As if on cue, I hear Isabella calling my name. We meet by the door. She looks very happy and pleased with what she heard. It relaxes me enough to trust the process.
"Your turn."
I take my seat in front of Pandora, who is busy shuffling the cards and looking at an unlit candle.
"No." I answer. "Plus, it's summer. I want to enjoy myself, have fun. I think we should hang out when I'm in Sicily with my family. Is Capo d'Orlando far away?""Are you kidding? It's not even that far! A two hour drive, tops." she excitedly says. "We'll definitely hang out. Maybe I can come over to your house, since I live in the city and I love the beach."
MatteoSicily, Italy – spring/summer 2020Friday May 29th, 2pmHis father calls him as he's smoking a joint on his balcony, staring out at the sea with nothing on his mind. He remembers waking up two times before actually getting out of bed.First time, it was Valentina saying his name that brought him back to reality. He was still semi-unconscious when he told her something he cannot remember now.The second time, it was a pair of flip flops slapping against the ground that stirred him awake. Lastly, he couldn't fall asleep after that, so he got out of bed.Isabella's idea of the girls going to see a psychic put him in a better mood. Their childlike excitement made him happy inside, like he was surrounded by people he could trust. That's why he allowed himself to make the occasional snarky remark. He decided that the two of them could hold their own against him.The moment his father calls though, his good mood shatters.He places the joint in one of the cigarette-holders of the asht
Friday, 3:40pm Isabella and Valentina have been gone for over three hours now, and Matteo has been driving himself insane thinking about the initiation ritual. He just wants a distraction, and this weekend is perfect for that. He wants to get the airport, get to Ibiza, get on that yacht, and get wasted. So wasted he parties through the whole day into Sunday, where he'll sleep for a few hours before his father will wake him up.
Saturday 1:30amMatteo's next three hours are filled with Vodka Red Bulls, lines of cocaine done in the bathroom, and trying to escape both Raisa and Allison at the same time. Vinnie is nowhere to be seen, still upset about Sophia (maybe), and Isabella and Valentina have been talking on one of the lounge chairs since they've arrived.
Everybody startles when Matteo catches the glass with his hand, saving his own head from being his by a glass. She doesn't say anything else as she marches up the stairs towards the bedrooms.
ValentinaSomewhere on the Balearic Sea, Spain – spring/summer 2020Saturday 01:15amThe first thing Isabella and I did as soon as we saw the open bar was get two gin and tonics. We sat down on two of the lounge chairs on the lower deck. They were facing the sea we're leaving behind, so we watched the sun setting over the horizon.We didn't realize how long we had been talking until they announced the cake.It's already dark by the time we're at our fourth round of G&Ts."Have you noticed that all the girls here besides the two of us are drooling over Matteo?" she asks."I have, actually."Gossiping with Isabella is different from doing it with Raisa. With Isabella it feels as if we're discussing something; with Raisa it feels more like talking behind someone's back."I bet you fifty right now that as soon as Ariana comes back to Hamilton, she'll be all over him.""Who? Vinnie or Matteo?""Matteo, of course. Why would you say Vinnie?""I don't know. I just thought she'd flirted with h
How would it feel?I feel like I already know"I'm in April 2001, so you should've kissed me you idiot!" Marco yells from his seat, and everybody laughs.I feel a weight lifted off my shoulders, like the air is breathable again."Alright, this one's good. We must go clockwise, saying one thing we have never done. Those who have done it have to drink. Matteo starts.""It's Never Have I Ever." Ariana explains when Matteo doesn't speak.He sits up in his chair, and I find myself following the way his muscles flex as he does so."I know that game, okay. Never have I ever..."
Saturday 8:45am, BarcelonaHe's telling me the story about trying to escape Raisa and Allison when Isabella saved him, suggesting the drinking game.He talks fast when he's on drugsI can still follow him though, and he appears to be able to keep up with how much I can talk, not minding it one bit and not looking bored. He looks like he's actually listening, only interrupting when he has something even better to add."I want a pizza because even though I'm not hungry, I can hear my stomach growling and I don't want to pass out."He's leaning back in his palms like he did back in the fountain, legs stretched and spread out, face pointed to the sky."Where from