Summer Nights - Luca

❣ 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭

Alberto got back to the house still overjoyed about what he'd just been up to. He went up to the hideout but found that Luca wasn't there. He then turned at the sounds coming from Giulia's room and found her and his friend talking enthusiastically with each other.

He climbed up to the window and said to his friend, "Hey, Luca, I've been looking everywhere for you."

"Oh, sorry", he nervously replied.

He shrugged it off and said, "Just come on. Let's go."

Luca then turned to Giulia and asked, "Could I borrow this? Just for tonight?", gesturing to a book they were reading together called L'universo.

"You can have it!", Giulia told him as she wrote his name on the inside of the book and exclaimed, "The universe it literally yours!"

"Wow! Thank you!", Luca exclaimed.

"Luca!", Alberto said, turning his friend's attention back to him, before scowling at Giulia.

The two left and Luca asked, "Where are we going?"

"C'mon, I got something to show you", Alberto told him.

"Hey, you won't believe this. Those aren't fish!", Luca exclaimed, pointing to the sky.

"Yeah, I know, they're-", Alberto began.

"They're like fires but a billion times bigger!", he explained, "Giulia explained it to me."

"Wha, no they're not", Alberto brushed him off.

They made it to the vespa store and looked in the window at the old rusty vespa that they loved.

"Soon you'll be ours, sweet Vespa", Alberto sighed before pulling out a drawing, "Take a look. I thought of every single thing we're gonna need. Also I added flames."

"That's so cool!", Luca exclaimed, "And we can bring a telescope too!"

"Yeah, that shoots lightning!", Albert exclaimed.

"No, no, no, you look through it", Luca explained, "Giulia says there's an even bigger one at her school", he then gasped, "What if we visit her there?"

Alberto scoffed, "Why would you wanna do that?"

"It sounds kinda interesting", Luca defended himself.

"The whole reason we're getting a Vespa is so we can live on our own", Alberto told him, "We don't need school... And we don't need anybody."

"Couldn't we just try it?", Luca pleaded, "Just for a few days?"

"Luca, sea monsters can't go to school", Alberto said sternly, "Ugh, What do you think will happen when sh-... -when they see your fish face?"

Luca sighed in defeat before gasping after a harpoon went flying in their direction. The two boys saw an unfriendly face emerge from the shadows.

"Hey, look who it is", Ercole announced, "And with no girls to hide behind."

"C'mon, let's go", Luca tried getting him and his friend out of there.

"No.", But Alberto stood his ground.

"Something's fishy with you two. I mean, besides the smell", he laughed, "You're hiding something."

"Is it that we're smarter than you?", Alberto retorted, "I mean, we're not really hiding that. It's just kinda obvious."

"Y'know, people think I'm a nice guy, always joking around. But really, I'm not", he clicked his fingers and Ciccio and Guido grabbed Alberto and pinned him against the wall.

"Stop!", Luca cried.

"Wait your turn, piccoletto", Ercole brushed him off, "I want to make myself clear. This is my town, number one...", he punched Alberto in the gut, "And number two, I don't want you in it."

Luca nervously picked up the harpoon and pointed it at Ercole's head, "I-I said stop!"

Ercole sneered at him, "Put that down, piccoletto. You'll hurt yourself."

"Let him go!", Luca shouted at them.

They threw Alberto to the ground and Ercole told them, "Go. Now. Before I change my mind."

As they ran back home, Ercole shouted at them, "Nobody wants you here, idioti! Keep running!"

The two slowed down as they reached the house and Luca said, "Why'd you make him mad? We should've left!"

"No, no, no, we're fine. I had it under control. All you gotta do is follow my lead, remember", Alberto told him.

Luca glanced away, doubting his friend.