Welp heres another chapter guys~ thank you for the reviews :D especially a certain anon. (Y U ANON?) I will try to take your advise ^^ just note: I'm not much of a writer. I'm more of a film editor XD But as a response (SINCE YOUR ANON) That whole "your" "you're" thing always confuses the crap out of me DX I always try to remember but then I feel to lazy -shrug- BUT I will try to change that :) And with my dialogue, I do always try to avoid repetitiveness D: I guess it just sneaks up on me...(especially since nowadays I been writing this so late in the night when i'm just "aaah fuck it i'll half-ass it") same goes for the tenses. Its little things like that I even find myself constantly doing but again I'm lazy as hell. But I will try to fix it ^^; and unfortunetly, the reason why I characterized Femke like that is for the sake of having an antagonist in Lovino's life. I know its really OOC of her, but then again I also made Spain kinda OOC for this story. The reason I even chose Femke is because she was the only female character I could imagine Lovino being with if he were straight. And their status is like a perfect richy rich kind of thing so it only made sense (to me) to make her stuck-up. But thanks for the tips all the same! :)
Sorry to everyone else for the long-ass A/N. Here we go~
–
At one thirty in the morning Lovino is staring at his cell phone in his bedroom. Femke has called him thirty-six times and left ten messages. Since he had called Feliciano to pick him up at the party, he had ignored her. Mainly because he needed to let his anger deflate. He was mortified that Ivan and Natalia had seen them half-dressed. In the time it took him to go outside and wait for his brother, he had already seen and heard people whispering about his show in Natalia's bedroom. He didn't want to blow up the way he always does, and he was about to lose it on Ivan. Femke and Natalia back at Ivan's house. By Femke's thirty-ninth call, his heart rate is as slow as it was going to get tonight.
He finally answers it. "Stop fucking calling me." he all but yells.
"I'll stop calling when you listen to what I have to say." Femke says on the other end of the line, frustration laced into his voice.
"So talk. I'm listening." he sighs angrily.
He hears her take a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Lovi. I'm sorry I didn't lock the door tonight. I'm sorry for wanting to have sex. I'm sorry one of my best friends thinks shes funny when shes not. I'm sorry I can't stand watching you and Carriedo in Honda's class. I'm sorry I changed this summer."
He doesn't know what to say. She has changed. Has he? Or was he the same person who she said good-bye to before she left for the summer? He doesn't know. There's one thing he did know though. "Femke, I don't want to fight anymore."
"Me, neither. Can you just try to forget tonight ever happened? I promise I'll make it up to you." she pleaded.
As much as he was still irritated, he couldn't stay mad at her for long. He tried a smile but then remembered she can't see him. "Yea. I'll forget."
"Great. Hey, remember that bracelet I got you for our anniversary?" she reminded him.
He wasn't all that into jewelery but since it had been from her, he charished it. "Yea I remember."
"I'll buy you a nice watch to go along with it."
When he looks at the bracelet, he remembers her kindness, the meaning behind it. The watch would just remind him of her apology and that would remind him of tonight.
Sighing he sat up in bed. "Femke, I don't want the watch."
"Then what do you want? Tell me."
It takes him a while to answer. He wasn't really into receiving gifts, he was more of a giver more than anything. But she had felt the need to be the giver for some odd reason, so he could have written a one hundred page essay on what he wanted about six months ago. But ever since school started, everything has turned around. "Right now I don't know what I want." he feels bad for saying it, but its the truth.
"Well, when you figure it out will you clue me in?"
"Yea," if he figures it out himself.
–
On Monday, Antonio's knee is shaking in anticipation as he sits in chemistry waiting for Lovino.
He walks into class.
"Hey." Antonio smiles.
"Hey." he mumbles back. No smile, no blushing angrily. Not even a scowl. Something was defininetly wrong with him.
"Okay class." Mr. Honda says. "Get out your pencils. Lets see how well you've been studying.
While he silently curse Mr. Honda for not having a lab day with experiments so they could talk, he glances over at his partner. He looks totally unprepared. Feeling protective even though he has no right, he raises his hand.
"I'm afraid to call on you, Toni." Mr. Honda sighs wearily, staring down at him.
"Its a small question."
"Go ahead. Make it quick."
"This is an open book test, right?"
The teacher glares at him over his glasses. "No Antonio, this is not an open book test. And if you didn't study, your going to get yourself a big, fat F. Understand?"
He drops his books with a loud thud onto the floor in response. After Mr. Honda passes the out the test, he read the first question. The density of Al (aluminum) is 2.7 grams per millimeter. What volume will 10.5 grams occupy?
After he works out his answer, he looks over at Lovino. He's staring blankly at the test.
Catching him watching him, he sneers. "What?"
"Nothin'. Nada"
"Then stop staring at me, bastard."
Mr. Honda is staring right at them. He takes a deep breath trying to calm himself. He goes back to work on the test. Does Lovino have to do that, get all hot-and-cold without warning? What sets him off?"
Out of the corner of his eye, he sees his chem partner grab the bathroom pass off the hook by the classroom door. Back in class, Lovino lays his head on the lab table as he scribbles answers. Once glance and he knows he's not into it, the guy is doing a half-ass job. And when Mr. Honda orders everyone to hand in their papers, his chem parter has a blank stare on his face.
"If it makes you feel better any better." he says quietly so only Lovino can hear. "I flunked health class in eighth grade for puttin' a lit cigarette in the dummy's mouth."
Without looking up he grumbles. "Good for you."
The bell rings, signaling the end of class. He watches Lovino's curl bouncing less than usual as he shuffles out of class, surprisingly not accompanied by his girlfriend. He wonders if he thinks everything is supposed to land in his lap, even good grades. He has to work for everything he has. Nothing lands in his lap.
"Hiya, Toni." Rosa is standing in front of his locker. Okay, so some things do land in his lap.
"Que pasa?"
His ex-girlfriend leans toward him, the deep V of her shirt extra low-cut. "A bunch of us are going to hang out at the beach after school. Wanna come?"
"I've got work." He tells her. "Maybe I'll catch up with ya later." He thinks about 2 weekends ago. Getting drunk to drown his busted ego was a dumb idea. He wanted to be with Lovino, to hang out with him not only to study but find out more about him. Lovino blew him off, Rosa didn't. The memory is a hazy one, but he remembers Rosa in the lake, wrapping her body around him. And sitting on top of him by the fire as they smoked something much stronger than a Marlboro. In his inebriated and stoned ego-busted state, any girl would have felt good to him.
Rosa was there, willing, and he owed her an apology because even she was offering, he shouldn't have nibbled at the bait. He'll have to catch up with her and explain his dumbass behavior.
After school, there's a crowd around his motorcycle. Shit, if anything happened to his ride he is going to kick someone's ass. He doesn't have to push through the crowd because a path opens up when he gets close.
All eyes are on him as he witnesses the vandalism to his motorcycle. They're expecting him to be in rage. After all, who would dare attach a pink tricycle horn to the handlebars and tape sparkling streamers from the ends of the handles? Nobody can get away with this shit.
Except Lovino.
He scans the area, but he's not around.
"I didn't do it." Carlos is quick to say.
Everyone else murmurs they didn't do it, either. Then murmurs of who it could be race through the crowd. He's not listening, because he knew all to well who the culprit is. It's his chem partner, the one who ignored him today.
He yanks off the streamers with a jerk of his hand, then unscrew the pink rubber horn. Pink. He wonders if it was his once upon a time.
"Get out of my way." he tells the crowd. They disperse pretty quick, thinking his rage level is high and they don't want to be caught in the crossfire. Sometimes playing the part of a badass does have its advantages. The truth? He'll use the pink horn and streamers as an excuse to talk to Lovino again.
Knocking on the Vargases' door ten minutes later with the pink horn and streamers in hand, he tries to put on the I-am-the-motherfucking-boss pose.
When Lovino opens the door wearing a baggy T-shirt and shorts, he is floored.
His dark eyes open wide. "Antonio, what are you doing here?"
He holds out the horn and streamers.
He snatches then from his hand. "I can't believe you came here because of a prank."
"We've got some things to discuss. Besides pranks."
He swallows nervously. "I'm not feeling great, okay? Lets just talk at school." he tries to close the door.
Shit, he can't believe he was going to do this like a stalker guy in the movies. He push open the door. Que mierda!
"Antonio, don't"
"Let me in. For a minute. Please."
He shakes his head, his bangs swaying back and forth across his face. "My grandfather doesn't like when I have people over."
"is he home?"
"No." he sighs, then opens the door hesitantly.
He steps inside. The house is even bigger than it looks from the outside. The walls are painted bright white, reminding him of a hospital. He swears dust wouldn't have the nerve to land on their floors or counters. The two-story foyer boasts a staircase that rivals the one that he saw in The Sound of Music, which he was forced to watch in junior high, and the floor is as shiny as water.
Lovino was right. He doesn't belong here. It doesn't matter, because even if he didn't belong in this place, Lovino is here and he wants to be where he is.
"Well what did youwant to talk about?" he asks.
He wish his long, lean legs weren't sticking out from his shorts. They're a distraction. He looks away from them, desperate to keep his wits. So what if he had sexy legs? So what if he can take a prank like a man and give it right back?
Who is he kidding? He has no reason for being here other than the fact he wants to be near him. Screw the bet.
He wants to know how to make this guy laugh. He wants to know what makes him cry. He wants to know what it feels to have him look at him as if he was his knight in shining armor.
"Vee~ Luddy, are you ok? Fratello!" distant voices echoes through the house, breaking the silence.
"Son of a bitch. Wait here." Lovino orders, then hurries down a hallway to the right. "I'll be right back."
He was not about to stand there like a jackass in the foyer. He followed him, knowing he was about to get a glimpse into his private world.
–
AHAAHHHH there goes that chapter now. Hopefully it looks a little better than some of the other chapters (I doubt it but whatever. I'm more into visual arts _) again I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please R&R