Amore Inaspettato

Capitolo 12

Bring a pretty girl, Ginevra had grown used to being stared at in school. But when the whole school knew you'd slept with your best friend's brother, who also had a girlfriend at the time, the stares became even worse.

Ginevra walked down the hallway, trying not to make eye contact with anyone. She really just wanted this day to be over so that she could go home. As she walked into the classroom she saw Camilla sitting at the desk they shared. Ginevra took a deep breath before walking over to her seat.

"Hey," Ginevra said. Cami didn't even glance at the girl. "Come on Cami please don't ignore me."

"I have nothing to say to you," Cami said as she wrote in her notebook.

"I'm sorry. I had every intention of telling you. Brando was just drunk and beat me to it," Ginevra said.

"It doesn't matter who told me," Cami said turning toward the girl, "Nicco is my brother and you're supposed to be my best friend."

"I am your best friend," Ginevra said.

"A real best friend wouldn't have slept with my bother," Cami snapped, "I don't think it can be friends with you anymore."

Ginevra opened her mouth to say something but quickly shut it. She didn't have anything to say, Cami was right. In a single moment, she had just destroyed the best friendship she had ever had. As tears filled her eyes she quickly gathered her things before leaving the classroom. She needed to get out of the school, it felt like the walls were closing in on her.

As she continued down the hall she heard someone call her name, but she didn't stop. She didn't even know exactly who it was. She burst through the front door of the school and sucked in a big gasp of air. Ginevra leaned over placing her hands on her knees. She felt like she had just run a marathon.

"Hey, are you okay?" someone asked beside her.

"I'm—I'm. I don't know," Ginevra said. She looked over to see Damiano standing next to her. She looked at him with a scared expression still not being able to catch her breath. "I—I can't," Ginevra said putting her hand on her chest.

"Hey, hey. Just breathe," Damiano said putting his hand on the girl's shoulder, "Just close your eyes and take a few deep breaths."

Ginevra closed her eyes, dragging in shaky breaths. She could feel her hands shaking as she tried to calm herself down. Steady hands soon grasped hers. She opened her eyes to see Damiano holding her hands and giving her a concerned look.

"Tell me three things you can see," Damiano said. Ginevra's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "Don't think too much about it."

"I—I can see the school, trees, and you," Ginevra said.

"Three things you can hear," Damiano said. She was still confused about what he was doing but went along with it.

"The wind, cars, and you talking," Ginevra said, her body starting to somewhat relax.

"Finally, move three parts of your body," Damiano finished.

Ginevra took her hands from Damiano wiggling her fingers. She rolled her neck from side to side as she stretched her arms out.

"Are you feeling better?" Damiano asked. Ginevra took a deep breath realizing that her breathing had somewhat returned to normal. "Is there anyone I can get?"

"Could you go find Chiara?" Ginevra asked.

"Are you going to be all right if I leave you here alone?" Damiano asked. Ginevra shook her head as Damiano left her to walk back inside the school. She sat down on the steps in front of the school. Her body felt numb and tired. She didn't know how long she sat there before Chiara joined by her side.

"Are you all right?" Chiara asked looking at her best friend with concern, "Damiano said you were having a panic attack."

Ginevra turned to her friend, tears in her eyes. Chiara gave her a sympathetic look before pulling her into a hug. "Come on. We can go to my house," Chiara said standing up from the sidewalk.

The drive to Chiara's was a blur. Ginevra couldn't tell you exactly how she made it into Chiara's bed tucked under the covers, but there she lay. Her back was to Chiara as her friend ran a conforming hand through her hair. "What happened?" Chiara asked after a long silence.

"I tried to talk to Cami," Ginevra whispered.

"She just needs time," Chiara said, "You know how she can get."

Ginevra shook her head, pulling the blanket closer to her chin. "She hates me. I don't think she'll ever forgive me," Ginevra said.

"Come here," Chiara said pulling at her friend's side. Ginevra rolled over so that she was facing her friend. "We both know that Cami has a temper. She's just pissed right now, and you and I both know she's valid in that. Just give her some time. All of this will be water under the bridge when we're all studying abroad in America."

America. If Cami was mad at her now, she was truly going to be mad when she found out Ginevra had lied about America. "I won't be going to America," Ginevra said.

"Don't say that. You know we'll all get picked," Chiara assured.

"No. You don't understand," Ginevra said, "I can't get picked because I didn't turn in my form. My dad wouldn't sign it. I thought about forging his signature but I didn't want to face the consequences of me actually getting picked." Ginevra searched her friend's eyes trying to find any reaction.

"Ginevra," Chiara whispered, "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because you both seemed so happy about it. I couldn't tell you I wasn't allowed to go and ruin it for everyone," Ginevra said, "I figured that it would just be easier for me not to be selected. That way Cami couldn't be mad at me for not being able to go. Please don't be mad at me Chiara."

Chiara pulled her into a hug, "I could never be mad at you Ginevra. I will always be here for you."

Hey y'all!
Thank you SOO much for the love on this story 💛
~A