Sommerstall Academy

Chapter 55

Florence

"Hello. Thank you so much for giving me a ride. I know you probably had better things to do right now," I say as I walk up to Kai. I stop a few feet away from him, not sure how to greet him. He smiles warm enough though so I don't feel too awkward. Then he finishes the distance between us and hugs me.

"Hey. No problem, my girlfriend was in the mood for pizza anyways so we were on the road," he tells me, pulling away. "You got everything?"

"Yes, thanks," I tell him. Then we leave his home and walk towards his car. There are two people waiting already. One Asian woman, who I assume is Kai's girlfriend, is in the passenger seat, and a short-looking dude in the back.

"Hi, I'm Miyu. It's nice to meet you," the girl says, turning her head to see me as I get in the car next to the guy. She's so ridiculously beautiful I need to force my jaw not to drop. That long, straight hair with those striking, dark eyes. Agh! Chef's kiss.

"Florence. Pleasure is all mine," I finally say.

"Easy, Florence. If you keep looking at my girl like that I'm going to feel threatened. I'll totally tell on you to Elija," the guy exclaims humorously. Wait, his girl?

There must be a big question mark written all over my face since Kai laughs.

"We're poly, Flo. All three of us are in a relationship," Elija's brother tells me.

"Oh." I laugh. "Right, sorry. Okay, go on," I tell the other guy, who still hasn't introduced himself.

"I'm Alejandro and I'll be seriously offended if you don't gape at me like you did Miyu. Obviously, I'm the most beautiful in this relationship," he announces before laughing it off. "Just kidding."

I decide Kai's one lucky dude for scoring not one but two funny and attractive people. Not that I can complain, of course. No one comes even close to my boy.

As the ride goes on, I learn enough things to make my head swim. For one, I'm told Alejandro is Mexican and has only been in the US for about ten years. Miyu is from Japan though she was born and raised here.

I also get to know my boyfriend's brother a bit better. He works halftime as a swimming coach at a college nearby, which explains the shape he's in. On the days he's not there, he works as a barista. It's quite impressive.

Between Kai's sweetness, Miyu's sass, and Alejandro's sarcastic jokes, I completely forget to worry about what awaits me at home. Only when we stop in front of my driveway does the laughter die on my lips.

The car goes silent the longer I stay frozen in my seat and although I can feel three sets of curious eyes on me, I can't seem to muster up a smile.

"Are you hungry? We're going for pizza, if you feel like it," Alejandro finally breaks the silence as well as the spell I was under.

"I should really get home but thanks for offering," I tell him before finally getting out. I'm not about to crash their date. Nope. Though I don't doubt they could make it possible for me to stomach some pizza. They're really awesome.

Now, back to my task. I force my feet to keep going forward until I reach my front door. Aware of the car that hasn't gone away yet, I wave at them and enter my home.

The house feels cold and dead, more so than usual now that I've spent thirty minutes in a stuffy car with lively people.

"Hello? I'm home," I announce, trying to keep my voice even.

I hear a sound from the kitchen and decide to follow it. Even as everything in me tells me not to. As expected, both my parents are sitting at the kitchen table. My mom seems to be cooking dinner while my dad's on his phone. Both of them look up at me indifferently before returning their attention to their tasks as if I weren't here at all.