Amore Inaspettato

Capitolo 16

"Ginevra?" a voice said making her jump. The girl turned to see Niccolo standing in front of her. The boy's eyes grew wide as he took in her appearance.

"Can I come in," Ginevra asked glancing back over her shoulder, "Please!" Nicco moved out of the way not saying a word as the girl walked into the house. She shoved the door shut, locking it.

"What happened?" Nicco asked.

"Is your mom home?" Ginevra asked ignoring his question.

"No. They're gone on vacation. Won't be back until the end of next week," Nicco said.

"Shit," Ginevra cursed. She thought maybe Mrs. Rossi would let her stay here for a few days, just until things cooled off at home.

"Ginevra," Nicco said stepping forward to grab her hand, "What happened?"

"I uh dropped some glass and then fell," Ginevra said, "It's not a big deal."

"Dropped some glass and fell?" Nicco questioned.

"Then why is your cheek all red and you have a busted lip?" Nicco asked. Ginevra let her free hand come up to touch her lip, she could feel the blood dripping down her chin.

"Who did this to you?" Nicco questioned. Ginevra met his eyes. She knew he wasn't going to back down and she didn't have enough brain power to come up with any more lies. She'd been keeping the secret of her dad for so long. Trying her best to hide it from everyone in her life. But now...now she was tired of having to hide it.

Ginevra let tears fall down her face as she fell into Nicco's chest. "M-my dad," she choked out, "He came home drunk and I accidentally knocked a bottle out of his hand. He...he slapped me across the face and threw me to the ground. I could feel the glass cutting into my skin. I-I got out of there as soon as I could. I don't have my phone. I didn't know where else to go."

"Shh," Nicco soothed the girl as he caressed the back of her hair, "You're safe now. I'm not going to let anything else happen to you." The boy held the crying girl close to his body. So many emotions were running through his mind, but all he cared about right now was comforting her.

"Nic-Nicco you can't tell anybody," Ginevra said pulling away from the boy.

"Ginevra you can't just let him walk away from this," Nicco said, "He put his hands on you. You need to go to the police. You probably need to go to the hospital!"

"I can't go to the police. If I do they'll throw him in jail and then take me away," Ginevra cried, "I'm still a minor. I have nowhere else to go. Please." Nicco wanted to go to her house right now and beat the shit out of her dad himself, the least he could do was call the police. But the pleading look in her eyes stopped him. He knew what she said was true. If the police were notified her dad would be thrown in jail and she'd be taken away.

"Fine," Nicco said, "I'll keep my mouth shut but only because I don't want to lose you again."

"Thank you," Ginevra said pulling Nicco into a hug. The boy's body was stiff but relaxed at her touch.

"Let's go get you cleaned up," Nicco said. He grabbed her hand and lead her into the bathroom. She sat on the counter as Nicco grabbed everything he'd need to clean her up. As he examined her legs he knew the most difficult task would be getting all of the glass out. Since going to the hospital would lead to questions, he knew he'd have to do it by himself.

"How long?" Nicco asked as he started removing glass from her leg. Ginevra sighed knowing there was no use in trying to lie to Nicco anymore. She needed to tell him everything.

"He started drinking heavily a few months after my mom died. Over the years the alcohol wasn't enough some nights so he turned to drugs," Ginevra said, "Usually he'd just yell at me, tell me how worthless I was. Occasionally he'd grab ahold of my arm or wrist and it would leave a bruise."

Nicco stopped removing glass from her leg looking up at her, "That night you came over while Cami was gone and I caught you crying...those bruises on your arm."

"They were from him. He'd come home drunk and grabbed me a little too hard," Ginevra said, "But tonight...tonight was different. When I heard him come in the door I could tell he was drunk. Bu-but when I saw his eyes I knew it was more. He had something else in his system."

"I don't want you going back to that house Ginevra," Nicco said grabbing her hand to start removing the few pieces of glass that had embedded in her palm.

"That's my home," Ginevra said, "Where else am I supposed to go?"

"You can stay here," Nicco said.

"Don't you think me staying here might raise questions from your parents?" Ginevra asked, "No one can know about my dad. No one." Nicco looked into her eyes. He knew his parents would allow her to stay but they would definitely ask questions, especially with Cami gone.

"I promise I'll be fine," Ginevra said.

"Fine," Nicco said, "But you're staying here until my parents get back from their trip." Ginevra opened her mouth to argue but Nicco cut her off, "No arguing. I'll keep your secret, but you have to do this one thing for me."

"Fine," Ginevra agreed, "But only until your parents return. After that, I have to go back home." Nicco nodded his head in agreement as he turned back to her wounds. He'd gotten all the glass out but needed to clean them so they didn't get infected.

"This might not feel the best," Nicco said as he prepared to wipe the cloth over the cuts. Ginevra sucked in a breath when the cloth touched her skin. It especially hurt when he went over the wound on her palm that had been cut by the big piece of glass. "I think that will be good for the night. We'll have to make sure they get cleaned every day for a while and keep an eye on that big cut on your hand."

"Thank you," Ginevra said as Nicco stood up putting away all of the supplies. Ginevra slid off the counter, her legs aching as they touched the ground.

"I'm sure you're tired," Nicco said, "Cami's bed should have sheets on it." Ginevra sent the boy a tightlipped smile before walking toward Cami's room. Her hand touched the doorknob but slipped off before she opened it.

"Nicco," Ginevra said turning around. Nicco looked up at her from his doorway. "Do you think maybe it would be all right if I stayed in your room...just for tonight?"

A small smile tugged on the corner of his mouth, "Yeah. I think just for tonight would be all right."

Okay, serious question about Baby. Is it just me or does anyone else think that the actors who play Niccolo and Chiara look alike?! Like they could have definitely played siblings. Since the very first episode I thought they looked alike, but maybe I'm crazy
~A