Chapter Five: Sorry
Griffin Kane hasn't been to school all week long. It's not an unusual thing, Gia learned from her fellow classmates. But she can't help but feel like something is wrong. She pushes those thoughts to the back of her mind as she worries on about her school work instead.
In Physics class, the boy named Andrew that sits in front of her, suddenly turns his head back to speak with her every so often. He's cute, she thinks to herself, but he doesn't hold much interest to her.
When the teacher, Mr. Rockford, said that everyone could pair up with a partner for the next assignment, Gia mentally frowns when the boy in front of her immediately turns to look at her.
"Giuliana! Me and you?" He says more than ask, as he gestures between the two.
She knows he's kind of popular at school, due to the fan club she sees that follows him through the halls all the time. Yet, she didn't see the appeal. He's a baseball player, she hears from the girls that giggle all the time in front of her in her Art class. The star pitcher, Andrew Collins.
She smiles politely in return, "Um...sure," she shrugs.
He smiles, then practically pushes the boy who sits beside her out of his seat, and sits beside her.
He leans over her, not understanding the term "personal space" throughout the entire class period. He made small chat, nothing serious, and although Gia ignores his advancements towards her, he was still nice.
As she walks out the classroom door to her next class, Andrew catches up to her.
"Hey! Giuliana, wait it!"
Sighing, she turns on her heel, "Andrew, like I said, it's Gia," she corrects him for the tenth time that morning.
Face-palming himself, he chuckles, "Right, sorry. Just your real name is so beautiful. Why change it?"
Gia smiles genuinely, "Oh, well thanks."
He nods his head, "Yeah. Well, I was wondering if you wanted to go out on a date? Friday?"
With wide eyes, Gia looks at him like he's insane, "A date? But I don't know you."
"Well, that's the whole point of a date. For us to get to know each other," he laughs lightly.
He laughs too much, Gia notes mentally to herself.
Shaking her head, she replies, "I don't know. I'm new here and I kind of am not in the mood for dating right now."
"Well, what if it's just casual? Just two friends hanging out."
But we're not friends... She can't help but think.
"Why are you so adamant about dating me?" She blurts out.
He shrugs his left shoulder, "You're hot and nice. That's a rare combination."
She sighs once more, "I'm sorry, but no."
Gia isn't the type to go out with random guys. He seems nice, but she wasn't attracted to him, even if she thought he was cute. There were a couple times when he touched her hand, intruding her personal space, and she felt nothing. No sparks as they say in the romance novels. It felt normal.
Nodding once, he says, "Alright, then. I respect your answer." Then with that, he wanders down the opposite direction of the hall.
The bell sounds, causing Gia to groan. Now she's late to class.
•••
Rosa Moretti always has a smile on her face. She's one of those people who smiles, even through the pain she may feel. But today, Rosa isn't smiling. Which is the first thing Gia notices when she goes to visit her mom at the hospital that afternoon after school.
