The Rossi boy

Chapter 17

His hand was twice the normal size. His knuckles were swollen and bruised and there were small cuts on them, bleeding out like it was a recent wound...

I wasn't able to leave, even if he made it clear that he didn't want me there. I felt this urge, to make sure he was okey, like I always do.

I was worried. Not only for his hand but for what I saw in his eyes when he pushed me aside in the corridor.

It was hatred. It's been some time since it was directed at me, but I could recognize the burning cut in my very core. He was drifting away from me again. Whatever truce we were having for this precious time, was now over. I could feel it in my gut.

I stood there, on the infirmary door until Lucas came out, running away with my depressing thoughts. His hand was now clean and bandaged. He seemed calmer... until he saw me.

"Lucas..." I croacked, getting closer. My eyes pleading, for some reason.

"What the fuck are you doing here? I said I didn't want you around... Was I not clear enough?" he spat. My eyes suddenly full of prickling tears I didn't want to shed.

"I just... I wanted to see if you were okey... What happened...?" My voice was barely a whisper.

"Oh... You care?" He asked in disbelief, advancing towards me with a menacing pase. "You actually care about what happens to me, Isabelle?"

"W-why are you asking that, all of a sudden?" I practically sobbed. I was cornered under the stairs. His face so close to mine, I could feel his minty ragged breath fan my face.

I couldn't understand why he was so mad at me. Or why I was so desperately sad.

"You are so desperate for his calls, huh? You ruined all the fucking plan just to hear his voice, didn't you?" His eyes were so cold and piercing that it physically hurt. I felt dizzy when I realized I screwed up his attempt to solve our problems.

"I- Im' so sorry, Lucas..."

"Save it." He said, pushing his wounded hand against the wall, next to my head. The bandage started to turn red. "Go home with Victoria today. And I'm not gonna drive you here from now on. We'll stay away from each other like we used to. They wont come bothering you".

He pushed himself from the wall and walked away, leaving me there. A tide of sadness and hurt made me slide against the wall and cry my eyes out. I couldn't breathe!

I cried like an idiot for like a half an hour, till I calmed down enough to drag myself to the bathroom. My face was red, my eyes swollen like my nose. I looked hideous! And I had to go to work!

The water was cold enough to take some of the red and puffy away, so I splashed it at my face for a long time, trying to make myself look a bit decent.

I knew today was a lost day, so I decided to go home and rest for the weekend. I'd sleep in Grandma's bedroom, since she was working the night shift today.

"Hey, Belle..." Asashi greeted, but after a look at my face and the clock, he asked: "What happened?"

I don't know what came over me, but I started crying and spilling everything on this boy I barely knew. He held me and let me stain his t-shirt with my tears, then seated with me on the couch and handed me a glass of water.

At five, he walked me to work and decided to stay there for coffee. Vic was coming too and would wait 'till my shift was over to drag me to her house for a girl's night, wich consisted on eating our weight in icecream and chocolate, and cry our eyes out to some romantic films.

My shift started peacefully, so I was thanking all the angels above for the time of relax. There were a few regulars and two other except for Asashi and Vic, when the bell ringed. In came Lucas, Thomas, Jason, Austin Torres and a flock of skanks swarming around them. Jessica Phillips was glued to Lucas' arm and when he seated, she jumped to his lap, like a poodle wiggling her tail.

Natalie sent a look my way. The football team was banned from the coffee shop. But Lucas had this defying look on his face, like daring us to throw them out.

I went to the back and asked Chrystal what was going on.

"They apologized and I decided to lift the ban. Those boys over there attract a whole lot of costumers, and I'm loosing business by keeping them out". She answered without looking at me, counting money to pay the bills.

I signaled Natalie to attend to them and started the machine, knowing what most of them would ask. I heard Lucas' voice and tried to listen. He was talking to Asashi and Vic.

"Nice to see you, China boy." Why was he being such an asshole to Asashi? He knew he was not Chinese. The boy just stared at him with a raised brow and a bored look on his face. But Vic... Oh, that was another story.

"You dare disrespect sensei, brainless jerk!?" She angrily stood, making the people at the table hold their breath.

"Relax, Victoria. It was a joke. We are bros." Lucas said the word like he was cursing. "He's gonna be my adoptive sister's cousin..."

"Oh, there's no blood relationship between us... I'm counting on being more than her cousin, Rossi boy."

Lucas stood from the table, making the girl on his lap jump. He was out of his mind if he thought he could start a new fight here, with my friends!

"What the hell, Lucas!" I said, pushing him from the chest, unable to move him an inch. His eyes were still glued to Asashi's, who was now standing behind me, trying to pull me out of the way.

"What's wrong?" I heard Chrystal ask from the front desc.

"Nothing's wrong, Mrs Carlson. We are just talking to Belle's cousin..." Thomas answered, pulling Lucas back into his seat.

"Then watch the tone, you guys. You are disturbing the costumers".

"Go, make their order."Natalie said, handing me the orders and pushing me towards de machine. "I'll deal with them."

I prepared all the coffes and set them at the counter. When I turned to call on Nat, I had a full view of Lucas sucking face with 'shameless Jess'. They were two seconds away from Chrystal calling them off for grossing out the costumers.

Asashi and Vic came to the front, ready to leave.

"Doll, we decided to make it a pizza night too, so sensei can join us."

"You don't need to call me sensei, Vic." he laughed. "We are friends now."

Her face was priceless. She bowed and said she was honored. It was super geeky cute. He just rolled his eyes at her.

"We'll head to buy ingredients and make it from scratch when you end your shift", Asashi comented on the plan.

"That sounds awsome. Thanks for having my back, you guys..."

"Always. You are my BAE. Never forget it." Vic said.

Asashi smiled and out of the blue, kissed me on the cheeck and walked out the door.

I felt Chrystal's arm wrap me from the side. She was standing next to me, her elbow on the counter, looking after my new friend.

"I dunno what to feel about this, sugar. That boy seems nice, and so hot... But I can't help to have my heart set on the boy on the corner table, whose heart is on his sleeve right now."

I followed her gaze to the table, finding Lucas' eyes. He was staring at me with this unreadable expression on his face. I averted mine and whispered to her.

"Oh, Chrystal... you couldn't be more wrong. He hates my guts so bad, that even his thoughts hurt me."

"Silly, Belle... Are you sure it's not the other way around?" She gave me a final pointed look and left to the back.