A/N
Translation of the phone-call at the end of the chapter
xxx
The ringing of the bell is accompanied by a heavily accented: "You're dismissed." When the strict teacher releases the students. While her classmates start escaping through the door, Lovina gladly starts packing her things together to make sure she can also leave the room soon.
When she closes her notebook, the girl realises that she didn't really pay attention to classes at all. She never really does anyways, but today she could as well have skipped. Too busy with thinking about what happened the other day at the shop and ending up wondering what her REAL Mama was like, there was no chance Lovina would have been able to keep up with the complicated formulas the man scribbled on the blackboard.
"Ve~ Roma!" A happy voice enters the classroom. The teenager in question just huffs and stuffs everything but her pencil case in her bag.
"Don't call me that, Feliciana. -I'll come in a sec." Lovina grumps back at the auburn haired girl with her ever-present idiotic smile. She turns her back to fish for a pen next to her desk which she forgot to pick it up after her pencil case fell down before the lesson started.
"Feli~ Long time no see!" Some of the other students call out and the teenagers happily start chatting away. As always. Immediately swarming around the bubbly girl with the ponytail like Feliciana would give them free pasta. (Which she would, if she could… And actually does every now and then…)
"Awww, you're so cute!" The group exclaims about whatever Feliciana just told them. Lovina stuffs her red pen in her bag and watches the flock around her frien… Around Feliciana. They all seem to adore the oddly similar-looking teenager; but avoid Lovina. The grumpy girl doesn't mind though. She'd rather not have these annoying people suffocate her while swarming around her. It's already annoying enough that she's surrounded by idiots who have this fucking annoying ability.
"WHAT'S UP YOU GUYS? Oh, YO FELI!" The loud voice of yet another of these idiots resounds in Lovina's poor ears. This day just couldn't get any better as she sees a strong arm lock around Feliciana's shoulder. When Amelia realises the crowd around Feli, the blonde immediately gets what she came seeking for: Attention.
"Hi Amelia~" The stupid girl smiles stupidly and doesn't even shake the arm off. Nope. If the idiot just would!
From afar, Lovina watches how the noisy blonde uses Feliciana as a jumping board to get the attention of her classmates back in one go. Just to come up with some weird plans where they should all go hang out together after school.
"Veee~ Ice cream sounds lovely." Something in Lovina's head clicks when she hears the stupid voice out of all the other agreeing ones and she shoves some people aside to grab Feliciana away from the group.
"We're late for Italian classes."
"Yo, why don't you come too?" Lovina feels an uninvited hand placed on her shoulder and immediately slaps it away to glare at whomever it belongs too.
"Not interested." Lovina declares and aggressively narrows her eyes to glare at Amelia who playfully lifts her hands.
"Sorry, didn't intend'a step on your toes." The blonde theatrically backs away just a bit too much and earns approving laughter from the crowd. "Who'd have thought the pufferfish was friends with Feliciana." Lovina's eyebrows twitch but Amelia doesn't realise and just turns towards Feliciana to ask if she would still join for ice cream.
"Go eat your shit yourselves." Lovina snaps and hurries off to their last class, hand locked around Feliciana's wrist.
"Lovi~! You're hurting me!" The other girl whines and interrupts her thoughts about how the fuck Amelia could EVER be related to the Englishwoman she got to know better over the past few days.
"Fucking shit. Why do you have to meddle with such bothersome folks?! Get some better taste in friends!" However, Lovina tries to slow her angry stomping down and loosen her grip as well. Lovina turns around to face her friend to say something when she suddenly bumps into someone.
"Sorry, eh?" A muffled voice says but Lovina doesn't care to look who blocked her way.
"Afangulo! Move it!" The female teenager shoves the other student to the side and continues her way towards the classroom while ranting about her dislike for Feliciana's choice of friends; especially emphasizing on a certain Potato Bastard and another certain Hotdog She-Bastard on which Feliciana insists she didn't really speak a lot with so far.
Nonetheless, Lovina continues grumbling about how Amelia doesn't really know any places where to get good gelato, earning a sad ve-ing sound from Feli. "But then I should tell her where to get good gelato instead!" Immediately freezing as she hears the comment, now it's Feliciana's turn to collide with Lovina. The later death-glares at the girly idiot strong enough to make her get scared and Lovina about to tell her off, when she gets slapped at the back of her head.
"Sedete" the teacher growls at the two girls standing in front of the classroom a bit too late and they quickly follow the order. Soon after, the man starts explaining some work sheets which Feliciana happily uses as a medium for doodling flowers and cuckoo-clocks and… a broom?
Even though she doesn't mind the young teacher, Lovina listens with only one ear, until her attention traces from the Italian to the broom to the annoying blonde classmate that just-so-happened to be Alice's daughter. What a fucking joke. People would actually ask HER if she was related to the Englishwoman who obviously looked like Lovina's polar opposite.
Turns out AMELIA of all people is Alice's real daughter.
THAT family-traitor! Amelia run away from home. Didn't give a shit about her mum even after weeks of not going back. Wouldn't even pick up her phone. (Not like she was looking, but after Lovina got to know she ran from home; «declared her independence» as Amelia loved to boast about it; Lovina had realised how the girl ignored many calls with the ID «the old hag».)
Not caring a shit about family at all! Amelia has both. A mum, a dad. And as it seems, she doesn't give a fucking shit about either of them. Lovina doesn't even know who her Mama is. Because HER Idiota of a father refuses to tell her.
That and… Wasn't it Amelia has a brother? Though Lovina doesn't really remember the boy, she is certain she saw the girl practise baseball with a guy that could have been him. It was more like Amelia smacking the ball in the other's face. MUST have been her brother…
"Never heard about the fucking «take good care of your famiglia», did you."
xxx
Matthew blinks back in confusion. Wasn't it the brunette the blonde siblings saw at the mall the other day? Or was it her look-alike? He stares after the two girls and shrugs. One of them collided with him and rushed off while dragging the other behind.
Seeing the two girls again reminds him of the look on his mother's face. Therefore Matthew decides it's high time he will talk to his sister and ask her for her phone so he can call their Mum.
Decidedly, the blonde freshman shuffles through the junior's floor to find his sister. After walking around for a while, he finally hears her loud voice echo through the halls and approaches it. Of course he finds the girl in a heated discussion with her friends about which place to go to after school.
"Hi sis." Matthew pokes her shoulder but the older girl doesn't respond. When he changes from poking to softly boxing her shoulder, Amelia finally responds.
"YO LI'LL BROTHER!" Amelia immediately swings her arm around his shoulders and drags him over to help her prove her point that Mc Flurry is OBVIOUSLY the best choice when it comes to where to get the best ice cream.
"Mc Donald's is not the solution to the world's problems…" The quiet boy sighs and adds a: "Neither is Burger Kind or any of these…"
"Who's that kid?" A brunette boy blinks at his sister with a calm voice and Matthew feels his Amelia's arm release him, just to grab his collar and pull him down to her height.
"TORIS!" She scolds. "It's my BROTHER! I've already told you so many times!" The boy tilts his head to take a closer look at Matthew, then turns to his friend with glasses who answers with a shrug. The freshman recognizes Eduard, the geek his sister told him so much about.
Before Amelia can start ranting about why people wouldn't remember her cute baby brother, Matthew quickly tries to get his request off his chest. –After all he's already gotten kind of used to being ignored and forgotten… Kind of...
"Sis, can I borrow you phone?" He quickly sputters and the girl gives him an asking look. Matthew knows he needs to come up with a good excuse that doesn't concern him calling their mother. "To call Dad… I forgot to ask him something…" It's not a lie either. He really SHOULD call their father first if he plans to stay out tonight.
"Sure dude." The blonde fishes the stars'n stripes smartphone out of her bomber jacket and Matthew is about to dart back so she won't hear him when Amelia grabs his sleeve.
"Sure. I'll finish quickly…" Matthew curses to himself and tries to think of a way to go around his sister later on. When typing their father's number, the blonde hopes that Amelia will remain her oblivious self and give up on listening in to their conversation when he speaks in French. Knowing how she is convinced every language but English is non-relevant.
"Salut?" He is greeted with his father's flowery voice.
"Salut Papa. C'est moi." Matthew greets.
"Ah, Mathieu? Mais c'est le portable de ta sœur, n'est pas?"
Matthew sighs and confirms: "Yes, I could borrow her phone. Papa, I have a question…"
"Pardon, mon petit. Mais je n'ai pas beaucoup de temps…" He asks Matthew to cut it short. But before the teenager can even start speaking, his father remembers something else: "Ah, est-ce que tu peux m'aider avec quelque chose, Mathieu? J'ai oublié de faire les achats… C'est dac si je message la liste à ta sœur? Merci!"
"Mais Papa… !" He tries to interrupt, but is cut off by his father once more:
"Eh bon, il faut que je finis maintenant. N'arrive pas trop tard. J'ai préparé un Pot â feu pour diner. A plus! Un bisous a Amélie!" And after that, the blonde boy is greeted with a clicking sound stating the phone call was finished. With slumped shoulders, Matthew turns to the others again.
"As I just said. You've already met Mattie before!" Amelia is still busy with defending her brother's existence and doesn't realize the call already ended until the boy holds the phone up right in front of her eyes.
"Thanks Sis… Kisses from Papa" Matthew mumbles and earns a questioning look.
"You all right?" Tilting her head, the blonde gives him a worried look which slightly lifts his spirits again.
But the expression lasts for only a few seconds. Then her interest changes again: "So. You're in for some ice, Mattie?"
The blonde shakes his head. "Need to go buy some things for Dad. He said he'll email you the list."
Amelia flips her phone open once more and hands it back. Matthew quickly doodles the things down on a piece of paper and stuffs it in his pocket.
The phone vibrates under a screaming "Hero Appears!"-ringtone once more and Matthew deciphers a text from his father asking what it was again he called to ask. «It's fine, it's been solved» He quickly answers, then locks the screen once more to return the phone to his sister.
Calling his mother doesn't make sense for today anymore; as the Frenchman already started cooking dinner.
"Well then. Won't let you back out next time Mattie. See you round!" The girl takes her phone and ruffles his hair.
"See you" Matthew sighs. Now he will need to come up with a new plan to go meet his Mum.
But well, at least they will have a nice dinner.
xxx
"Ocean coils
Water boils
He swims to the surface…"
The Bastard hums the melody which seems to be stuck in his head since over a week as he chops some fresh tomatoes for dinner. Water happily boiling in the pot.
Lovina watches the scene and frowns at the memories connected with the song. Her very own good-night lullaby. At least she thought it was. Then she heard Alice sing a completely… metal version of it. Sounding nothing like the unplugged guitar version the Bastardo would sing all the time! Hearing about how he used to play said song with his band made Lovina realise just HOW MUCH she doesn't know about the man.
"Oi, Bastardo." Lovina inquires but Antonio doesn't react. "Bastardo!" She exclaims louder but he just continues to stare into space. Only when the teenager slaps him on the head with her hand, he seems to snap out of his daydreams.
"Ouch, Lovi, that hurts~" The brown haired man whines and looks at her with an asking look in these irritating green eyes. The girl frowns angrily.
"Stop daydreaming, Bastardo."
"Lovi… Won't you call me Papá at least once?" The Spaniard looks at her like an abandoned puppy, making her even angrier.
Lovina. THE Lovina. Calling the idiota with his ever-present grin and easy nature her «Papa»… People would wonder what went wrong that made this mismatch of a family happen. She is nothing like him.
This causes a certain unwanted thought to make her thoughts run in circles once more: Is she taking after her mother? "Not happening, idiota. Tell me who my Mama is."
Lovina's frown deepens upon remembering the simple question Alice asked her the other day. «Don't you… Kind of want to know?» The simple words still keep nagging the teenager and pop up in her mind every now and then.
She's heard many stories about how and why people would split up. Even Alice shared how she and Francis grew apart. But the Spaniard just won't speak about it. Thinking the worry in his eyes doesn't escape her, he keeps avoiding anything and everything got to do with her Mum, her family or Italy. In other words: her roots, her origin.
"Lovi, didn't I tell you that it's a topic I don't like to talk about?" He shakes his head in refusal to answer and turns towards his chores again so that she can't see his face. –As always; avoiding the topic. Avoiding Lovina!
"Just tell me. I know it's bothering you." But he doesn't. "Stop fucking avoiding my questions! I thought family is the place where one is supposed to do shit as talk about their problems…" The teenager grumps angrily; not knowing how to name the source of the irritation she feels rising. But she won't let him escape. Not THIS time. "Then why won't you tell me?! Who the FUCK is my mother?!" Lovina demands.
"Lovi…" He finally turns around, but looks at Lovina with THESE eyes. Eyes that refuse to properly look at her. Eyes which look through her as if he doesn't want to face HER.
It makes her feel sick.
"DON'T «LOVI…» ME! I just want to FUCKING know who my other parent is!" Uncertainty starts boiling in Lovina. Questions she held in for too long.
Who is her mum? Why did they split up? Why did she leave Lovina behind? Why didn't she ever turn up? WHY wouldn't the Tomato Bastard even show her pictures? WHY WON'T HE TELL HER? -Wasn't her mother supposed to be the woman he dearly loved?! Or not? What the FUCK did he do?!
Lovina can't stop the worries slowly turning to anger. Uncertainty transforming into a raging need for answers. What did her Papa do?! What kind of bullshit that would be bad enough to keep it a secret from Lovina? Where does the worry in his eyes come from?
What? Why?
"DID YOU EVEN LOVE HER?!" She jumps up and screams all the frustration at him that was eating her up over all these years.
But his green eyes still refuse to look at her. "Lovi…"
Frustration. But not only frustration. A combination of feelings crash down at her at once. Pain. Hurt. Confusion. Disappointment? Yes. And anger. Raging anger.
Why won't he let her know? Tell her who she is. Tell her what happened!
Though the Bastardo seems to try to calm her down once more with these annoying suing words of his, none of them reach her.
Lovina is boiling. Her temper taking her over. Any rational thinking; of which she doesn't have a lot to begin with, leaving her standing. Falling into a pit of emotions and rage, it is as if another person is taking over her body; swearing and hitting the man who raised her.
"Lovi~ Te calmas. Calm down." Antonio avoids her fists like he avoids her questions.
Anger and irritation lead to more fury and confusion, until she completely loses touch with herself and what's actually going on. "Fucking Bastardo! Afangulo! Di detesti! You… Argh! I HATE you! You… Idiota…" Her curses start to turn into babbled words and when she catches a breath to look at her father once more, her eyes meet his green ones.
Eyes, she loves to look at. And eyes she knows hide more pain than anyone would think. Eyes which refuse to share their pain. And THAT is what she really hates. His fucking desire to think about others before he thinks about himself. Refusing to let anyone help him with his problems unless there's no other way. Frustration starts materializing as burning tears. A strong pain in her chest eating her up. She can't watch him do that any longer.
"Why don't you trust me?" The words barely break her lips.
"Lovina?"
When she hears herself speak the words, the girl immediately distances herself. Taken aback by the sudden outburst of feelings, Lovina feels this sudden urge to hide away in a hole. Not knowing where to go with the chaos inside her chest anymore, she finds herself rushing out of the room, escaping through the door and running down the street.
When the brunette finally stops to catch some breath, she feels the cold evening-air surround her like a calming blanket. Lovina looks around and realises how far she ran. Glazing up at the darkening sky the teenager wonders what just happened. She was angry at him not telling her about her mum, angry at him for not sharing his worries.
"What happened?" Lovina barely remembers cursing and hitting her father. Then she sinks on the cold ground, hot tears running down her cheeks.
xxx
Alice stares at her phone. She doesn't know how long she has been standing there, reasoning with herself as to whether she should or should not call Matthew.
IF she would. It would mean that she FINALLY gets to talk to her son again. But… Francis. Alice wishes she wouldn't have to call HIM in order to talk to her son.
The Englishwoman angrily frowns when she thinks about WHY she didn't see her own son for such a long time. However, there sadly are multiple reasons:
Considering the fact that Alice works and her kids have to go to school, time to meet up at all is little to begin with; and parents aren't allowed on school grounds except for special occasions.
Also; seeing that Amelia doesn't live at her place anymore, the girl doesn't invite Matthew over for movie marathons and gaming any longer. It is most certainly also her daughter's fault that the teenager doesn't come by himself after school. Alice would bet Amelia knows how to keep the polite boy busy dragging him along to wherever she is going day in day out.
AND Matthew doesn't have a phone. Which means the opportunity to call him is on Francis' land line. Which is also a bad idea because this means Alice has to talk with her ex first. And that's always really disturbing. PLUS Alice DOES NOT want her ex to know about her troubles with their elder child.
Thinking how he might actually, for once, use his brain and realise that something is going on and (even worse) try to meddle with her business… Which she HATES! …
She will solve the problem with Amelia herself! So no way. She is NOT calling him.
Then again; if she doesn't call, there's no chance to talk to Matthew
Alice releases a heavy sigh and decides it to be less trouble to admit defeat and put up with her ex; coming up with some random excuse as to why she needs to talk with Matthew on the phone rather than in person. -Without having to admit that she didn't manage to get in personal contact with him over the last weeks.
Her hand finally stretching out towards the phone, Alice shrieks when said object starts ringing instead. She frowns. Most likely Carriedo. The annoyed Englishwoman grumbles angry curses as she checks the clock to ensure it's past the time when call centres try to sell stuff. "You will make up for this, stupid Spaniard. I was THIS close to call Matthew."
The Englishwoman ignores the screaming thing for a while, waiting for the ringing to stop. Only to start anew after a few seconds. It quietens down once more, then starts ringing again. And again. And again. Until Alice finally answers the call, ready to shout her displeasure out but is muted by a very disturbed sounding:
"Is Lovi with you?!" Alice blinks in surprise at the shaking voice. "Por favor, Al… Señora Kirkland. Is she? Please tell me Lovi is at your place.~" The Spaniard whines desperately.
"Did something happen?" A bad feeling creeps up her back and Alice frowns at her reflection in the kitchen window.
xxx
Translation of the phone call
"Hello?" He is greeted with his father's flowery voice.
"Hi Dad. It's me." Matthew greets.
"Ah, Matthew? But that's your sister's phone you're calling with, isn't it?"
Matthew sighs and confirms: "Yes, I could borrow her phone. Papa, I have a question…"
"Sorry, little friend, but I don't have a lot of time to chat right now…" He asks Matthew to cut it short. But before the teenager can even start speaking, his father remembers something else: "Ah, could you help me out with something, Mattie? I forgot to do the grocery shopping… Is it all right if I send it to your sis and you go collect the things for me? Thanks!"
"But Dad…!" He tries to interrupt, but is cut off by his father once more:
"All right. I have to finish now. Make sure to be home early. I prepared a Pot â feu for dinner. See you soon! And kisses to Amelia." And after that, the blonde boy is greeted with a clicking sound stating the phone call was finished. With slumped shoulders, Matthew turns to the others again.
xxx
A/N
Do you guys think I need to start translating the other languages? Eg the phone call? 'Cause I always try to make it so the readers can understand through the context…
But I don't know. Which do you like better?
If there's any French natives reading this and spots some grammar mistakes or the like; feel free to tell me ^^
xxx
Right now I'm struggling with how to write the different ways of being angry :'D Thundered-pissed off; angry pissed off; fighting with a rival… Feedback please if it's to OOC! THANK YOU!
And this ff will be long… Oh dear… Didn't intend to… But there's still so many things…