Lady Friend

Five - Who's This Lady?

"Everyone, this is Diego. He will be joining the Studio this year and will be in all of your classes wth you."

He sheepishly shuffled over to the boys. They patted him on the back and gave him welcoming looks. He smiled back, arm in arm with Leon and Broduey.

As they turned their head to see them, Violetta and Camila angrily scowled. Quietly, so they wouldn't be heard, they whispered to each other about how they were being too nice to Diego. He was a friend of Ludmila so that meant that he was not to be trusted. Not in any circumstance.

Francesca joined in the conversation, gently nudging them when a teacher was near so they wouldn't hear them gossiping. After they had had a little episode over their boyfriends being friendly with him, the conversation then moved to what he did best. In the Studio, you could dance, sing and write your own music. Camila reckoned he was a songwriter. One of those rocky types. Violetta thought that he could possibly be a good singer. He surely must have auditioned to get in. Francesca, on the other hand, was indecisive about what his main talent was.

"I think we'll find out soon." She said raising her eyebrow curiously.

   *   *   *

Olga was unpacking the ingredients that she bought for the special dinner tonight. German said that there would be a special guest. Who was that going to be? A friend at work? A new tutor for Violetta? No, she crossed that one out in her mind. Angie was still here. Thank goodness. She flicked her finger back and forth, making a cross. She hoped that Angie would always stay here. Violetta, and everyone else in this house, needed her.

Vegetables? Yes.

Chicken stock? Yes.

Bread rolls? Yes.

Automatically Olga put everything in neat piles and prepared the vegetables to be weighed. Today, well, tonight, her reputation would be put on the line. Whoever this person was, she had to impress them.

"What are the chances it's a woman?" Ramallo called to the room, making Olga jump a thousand miles.

It was sometimes comforting how he read her thoughts but this time it was a little eerie. In their heads, they were both asking the same question. Maybe they were nervous. They didn't want Angie to be upset. What if German's surprise guest could possibly be his new girlfriend? 

"It wouldn't surprise me." Ramallo said matter-of-factly. She nodded.

"I always hoped that Miss Angie and Mr German would get together, though." Knowing that last year they were both so heavily invested in their relationship, she knew she could tell him how she really felt about the situation.

"Yes." He replied curtly, picking up the lens of his glasses from his nose, "I think we all did."

Silence passed over the room as neither of them knew what to say.

      *   *   *

Diego picked plucked a guitar from behind the stage and sat convincingly on its edge. He strummed the guitar gently. No one knew what song he was singing but it sounded like it could be popular. Maybe it was something traditional from Spain? Everyone seemed captivated by his voice. Violetta had certainly got her guess right.

Drawing Violetta out of the moment Angie briskly walked her outside of the hall where everyone was. She told Violetta about the dinner and how her father wanted her there so soon. If he wanted her there, then he would most definitely want his daughter there. Violetta's face dropped, understandably, and she asked if she knew why he was so insistent on holding this dinner. She told her she didn't and that was the honest truth. She had no clue. Violetta nodded.

In the small second when they weren't talking, German texted Violetta. He told her that there was someone that she had to meet. Being the unassuming girl she was she jumped for joy and went happily to say goodbye to her friends for the day.

Bubbles filled Angie's stomach. German hadn't told her that there would be a guest. She thought it would just be them, Olga, Ramallo and Violetta, like always. What was he hiding?

On an impulse she decided to check her messages but didn't actually read anything because she saw, in the corner of her eye, Pablo looking suspiciously at her. She looked down at her phone again but she could still see him. Angie shuffled quickly into the Teacher's Lounge and waited for Pablo to come in.

Surely enough, two minutes later, he walked in. At first, he didn't look at Angie. He poured himself a cup of coffee and quietly stirred the sugar. When he finally made his way to the table, he handed his cup to Angie.

She looked at the liquid inside of it. He had made the coffee the way she liked it. It was probably nothing. Just him being a good friend.

Pablo sat down beside her and didn't speak. He gave her a few glances, but seemed afraid to initiate a start of a conversation. She said hello. The silence was killing her and for some reason his actions in the past five minutes had been very odd. He greeted her back. She breathed in as if to speak, but then he cut her off. He told her that he knew about the dinner with German.

How could he possibly know about that? Suddenly intrigued, she checked her phone. One missed call. That was all. Normally she would have four or five. That was more like German. She turned to Pablo to see his face twisted in anguish.

"Angie..." He reached for her hand and reluctantly she took it, "I answered his call."

Wait. He....

"You answered my phone and answered my call from German which was none of your business. You should have never known about that." She picked up the coffee mug, wanting to drink, but she was too angry, " When were you going to tell me?!"

Pablo resigned and shrunk in his seat. "Later today."

She scoffed. "So you never wanted to tell me."

He shook his head. "No."

A high pitched sigh left her mouth.

Not wanting to look at Pablo and hear his lame retaliations, she slammed the door.

     *   *   *

The smell of Olga's cooking bought her to the back door. Even thought it was closed, the marvellous scents wafted through the open windows.

Olga hugged her and asked her how her day went. She smiled and brushed it off, asking about the dinner. Olga told her about the special guest and the food she was preparing. Angie tried to grill her on this person's identity, but it seemed like no one knew who it was.

Through the running of the water and the peaceful chaos in the kitchen, music could be heard. It seemed to be coming from the living room. Gossiping quietly Angie and Olga slightly opened the kitchen door and peeked their heads around the door frame.

Olga looked to Angie. Her face looked blank yet it contained a whole lot of emotions. The one question that was on both of their minds was this:

Who is this lady?