Authors note: You know the drill, Craig Bartlett= True mastermind. I am merely just a pawn who enjoys writing.
She had managed to evade him for some time. While she went out with potential suitors, he dated rich girls with attitudes. Though the whole time they both knew they wanted each other, tragic societal views stood in their way.
"Lila, I'm so happy you decided to give me a chance!"
" You're oh-so welcome, Arnold… in fact, I should have given you this chance sooner."
"Well the past doesn't matter, I'm glad you did now."
"You're oh-too correct Arnold. Let's forget the past and future, let's focus on now. Our now."
"That would be perfect, Lila"
As Arnold and Lila took their first steps as a couple, there was one fellow sixteen year old who had witnessed the exchange and denounced their relationship. Though not openly, he resented Arnold for stealing away his one true love. This boy could not stand the thought of his precious love interest with another guy. He understood that he and Lila had problems in the past, but he did not understand why they had to climb their way through to their future. As upset as he was, he walked home and contemplated some kind of retaliation to bring him and Lila together. While contemplating potential plans, he thought about the good times he had had with her.
-
It was a dry summer day with crowds in the supermarket and the cinema searching for coolness. The perfectly green landscape was painted across the blue sky as poignantly as profound poetry on a calm day. The scenery was as romantic as that movie, Titanic, though not as tragic. The beautiful day inspired Lorenzo to search for his dirty friends around Gerald field and other key hangouts. He was not the boy to do that sort of thing, he was different. He enjoyed cleanliness and order, but Arnold and his friends had once shown him the fun dirt could be. In his rich home, he became accustomed to ordinary games and monotone lifestyle so that particular day, he was searching for some unclean, boyhood-embracing, dirty fun.
Instead, he found Lila sitting at Slaussen's eating a tricolored and delicious-looking sundae. He stared at her all by her lonesome as feelings began to bubble up inside him. She was wearing her traditional pigtails as orderly and fashionably as usual and a green tank top with black booty shorts. As he headed towards her to strike up a conversation and hopefully kill boredom, he could not help but notice the way she licked her sundae ice cream. She was so delicate in doing so, so precise. She did everything carefully and elegantly with graceful manners that surpassed anyone else's manners in this town. She was incomparable to any other girl, he realized. When he finally reached her, he tried to be his suave self, but was too nervous to be that gallant, so he just went back to basics.
"Hey Lila"
"Hey Lorenzo, How are you?"
"I'm good, How has your summer been?"
"It's been just ever-so wonderful! I just got back from my cousins farm where I got to ride horses and feed farm animals; tasks that I have deeply missed since I moved here from my own farm"
"That sounds like fun! Can I sit with you?"
"Yes, of course. I am oh-too bored now that I'm back, your presence can definitely change that"
"You're so nice Lila. Can I ask you, would you like to go to the movies with me? I'm planning on watching Howdy Horses today"
"That sounds oh-so-wonderful"
"Great; we can go after you finish your vanilla sundae"
-
That summer day had opened his eyes significantly. That one day told him that Lila was the one. Before, he had not believed in anything even slightly resembling true love. However after that encounter, he believed that he had fallen deeply in love with Lila. He then thought about the days after.
"Lorenzo I've had oh-too much fun with you the past couple of weeks!"
"Me too Lila, Me too"
"Lorenzo, would you like to come to dinner at my house tonight?
"Sure, that sounds exquisite."
"Okay, you know where I live. Come by at seven."
"I will, Lila. I'll see you later."
"I'll miss you just ever-so much!"
"I'll miss you too."
At that they kissed softly. Lila had spoken to him various times about how slow she wanted to take the whole relationship. He had concurred on a count of his deep love for her. The pair grew profoundly in love that summer.
-
That Dinner, Lorenzo recalled, was the root of their future problems. As he so dismally remembers, that dinner led to the faithful dinner at his house.
-
"Wow Lila, your father sure knows how to cook!"
"Thank you ever so much, Lorenzo. I too enjoy my dad's famous pork in a ranch bacon with ranch dressing."
"Lila, you're too cute. Of course I enjoyed it, it was delicious. Do you want to come have dinner at my house tomorrow? My mom has been dying to meet you!"
"That would be just ever so delightful! I would love to attend!"
"Great, I'll pick you up at seven, does that sound good?"
"Oh, Lorenzo, you are just ever so attentive to me! Don't worry about my transportation; I'll be at your house at seven. I would rather not make you drive to my house just to go right back to where you came from!"
"okay, Lila, if you say so."
"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow"
They then shared an intimate kiss. Lorenzo knew as he kissed her that he loved her. He had no idea how she felt, but he was sure of his love. He adored her, he lived for her.
-
The next day, Lila showed up in a pretty pink dress from a nearby store. A store that Lorenzo's mother despised because she had deeply rooted issues with poor people. As soon as she saw Lila, she looked to her side, and faked her hospitality as well as a professional actress would. Her son, however, could label his mother's actions as false and grew dim in response.
"So Lila, what does your father do for a living?"
"He is currently between jobs. We moved seven years ago from my family farm in search for a better life, but so far we haven't exactly found it yet."
"Oh, I see."
"Mom, do you think you could cool it with those personal questions? I don't think Lila wants to answer them."
"Don't worry Lorenzo… I'm oh-too certain that I don't mind answering the questions your generous mother has to ask me."
"Okay, if you don't mind, Lila, what part of Hillwood do you live in? Clearly not the nice part… seeing as you are dirt poor."
"MOM! What are you doing? I'm sorry Lila, I have no idea what has gotten into her…"
"It's alright… I…I have to go…"
After attempting to say her last sentence with utter pride, Lila left the ominous lady and her lovable son behind. She ran towards her house and never looked back. She was broken by the barriers society had placed between her and her lover. She did have to admit, the past summer weeks were too good to be true. How could she even think that a well-bred handsome young latino boy would be even slightly interested in her? Someone of his richness and importance could never be interested in her. Ever. As she cried her way home, she heard some paper crumbling in her pocket. She yanked in out and read it. It was a letter Arnold had given her in the fourth grade. It asked her, by hand, to be his valentine, because she was the one person he wanted to be with forever. The letter comforted her deeply and gave her much needed solace. When she finally arrived home, she slept. Her dreams were vivid paintings of her life with Arnold as her love interest. They illustrated the facile love life she would attain if she went out with good old Arnold instead of deeply complicated Lorenzo. After Lorenzo called her several times to acquire forgiveness, she finally picked up and dumped him square flat.
"Lorenzo, I can't be with you anymore because that oh-too deflating confrontation with your mom was too brutal for my delicate soul to withstand. I can't be with you if your mother does not approve of me."
"Lila, I know you feel bad and I am sorry for her behavior; however I am afraid that what we had was just a summer fling and after talking with my mother, I have come to understand that she is right. I think we should see other people, others who actually fit into our respective social statuses. I just believe it would be the wise thing to do. I'm sorry, but that's just what I think."
"You know Lorenzo, I had a blast with you all summer; but what you just said, just made you sound like the biggest ass I have ever had the displeasure of encountering. Please do not ever talk to me again because your provincial views are not worth my time"
Lila hung up with blood in her soul. She could not believe Lorenzo would just give up on their love that easily. What she said right after she picked up the phone was half a test. If he actually loved her he would have fought for their relationship, instead of giving into his mother's lacking outlook on life. True she had been considering the possibility of a romantic relationship with Arnold, but that idea blossomed during the heat of the moment. In reality, Lila would never dump Lorenzo just to date someone who was parentless and therefore could not be caught between parental love and true love.
As Lorenzo stared at Lila and Arnold, he waited for a plan to tear them apart. He observed them night and day until he finally came up with the perfect duplicitous scheme that would render Arnold and Lila history. He planned to cozen Arnold into professing his love for Helga and leaving Lila. The only arduous task he was left with was Sid. What was he going to do about Helga's boyfriend? After giving it much thought, he realized that it did not matter. After all, Arnold and Helga will end up together eventually, and they would exclude Sid when that time came.
Lorenzo kept thinking, however, about the awful things he said to her throughout that whole week. As they fought constantly, Lorenzo forced the dagger of his cruelty deeper into her heart by dating random rich girls to favor his mother. Although he had only said those terrible things to be the dumper, they were still words too cruel to be uttered. He hated the way he had hurt her. Lorenzo would set things right by exposing the chemistry between Arnold and Helga and ripping Lila and Arnold apart like an unwanted piece of paper. If he were to become successful, he would never let Lila go again.
