Chapter 13
[ Leandro Silva’s Sight ]
“How can you smile!” I ask incredulously.
“It was perfect, baby! Her parents made everything more exciting!” she smiles happily and hugs me, as if her skin is burning, I pull her away from me. In her eyes I can see the confusion.
I have never been so disappointed in anyone, let alone her, I always knew that she also liked to play tricks on vulnerable people, I think it was this fact in common that made me like her when we were kids, however, I have changed. She convinced me to help her, I did, but I didn’t know it would be like this, this time she went too far.
“She was kicked out of the house Suzanne, do you realize what this is like? Has this airhead of yours ever thought about the consequences?” Just looking at her right now makes me want to vomit.
“No need to be like that, surely her parents only did it for the moment, they shouldn’t be serious,” she shrugged and picked at her fingernails. Cynical.
“Oh yes, they were serious!” I shout. “Why did you do that?”
She gives me a look I have never seen before, I can no longer recognize who this girl in front of me is.
“Because I don’t like her, because she dared to propose to you in front of me!”
“I can’t believe it, you’ve never shown even an ounce of jealousy for me before…”
“But of her, I do!”
“Then why the hell did you tell me to hit on her! What is this jealousy? Explain it to me because I don’t understand!” I walk around with my hands on my head. This whole thing has to be a joke.
“You know, never really feel it, no,” I stop walking and look at her without understanding, “You always ate in my hand, always did my will and that’s it, the feeling always came from you, never from me. You’ve never been more than a little toy,” he sneers.
“Then why did you give me hope all this time?” I feel my heart cry.
“Because until then you were the best option, at least in appearance,” Her eyes look me up and down, then she smiles, a snobbish smile from someone who thinks she’s superior, I don’t like it, that’s not why I fell in love – Do you think I don’t know who you really are? The son of a cleaning woman, with a disgusting stepfather and who has to work in a pizza place in order to afford drinks and snacks? You think I don’t know that you are a nobody? Look at you, nothing but a pretty face.
My heart is breaking, I wanted to do everything to become someone and be worthy of this woman, but all this time she has only used me because so far no one better has come along, but at the first opportunity she would change me. I feel my eyes burning, my fingers trembling slightly, I clench my hands into fists.
“You’re not going to cry, are you? Do me a please,” she rolls eyes, “Are you not only a poor man but also a crybaby?” she turns his back on me and walks outside.
A tear runs down my face, but I wipe it away, she doesn’t deserve any feeling from me, I’m no more than a toy in her hands, but this will pass, life will give her what she deserves.
I look around and everyone is looking at me, looks of pity coming from the girls and of satisfaction from the boys. I don’t care, I need to fix the mess I made, even if I didn’t mean to, it’s all my fault.
“Leandro …” I hear Luana’s voice calling me, but I don’t look, I need to find Aya.
[ Aya Millenis’ Vision ]
My chest hurts so much, the cold wind hitting my face is like slaps given from hands clenched into fists, the tears have frozen, I feel alone and empty, something inside me is lost.
Walking the streets without knowing what to do, I don’t know where to go, the nearest shelter is five kilometers away. And walking at night alone is so dangerous…
“Hi kitten, what are you doing alone at this hour?”
A fat and drunk man approaches me, his smell makes me cover my nose, I hurry my steps, but he follows me, I try to run but it’s too late, he holds my arms and sticks his huge belly to me.
“Let me go, let me go! HELP… HELP” I scream for help, I know the street is deserted, but I still need to scream with all my strength.
The disgusting man holds me to the wall, hot tears once again fall from my eyes, this can’t be happening… The sobs come back hard, what did I do wrong to deserve all this?
“So smelly,” I feel his hand on my bare left breast, he squeezes and I can only scream in pain and hate, why is this happening to me? I knew it, you are a whore, you were giving how many away? From the damage to your clothes, I’m sure it was at least two at the same time, some pretty wild sex.
“Don’t touch me you filthy pig!” I scream and once again try to free myself from his grip, “Ah!” the cry of pain comes out as blood drips over my eye.
My head throbs, a cut has opened above my eyebrow as it comes into contact with the unplastered blocks of the wall. It stings, badly. I feel my vision blurring.
“I’ll show you how a real man does it, you…”
His hands loosen my arms, his huge belly is no longer on my back, I feel my knees weaken, I am so heavy, but I don’t feel the cold ground on my face, someone holds me, strong arms embrace me. But I don’t feel safe, I want to move away, I am afraid, but I don’t have the strength and my eyes close.
(Luana Gosper’s vision)
“I am not with…”
“How could you be so cruel! He loved you!” I shout.
“Look on the bright side, now the way is clear for you,” she shrugs and continues drinking.
“You are too cruel,” I wipe my tears, how could I have been her friend for so long?
“Really? I hadn’t even noticed, you’re going to stay here annoying me anyway?” She rolls her eyes and turns her back on me.
I do the same, I don’t want to waste my time with Suzana anymore, I take off my heels and start running, I need to help Leandro to find Aya. Poor girl, I need to make amends with her, it’s my fault… I’m the one who put the damn flash drive.
I don’t run very far, from a distance I can see Leandro holding Aya in his arms, he is sitting on the sidewalk, she is unconscious. I force my legs to run faster.
“What happened?” worry overwhelms me. Aya’s face is all covered with blood.
“A man tried to abuse her, but she ended up fainting.”
“Thank goodness you arrived in time,” I sit down next to her. “Now what? She needs care.”
“I thought about taking her to my house, but my stepfather probably won’t treat her with respect.”
“My house has no space, the little room we live in is too small even for me and my mother.”
“What… Oh, what if we talk to Iuri?”
“Do you have his number?” I ask, wriggling on the floor.
“No… Damn it!”
“I’ll see if I can find his facebook page.”
I grab my cell phone from my purse and search for his profile. Before long I manage to find it.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.
“I found it, his number is in the profile.”
“Do you have credit to call?” Leandro asked, looking into my eyes.
How I wish these eyes could look at me in another way…
“Yes, I do,” I say and copy the number.
The phone rings, once, twice, three times, only on the fifth call is it answered.
“Who is it?”
“Iuri? This is Luana, please, we need your help, Aya is unconscious and all bloody,” I speak desperate.
“Where are you?”
“Fifteen meters away from the court where the dance is happening. Please, come soon.”
“I’ll be there in ten minutes,” hangs up the phone.
“He is already coming,” I warn him.
“How nice,” Leandro and I sigh together.
“Thank you for coming, Lu,” he smiles in my direction, and at the same instant my heart speeds up.
“I… I mean… Anytime,” I feel my cheeks warm. “Look, I wanted to say…” I feel my throat closing, I have never been this close to him.
“What?”
“That you are amazing yes, don’t believe the nasty things Suzana said. You are amazing to me,” I say with all the sincerity in my heart.
I close my eyes in fear of what they will see. Leandro has never looked at me so directly.