The Divine Zero

Chapter 11: The Devil Wears Louis Vuitton

I can't really explain how it was being around Victor Fuentes.

He was confusing to me and not like anybody else I have ever encountered before.

He dressed completely different than the boys here- wearing skinny jeans with vans and silly t-shirts that said things like, "Pizza Over People," or "Skip School, Start A Band."

He talked differently- he never bragged about what he had but about what he didn't have yet. His future.

He knew exactly what he wanted, where he wanted to go, and who he wanted to be with while doing it all.

He talked with the voice of a storyteller, captivating the body, mind, emotions with every word.

We had sat this evening on a rug that I dragged out of my closet to my bedroom floor, lining it with a couple scenty candles, shutting the overhead lights off. We didn't need many candles to glow the room to life since we had the outside lights of the other houses in my neighborhood to dimly shine through my large window. We sat crosslegged across from each other as we shared the pizza and coke we had ordered from Papa's Pizzeria downtown in quiet.

That's what I liked about Vic.

He didn't talk to try to fill the void that silence left. It was a calm and soothing thing, to be with someone who didn't find quietness awkward or uncomfortable.

In truth, as Vic talked and told his adventurous stories about life in California and explained why his younger brother Mike was in the same grade as him, all I could think about is how I had never done anything like this with another person. It was spontaneous and- fun? It was the little ball of excitement in my gut even though it was just simply eating pizza with someone else.

But I told him.

That surprised me even more.

"I've never done this before," I said, setting my slice of pizza down on my classy paper plate to take a sip of the coke.

Vic munched on and swallowed his bite of pizza before questioning, "Done what?" His big brown eyes meeting mine.

I shrugged, taking a sip of the pop and setting it back down.

"Listen to someone else talk like that. And have them listen to me."

"Really?" He didn't look all that surprised.

"Yeah." I answer, voice even. I kept my eyes down at my lap.

Vic reached his hand over and set it on my knee, it was hesitant unlike how he usually was. Brave.

"I like listening to you, Jessica."

I glanced up with a small smile on my face as my eyes met his.

"I like listening to you too, Vic."

That night after Tony came to pick Vic up to take him home, I lay in bed and stare at my ceiling.

My dad had seen me and Vic trample
down the stairs as I walked him
out, him sitting at the wooden table in our kitchen sipping on a beer. Plenty more empty bottles in front of him along with burning cigarette butts.

I rushed Vic out before he could side glance and see the grueling scene that was my father.

After watching Vic jog to the car outside and climb into the passenger seat, I pushed the wooden front door shut and locked it. I remained where I stood for a moment by the bottom of the stairs, by the doorway to the kitchen and by the front of the door. I had a small smile on my face as I had a recap in my mind of the night.