Chapter 2.1 - Valentina

The clock over the mirror shows it's already been three hours since I got into the tub. There's just something about taking a bath while looking out at the sea and reading a book that makes me want to do it forever.

I take the last drag of my cigarette and stub it in the ashtray next to the tub. I place the book beside it on the small table before I groan and hoist myself out of the tub.

As I step out of the bathroom and into my bedroom in my bathrobe and a towel turban on my head, I hear my father's laughter echoing from downstairs. The other male voice I hear is the chef, who probably just finished for the day.

I blow dry my hair as fast as I can before I quickly comb through it and rush out of my room towards the stairs. I need to get him in a good mood before my brother comes home and starts cracking bad jokes.

My father is sitting at the bar with the chef, laughing and speaking Italian. "Good evening, welcome home." I smile, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"My daughter is happy to see me home, I wonder why." He says, switching to English and placing a hand around my waist. 

"How was your trip?"

He cocks his head. "What do you need, Valentina?"

He knows I would never ask about his work, mainly because I don't care.

"Raisa and I are going out with the Barone boys to Taormina tonight. I need some  money." 

He squints at me. "When will you be back?"

I shrug. "Tomorrow morning, probably."

He sighs and looks over at the chef, shaking his head. "I'll send some later. When do you leave?"

"In two hours." I press a kiss to his cheek. "Thank you, you're the best!"

In hindsight, thinking that I could get ready in two hours including distractions was a  mistake.

Vinnie Barone: just left ours, be there in 10

Great.

The Barone family has been vacationing in Capo d'Orlando before we started going there, and even though they're Sicilian, the kids go to the same boarding school in New York as my brother and I. I don't know what the parents do exactly, but their mother used to be a model and their father works in construction.

They have three children: Vinnie, who's 20 (one year older than I am); a very charming guy I've known since I was young and on vacation. Then, when I switched to a private boarding school in New York, I was surprised to see him in the year above me.

I've always considered him good looking, because he has a head full of curly hair that he likes pulling up in a man bun sometimes, which always gives off daddy vibes. He also dresses casually, unlike most of the guys I know who are always trying to show off.

Eddie, who's a year younger than me, has also always kind of been around. Then there's Pia, Vinnie's twin sister, who I've also known for years, but for some reason never really interacted with me. Vinnie always tells me that she just has one of those natural resting bitch faces (like I do, apparently).

After I'm done doing my makeup, I slip into a comfortable floor-length red satin dress and begin the staring contest with my shoe rack. I cannot be bothered with heels, and sneakers  would be way too warm. I opt for a pair of white ankle-high white and gold Greek sandals to watch my white pedicure.

Valentina: be at mine in max five!!

Raisa: on the way

My phone ends up in the first white shoulder bag I can find, alongside my house keys, credit  card and license, perfume, and lip gloss. I make one more stop in front of the mirror. For some reason, wearing anything  red makes the back of my mind stronger and gives me more confidence in anything I do.

My family is gathered in the kitchen when I emerge downstairs, looking sun kissed and content. And here I am, looking like I want to get over my ex with the first Italian guy I see.  Which isn't that far from the truth anyway.

"Where are you going?" my mother asks from her seat by the bar, rolling in the hair chair to  face me.

My dad looks at me over her shoulder. They are wine tasting and are probably already tipsy.  He frowns. "To impress boys, I see."

"I'm just going out with Raisa and the Barone boys, to Taormina. I told you already." I say,  trying to get out of it as fast as I can so I don't keep the boys waiting for me. 

I walk over to the bar, barely noticing my brother by the kitchen counter texting away on his  phone.

"Oooh, look who's here." I mock as I pass him.

"Where are you going exactly?" he snaps back, finally looking up from his phone. "Where is this party?"

The truth is, I don't know. All I know is that I need to be entertained and feel like I'm doing  something exciting, otherwise I'll rot in my bedroom upstairs. And of course, Adrik knows it too. He's just trying to be a smartass in front of our parents.

I sit down next to my mother by the bar. "I told you, it's in Taormina. It's a friend's of Vinnie and Eddie's." I explain, even though I have no idea whether that's true or not. It probably is.

"And you go dressed like that?" Adrik continues.

"What's your problem with my look?" I ask, slightly getting offended.

"Nothing. You're a walking red flag." He says and I look at my mom, as if I were expecting for her to say something. She shrugs, not wanting to get involved.

"How so?"

"Everybody knows a white pedicure is a red flag. Plus, you're literally in a red dress." 

I look down at myself. I like what I see. It's time to turn the spotlight back onto him.

"Where have you been, hm?" I retort as I reach for my mother's glass. She looks at me  disapprovingly as I take a sip.

"At the beach."

"You've been going quite often to the beach recently. Even though we have one in the backyard." I say, pointing behind me.

"Mooom." He says, apparently not being able to handle it anymore.

"Kyril." My mother says, turning to my dad.

"Valentina."

I roll my eyes. Of course, I'm the problem.

"I need to go." I say, getting up from the chair and looking at my dad. "Can you please send  me some money so I can..." take shots? Do coke? Order random shit online? "...have money?"

"Oh, yes, I forgot."

I kiss both my parents on the cheek before I pass by my brother, trying to kiss him on my way out as well. He struggles but I manage to grab his chin and press a kiss to his cheek with a loud  noise. I suddenly feel a rush of adrenaline in my body, excited about having something to do after five days of nothing.

"Buona notte, familia!" I exclaim, grabbing one of my jackets from the downstairs dressing  room on my way out.

There's a black minivan with tinted windows outside our gate, and I run down the driveway, as if an extra ten seconds would make a difference. I quickly spray a bit of perfume on myself as I go, hoping no one is turned around to watch me do that.

"Sorry if I made you wait." I say when the driver opens the door and I climb in.

The two rows of seats are placed facing each other, so I take my place next to Raisa, right across from Vinnie, who's between his siblings. I haven't seen them in about a month since we went out in Catania last time.

"It's fine, we didn't wait long." Vinnie says, and I smile.

Vinnie has such a good vibe; I like hanging out with him. He's one of those people you just  instantly get along with and could talk about everything forever because he's interesting and  smart.

One time I described him to Raisa, and she asked whether I'm in love with him. I was startled  by the question but also confused as to why I had to think about the answer. 

Long story short, summer ended and then we went back to New York and he started college.  Vinnie returned to being on again off again with his girlfriend of nearly four years at the time, I returned to looking for a friends with benefits type of thing and running when things were starting to get serious.

"Where are we going exactly?" I ask as soon as the car starts moving and the silence gets a bit too loud.

I usually have no problem talking to the Barone brothers, but having Pia here with them, being antisocial by just staring at her phone, somehow makes me feel uneasy.

"A family friend of ours has a vacation home in Taormina. They're out so we're hosting a party with everyone who could attend on short notice." He explains. "A lot of people from school will come."

"How many people?" Pia asks, not looking up from her phone.

"About sixty."

The car stops like it's already reached its destination. When I look out the window, I realize it's a small airstrip.

"We're taking the small plane, it's only thirty minutes that way."

Going to a party and arriving at...seven??? What is this.

The driver opens the door and we make our way out of the car and onto the plane, greeting the staff as we do so.

"I didn't know they had these in this town." I say, looking at the small building by the air strip.

"My father uses it for business purposes, and I can borrow it when I want to." Vinnie smiles. He's got a dimple in his left cheek, which makes him even more ugh.

We each take a shot and drink a cocktail once we're up in the air, and by the time we're landing  it's already 6:45pm and the sun is starting to set.

There's another van there to take us to the location on top of a hill, with a beautiful view of the sea and the beaches below.

There are about a dozen cars parked in the driveway already, and there's flashing lights coming from a room on the second floor. I recognize a few cars from our boarding school parking lot,  so I know I'm about to see some people I know in a place I never expected them to be.

I don't ask who lives here exactly, but it smells like a trust fund party. Those are the best. A bunch of kids born into old money who live their lives the way they see fit, only to become depressed around 25 if they haven't found a thing to be passionate about. I've seen it, and I'm scared it will happen to me too.

People my age having basically unlimited money to spend and not realizing they're destroying themselves with their coke habits and their need to always be chasing...something. Not being able to see that they've passed a certain invisible line when it comes to losing control of your life just because you want to feel something that doesn't feel...meh.

The house is beautiful, just like all the other houses I've seen in Italy so far. Compared to  America or Russia, Italy is definitely a whole other vibe. It's like every one of these places has a certain feel, and I can't tell which one I like more. Or which place feels more like home.

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