• AMALIA •
A week passes.
I feel more closed in than ever.
•
"Are we sitting with your friends again?" I ask Frankie as we head toward the cafeteria.
He nods, and I internally groan. Mia, Edie and Ollie have been working on a project since Monday, so normally they're doing that at lunch, meaning I'm lonely in the corner. So I decided to start sitting with Frankie so I can get to know him more, but all it's doing is making me bored. Now I feel like I just have to.
He leads me over to their usual table, sitting down. I take the spot next to him, throwing my bag onto the floor as I pull my phone from my pocket.
I'm back at my dads house, thankfully. The fact that I have a boyfriend has died down, but my family members continue to grill me any chance they get. They give up when I don't reply, though, content to throw pillows at me instead until my dad tells them to stop.
His friends begin to crowd the table. I feel myself shrink as Frankie slides a hand onto my knee.
Vividly, I hear someone ask a question about us. I'm about to ask them to repeat it since I didn't catch what they said, but Frankie answers for us.
"What did they ask?" I ask my boyfriend.
"You need to listen, Amalia." He replies, his tone rather scolding. I frown. "He asked if we're going to the bonfire tonight."
"What bonfire?"
"Don't worry, I already said yes." He says.
"I don't even know if I'm allowed to go." I reply.
"Your dad never lets you do anything." He mutters.
I'm silent for a few seconds before saying: "I can ask him."
He smiles, and a small spot of relief spreads in me. "Okay."
I click on my dads contact and send him a message.
ME: Can I go to a bonfire tonight?
His response comes a few seconds later.
DAD: At the beach?
ME: I think so.
DAD: Who with?
ME: Frankie. Other people from my year will be there too.
DAD: Let me meet him first.
ME: Why?
DAD: Because I wanna know who my daughter is spending her time with.
I look up at Frankie. "My dad wants to meet you first."
"Okay. That's fine." He replies.
ME: Okay. But you have to be nice.
DAD: I will be, sweetheart.
I shove my phone into my pocket.
•
Xander's the one who picks me up from school. He smiles at me, and I smile back as I climb into the passengers seat.
"How was school?" He asks me.
"Fine." I reply shortly.
"Do you wanna get ice cream?" He asks.
YOU ARE READING
reticent
Teen FictionAmalia Romano is sixteen years old now. Still a dancing prodigy, she lands herself a photoshoot for a magazine that'll help her get to where she wants to be. It seems like everything's going perfectly fine. Her grades are booming, she has a nic...
