"For you? I'd hold the skies on my shoulders, if it came down to it."
*****
He didn't think she'd ever look his way. Let alone, stumble into him- and into his life. But all things happen for a reason, and sometimes- when you love someone from afar...
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NAUREEN ASKED ME to sit with them the next day too.
This time, I declined as politely as I could.
Her face fell, and I felt like the most horrible person on the planet- so I had weakly promised that I'd sit with them another time for sure.
I wasn't sure about keeping that promise though, and I think she knew that too.
The main reason I had declined, however, was because I wanted to meet Mr. Rossi- the drama teacher.
After my nan, he was in every sense, my favorite person in the whole world.
He was a sixty-year-old Italian man with an intense love for seventeenth-century literature- especially since several plays written back then were set in Italy. He was the cheeriest, most accommodating man I had ever met- and being in his presence was always uplifting.
The last time I saw him was when I helped him decorate his backyard for his granddaughter, Elenoara's birthday party, during the summer break. He had asked if I could help him with a spooky forest theme, and I had happily obliged- having nothing better to do.
After nine hours of work- with the fog machines, eerie music, and props- some made and the others rented, his humongous backyard looked straight out of a horror movie. I was super happy with it.
He had paid me a lot for it too- despite my protests.
That was three weeks ago. So now, as I stepped into his office- which was the biggest room backstage to our school's auditorium, I was greeted with his cheery, expectant smile.
"Ophie!" he exclaims warmly, his eyes twinkling as he gets up from his seat, "I've been waiting for you to drop by, cara- how was the rest of your summer?"
"Pretty okay," I say quietly, my lips curving into a soft smile as I shuffle forward towards him, "Did Elenoara like decorations?"
"She loved it, cara," he tells me, gripping both my hands in his, his smile bright, "Dio Mio, it was brilliant. One of your best works."
I smile back brightly at him at that, though my cheeks turn red at his words. "You know it's nothing, Mr. Rossi."
His smile turns a little sad at that, as he shakes his head.
"It isn't nothing, Ophie," he says after a moment, "It's a true talent- and it'll take you places. What you've done for me is beyond extraordinary- and I'm thankful for it, more than you'll ever know. I'll miss you next year, cara."
My lips turn downwards too, as I nod, tightening my grip over his hands.
Though I did have the resources to do what I wanted, I wasn't even sure what I wanted to do after high school. I wasn't sure of what I could achieve, and where I could go- or how far I'd go.
