A Diamond In The Rust

Relationships And Karma

Lovino peered over at Esmeralda with the corner of his eye. He wanted to tell her he knew about the robbery and that he worked at the orphanage. But how he would tell her was a mystery to him. She wasn't the most approachable person on his list and the two had been assigned lab partners for their current science project. He cleared his throat causing her to look up at him, "Can I help you?", she asked simply. "Uh, yeah...", he couldn't find his words and trailed off. "What Lovino? You found out I cheated off you in our math test? I tried not to be obvious but oh well. I just hope you knew what you were doing", she took out a brush and untangled her long wavy hair. Lovino was caught off, he did not notice at all but he wasn't surprised either. He hoped she would at least be courteous enough to thank him later for the A. "No I didn't actually. What I wanted to say was that I know what you did last Friday night", he immediately deadpanned. 'Shit! Why did I just make my self sound like a total stalker! Now she's looking at me weird!', he started to panic in his mind as she raised a perfect eyebrow at him. "Meaning.......?", she gave him a fairly questionable glance. Lovino found his cool and composed himself, "I know about the robbery". Esmeralda cursed and looked around before lowering her voice. "How the hell do you know about that Italiano?", her voice was cautious but also edgy. Lovino continued to panic in his mind but remained calm on the outside. "It's okay. Your doing community service at an orphanage right?", she nodded her head. "Well, I work at the orphanage and my boss told me about it yesterday so um, looks like we're going to be working together", he managed a weak smile as she listened to his heavy accented voice making sure he wasn't up to something. "Huh, really now? Well you better keep your mouth shut about it", Lovino nodded feeling a bit light headed as they continued to build their solar oven. Suddenly, a student came up to their table. "Hey babe, what's cooking? Haha get it? Since we're making ovens haha", the obnoxious American leaned smoothly on their table. Esmeralda didn't even bother to look up at her notes, "What do you want Alfred?". Lovino glared at the American, never really liking him. "Oh nothing at all! Just seeing how my babe and Mr. Grumpy pants are doing. If you want, we can trade partners so I can work with you and Lovino can work with Antonio, that is unless you want to work with Antonio, Esmeralda", the young girl narrowed her eyes at him. "First of all, I'm not your babe, second of all, we don't need to switch partners, and third most importantly of all, I want nothing to do with that damned Spaniard", her words were cold enough to even send shivers down Lovino's spine. Alfred smirked, "You guys are still fed up with each other. Come on, you broke up with him! You don't even like each other anymore, that was so two years ago! Take your breakup like a normal person and make room for more important stuff, like me", the two Latin kids ignored the American and looked at each others notes. "Alfred, you talk too much", was Esmeraldas simple response. "Come back to me. That's all I'm asking. I don't see why we keep dating on and off", Alfred randomly pleaded with his ex girlfriend. "Because I keep finding reasons not to be with you. But then you and your damned blue eyes help me find reasons to be with you that I never realized before. So then our cycle continues", she tried not to look up at the American and kept her guys glued to Lovinos neat handwriting. "Exactly! You come back! So there's no reason to leave! Please", Lovino shifted in his seat. "Well this isn't awkward...", he continued to shift around so he wouldn't face them anymore. Esmeralda sighed as she finally put down the notes, "We'll talk about it later okay Alfred", a bit of sincearness could be found in her voice and she let their eyes meet. Alfred lit up and nodded quickly before running back to his own project.

Lovino cleared his throat. After Esmeralda broke up with Antonio, Alfred and Esmeralda had been dating on and off. Esmeralda would break up with him, he would beg for her back, and she would agree, but break up with him eventually. "So um, you and Alfred, you think he's the one?", Lovino was just trying to get comfortable. "Not at all. He's a great guy and not to bad of a boyfriend, but we fight to much and he's exhausting. He's great, I like him a lot, but the one? I don't think so", she shook her head while drawing some blueprints. Lovino felt bad for her. He didn't think she would ever find love and she would be forced to spend the rest of her sad life in jail. Her relationship with Alfred was a roller coaster that could make you nauseous and puke. One moment, they would seem like the perfect love birds, the next, they were cursing and throwing things at each other. Then there was her relationship with Antonio. Everyone thought they would be together for ever. Lovino thought so himself with the way they looked at each other and held each other. A match made in heaven some would say. They even gave themselves away to each other. But it was too good to be true because out of no where, Esmeralda dumped him. No one knows what happened, but they all knew it was nasty, leaving the school with months of awkward tension coming from the both of them. Lovino on the other hand, was currently in a steady relationship with the same girl for about two years. He couldn't imagen himself with anyone better and decided Esmeralda just had really bad karma and would be deprived of just about anything that made one happy. "You know Lovino, your brother tells me that my relationship with Alfred isn't healthy", Lovino nodded. "Yeah Feliciano's talented when it come to other peoples love life, but he can't manage one himself", he swore he heard her laugh when he said that. 'Score one for me! I made the toughest girl in school laugh! Ha, so much for Mr. Grumpy pants'.

Lovino was surprised at how well they were getting along, but he remained cautious. She was a trouble maker and he wanted nothing to do with that. After lunch, he found Esmeralda and Alfred hugging. "Guess they're back together", he said in a bored tone while his brother clapped. "Ve, isn't it great fratello!", Lovino shrugged. "Sure whatever", he could honestly care less about the two. Lovino ditched his brother and went to class. At the end of the day, Lovino went to the office to file the daily documents. While he was filing documents, the principals door opened and Esmeralda and Alejandro walked out followed by a cop who quickly left the building. Alejandro went back to class as the principal shook his head slamming the door. Esmeralda took a seat in the office hallway and made herself comfortable. "Got busted for the robbery?", Lovino tried to ask her casually. She nodded and showed him a detention slip. "That's all you get? Detention?", Lovino was surprised at the lack of punishment, he was also surprised as to why he was even talking to her. "I know right. I thought we were in for some big shit but I guess not", she shrugged her shoulders and looked around. Lovino found himself reading the slip. "It says you have detention on Thursday", she looked up at him. "Yeah, what's your point?", Lovino pulled out his own detention slip, "I do too", she grabbed it and read it out loud. "Hm cursing, why am I not surprised. Mine just says inappropriate citizenship. Whatever the hell that means. See ya there then", she handed it back. 'Why are we being bought together? First, it turns out she'll be working with me, then we have detention together. What the hell is this? And I just checked the records and no one else has it on Thursday so we'll be alone. It's the end of the day, No one will get written up", he got lost in his thoughts and forgot that the Mexican girl was sitting right in front of him. "Yo, Earth to Lovino. You there?", her voice sent him back immediately. "Uh, oh yeah! Sorry. Hey, don't you have to get to class", he realized that Alejandro returned to his and she was still there. "Nah, for what?", she started to fix the bottom of her skin tight pants. "Oh I don't know. To learn maybe! Get an education!", he pointed out the obvious. "Whoa, chill. It's the end of the day. It don't matter", Lovino sighed. "It does matter. And the correct sentence would be it doesn't matter. Not, it don't matter", he felt the sudden urge to correct her grammar, which he never had a problem with. It was just his annoyance about how little she cared. He didn't care about school either, but he felt like she was on a whole different, dangerous level. "Hey, you sound like Arthur. He's always correcting my grammar", she pulled out her phone and started texting. "You can't sit still for a second can't you? Youv'e gone all fidgety and shit since seventh grade", she shook her head no, knowing he was right. He still wasn't fully comfortable, but didn't see her as much as a threat anymore.

"So I see you got back with Alfred", he made small conversation while he finished his work. "Yeah we did. I don't why I took him back though. There's no spark anymore, it's like we're both just in it for the sex now. At first, it was all about completing each other and the sex was special. But know, it just feels like fucking and we're all like 'forget the smut we always had and let's just fuck', you know what I'm saying? I use to like him a lot, but now it just feels like old news that I kept replaying. A copy, non original form from when we first started dating. Shit, why am I being so open with you. Probably because your the only one whose listened to me for this long when I talk about it", she said the last part softly, but Lovino heard it. He continued feeling bad for her, thinking she would never be happy with a guy. "Well um.. I don't know what to say. I'm not good at this kind of stuff", he confessed. "I know. I usually vent to your brother, he's great company. See you later", she grabbed her stuff and walked out just as the bell rang. Lovino stood there shocked, "What the hell is Feliciano doing hanging out with her! I mean yeah I see them talking, but....What the hell! He's in the grade below us and he's befriending delinquents. Shit Feliciano....What am I going to do with you", he shook his head as he spoke to no one in particular. He was still in shock that he was able to hold a conversation with Esmeralda and even more surprised that it was a semi touchy subject for her. Lovino was still convinced karma was to blame for her misfortune in romance.