Back to the Future - AR

VII

Chapter 7

"I'm still not getting it, how am I supposed to go to homecoming with him when he's going with you?" My mom asks as she folds her laundry, I sit beside her and help.
"I told him I'd meet him there since I'm going with you, right? So since you don't have a date and he doesn't have a date, you guys can link up at the dance." I say making her scoff.
"But he does have a date, you."
I sigh and shake my head slightly.
"No, you see, I'm going to, uhh, stand him up." I say making her laugh.
"I thought only boys did that." She says, I laugh
a bit.
"Nah, girls can do it too, and do it better."
She sighs.
"I don't know." She says nervously.

"What was the other plan?" She asks now setting her neatly folded shirt atop the pile.
"I go with him and you come and pretend to fight me for him."
She sighs.
"I like the first plan better, I'm not exactly the fighting type, ya know?"
I never would've thought ma was so... soft. She's always given off that tough bitch vibe, shit she's the one that taught me how to fight.

"So, here's the plan, you and I are getting ready here, at about 8:45, 9 at the latest, we'll make our way into the school and towards Alejandro and
his friends."
"Ok, and then what?"
"Then, I'll leave you two alone so you can get really comfortable around each other and then boom, love."
She laughs again.
"I wish I was as confident as you Ci, I'm just really scared. What if Mattia gets in the way?"
I shrug.
"Slap him?" I suggest earning a giggle.
"I wish I could, truly."

--

I walk up to the car the Professors lending me, he stands up on a ladder, soldering the wires together for the plan later tonight.
"And you're sure about this storm?" He yells down to me, I nod and shout back.
"Yup, like you said, the weather people aren't the best at their jobs."
He laughs and climbs down the ladder.
"Ya know something Cienna, I'm actually quite sad about you leaving. I hate that I'll have to wait nearly thirty years to speak with you about these events again!" He says before smiling at me, his words bring back the memory of him being shot by terrorists.
"Professor?" I say quietly as he turns his head slightly to the left.
"Yes?"
"There's something you should know, about the night I left."
"No, no don't tell me, a man should never know too much about his own destiny." He says while climbing back up on the ladder, how am I supposed to tell this man that I witnessed his death? I think of something, something very old timey, a letter.

Dear Professor White, on the night that I came here, to 2020, you will be shot and killed by terrorists. Please, I beg of you, take every necessary precaution to keep yourself safe. Your friend, Cienna.

I seal the letter and quickly shove it in his coat pocket while he's distracted, well, at least I got that off my chest.

❖

Alejandro's foot taps against the ground as he waits with Kairi and Mattia for Cienna to arrive.
"Where is she?" He asks for the fifth time in the past half hour.
"She'll be here, she's still gotta pick up Nina, remember?" Kairi reassures the boy, he nods and begins chewing his hand apart.
"Wait, she's bringing Nina?" Mattia slurs, its obvious to his friends that he had been drinking.
"Yeah." Alejandro responds now glancing between the door and the dance, he's getting anxious.
"I'll be right back." Mattia says after placing his cup on the table.

❖

I pull the car into a parking spot, I look over at my mom and smile, I can see why dad fell in love with her on this night.
"Why am I so nervous?" She asks as she rubs her palms against the skirt of her dress.
"You're fine, just uhh... wait, wait what are you doing?" I ask as she begins drinking from a flask, I quickly snatch it from her.
"You shouldn't drink." I say making her look at me with furrowed eyebrows.
"But, that's the only way I can get myself loose enough to have a good time." She says as she pulls a Juul out of her clutch, I snatch that from her too.
"And you smoke?" I question making her look over at me again.
"Chill, its just vape, it's actually better than smoking cigarettes."
I look over at her dumbfounded by her words.

❖

"Where the fuck is Mattia?" Alejandro asks in a panicked tone, Kairi puts his hand on his friends shoulder.
"Calm down, he's probably having a smoke break, he'll be back before you know it."
"What if he's with Cienna?" Alejandro questions earning an eye roll from the short boy.
"He's not, he wouldn't do that."

❖

I look at my phone and notice the time, it's almost time for us to go in.
"Ci." My mom says making me look over at her. "I'm not as nervous anymore."
"Yeah because I gave you your flask back, promise me you won't get addicted to that shit." I say as she holds her pinkie out.
"I swear I won't."
As she finishes her sentence, I see the doors of the gym open and see Mattia slowly making his way down the stairs and towards our car, I make sure my mom doesnt panic until the drivers side door opens revealing him.

He pulls me roughly out of the car and launches me towards the Caldwell sisters, they hold me back as he smirks.
"Hey there Nina." He says before closing the car door, the girls lead me away from them making me panic. I have to think quick if I'm gonna save my mom, so I kick the girls shins with my heels on and run away from them as they scream in pain, I make it into the gym after going through a lot of unnecessary security and finally spot my dad, I run over to him and grab his arm.
"You made it!" He says excitedly as I begin pulling him out of the gym.
"Wait, what're you doing?"
"You need to help me help Nina!"

❖

Cienna and Alejandro run out of the gym, towards the red car that's jumping as Nina tries to escape Mattia's grasp, she's yelling and screaming and losing all hope that anyone can hear her until the door opens making Mattia look Alejandro in
the face.
"What do you want Alejandro?" Mattia says with an evil smile plastered on his face, Alejandro stands paralyzed with fear.
"Go away, this isn't for you to see." He says again as Nina sits up, she looks at Alejandro like she's terrified for her life.
"Alejandro, please, help me." She says before being pushed back down on the seat and being spoken over.
"Just go back in the gym Ale, I'll be there in a minute."

Alejandro shakes his head.
"No Mattia, leave her alone." He says sternly making an angry Mattia get out of the car, he looks alejandro in the face as he blocks the kids punch,
he gets his arm into an arm bar and watches as his eyes shut in pain. As much as Cienna wants
to intervene and see what's going on, she knows that she can't leave these damn Caldwell sisters alone.
"Stop it! You're hurting your friend Mattia cut it out!" Nina yells from inside the car before jumping on Mattia's back, she starts hitting his shoulders making him push her to the ground.

She falls with a slight thud making Alejandro look at her, he looks pissed as a drunk Mattia just laughs at the girl who's practically in tears. Alejandro balls his fist and prepares to swing at his friend, who doesn't seem like much of a friend right now, hitting him square in the jaw and knocking him out. Nina looks at Alejandro with wide eyes as he looks at his hand the same way, he smiles to himself before directing his attention to Nina.
"A- are you ok?" He asks as he helps her up, the pair smiles at each other as they slowly make their way to the gym again, Cienna smiles in victory.

❖

I walk over to Mattia's out cold body and stick my tongue out at him.
"Now I know why my dad hates you."