Oblivion ✓

B| Drivers license II

JOSEPHINE

'How could he?', I thought outraged while reading a new book. Matteo's suggestion had sounded harmless enough at first—"Hey, try this book, you might like it." And at first, I had. The writing was smooth, the characters intriguing, and the plot had me hooked from the very first page. It was a world I could get lost in.

But then, there it was. A plot twist that hit me like a sucker punch to the gut.

I flipped back to the page, rereading the part that had set my heart racing in anger. The protagonist—who, up until that point, had seemed like a decent, relatable character—had done the unthinkable. He'd betrayed his best friend. And the worst part was that he did it without any remorse. No apology, no guilt. Just cold, calculated betrayal.

"How could he?" I muttered under my breath again, my fingers tightening around the book. My stomach churned as I tried to reconcile the character I had liked with the person who had just stabbed his friend in the back for personal gain. I slammed the book down onto the coffee table, feeling that sense of injustice rising within me. How was I supposed to root for this character now?

"-be so awesome? I often wonder myself, since it can't be genetic. I mean, look at the others." Valentino leaned at the doorframe, his arms crossed and a grin on his face. "Am I interruppting something?"

I jumped, the sudden sound of his voice pulling me out of my spiral of frustration. The book, still lying open on the coffee table, felt like an anchor weighing me down. I glanced up at Valentino, feeling a mixture of surprise and irritation. "Really?" I shot him a look. "You couldn't just knock?"

He smirked, pushing himself off the doorframe and taking a step inside. "Knocking is for people who care. And besides," he motioned to the book, "that seemed like a pretty intense reaction. What's got you so riled up?"

I huffed, closing the book with a bit more force than necessary. "This character," I muttered, holding it up for him to see. "Betrays his best friend without even batting an eye. It's... I don't know. It just doesn't sit right."

Valentino raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. "You're upset over a book? Come on, that's like getting mad at a movie villain for being bad." He grinned wider, clearly enjoying my annoyance. "You know it's just fiction, right?"

"I know that," I snapped, the edge in my voice betraying my frustration. "Why are you even here? Don't you have somewhere else to be?"

Valentino shrugged, unfazed by my irritation. "You always ask that like I'm some kind of mysterious creature that needs to be out and about all the time." He grinned, leaning back casually into the couch. "But honestly, I had other plans... until I realized I'd much rather stick around and watch you get all worked up over a book."

I shot him a glare, but it was hard to stay mad at him when he looked so annoyingly pleased with himself. "Well, don't let me keep you," I said, sarcasm dripping from my voice. "If you're so bored here, go on, get lost."

Valentino chuckled, standing up and stretching. "Nah, actually, I've got something better in mind. I was thinking we could go out. You know, clear your head. Get away from all the book drama." His grin turned a little more mischievous. "I know a place you'd love."

I narrowed my eyes, skeptical. "A place? What kind of place?"

Valentino looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "Come on, don't make me beg. It'll be fun. I'll even let you vent all you want about your protagonist while we're get there."

I hesitated, glancing at the book again, unsure if I wanted to give it up just yet. But then, I realized that maybe I needed a break. The frustration I felt was starting to bleed into everything around me, and maybe getting out of the house—away from the pages and from all the built-up tension—would actually be good. "Fine," I said with a sigh, tossing the book aside. "But if this is some kind of weird brother-sister bonding activity, I'm holding you responsible."