Static Hearts

Under the oak tree

"Where is Reina?" Julia asked immediately, as she stretched her neck searching for the figure to appear but her excitement was soon replaced by disappointment when the car left.

"She's coming later I guess." Against Julia's reprehending stare Vanessa could do nothing but lower her head in shame.

"Get in anyway." It was obvious that her anger hadn't subsided but she had confidence that when Reina arrived all her scrutinizing attitude would be put to an end.

A few minutes later a handsome upper classman approached. The fact that he was coming towards her made Vanessa's cheeks redden.

"Hey I heard you know Reina Romano. Is it really true?" he asked in a way that aroused distrust. Everyone knew that the Romano's successor was not someone you could easily approach.

"Yes." She answered quickly. "We're best friends. Hang out all the time. She's not as cold as she looks, just a little shy. You know one time..." So distracted by his attention Vanessa no longer realized what she was actually sputtering. Inventing past stories, childhood experiences and sharing nonexistent secrets was becoming natural for her.

Even though the music was too loud to the ears, many students were gathered around her listening attentively. Paying attention. For the first time, people were looking at her with interest and that made a smile unconsciously appear on her face. It made her feel happy.

"Is she coming today?" someone from the crowd asked.

"Totally. Reina wouldn't miss this for the world." She answered shrugging as a glass of martini was served to her.

On the other corner of the room, Madison was staring at the pink-haired girl chattering loudly. "Do you believe her?" Julia asked in a soft voice.

"Not a word." was her response. It felt like that girl was describing a totally different person, one who is too simple to control, a person who easily became part of degraded pleasures money could afford. It looked like she was describing herself instead of the queen Madison believed Reina to be. "This party is becoming too boring. I'm out."

It was no secret what kind of punishment such people experienced in their community and she didn't feel like watching it. Seconds became minutes, minutes turned into hours, and Vanessa felt the surrounding people's gazes turn cold. Inexplicable anxiety was welling up inside her. She struggled to overcome her discomfort over suddenly feeling irrelevant and superfluous.

"I need to go to the toilet for a minute." After noticing that the atmosphere was getting chilly, Vanessa quietly excused herself with a modesty that was previously nowhere to be seen.

Her fingers hurriedly pressed through the contacts on her phone searching for Reina's. An excited yelp escaped her lips when she found the number she covertly took from her boyfriend's phone last week.

"..." the phone kept ringing increasing her anticipation.

In the meantime, Domenic Romano's office was echoing loudly.

"Do you plan on answering?" he asked glaring impatiently at the source which continuously interrupted their conversation, her phone.

"It's not important." Reina answered simply. She remained unperturbed by the excessively irritating sound and with her chin resting on the palm of her left hand, said: "Let us proceed."

"Fine then. The next shipment will be towards Canada. Another operation is taking part this Friday close to the Russian borders, so..."

They continued talking about business while Vanessa was pacing around the toiled in panic.