A little lie

I arrived at the school entrance and wasn't surprised to find Vivian and Alice waiting for me outside. I got out of the cab and walked calmly towards them.

- Nicole, what's wrong with you? - Vivian ran up to me, hugging me tightly. - We were about to call the police. What's worse, we had to come up with the craziest excuse so that Matthew and the supervisor would believe us and not tell his mother. We told Matheus that you felt ill and came here before us. We also signed your arrival list as if it were you. Otherwise, you can bet your mother would have landed here by now.

- Nicole, where were you? - Alice took the opportunity to ask.

- It's just that I met someone. - The lie flows from my lips. - We talked until late... I forgot the time.

- Ouch. Oh, my. Oh, God! Don't tell me you had sex with a stranger? - Vivian's mouth formed a big "O" of surprise.

I could explain the story, but I had a headache that barely let me think, as well as nausea that wouldn't go away.

- No, it wasn't like that. - I answered at once, staring into her curious eyes. - We just talked and that was it.

- And we know him? - Alice squinted. - Looking at my bruised lip.

- No. Look, girls, I'm fine, safe and tired. If you don't mind, I'll go upstairs.

Vivian and Alice looked at each other and shrugged. It took Alice a little longer to buy the lie, but in the end, she accepted it.

- Okay - she said. - I'll talk to you tomorrow. The important thing is that you're okay.

We said goodbye and went to our rooms.

At least a month had passed and I'd hardly had time to take in what had happened. The day after the graduation party, I woke up late and spent the rest of the day feeling sick because of the hangover. I thought about Luck for most of the day too. My first and only feeling for at least three weeks was shame, then anger, at myself, at Luck and even at my friends for letting me drink.

After that, I decided that I wanted it. I had always been attracted to Luck and maybe at the time it was good. I was drunk and probably didn't manage my emotions well at the time. And that's why I thought the situation was worse than it really was.

I even thought about calling Luck, trying a second date without drinks to see if it would work. I ended up giving up when I received a message from Madeleine saying that she would give me about a month to organize things and move there, so that I could finally get organized for college.

Vivian, Alice and I hardly spoke to each other during those weeks, they were too busy getting answers from their colleges and, as they didn't mention anything else about the night of our graduation, I also chose not to comment, there was no reason to make a fuss, much less to hear them say that they had warned me, as if I were a child. I was a little disappointed and ashamed of the way my attitude had turned out. I was known by my friends for being balanced, but it only took a few glasses of drink for me to be reckless out there. So I decided not to tell them. It would only be between Luck and me. If we managed to get together and clear things up, then I would tell them everything.

Later that day, I received a call from Vivian, arranging to meet at Starbucks. I hadn't been in the mood to go out since my brain began to assimilate that I'd been dumped. Luck apparently saw all my messages on social media, but didn't make a point of replying to any of them.

And that was the only reason I accepted their invitation.

I left punctually at 5pm, when Matthew sent me a message. I arrived at Starbucks and sat down at my usual table. The cafeteria was bustling as usual at the end of the week. I ordered a cappuccino while they didn't arrive. I sipped my drink while still looking at the menu, already choosing what we would order when they arrived. My gaze wandered to the couple sitting at the table in front of me. An elegant blonde woman in her twenties was blushing as she whispered something apparently innocent to her boyfriend. She ran her hand through her hair, her pulse racing in her neck, a small layer of sweat covering her forehead as she smiled. It was then that I realized he was shamelessly smooching her under her skirt. From my angle of vision, it was clear what was going on. The problem was that it was daytime in a public place and there were even children in the establishment. Fuck! It had to be a joke. They weren't really "masturbating" in public.

The anger was growing inside me, and I needed everything in me not to explode. I'd heard that there are no limits for lovers, but this? This was immoral and decadent, the establishment wasn't full and the family with children were too distracted to see, but I was watching, and that was enough. If anyone sat in the same direction as me, they'd have the same view as me.

When a small bead of sweat ran down her face and she let out a muffled moan, I knew for sure what was happening. I looked around to see if anyone else was noticing the scene. Nothing. Everything around seemed to be working perfectly, people being served, the old movement in and out. Okay, no one was watching. Which didn't mean I had to see it. I stood up indignantly, ready to make things right with the couple. I walked around the table and, as I got closer, I realized it was none other than Luck Petrelli.

- What? - I said, looking at their eyes.

Startled by the intrusion, he quickly withdrew his hand and rested it on the table.

- What's going on here? - I said firmly. They continued to stare at me as if they were doing nothing.

- I'm sorry, I don't know what you're talking about," the blonde woman commented mockingly.

- Really? - I interrupted her, turning my back on her and turning to Luck.

- Luck... - I whispered, looking at him, who looked at me as if he didn't understand.

- What the fuck are you talking about? - he replied in a rude tone. His face was flushed with anger.

- What are you doing? - I questioned him as if the two of us had some degree of intimacy.