Page 492

Page One

             Illiana's POV
     My back presses hard against the wall in the corner of the auditorium with a book in hand and my backpack beside me. I dig through it, searching for my glasses case. The words on the book are blurry due to the words being so small.
   I put my black glasses on and start reading, the words now readable to me. My phone goes off making me groan internally. Looking at the screen, my foster brothers contact comes up.
      I pick it up and answer. "Where are you?" He says as soon as I answer.
    "School, studying," I tell him. He tells me to wait and puts me on hold.
    "Get home soon. Its getting late," he tells me before hanging up. I set my phone down on my backpack and return my book. There's something about cliche romances that I love.
    ×××××××××
    The door opens two boys walk in. I act as if I'm sleeping. "There you are," my brothers voice says loudly in the emptiness of the large room.
     "Get up," his friend Santos says. I keep my eyes closed as if I'm sleeping. "Okay then," he says. He's always been an asshole to me. I've never nothing anything to him, but he acts as if I have.
    He hands my bag and book to my brother and bends down to pick me up. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to be carried since I'm tired from the day, but I'm scared he'll throw me in the school pool knowing that I can't swim.
      He picks me up without a problem. I jump out of his muscular arms and straighten out my shirt. "I'm awake," I say quietly. My brother puts my backpack on his back and takes my hand and pulling me in for a hug. He may not be by blood, just a foster brother, but he's always been there for me.
     "I told you to go home," he says, stepping back.
   "I needed some time to myself. The house is always hectic and I needed to think," I tell him. He sighs and squeezes my hand.
    "Next time call and tell me your staying out late, please?" He says. I nod. Santos and him look at each other.
    "I told you she wasn't dead," is all he says, looking down at me. I hate him, but I keep that hate to myself. "I have to go home before my mother murders me for missing dinner. It was nice seeing you, Virgy," he says.
     I look down at my shoes and blink away tears. Whenever he calls me that I think of the truth. My mom would sell me to pedofiles without my dads knowledge. It started when I was four and I remember every little thing those people would do to me.
    The only people who know that is my brother and best friend, foster sister, Venus. She was the one who helped me cover up scars and bruises when I first arrive to the home.
     "We should get going before it's time to go to bed as well," my brother tells me. I nod, not looking up cause I know Santos will be giving weird looks like he always does.
      ××××××××××
       "There you two are. Mom and dad are worried sick about you two," Venus said. She's our foster parents birth child. "I'll tell them your back. Marcus, can you feed her?" She says. He nods and goes to the fridge.
   I sit down at the counter and watch what he does. I'm the only one who knows his story, not even our foster parents know, just as they don't know about me. He was thrown into drug deals at fourteen and when his parents got caught by the police, he could have gone to Juvenile​ Hall, but instead, because he was innocent for the most part they let him off the hook with community service.
    He takes the plate out of the microwave and sets it in front of me with a spoon. My stomach flips at the sight of food. "You have to eat. I've been trying to ignore the fact that I hardly ever see you eat, but I can't do that anymore. You worry me; I have to watch out for you just as a brother would do. If your not healthy, I'm not either."
    I pick up the spoons and take a bite of the noodles. "I have a hard time eating," I tell him. His brows draw together, waiting for to tell him more. "My mom never fed me correct amounts as a child so I would stay stick thin, so now that I'm here and you guys make sure I eat like a regular person, my body rejects most of it because its not used to so much. Its not my fault and I don't know what to do about it," I explain him. He takes my hand and squeezes it comfortingly.
    "Thank you for telling me all of this. Tomorrow when you go to the doctor, please tell them this. I don't want to risk you getting horribly sick," he tells me. I gives him a forced, small smile. My smile hasn't been real since the last time I seen my birth dad.
    "I will, I promise," I say. He smiles and stands up straight when out parents and Venus walk on. "I'm sorry for worrying you guys. I just needed space for while, to get away from everything. He didn't know where I was, so he went to find me. I'm worry if this has caused you trouble," I say shyly. Even though I've been with them for three years now, I'm still not truly comfortable with them. I wasn't here in the begining, for four years I was with a different family who was abusive toward the children. They didn't want me, so they tossed me. Easy as that I guess.
     Mar, my foster mom, walks over and trows her arm over my shoulder and kisses the top of my head. "Its okay, we understand. I just hope you know that if you ever need to talk to talk to one of us, we're always here for you. We all are," she tells me.
     Julio, my foster dad, nods with what she says, hugging Venus close to him and his hand on Marcus's shoulder. "We're your family now, even if you don't believe that. We won't hurt you. We love you, Illi," he says.
     "This is depressing," Venus says and takes my hand, pulling me up. "You can finish eating in the room. We have things to talk about." I grab my bowl and spoon and kiss my parents and brother goodnight.
     Venus closes and locks the door behind us. I sit down on my bed and start eating again. It feels good eat, but I know I'll throw it up later. "What do we have to talk about?" I ask her.
    "You," she says, holding up a letter. I take it from her. A week ago, my birth father sent me a letter saying he wants to meet. I haven't told anyone and haven't decided on it yet. I'm not even sure they'll allow me to see him even know he never did anything wrong.
     "How did you find this?" I ask. She gives a hard stare.
    "It was poking out of your dresser and I got curious so I read it. Have you told anyone?" She says. I shake my head. "Wh-what are you gonna do?" She asks me. I set the latter on my nightstand and place the bowl on to on of it so no one else will see it.
    "I don't know. They probably won't let me see him anyways. I'm surprised they gave me the letter without researching the address first. And I'm not sure I want to see him," I tell her. He moves onto my bed ad sits in front of me.
    "Why wouldn't you? Its been nearly seven tears since you last seen him and you said you loved him. Why wouldn't you want a chance of getting that back?" She says. I play with the knitted blanket that's​ on my lap.
     "I loved my mom too even though she did what she did to me, I loved her because she was my mom. And even now I can't completely hate her cause of that. I'm scared that I have this false picture of my father that might of been made out of lies," I tell her.
     She lives my hair behind my ear in a friendly, sisterly gesture. "I support whatever​ you decide. Now we have another subject... boys," she says with a smile.
    I roll my eyes. "What about them? How are you and Luke?" I ask. She smiles like a girl in candy shop.
     "Great, he's amazing in every way. Such a gentlemen and I love him, although I haven't told him that yet," she replies. Her and Luke have been dating for about three or so months now. "What about you? Do you even like boys?" She asks.
     I blush at the question. "Yes I like boys, I wouldn't have a problem with dating a female, but I prefer boys. And there's no one like usual. Don't get your hopes up anytime soon," I tell her. She chuckles at something.
     "What about Santos? He's one sexy man. He baked well in the oven (I got that phrase from PastelWeirdo you should go follow her! Her stories are amazing!!)," she says.
    I close my eyes and take a deep breath my vest hurting. "That'll never happen no matter how attractive he might be. He's bad news, you know that; drugs, street fights, smoking, alcohol, and so on. I'm surprised mom and dad let Marcus hang around him. Plus, he's too mean to me."
    She gets up and goes to her bed ad lays down. "Your right. Although I do sometimes wonder about the two of you. Sometimes opposites attract," she tells me. I shake my head.
     "Him and I are like fire and gasoline, we don't fix well," I say. She smirks.
    "But when together it starts a fire." I chuckle and lay down.
     "I'm the girl in back of the classroom that no one notices, I'll never be more than that girl."
     
    AN: Only he first chapter and this is almost 3,000 words!! I really hope you guys liked this. Comment what you think of Santo's and Illi's relationship!!! Share! Stay alive |-/                -Veah