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