Take Care {Prince Royce Fan Fiction}

22. Cali is the Mission

"Please don't share your business, this is just between us..."

- Donnie Trumpet and the Social Expiriment, "Pasadena"

///Prince Royce///

I walked into the corner store and the aura resembled that of The Godfather. Not in the intimidating, "I'm about to get my head shot up" type of way but in an ominous "something isn't right" one.

Doña Francesca stood behind the counter. Ronaldo was stalking refrigerators in the back.

She gave a relieved smile when she saw me. "Ah, Copete. You made it."

"I did.", I said. On time too. That was a new one for me.

"Good.", her smile faltered for a second. "Forgive me but... what is your actual name, sweetheart?"

"Geoffrey.", I told her.

"Geoffrey.", she said, testing it out. "You look like one. I prefer Copete, though. If that's alright with you."

I shrugged. It didn't really matter to me. It was something different to answer to. "Fine with me."

"Good.", she said again. She fiddled with the cash register a little, pulling out a few stacks of cash. "So", she began to sort them. "Have you talked to Aralon since yesterday?"

I shook my head. "No ma'am. Is everything alright?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. She's supposed to be on her way to California today, but we hasn't stopped by. I had a feeling this would happen, but I'm still worried."

"Wait, she was going to California all this time? She knew I was going too. Why didn't she tell me? I could've pulled a few strings or something to help her out. Why pay when I could've had it covered?"

"I don't know...", she leaned closer in a secretive type way. "Tell me, Geoffrey", she said, using my real name. "She's told you about...well, you know I'm sick right?"

"Yes.", I said quickly. I had almost forgotten. Doña Francesca didn't seem to let her cancer bring her down.

"She worries. A lot." She returned the money to each designated drawer. "I don't like it. I tell her I'll be fine, but she never listens. She's so consumed with helping me out, that she forgets to enjoy herself."

"I've...um, noticed.", I said slowly.

"She's been a total bi-- she's been moody lately, Doña.", added Ronaldo from the back.

She turned to me to back up his statement. "Has she?"

I didn't really want to throw Aralon under the bus but... "Just a little. Like she has her moments."

"Lemme guess.", said Ronaldo. "She's having fun. Chillin or whatever... and all of a sudden she has that Cinderella moment where the clock strikes twelve and all of a sudden the mood changes?", said Ronaldo.

"Well...yeah." He had summed up what I had been trying to figure out since yesterday pretty well.

He nodded. "Thought so. I don't know what it is, to be honest with you. I've known this girl practically all her life and I'm still learning."

"You know how he gets though, Ronaldo.", said Doña Francesca. "Poor girl has been through a lot. I just wish she would let people in, that's all. She's so set on doing things her own way." She looked up at the old fashioned clock hanging on the wall across from us. "Her flight is in a few hours."

"She's still here?", I asked. I was under the impression she had boarded a plane ages ago.

She nodded. "Her flight isn't until later. Lord knows how that girl is a model but she can't seem to wake up early enough."