It's All About the Wings. Isn't It?

Chapter 2: Luca

Chapter 2: Luca

:: Luca’s Point of View ::

I watched her run by the water. She was laughing and splashing in the water with her friends. She was in daisy-dukes and a bikini top covered by a white camisole, which was almost see through. Her long hair whipped around in the wind. "Luca," called my best friend, Tarzan, "stop staring at Ana."

I tried. I couldn't. It's not my fault she was so damn hot.

"I'm not staring," I lied, trying to look him in the eye. It is pretty hard for me to lie to my best friend. Even if it was harmless.

"Right," he said sarcastically.

I averted my gaze back to where Ana and her friends were shrieking with joy. Her hair was like dark chocolate, and her complexion was like bronze mixed with cream. Ana's eyes were another wonder. They seemed like a normal, deep shade of brown, pretty, but plain. As you get a closer look, her eyes transformed. They were dark brown on the outside, and the colour faded to green near the pupil. Her limbal rings ran around her iris like electric rings of gold. I only saw this detail once when I apologized for bumping into her. I know right, great job, bumping into the girl I'm in love with.

"Luca," called a guy named Ulysses, "are you coming?" It was only then that I realized that everyone else had left the beach.

"Ya, I'll be right there," I said, a little regretfully, while rising from the rock I was sitting on. I took one last look at Ana's smiling face and then turned and followed the rest of the guys, bringing my towel and putting on my shoes.

I followed the guys to the dock. People of all ages and sizes gathered to see the people coming from the main land onto our tiny island for summer vacation.

We sat on a sort of a raised ledge about five feet from the ground. Behind it were big rocks on which people were climbing and jumping over. Next to me sat Tarzan. "Luca?" Tarzan said in a quiet voice, that was not quite a whisper, so that the other three boys in the group would not hear. Not that they were paying any attention to us when they had some stupid joke to laugh at. I smiled, "What's up Tarzan?" I asked.

"I was thinking…" Oh no, "…if you like her why don't you ask her out."

"Because a couple of days ago she was talking with me."

"And so?"

"She asked me to set her up with another guy in our group."

"She did. Who?"

"That's the thing, she left before she could tell me who. Or rather her mother called her."

"That sucks."

"Yeah."

"You need someone to help you."

"With what?"

"Your girl problems.

"I don't have girl problems."

"Uhh... Ya you do."

"Shut up,” I responded closing the conversation. I didn't want to talk about it. Tarzan smirked to himself.

Once everyone was off the boat docked in front of me I got up to leave. After all, it was 7:30 and my mom would probably have my head if I was late for dinner. "See you guys later" I said.

"Hey Luca?" Tarzan said.

"Yeah?" I responded.

"When you get home, ring a bell or something. Maybe your luck will change." Tarzan told me with the slightest hint of a smirk. It wasn't the mean kind, but more the 'I-just-made-a-joke' kind. The other guys laugh even though they didn't know the notion behind the comment. They were probably laughing because Tarzan was the leader. Not like the gang type. He was just the guy everyone followed, and the boys in the group were his friends. Out of all of them I was the closest to him since we had know each other since the summer before the first grade, therefore I was the second-in-command. I laughed along with the group out of good nature, then jumped down and walked off.

:: Tarzan's Point of View ::

I watched Luca jump off the ledge and disappear into the crowd of people dispersed along the dock. Man, I felt so bad for the guy. He was hung up on some girl who didn't like him; in fact, she liked someone else: one of his friends.

I looked around. Suddenly, someone in the crowd grabbed my attention: a girl around my age, sixteen. She was struggling with getting her giant trunk down off the boat. Her strawberry-blonde hair was in a messy ponytail. "Tarzan, are we going?" Ulysses asked me. I stopped staring at her.

"Once second," I called to the other three boys, "I'll see you guys later. Okay?"

"Sure," they responded as they stood up.

"Bye."

A bunch of good-byes were murmured as the group left. I jumped down from were I was sitting to run after the girl. I struggled, pushing my way through the crowd to get to her. Finally, I caught her.

"Ashley?" I asked. Her forest green eyes darted towards me with a look that said 'I'm-trying-to-do-something-so-stop-bothering-me'. When she saw who it was she smiled. She stropped struggling with the enormous trunk she had and turned to face me.

"I changed it. Well, not really, I go by my middle name." Her British accent was very distinct.

"You have a middle name?"

"Oh, Sweetie, you have known me for how many years?"

"Ten years, Darling. What do I call you?"

"Some people call me Siobhán," she said coolly, then added, "Or call me Lilac." I snorted.

"Lilac?" I asked incredulously. She nodded.

Just then a man (very rudely, might I add) pushed passed her, knocking her trunk over. Luckily, Ash and I caught it before it fell over the edge of the dock and into the water. "Oi! Watch it, you!" she yelled at the man. "This trunk is Louis Vuitton.; it is worth more than your house."

"Same fiery spirit, I see," I said as I held her back from going after the man and saying some things that were not very lady-like – things she would regret. "So now people call you Lilac?" I said, trying to distract her.

"That or Li." She told me. Then she became serious very fast. "So, where is he?"

:: Luca's Point of View ::

Who could she like? Out of all the guys in my group I was the good-looking one, the charming one. Tarzan was the smart leader. I guess girls go for smart guys. Ulysses was the fearless, strong one. Naturally, Axel was the caring, responsible one. He had pretty much taken care of his little sister since birth. And Quiksilver is the joker. I guess every girl likes a guy who can make her laugh. I guess compared to my friends I am not that special. I mean I'm not stupid, reckless, cowardly, or not funny.

As I walked into my house, I caught scent of the dinner that my mom was making in the kitchen. I walked through the front entranced and into the living room. Half way through the room, something caught my eye. I noticed, in the china cabinet, the silver bell that my dad had given to my mom the day before he died. I walked over to the cabinet and quietly opened the door. Unconsciously, my hand reached in, past the door to grab the bell. I lifted it gently from its place and placed in my hand. After thinking for a couple of seconds, I raised it a few centimetres off my hand and did something I never thought I would do. I rang it.