I sit down next to Yukiko in English class as I usually do. She's reading another book when I come in, but she puts it away almost as soon as I sit down.
She's so cool. Ever since we became friends we've been having a long running competition to see who can wear the coolest outfit to school. I usually lose cause the cast my foot is still in can only look so cool, but I think I won today with my safety pinned ripped denim jacket.
And then I see her Docs and accept my defeat.
She's wearing glossy black lipstick today. It looks almost like wet acrylic paint. I wonder if it feels like wet acrylic paint?
"Do I have lipstick on my teeth?" she crashes my train of thought. "You're staring at my lips."
"Oh, I was just wondering how you got the effect. It looks like wet acrylic paint."
"It's just black lipstick with a clear gloss on top," she responds, almost... confused? No, that's not the word. Hmmm...
She's so hard to read. She radiates hostility and coldness, but I know that she's sweet despite her spiky exterior. She's so cool...
I get lost in a daydream while our English teacher continues talking about poetry or something or other. I'm too busy thinking about taking my new polaroid camera around the city with her as she poses by all the beautiful architecture with the gray sky dulling the surroundings and making her the brightest thing in frame and-
"Stefano!" Our English teacher finally manages to pop my thought bubble.
"Sì?"
"What do the business cards represent?"
I'm hosed. "Uhhh... nothing? They're just cards?"
"Stefano..." she sighs, disappointed. "Yukiko? Do you know?"
She too is snapped out of a daydream. Her face flushes bright red when she comes back to the real world.
Eventually she replies, "Status?"
"Yes! The business cards represent status!"
As she continues to drone on in the background, I write Yukiko a note saying, "How did you know it was status?"
She writes back, "Everything in this book symbolized status."
At lunch that day we were met with the unpleasant presence of Megan's new boyfriend, generic dumb jock who's name I didn't care to learn.
"'Sup, losers," he slaps me so hard on the back I nearly choke on air.
"Whatever, Brick," Yukiko retorts. "We both know your home life is shit."
His face pales. "Who told you?"
"Statistics," she replies coldly.
I feel my heart racing. I know she can take a lot in a fight, but his name is Brick for God's sake! I wouldn't fare any better, but I have to protect her. I have to protect my friend.
She's my only one.
"You little bitch!" I see Brick reel his fist back for a punch.
My breath shallows, my heartbeat quickens. In a split second, I push Yukiko out of the path of danger to take the blow myself.
He clocks me square in the right eye.
***
K-fsh!
I blink from the bright flash. The photographer smiles at me.
"You two really do make a lovely couple," he says to us.
I look to my right and see a woman in white next to me. She too is beaming. The bottom of her dress is gray and tattered, as is her veil.
Her veil is pulled back to reveal her face. It's held in place by butterfly clips. She looks so happy. She's holding a bouquet of polaroid pictures.
I feel like I should be loving this moment. The air smells like white roses and magnolias. Over the violins and other strings I can hear the water lap against the stones outside.
I race to the balcony of the banquet hall and breathe in the fresh air of Venezia. As I stare at the gondolas floating on the sparking water, I feel someone place their hand on my back.
"Stefano," I hear a voice calling through fog. "Stefano..."
***
"Stefano?" someone's shaking me. "Oh, c'mon! Wake up, doofus!"
I open my eyes. Well, eye. My right eye is apparently swollen shut. Yukiko is hovering over me. She looks like she's been crying.
"Ugh, tutto fa male..."
"What?"
"Sto facendo un pisolino," I mutter as I begin to close my eye again.
I hear her start to panic more, but my head hurts too much for me to care. I can feel her try to drag my limp body to the nurse, but I just wanna take a nap. It won't be a long one. I'll wake up before class.
"C'mon dumbass," she spits out between tugs. "We're not falling asleep today."
I groan. Her dragging me down the hallway like a murder victim is not helping my headache.
"Brick got sent to the principal's office after he punched you," she continues to talk as she drags me, "but no one bothered to get the nurse? This school fucking blows."
"Yukiko?" An adult's voice joins the auditory stimulation. "Why are you dragging Stefano down the hallway?"
"I'm pretty sure he has a concussion," Yukiko replies, her panic suppressed as usual.
The adult pries my one good eye open and shines a bright light in it, causing me to cry out in pain.
I just wanted to take a nap...
YOU ARE READING
The Arthouse
FanfictionAct one of The Evil Within 2 ends with Chapter 13, a giant boss battle between Sebastian Castellanos and Stefano Valentini, ultimately ending with the death of the sadistic photographer. Via interviews with hapless and confused strangers, journal en...