A Summer Like No Other

Chapter 8 - Nick

Modern Pinball is crowded as always. But we don't have to wait long to get two machines side by side. This place is super clean—not like Video Games Forever, the arcade we sometimes go to which smells like old food and old cigarettes. Rob's playing on the Avengers machine while I'm starting on the Mustang one. It's nice to hang out together again. Yesterday was the first time since my father fired his that he came over to my place. It was awkward at the beginning, but after he beat me at Formula One, he turned to me and said: "Your dad and mine can figure their shit out. It's not our business. And it's none of their business that we're best friends."

That settled it.

"You suck even more tonight!" Rob says and then clears his throat. "Was everything okay when I came outside earlier? You and Em seemed pretty intense."

"Everything was fine," I reply, my throat dry.

"She's not mad at you. She's upset about moving, about Dad losing his job and she's super focused on dancing and finding her birth parents."

I hold my hand up. "We're fine. Last summer, when we talked about her birth parents, she said she wanted to wait until she was eighteen to find them. What happened?"

"She's been more and more restless about it. I've told her she needed to wait, but you know her, the more you tell her she shouldn't do something, the more she wants to do it."

"But it's about her birth parents; I'm sure it's not about her being stubborn." I crack my knuckles after winning a bonus round.

"I don't want to see her hurt," Rob says.

"I don't either," I whisper, but Rob doesn't hear me—instead his eyes glance at a point behind me.

"I told you I had plans, right? Well, my plans have arrived and I really want you to meet him," he says and for the first time since I've known him, his voice quivers and he seems unsure of himself. Nervous.

"Mysterious guy?" I ask, teasing him.

"Serious guy," Roberto replies and stands up. He gives the newcomer a hug. The guy looks different than Roberto's usual flings. He's tall and dark-haired with dark eyes, which is Rob's style, but he's more than that. One, he's not all-muscle: he's rather lean and he's got glasses. Two, he's holding a messenger bag with books inside of it and not a fitness magazine, and three, he actually knows how to smile.

"Nick, this is my friend—Giovanni."

"Nice meeting you." Giovanni has a super heavy Italian accent. "Roberto talks so much about you."

"He probably told you he's better than me at all things video games." I lean in. "But I let him win, that's why."

Rob smiles. "Giovanni is Italian, he's here from Milano and he's studying astrophysics with me." He speaks much faster than usual and he fidgets. Rob never fidgets. "Well, not with me. He's in the astrophysics program, I'm in the nanophysics program. But it's the same building."

"Cool," I tell Giovanni and shake his hand.

"We have to go. I'm walking Giovanni back to his apartment and we need to study, but I wanted you to meet him," Rob says and stands up. "I have been kicking your ass since we got here. Probably because you've had your mind somewhere else. And for some reason, I have a feeling this somewhere else includes my sister." He pauses and his happy-careless smile morphs into a frown. "We've talked about that, dude."

"And you usually never say dude...I guess things can change."

"Unless you can promise my sister more than a fling then, nope, nothing can change." His hands land on both my shoulders. "You understand, right?"

I have no choice but to look him in the eyes as I reply. "I understand."

It's a lie.

"Where are you?" My dad's voice carries through the entire ground floor. After coming home from Modern Pinball, I've been chilling in the living room, watching TV on the super comfy leather couch, kind of waiting for Dad to come back from his cocktail party. But I must have fallen asleep.

"You left for the spa without telling me? What is wrong with you, Annie?" He's talking to Mom, or rather yelling at Mom. I get up and follow the sound of his voice. The door of his office is open and he's sitting at his desk, a whiskey in his hand.

"You really think that's the answer! That you leaving is the answer! Goddamn it, we are married for better and worse. Not only for when it suits your fucking highness!" He pauses. "No, I will not apologize. And stop it, stop telling me it's all my fault. I was trying to do the right thing! I didn't know until last month..." He takes a sip of his drink. "I have no idea if Amanda knows or not."

What does Em's mom have to do with any of this?

Dad leans back on his chair. "It's not like we had a drink and talked about what happened sixteen years ago!" He downs the rest of his whiskey in one shot and flips through a file on his desk. "Of course, Emilia's adoption is legal. Claire Carter has nothing to say. Do not dare contact her. And we need to speak before you hire a fucking divorce lawyer." He slams his fist on the desk. "Do not dare throw our marriage in the trash without talking to me first!"

It's not the first time my parents have talked about getting a divorce and it probably won't be the last, but...Em's adoption, I've never heard a word about it from them.

I mold my back to the wall.

I could go in and face my dad, but I've learned the hard way that he will not budge if he doesn't want to.

I need to go upstairs before he sees me.

I need to step away from here.

I need to talk to Emilia.    

Author's note:

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you're enjoying getting to know Em & Nick! I'll be publishing two new chapters every Friday and would love to hear from you, so don't hesitate to leave a comment. The full novella is already published/available on all e-retailers for only $0.99 in case you don't want to wait for the next chapter :) More information on www.elodienowodazkij.com :)