Page 173 of Driftwood Daffodil 2

Every muscle in my body tensed. I knew that voice well. Aldo had a very distinctive tone.

NOVALEE

The old tire swing Kato used to push me on was still there, hanging off a large cypress tree by the pond. I sat there watching it sway in the breeze while the hum of tools funneling out of the garage across the street floated through the air.

The pond I used to swim in was the only place I could think to come to after school. Gio dropped a bombshell on me. either I let Chuck get hurt or possibly worse, or I told everyone we were engaged. Meaning Kato would find out. And as much as Chuck annoyed me, the choice was obvious.

Perhaps that was why I was sitting on this wooden dock?

It had been over two years since I stepped foot on this ground. There was nothing in this place but painful memories of what used to be. The scenery was a portrait frozen in time that mocked me.

Everything, from the sun glinting off the water’s edge, to the rope swing wrapped around a thick tree trunk, and dusty pink fishing rod poking out of the forgotten boat reminded me of Veda’s laugh and Kato’s bright smile.

The happy family I used to have.

Until Atlas Mancini came along.

He destroyed everything that meant something to me, and what was I doing? I was sitting here, in this sacred place, thinking about his brother. And not in the paranoid what was he up to way.

I was wondering what he was doing right now? Was he being his regular asshole self and tormenting someone else? Was he with Atlee? Were they with some girl? Did he want to be with other girls? For some fucked up reason I apparently cared about that.

Kato was locked up, Veda was gone, and I was worried about who Gio Mancini might be doing.

Sighing, I tossed a rock and watched as ripples spread out across the water.

I was a horrible person.

What did I care if he was with someone else? That would be a good thing. Maybe then he’d leave me alone. That’s what I wanted, right?

I dropped my eyes down the conversation I had open on my phone.

Fuckface: What’s your ring size?

A ring. Gio wanted to get me a damn ring. This shit was becoming way too real for me.

For all I knew Gio and Atlee spent all day yesterday fucking some girl. If he was then I could go back to hating him – which I did, just not as vengefully as before. But it wasn’t like Gio would tell me. Atlee on the other hand… I wouldn’t even have to ask him out right. He was my Home ech partner, hence forth I had reasons to message him.

Scrolling through my contacts, I clicked on the name I was looking for and sent a text.

Me: Just so you know, you missed chocolate cake yesterday.

Twatwaffle: Is that your way of saying you missed me?

I snorted.

Me: You wish. I just wanted to rub your nose in it. I make amazing cake. It was way better than everyone else’s.

Well, except for the football player. His was amazingly moist. I may have to sabotage his flour.

Twatwaffle: You didn’t save me a piece? I’m hurt.

Me: I gave your piece to my new fake boyfriend.

Twatwaffle: You can’t have a new fake boyfriend until you break up with the first fake boyfriend, and I didn’t receive the standard break up text.

Me: What? You didn’t receive my fake text that destroyed our imagined love? I’m shocked. Maybe if you were in school yesterday, you would’ve gotten it. But you weren’t so I was forced to find someone else to annoy me.

Twatwaffle: So, are you mad that I wasn’t in school, or that Gio wasn’t there? Do you want to know what he was doing?

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