The Bridesmaid

10|The Whole Story

At the end of the night, the group all headed back to the Bryant's and went to bed. All except Natalia, who Anthony watched head outside. He waited a few minutes before following her and was shocked to see her on the roof.

"I didn't know you were still up," Natalia said when she saw Anthony sit beside her on the roof.

"I thought I'd come check on you," Anthony shrugged, "You seemed upset throughout the day."

Natalia released a sigh as she said, "You picked up on that?"

"It was hard not to," Anthony reasoned, "So just tell me the story. The whole story. What's your deal with Vegas?"

"I told yo-"

"Not the crap thing you said earlier about not telling me. I mean, actually tell me," Anthony said.

"It's not a pretty story. You'll see me differently. Everyone does, even my own best friends."

"Not all stories are pretty," Anthony shrugged, "I'm ready for it."

Natalia looked away from him and up at the stars as she took a deep breath. She didn't know why, but she felt like she could trust him. Maybe it was the way his eyes sparkled in the night or the way he seemed to genuinely care about her story. Either way, she found herself telling him the story of her past.

"When I was 14, my dad walked out on my mom and I. No one ever told me why. All I knew was that he left me to stay with my mom," Natalia paused as she looked back at Anthony, "We struggled a lot. My mom almost lost the house. We went from comfortable living to nearly being left homeless."

"But then I met this guy. I met him at a baseball game Kris and Mason were playing. He was on gen opposing team. He went to Bishop Gorman, the fancy private school, so he was rich," Natalia let out a sarcastic laugh as she continued, "and some how he fell in love with girl who was struggling to make ends meet."

"When we first started dating, he bought me small things for him, but big things to me. I didn't have jewelry before him because I couldn't afford it, so when he gave me my necklace, I cherished it so much. But then my mom found it. Maybe it was selfish of me, but I didn't want her to see it because I knew what she would do. She wanted to sell it," Natalia leaned back against the roof as she took another deep breath.

"My mom didn't know about the guy. I didn't tell her because I wasn't stupid. I knew the money aspect would appeal to her, and I didn't want to ruin what we had, but then she started asking about all the gifts, and it got hard to keep lying. Plus, the guy really wanted to meet my mom, so I brought him over one night. That was the worst decision I ever made."

"My mom loved him, of course and insisted I bring him over more often. That night he also saw my struggles, and being such a hero, he offered to help me and my mom. I was too prideful though, I wouldn't take the money he wanted to give me. Anyways, time went on and we were still together. My mom had even gotten out of the financial hole we were in. We were back to comfortable living. Then one night I went to a baseball game with Jessie and he was playing against our home team. He got mad that I was cheering for Kris and Mason. After the game, he pulled me behind a tree and started yelling at me," Natalia released a shaky breath.

"He hit me that night. I wanted to break it off right then and there, but I couldn't when he mentioned the money. The reason my mom had gotten out of the hole was because she was accepting his money behind my back. I couldn't break it off, so I was forced to stay. I didn't know what to do. I was at a dead end and by that time I was 17. A month later, I got my acceptance letter for Chicago. I figured that was my way out. I was ecstatic, until the last game of the season."

Natalia let out a laugh as she said, "I didn't think things could get any worse until the night of playoffs. Mason heard him talking about some other girl. Wanting to play hero and big brother, Mason swung at him. They got into a huge fight after the game. And yet, I still couldn't break it off, so I ran. I flew to Chicago without a second thought. And my mom keeps taking his money because according to her, 'there's still time to work things out.' You would think the guy would take the hint, but no. The last time I came back to Vegas, I didn't tell anyone, but he somehow found out. Well, actually my mom called him. He went to Mason's house looking for me and they got into another fight. It was really bad."

Natalia looked at Anthony as she said, "So there you have it. The whole story. That's why I can't really be here. The guy can find me and drag me back, and well my mom is crazy."

"I don't see you any differently, Natalia. If anything, I think you're stronger. You've been through a lot," Anthony said as he looked directly at her.

"That means a lot to me. Part of the reason I left was for a fresh start. Word spread of what was going on my senior year, and I was automatically labeled as a 'gold digger.' It didn't help that my mom got a new car and was parading around Chanel purses," Natalia explained.

She turned to look at the house across the street as she pointed at it, "I used to come up here after my mom and I would get into a fight. Kris would bring me up to the rooftop to clear my head and within minutes all my friends would be there to comfort me."

"It is really pretty up here," Anthony said as he looked at Natalia before averting his gaze.

"Yeah, it is," Natalia agreed as she looked back down at him.

Something changed that night. Natalia felt her walls coming down again for the second time with Anthony Rizzo. There was just something about him that got her every time.

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So now we know the whole story! Poor Natalia, but I bet you guys weren't expecting that! 😉 and for those wondering about the major hint I dropped, it was in chapter 3 "Reunions, Reunions" when I mentioned the fight Mason got into with Natalia's boyfriend.

Until next time,
Gabby