Everyone knew Luca Novak: he was the school's bad boy. He was a drug dealer for a living, who sold drugs in both parts of town: the suburbs and the hood. He got high on the regular and he drank often. There was nothing wrong with his home life, he h...
The next morning rolls around and the first thing I do when I wake up is call my mom. I tell her all about my first day in Florida and what we plan on doing today. I know it's only been two days, but I miss my mom dearly. It has always been just me and her ever since my dad passed away from cancer when I was in middle school. She still hasn't dated anyone; she was very much in love with my dad. Sometimes I think about how I wish she would try dating again, just so I can see her smile like she once did. I understand why she didn't want me to get on a plane. She didn't want anything bad to happen.
After I get off the phone with my mom, I pick one of the many outfits out of my suitcase. I go with a light grey bodysuit that is strapless and a jean mini skirt. I think that's a pretty safe outfit for a day at Sea World and exploring a little bit of Orlando. I get dressed and freshen up for the day, before making my way downstairs to see everyone in the kitchen. I guess I missed the early bird train. Or maybe I just took a little too long to get ready. I just want everything about today to be good, so I had to take some time with my appearance.
"I was starting to think you weren't gonna show." Zack chuckles, shaking his head.
"Ha ha ha, shove it." I playfully roll my eyes.
"Ouiii, you look cute!" Katie eyes my outfit.
"You do, too!" I say. She has on a casual dress, but it fits her perfectly. It sums up her personality. Katie is a very modest person; she doesn't really like to show a lot of skin when she dresses up.
"You guys want to make breakfast or go grab something?" Paul—Mr. Santon—asks.
"I'm fine with going out, hun." Kim—Mrs. Santon—states.
"I vote going out. Casey was telling me about this cute cafe near Sea World." Katie says.
"Alright, I'm going to call them up and see if they would like to join us." Paul nods his head.
"I already told Casey she should come. I can just text her, Dad. She gave me her number." Katie pulls her phone out of shoulder bag.
"Okay." He states and pours himself a cup of coffee.
~
We arrive at the cafe that Casey told Katie about. It is really dainty and aesthetically pleasing. The walls are a cute pastel color and the chairs and tables have a rustic feel to them. The outside of the cafe overlooks the busy neighborhood; it also has fairy lights on the patio. We opt to sit outside, while we wait on Casey to arrive. We browse the menu and the waiter takes our drink orders. After about ten minutes of being at the cafe, Casey arrives with a surprise guest.
Luca Novak walks along side her with a solemn look on his face. I can definitely tell that he does not want to be here; it looks like he just came to accompany Casey. She probably didn't want to have breakfast with us alone, considering she just met all of us. I think her and Katie hit it off quite well, actually. They greet us and sit down at the table.
"Sorry, Mom and Dad couldn't make it. They have a business meeting today. I'm sure they told you already." Casey says.
"They sure did. Your father is a very busy man." Mr. Santon smiles. "It's no problem at all. I hope you guys have fun with us today. The more the merrier."
One thing I like about Mr. Santon is that he really doesn't have to try hard to for people to like him. He is actually a really nice person, so this isn't about him being nice to get the job. Katie's entire family, in general, is nice; they aren't the type of people to brag about what they have. They are very humble.
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Luca doesn't say anything; he just sits at the table with his elbow propped upon the chair. He looks bored to death. I don't know why he ruins my mood so much. I don't even know him, yet his presence just sickens me. Maybe it's because he comes to class late all the time and sits in front of me smelling like weed. Maybe it's because he does douchebag-like things, such as stealing my turn at the four way stop signs. Or maybe it's because he looked like he wanted to murder me at the dinner table last night.
~
After we leave Sea World, we go walking around one of the touristy parts of Orlando. I like walking around places because it is a way to really see how it is. It is different than driving around—you don't really get to see much, everything goes by in a blur. The sun is shining, making my brown skin glisten. Zack and Katie are walking hand in hand, Casey is texting on her phone, and Mr. and Mrs. Santon are also walking hand in hand and enjoying the view. They are all in their own little world, and it seems like I'm stuck with Luca again. I don't know why this always happens to me.
"You should really knock the look off your face. It's sunny, be happy." Luca says out of nowhere.
"Excuse me?" I turn my head to eye him. "You're the one who was looking all mad earlier."
"Yeah, well." He shrugs his shoulders.
"You must be bored. You're talking to me. Why are you here?" I don't mean to come off as rude, but he really doesn't have a reason to be here.
"My parents forced me. You think I would want to spend my whole day with people I don't know, if it was up to me?" He states, eyeing me.
"Casey seems fine with it."
"Well, I'm not Casey."
"Maybe you should try being nice." I say. "It would really change how your day goes."
"Oh, like you're so good at that." He dryly chuckles.
"I am nice!" I shriek, taken aback.
"You've done nothing but talk to me like I'm an imbecile."
He knows what that means?
Okay, maybe he's right.
"Sorry for that, then."
He doesn't say anything else after that. However, he does make me question my own actions. I haven't exactly been nice to him since I've been here. I also haven't thought one nice thing about him. It's like I look at him and think nothing but negative things because of how I've seen him act at school. It's kind of hard not to do when that's the only thing I know about him. Now I know I shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but he makes it so hard not to.
•••
Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! It's kind of a filler, but I promise it jumpstarts their relationship!
