46| red

NADIA

I stepped outside, expecting Elijah to still be there, hoping he'd somehow prove my family wrong and show he had nothing to do with my father's and brother's condition. But as the sun rose, casting a pale light over the scene, I felt like a zombie – drained and disheveled.

I'd already skipped school once, and now I planned to spend the day holed up at home, catching up on online work instead. My brother protested, his eyes scanning my disheveled appearance. "You look rough," he said, his voice laced with concern.

I rolled my eyes, a mix of frustration and exhaustion simmering beneath the surface. "Thanks," I muttered, my tone dripping with sarcasm. My brother, already dressed and seemingly ready to face the day, watched me with an air of superiority. "You plan on going out?" I asked, incredulous. "Yes," he replied, as if it were a foregone conclusion.

I shook my head, worry etched on my face. "You can't; you're literally hurt." He shrugged it off, a nonchalant smile playing on his lips. "Nothing a little TLC can't fix." I threw up my hands in exasperation. "You're unbelievable."

As I stood there, my mind wandered to the uncertainty that lay ahead. A part of me craved answers, yearned to unravel the tangled threads of what had happened. But another part – a louder, more insistent part – just wanted to erase it all, to run away and pretend it never existed. That option sounded infinitely more appealing. Way better.

It was later on in the afternoon, and I was left all alone, except for my dad, who I had to check on regularly. There had been no progress in his condition, and the silence in the house felt oppressive. Zeke had errands to run, and my mother had business to attend to, leaving me to my thoughts.

I sighed, closing my laptop and heading to the kitchen for a cold glass of pineapple juice. Just as I was about to reach the kitchen, the doorbell rang. I froze on the stairs, wondering who it could be. I made my way to the door cautiously, peering through the frosted glass panel beside it. The glass distorted the image, but I could make out a blonde with locs on the other side.

"It's me, Blue," I heard, and I noticed another person standing behind them. Without hesitation, I opened the door, but my heart sank when I saw the second figure clearly – Vicky was standing there too.

"Just what I needed," I thought to myself, a mix of sarcasm and resignation. Vicky's eyes locked onto mine, filled with a knowing look that was gentle rather than judgmental. It contrasted sharply with Blue's bright, cheerful gaze. "We heard you were skipping school," Vicky said, her voice soft.

"Yes, I told you that," I replied matter-of-factly. "We just wanted to make sure you're okay. We know about everything that's been happening," Blue chimed in, her tone bubbling with concern.

A warmth spread through me, and for the first time that day, I smiled genuinely. "Come on in. God knows how much I need this," I said, stepping aside to let them in.

The girls and I ended up spending an hour talking about nothing and honestly, I appreciated it.

"I'm so hungry," Vicky said, throwing her head back dramatically. "Oh, I know just the place to go," she added, a mischievous glint in her eye. "Absolutely not," I chimed in, shaking my head. "I'm not leaving the house."

"Then let's call Gio," Blue suggested, a sly smile spreading across her face. Vicky and I exchanged a look, then turned to Blue in unison. "The cute pizza guy?" she said, wiggling her eyebrows, and realization dawned on us.

"Seems like someone has a crush?" I teased, knowing full well that Blue had a thing for Anthony. But I wasn't one to judge – liking two people at once was definitely possible. "What, no?" Blue protested, her face flushing. "He was definitely crazy about you, though," she said with a pointed look.

I turned to Vicky, grinning. "Vicky, what happened to the Blue we knew?" Vicky shrugged, laughing. "God knows." Without another word, Blue snatched my phone and began dialing. Luckily for her, it didn't have a passcode – a mental note to rectify that situation was duly made.

"Hey, give it back!" I tried to grab my phone, but Blue dodged me effortlessly. "Na-ah," she said, phone pressed to her ear. A few seconds later, she launched into a conversation. "Hello? Is this Giovanni speaking?" I rolled my eyes, incredulous.

"Great, could we please have a large pepperoni pizza and three Coke Zeros?" Blue ordered, winking at me. I wanted to throw a pillow at her. "Thanks so much. Looking forward to seeing you," she said, her voice dripping with flirtation. My eyes widened in horror.

When she hung up, I added roughly, "You're such a handful." Blue just grinned, unfazed.

"At least it got you to smile," Blue said proudly, her eyes sparkling with satisfaction. Forty-five minutes later, the doorbell rang, and we knew exactly what that meant. I made my way to the door, and when I opened it to find Giovanni standing there, I couldn't muster up any surprise.

"Hi," I said shyly, my cheeks warming up. Giovanni shot me a bright, cheerful grin. "Why hello," he replied, his voice friendly.

"I'm sorry about Blue. It was totally uncalled for. I wouldn't have thought she'd do something like that," I apologized quickly. Giovanni waved it off. "It's okay. If it makes you feel better, I got you a milkshake, on the house," he said, holding out a bag with a milkshake logo on it. My lips curved into a small, appreciative smile.

"Aw, you didn't have to," I said, taking the food from him and setting it down on the nearby console table. "It's okay, don't sweat it," Giovanni said, his eyes locking onto mine with a different kind of intensity. "By the way, are you feeling better?" he asked, his voice softening.

I nodded, despite not feeling entirely better. Being around Giovanni made me forget my troubles, if only temporarily. "I'm good," I said, trying to reassure him. Giovanni's expression turned serious. "If you're in danger, I can tell my uncle. He's a cop," he offered, his eyes searching mine.

I raised my eyebrows, intrigued. "Really?" Giovanni nodded. "Yeah, he works for the FBI." I chuckled, a dark humor surfacing. "Good, now I have somebody to kick ass with," I joked, trying to lighten the mood. Giovanni chuckled, his face relaxing.

"But really, I'm all good," I said, reassuring him. I knew he was probably thinking about the worst-case scenario, although he wouldn't be too far off. He likely thought I was protecting Elijah, and in a way, he wasn't wrong.