Wanderlove (12 page)

Maybe I should have seen this coming. Luca had always been too arrogant for his own good. And though I despised him for his arrogance, deep down, Luca possessed good qualities. I had always cared for him, but like a brother.

Now I had to hurt him, too. The words stayed rooted on my lips, unable to be voiced aloud. How could I tell him that I didn’t want to be with him when it would probably break his heart?

It turned out I didn’t have to. He could read it all in my expression.

“This was never about being with me, was it?” he asked, slowly stepping backwards. “You only left to get away from him.”

I knew by “him” he meant my father. I confirmed his statement by nodding.

“But. . .how could you do that to him if this wasn’t about you and me?”

“I’m sorry,” was all I managed to say.

His dark eyes filled with a growing revulsion. “I had thought this was about love. I never would have imagined this was purely about your own selfishness.”

His harsh words made me flinch. It was true. Love could be forgiven by the gypsy people. But defiance for defiance’s sake alone would not be.

Luca seemed completely disgusted with me. He only reaffirmed this by saying, “You’re despicable, Lola. Your father is in prison because you’re a despicable little bitch.”

“Enough!” Gabe growled from behind Luca. I’d forgotten he was standing there. And now, I was even more ashamed because of everything he must have heard. “You won’t speak to her that way. In fact, you won’t speak to her at all. Leave.
Now
.”

The sound of the door screeching open caught my attention. Miriam popped her head outside of it. A sleeping mask pulled up across her forehead, it was obvious the noise must have woken her. “What is going on here? Gabriel, is that you?”

Great
, I thought.
Let’s make things even worse
.

And then Annika appeared, stepping out from behind Miriam. “Gabe? What are you doing here?”

Apparently, it
could
get worse.

I shut my eyes, hoping everyone would disappear. But it didn’t work. They were still standing there when I opened them again. I wasn’t going to be able to escape this time.

“I
was
trying to sleep,” Gabe told them. “But then I noticed this little fool attempting to break into your granddaughter’s window.” He gestured towards Luca.

“Grams, everything is okay now,” I said, trying to reassure her.

“You were watching the house,” Annika acknowledged in a tight voice. She seemed to be making a statement, rather than asking a question.

Miriam didn’t let Gabe respond to Annika. She cut in by asking loudly, “Well, what does he want?”

“He’s from my troupe,” I said. “He just wanted to talk to me.” My eyes darted towards Luca again, pleading with him not to say anything else. I couldn’t help but feel cut by the anguish he harbored while he looked upon me. It dug into me deeply, making my breath grow short and laborious. I breathed in, trying to hold back any tears that might spill. I knew I would have to face the sting of my betrayal eventually. I just hoped it wouldn’t feel this awful.

“And now he is leaving,” Gabe added forcefully. “He’s done all the talking he gets to do tonight.”

“Watch yourself,” Luca warned Gabe as he took a step towards him. I knew Luca must resent that Gabe was trying to bully him, because next to my father, Luca was used to being in charge. But Gabe was built larger, stronger. And he had Luca pinned to the ground only a few moments ago. I was confident Luca wouldn’t start another fight. Especially not for me, now that he knew my reasons for leaving didn’t involve him.

Luca spat on the ground before me as he turned to leave. I spotted a random car parked across the street he headed towards.

“Lo, are you all right?” Miriam asked groggily.

“I’m fine,” I said as evenly as I could manage. I swallowed back any tears that were on the verge of falling and pulled myself together. A few moments passed before I noticed Gabe was staring at me very intently.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked quietly, so that only I could hear him.

“Pshh.” I rolled my eyes in Luca’s direction and shrugged. I tried my best to act like it was no big deal. “He doesn’t bother me.”

He continued to watch me, like he was waiting for me to say more. I don’t think he believed me for a second. So I walked away.

“Thanks for looking out.” I managed a yawn, like I had no cares whatsoever. I ambled up the porch steps as Annika slowly came down them. As I went inside, I heard her ask Gabe if she could speak with him. I looked back, seeing his eyes still followed me. He nodded in answer to her request.

Miriam shut the door behind us.

“Well, that was eventful,” she commented dryly.

“Hopefully that’s the last of it,” I said. “Sorry to wake you.”

“It’s okay.” She leaned over to kiss the top of my head. “Good night, little girl. Just shout for me if you have anymore trouble.”

“I will,” I promised.

When I made it back to my room and shut the door behind me, I sat on my bed, sort of lifeless. A part of me wanted to cry, but I didn’t let myself. I knew there would be consequences for leaving. I knew the same people I considered my family might grow to hate me. And if they didn’t hate me, they would resent me. Somehow, I needed to learn to accept what I’d done. The decision to hurt the ones I loved was the choice I had to make in order to live a life where I would actually have choices.

The next morning I awakened to the sounds of someone rummaging through my belongings. I opened my eyes, finding Dakota’s coppery head standing in the doorway of the closet, flipping through my scanty wardrobe. I could smell the soft scent of peony and I noticed her hair was wet from a recent shower.

“Hey, doll.” She smiled at me. “It’s about time you finally woke up. The festival already started.”

I groaned. I really didn’t feel like getting up.

“Tough night?” Dakota asked me. “I heard one of the members of your troupe was here. Was he the guitar player?”

I nodded, a little sadly. I realized she must have known Luca through the images of my troupe performing that came to her when she touched me.

“No worries. It’s a new day and we’ll take your mind off of it. Look-- I brought you some iced coffee and I even picked out an outfit for you.”

I looked to my right, seeing a mug of coffee sitting there and I picked it up, appreciative for the caffeine. I still felt like I needed to sleep for ten more hours.

Sitting up, I noticed a skirt and blouse had been laid out on the bed. “These should do.”

Through the quiet of my bedroom, the sounds of people and music streamed in from a distance.

“How many people are coming to this thing?” I asked Dakota.

“A
lot
,” she said. “That’s why this whole town talks about it. It provides an otherwise quiet place with a little bit of excitement.”

Knowing Dakota was waiting on me, I hurried to shower and dress. I didn’t even bother putting contacts in; instead, I quickly put on my usual frames. Dakota had picked out a short-sleeved lavender cardigan, pairing it with a white tank top and a matching white cotton skirt. Both the tank top and the skirt had lacy hems. The outfit was feminine and yet perfectly Floridian, the fabrics light enough to feel breezes through. My hair was still wet when we left, but it was a windy day, so I figured it would dry quickly in the sunshine.

There were tons of people out on the beach. Some were swimming. Some were playing volleyball. And many were simply walking along the pier, drinking beer and laughing. Crowds were everywhere.

Dakota and I walked along the beach towards the Constantins’ house. Which, even though it was the nearest house to ours, still took about fifteen minutes to reach by foot.

The house was massive. Sort of palace-like in stature. They had one of those round driveways and there was already a line of cars pulling in, unloading at the front entrance. A valet staff was on duty, taking the cars to the garages for the guests.

“This feels like a hotel,” I mentioned to Dakota.

She agreed, adding, “Miriam’s tiny beach house looks out of place sitting next to it.”

I nodded, having thought the same thing.

When we entered, we had to give our names to the doorman and he directed us to the backyard. We walked through the grand foyer, my jaw dropping in awe. A large dome ceiling encompassed us as we walked in. We were led to a double staircase that curved into separate wings of the house. Underneath the staircase was the pathway to the veranda, which led out into the courtyard. The entire house seemed to have a Spanish-Mediterranean feel to it. The colors echoed the sea and the sky, with a mixture of turquoises, warm oranges and yellows painted along the walls, with warm terra cotta tiles. There were beautiful mosaic designs on the walls and the floors, mimicking the style of the Spanish Renaissance.

It might have been the nicest house I’d ever seen. Lina had danced for an Arabic prince once before and everyone in the troupe had been able to visit the prince’s palace for the event. As extravagant as his home had been, I actually preferred this house to that palace.

We made our way into the courtyard, which the house wrapped around on three sides. There were several guests in this area, most likely because there were buffet tables and bars scattered about in different sections. Dakota and I decided to help ourselves to a plate of hors d’oeuvres while we looked around.

“This is crazy,” I said to Dakota, still awestruck. Curiously, I asked, “Hey, where is Miriam?”

After popping a stuffed mushroom in her mouth, Dakota said between mouthfuls, “I think she went into town to run some errands. She usually only attends the formal dance.”

“Huh. I’m surprised,” I said. “You would think this kind of thing would be right up her alley.”

“If you think this is good, wait until you see it tonight. Their firework show is spectacular.”

We left the courtyard to go out into the backyard, where the carnival rides were located. A small petting zoo was set up there, along with bounce houses, game booths, performers, magicians, jugglers, and the list went on and on. I think my jaw stayed in its dropped position the entire time I was there.

Dakota eventually found some of her old high school friends and introduced me to all of them. While she was caught up in the rapture of conversation, I continued to look around quietly.

It took me by surprise when I felt a pair of hands cover my eyes. In a whisper near my ear, I heard, “Guess who, fellow abandoner?”

I smiled as I turned out of his grasp. “Cam,” I replied, laughing. Once facing him, I said, “So I had no idea you lived like such a commoner. Really, your house was much smaller on the inside than I imagined.”

Cam chuckled. “What? It’s not up to your usual RV accommodations?”

“Mmm. . .not quite.” I smiled.

“Have you seen the pool?” he asked.

I shook my head in the negative.

“Come on, I’ll show you it then. Maybe it will change your mind.”

I motioned to Dakota, who had just caught my eye, that I would be right back. Then I followed Cam towards the pool. He led me to a bright blue oval, where a rocky, man-made waterfall overflowed into the sparkling water.

“Would you like something to drink?” Cam asked politely. A server passed by with refreshments, who Cam signaled over to us.

“Sure,” I said, looking up at the tray. “Water is fine.”

The server handed me a bottle and Cam tipped the man before he ambled away.

“Thank you.”

“No problem,” he replied. “So, have you seen anyone from school yet?” he asked, attempting to start conversation.

“No, not yet. Did you?”

“I only ran into a few Frightwell students. But I’m sure more will turn up tonight.”

I cracked open my bottle of water as he spoke.

“Are you coming tonight?” he asked me.

I nodded, gulping the water. “Dakota bought me a dress so I kinda have to.”

He raised a brow before I realized my blunder. “Not that I wouldn’t want to, anyway-- of course! I hear your family throws one heck of a party.”

Cam laughed quietly. “It’s okay. I’m not usually one for formals, either. And to be honest, Molly does all of the party planning. She’s the one who has the talent for it. ” He gestured outwardly now. “All of this was because of her.”

“Wow,” I said. “And to think she is only a senior in high school.”

“Impressive, right? I told her by her twentieth birthday, she’ll probably be planning presidential inaugurations and the Academy Awards. Hey, have you met Molly yet?”

“No, I haven’t had the chance.”

“That’s her over there.” He pointed to the small, wiry girl I recognized from school. “Come on, I’ll introduce you. She gets along with your cousins really well, so I’m sure she has been dying to meet you, too.”

I quietly groaned as Cam pulled me alongside him towards his sister. Molly was standing a few yards away, holding a small, bichon frise puppy in her hands as she spoke to the group of people surrounding her.

“Hey, Moll,” Cam called to her. “There’s someone I’d like you to meet.”

Molly politely pardoned herself from her guests. She was very pretty in a delicate sort of way. Petite, blonde and fair. A classic beauty. I noticed she resembled Cam more closely than she did Gabe.

I almost kicked myself. I couldn’t go an entire day without thinking of him. Although, I suppose I could excuse myself for today since I was attending his family’s party. Thoughts of Gabe were bound to enter my mind sooner or later.

“This is Lola, Miriam’s granddaughter. You may have seen her at school.”

Molly moved the puppy to one arm and extended her other hand to me. “Delighted to meet you, Lola.”

I shook her hand hesitantly. I couldn’t explain why, but her overtly saccharine smile seemed insincere.

I tried to brush it off. I was probably making much ado over nothing, but I just couldn’t shake the feeling that this girl secretly despised me.

“Cute dog,” I commented, trying to ease whatever tension I was feeling.