Living With Julian De Vizio

Chapter Eight

After mum and I talked, I went back into doing my homework and I still don't get it.

"Damn! Why does Math have to be complicated?!" I said to myself. Just then, I heard a clanking noise behind me and when I turned around, I saw Julian carrying a tray with two mugs on it.

"What the hell are you doing?" I asked.

"I'm being generous and all that sort of stuff." He replied as he put the tray down on my bed and gave me a mug filled with ice cream and a teaspoon. I looked at the ice cream warily and then at him.

"Don't worry; it's all clean. I didn't put any spices like I did last time." He said.

"You better be telling the truth." I huffed and then started eating my chocolate flavoured ice cream. Suddenly, my eyes widened for I remembered something. I put my mug down.

"Julian, wait! Stop!" I said and he stopped, the spoon hanging in the middle and his mouth open. I got the spoon and the mug from him and put it down on the tray and then I put the tray on my study table.

"Oi! What the hell are you doing?! That's my ice cream!" Julian complained.

"It was before but now it's not. It's already mine. From now on, you won't eat any ice cream." I said.

"Is this about the talent show?"

"Aha! Good guess! Yes. It is about the talent show."

"Hannah, I'm not joining so leave me and my cookies and cream alone!" Then he tried to reach for the ice cream again but I blocked him with my body.

"Julian, no. No ice cream until the talent show's over." I said.

"Ah shut up Hannah! I'll eat ice cream whenever I want to! And I am not joining, okay?" He said.

"Why don't you want to join? Travis says that you've got a great voice."

He fell silent and then looked away from me.

"Julian, look at me." I said firmly and he did. "Why don't you wanna join?"

"Because... Because every year, my dad would miss my whole performance." He said quietly. "Every year I would be always in the list of the performers of the school's talent show and you know what? I'm jealous of the kids there because they've got their dads by their side, wishing them a good and successful performance and then there's me, just with my mum. And dad would always be the one to miss my whole performance."

"Why? Where's your dad at that time?" I asked.

"Oh you know, he's out there busy making himself rich... Filling his pocket with loads of money." He replied nonchalantly.

Now I understand why he doesn't want to join. He feels discouraged by his dad because his dad would always miss his performance because of their business.

"Now, can I have my ice cream?" Julian asked hopefully and to be honest, he looked like a little kid with all those pouting and puppy eyes that he's doing in front of me.

"NO." I said and his face dropped. "Not until the talent show's over."

"But Hannah---!"

"No buts. You will join that talent show. No ice cream until the talent show's over. And that's final!"

"Bitch."

"Jerk."

Then I poked my tongue out to him and he did the same. The next thing I knew was that he dipped his finger into his ice cream and then wiped it on my cheek.

"What the fuck you doin' to my face?!" I said as I wiped off the ice cream on my face.

"Come on! Toughen up! It's just an ice cream!" He said then he dipped his finger again into his ice cream. I put my mug down and started to take a few steps back from him.