needed to stay as fa
“Delete the fucking group, Carlo!” I blurted out as I saw my lazy brother sitting in the kitchen, eating what looked like the whole delicatessen section of Walmart. “What’s your problem? You don’t need to contribute to it anymore, and if you do, then I’ll do it for you. Ok?”I shook my head, because he wasn’t listening. I headed to Adolfo’s room to get him in on this conversation. Enough was enough. We didn’t need to have anything more to do with them, neither Bianca nor her dad. “Adolfo, come out so we can have this out.”Adolfo shook his head. “Nope. I’m shooting hoops with the guys. You and Carlo figure it out. You know me, I’m easy. Whatever you decide, I’m down with it.”Adolfo, the voice of no reason. He never took sides, always backing out whenever there was a confrontation between me and Carlo… which was most of the time. “Fine, be a chicken!” He ignored me as he sighed, rolled his eyes, and then stormed out of the door. “Just leaves you and me,” Carlo said. “Can we talk
Two Sheets was quiet, which was the good thing about working the early shift. It was always calm this time of day, never stressful like the night shift. Erika said I was crazy, that there was nothing better than the night and seeing the craziness that went on, that it made work entertaining and the time fly by. I had to admit, she did get tipped a lot more than I did… but then again, she was a lot friendlier than me. I gave each customer their drink or snack and moved on. Erika not only to served them but entertained them at the same time, all while managing somehow to never accumulate a line. I was daydreaming, thinking about Alessandro and wondering why I struggled to focus on a particular topic for my paper.“Maybe he’s right. I’m an imposter,” I mumbled to myself. When I looked up, I saw the last man I wanted to see in my life burst into Two Sheets. “We need to talk, now,” Alessandro barked at me. Then he turned to James, the manager, and said, “Can we use your office for a few
I’d been texting Bianca, but I hadn’t heard back from her. Alessandro was out for blood. He’d been on the phone with Rik and had managed to track down Paul. He was going to get every penny from him. I couldn’t believe he’d gone to Two Sheets to accuse Bianca of taking Dad’s money. I tried telling him Dad was a grown man. He knew what he was doing the moment he gave Paul the money, and frankly, it was none of Alessandro’s business. Yet he didn’t fucking listen. Neither Adolfo nor I could understand the madness. I knocked on Bianca’s door and waited patiently, croissants and coffee from the bakery in hand. I decided to make my first romantic gesture ever, hoping to convince her over breakfast that we weren’t all as crazy as Alessandro. I hoped she wasn’t a late sleeper… maybe ten was too early for her. She did work in a bar. Although, she must have class at some point today…I was just about to give up when a teary-eyed Bianca opened the door. “Bianca?”“Sorry, I just… I don’t know
It had been nearly a week, and still nothing from Dad. I tried not to worry. Carlo had promised he would try and do the best he could to find answers. He was right—Dad had done a disappearing act for the better part of five years. When he was ready to come back, then he would do it. I just had to wait until that day.“Why are you getting all dressed up today?” Erika asked teasingly. “Can’t a girl make an effort once in a while?”She shook her head. “Please! You’ve never worn a denim miniskirt or had your hair braided—I didn’t even know you could braid your hair! And you’re wearing a see-through top so everyone can see your boobies!”“Stop it!” I laughed, trying to apply lipstick and failing miserably.“Thank God for Instagram. There’s loads of videos on how to do it, with girls that have the same hair texture as mine. Also, Carlo has a game. I’m going to see him play, and if he wins… well, who knows,” I said flirtatiously.“Look at you!”I sighed. “Do you think there’s something wron
I stood waiting for Carlo to get ready to go to his game. I was going to support him, while Alessandro was still missing in action. Not only was he not returning our calls, but his phone was switched off. “Why the hell is he so fucking dramatic!” I blurted. Carlo rolled his eyes, not even needing to ask who I was talking about. “Who cares. I have a hot date tonight, and neither you nor big brother are going to stand in my way.”“Bianca?”He nodded. “Uh-huh, and after the hungry text she just sent me, don’t expect me back later. If I do come back, don’t even think about knocking on my door.”“Please, as if I would. I’ll most likely be out with one of the girls from my fan club.”He shook his head. “Don’t you get tired of messing around, playing games with girls? Don’t you want a woman?”“What, like Bianca?”“Exactly!” he said, pointing to me. “I think she’s something special, not like these little spoiled brats you love hanging around. She’s someone who has been through so much shit
I stood like a little girl inside one of the lockers in the locker room, my heart was beating out of control. I was worried that I would be caught, worried that someone would find me. Erika had practically pushed me in here, leaving the door a little ajar so I could breathe. I hoped her plan would work, because if not, it would be too embarrassing. “Man, you sure you don’t want to come with us?” one of the guys asked as I heard Carlo reach the entrance. He sighed. “Nah, I need to talk to my brother. He’s coming down to have a quick word.”“Alessandro still missing?”“Exactly, so I need to figure out what we’re going to do. He hasn’t been to practice or anything. At this rate, he’s going to get kicked out.”“Shit, man. You should be celebrating, not babysitting.”“Go start celebrating without me. I’ll be there soon.”“Laters!”On that note, I could hear footsteps walking towards me, and I could only hope that they were Carlo’s. The idea of one of his football friends finding me woul
There was a knock on the door. Fuck! Did they find me already? I hadn’t told them where I was staying, let alone my name. Fear took over me as the thumps on the door started to get louder. Why the fuck did I get mixed up in all this shit?I had exactly two hours until I was due to meet them, and I was trying to catch some sleep but failing miserably. “Aless, it’s me!” a voice said from the other side of the door. I knew exactly who it was, and relief took over. I was staying in some cheap motel, something I wasn’t used to. We always stayed in luxury hotels. I came in, not waving my usual gold card, making sure no one knew I had money. I stopped at the local Walmart beforehand and bought clothes that usually I wouldn’t be caught dead in, but this felt like the best thing to do. I was caught up in shit, a world I had no clue about, and my thoughts were with Bianca all the time. She’d lived a life of fear, a life on the run, and here I was experiencing a slice of it, and my desire fo
LucaAll the drama surrounding the Sext Me line died down. Natalia refused to tell me how she did it, but it meant we didn’t have to worry about people staring and murmuring about us as we moved around campus together.The rest of my final year in college was uneventful. There was only one more surprise, and it came from Dad.When I was worried about getting funds from part-time jobs to keep me up, after he’d paid all my tuition, he sent me money and told me not to worry about working, just hurry up and graduate, then find a proper job.I’d wondered where all the money came from, and he answered when I ask, despite what I thought. His business venture took off. Like, really took off. While he didn’t become a millionaire overnight, he was definitely nouveau riche.It was the day of graduation, after I’d already gone up and received my degree, I saw him. I stood with Natalia, who’d also invited her mom. I wasn’t sure how to react, and immediately, turned to look at Natalia and Tina, but
A few weeks passed. Mom refused to do anything about Greg. Luca had told me he’d found his dad, but because Mom didn’t want to, I left it alone. I could only steam about it.I woke up one morning to my phone ringing. I heard a groan from beside me, before Luca shifted around and grabbed the phone.“It’s your mom, Natalia,” he mumbled, still half asleep. I blinked my eyes open and took the phone, then slid out of bed so I wouldn’t bother him. Mom already knew about us since I’d told her we were seeing each other a couple weeks back, but she didn’t know we were this close already. It had both surprised and delighted me when she was happy for me, unconditionally.“Hey, Mom?” I said, covering a yawn. “What is it?”“Honey, why do you sound so tired? Did I catch you at a bad time?”It wasn’t all that early in the morning, but Luca and I had been up late last night, and I felt exhausted. Only, it was the good kind of exhausted that came after long, fun rounds of fulfilling sex. Of course, t
It was a Friday when her mom came to the school, and since she’d already skipped her morning classes, Natalia decided to go back home with her Mom. I wandered back to my dorm room, feeling dejected. Classes were still ongoing, so I was thankful I didn’t have to deal with Casey when I got back to the dorm. I plopped down on my bed, rolled onto my back and threw my arms over my eyes.“Dammit, Dad,” I muttered.He’d actually gone and done it. I had known, but perhaps, deep inside of me, I hadn't really thought he would go through with it. But he actually ran away with Tina’s money. With Natalia’s Mom’s money.My dad was a criminal.Fuck!On the same day I found out, I should have told Tina instead of wavering, no matter what he said. If only I hadn't been selfish in that critical moment, I wouldn’t have excused myself from the table. Instead, I would have sat down and told Tina exactly what Dad told me, even with him sitting right there glaring at me.I’d certainly feel better than I did
I paced anxiously around the room, phone clutched in my hands.“Natalia…,” Luca said my name with a sigh.I shot a quick look at him, but he didn’t tell me to sit down. The guilty expression was still there on his face. I didn’t suddenly hate him, though. I was madder at myself than him, or I would have kicked him out of my room instead of letting him spend the night. Although it had been the first time we’d spent in bed together without anything sexual happening, I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to appreciate it.“Why isn’t she here yet?” I muttered. “She said she’d leave early, so she should have arrived already. Dammit, I’m skipping classes for this.” I turned to him and gave him a weak smile. “You’re a senior, you know. You could have just gone ahead.”Luca shook his head as he stood up. He came over to me, tentatively raising his arms as if worried I would push him away. He’d been acting cautiously around me since yesterday, and I could have told him not to bother, but if I ha
A few days passed, and each day only grew better. Natalia was back in my life. Our previous relationship had resumed as if we’d never stopped, and I couldn’t be happier. Only, it was even better now, because I knew now that as crazy I was about Natalia, she felt the same way about me.We were officially dating now.“Look at you, being so happy. You and your girlfriend finally made up, huh?”I was seated outside with some friends having sandwiches for lunch. I ignored their teasing as I typed a reply to a text Natalia sent me, She was eating with her friends as well. Still, I couldn’t help feeling smug, because while I would have had to correct them before, now it was true that I’d made up with my girlfriend.Natalia wasn’t my first girlfriend, but I still wore a goofy smile every time I thought about her.“Hey, come on! Don’t ignore us when we’re right here. Did you two make up or not?”Casey, my roommate, snickered. “Oh, he definitely had plenty of fun ‘making up’ with his girlfriend
I laid my head down on Luca’s shoulder, and breathed shakily into his neck. My whole body trembled, and I had a feeling, if he put me down, my legs wouldn’t be able to hold me up. Not when my thighs shook, and it was hard enough just to hold on.As the aftershocks from the orgasm died down, I could feel the drowsiness set in. I fought against it, blinking my eyes several times. Then, Luca shifted a little, and I gasped, then let out a moan as his cock, still half hard inside me, shifted with the movement. Luca let out a curse, then carefully pulled his hips back, keeping his arms tight around me, until his cock spilled out of me. I desperately needed of a shower, but I didn’t want to leave just yet.After a long while, Luca sighed and pecked me on the forehead.“That bastard is going to be back eventually,” he murmured. “Let’s not give him anything to gawk at, hmm?”I paused for a moment, before carefully nodding.“I don’t think I can walk just yet, though,” I said quietly, my voice
It had been two weeks. Two long weeks where I didn’t even get to see Natalia, so when she kissed me and I had her in my arms again, it was like a dream. I couldn’t hold back, as I wrapped my arms around her and brought her in for another kiss, this one longer, deeper. She whimpered against my lips, and my arms tightened reflexively around her.“Natalia,” I breathed her name against her lips. I wanted to kiss her again, but as she panted for breath her chest pushed against mine, and I groaned in need. I wanted to feel more of her. “Damn, Natalia.”She initiated the kiss again and kept her arms wrapped around my neck to hold me close as she took the lead. Natalia nibbled on my lips, nudged them apart with her tongue, tasted me inside. I sucked lightly on her tongue and felt her weight settle even more against me.“I’m not sure I can stay standing if we do this,” she breathed out.I paused, but only for a moment. Then, I was walking her backward until her back hit the door. I loved the w
It was late in the afternoon by the time arrived back at campus. I wanted to find Luca quickly, but I wasn’t sure where to go and search. Would he be in his room? Or out? I thought about calling him before I decided not to out of shame. It took me two weeks to finally build up the courage to try and call him.What would I do if he didn’t pick up my call? It had been days since he last tried to contact me.It was a busy time on the campus. People were walking around, either coming in from activities they’d done outside or going out to have fun. Since it was the weekend, a lot of students did stuff like going to the movies, going out to eat or to sightsee. I noticed a few people look at me as they passed me, but ignored it as I looked around, wondering where I should start to look. Maybe I should start with the dorms, Luca was surprisingly not the kind of guy that liked going out much…Then, I heard it.“Hey, isn’t that her? The girl that’s with that Sext Me guy?”I overheard the two gi
When I got back to the dorms, I did exactly as Luca suggested I should do. I completely ignored everything, including the fact that I still had classes that day. I didn’t even change my clothes, just got underneath my covers and closed my eyes. I don’t know when I fell asleep.I woke up hours later. The room was already dark, but not the pitch black that would mean it was night time. It was around six in the evening when I checked the time on my phone. My stomach rumbled when I realized I felt a little hungry. Luckily, tomorrow was Saturday and I could be as lazy as I wanted to be. I didn’t want to go out, just in case I walked into someone I didn’t want to see right then, two people in particular, but I really was hungry. So, I used the bathroom and then went out to buy something I could take with me back to the dorms. When I got back, I ate quickly before getting right back into bed. It took longer to fall asleep this time, but I didn’t have anywhere to go.When I woke up on Saturd