Page 21 of Vicious Intentions
I look at her after wiping away my tears. “But that’s what I’ve been doing.”
“Do it better,” she says gently. “Trust me. I know where you are. Been there, done that. Still wearing the fucking T-shirt. Damn it, I’m not supposed to curse. Sorry.”
“That’s okay,” I say quietly. “I’ve heard worse.”
She laughs at that. “Yeah. I bet you have, being Luciano’s sister and all.”
My forehead creases at her words. I’m not sure why she singles Lucky out for his cursing when Enzo is just as loud and foul-mouthed. I don’t point that out to her either. Frankie’s been nothing but kind and gentle, and right now, I need that small bit of goodness to ease the ache in my heart.
“Shouldn’t you be in class?” I ask after a while.
“Shouldn’t you?” She winks. “I figured if you weren’t going anywhere, then maybe you’d like some company.”
“Thank you,” I finally manage to say.
“No worries,” she replies, fidgeting with her bracelet.
Frankie doesn’t try to engage me in conversation or small talk, which is a good thing since I’m too heartbroken to say more than a few words at a time.
When we both hear the bell ring, announcing the end of the day, Frankie reaches for the bag of rice.
“Moment of truth,” she says lightly as she pulls the phone free and taps it against her palm to shake off the grains clinging to it. She then hands it to me and says, “Go on. Hopefully it’s working now.”
My fingers close around it, hesitant. The phone feels heavier somehow. Heavy like my soul.
Knowing I can’t postpone this forever, I press the button. The screen flickers. Then lights up.
For a second, I just stare at it, my breath caught somewhere in my chest. The lock screen blooms to life, whole and familiar, like it never left me at all.
“I can’t believe it,” I whisper in astonishment.
Frankie grins. “Told you. As Sister Agnes likes to say, sometimes all you need is a little bit of faith.”
Something in me breaks soon after. Relief rushes through me so fast it makes my knees weak. Before I can think better of it, I step forward and wrap my arms around her. She stiffens in surprise, then laughs softly and hugs me back, warm and solid and real.
“Thank you,” I murmur into her shoulder. The words feel too small, but they’re all I have.
Frankie squeezes me once more before pulling back. “Anytime, Annamaria.”
I look down at the phone in my hands, my chest still tight, my eyes burning again, but this time for a whole different reason—relief.
I thank Frankie more times than necessary before we part ways. When I get home, the phone buzzes almost immediately with an incoming text from Raffaele.
Rafe:So, how was your last day of school?
I stare at the screen, thumbs hovering over the keys, unable to bring myself to type an honest reply.
Me:Same old, same old.
That’s when it hits me.
Those girls might have failed to destroy my phone or take it from me, but they succeeded in stealing something far more precious from me. They took my ability to be honest with Raffaele.
If I can’t tell the truth to the only friend I have, then no one will ever really know me.
Not completely. Not honestly.
And that might be the loneliest thing of all.
