SCARLETT'S POV:
I inspect the honey crisp apples and find two that look the best to me, and drop them in my basket. I then leave the produce section and head towards the back of the Trader Joes. There's something so comforting to me about going grocery shopping. It makes me feel like I'm a little kid again, going to the store with my mom so I can avoid doing my homework. I browse through the aisles and find the pizza sauce for tonight. I hear a familiar voice call my name, and I turn around to see Liza standing there.
"Hey, Liza!"
"Hey! What's up?"
"Not much...just getting stuff for the week." She peeks in my basket of ingredients and raises her eyebrows at me.
"Is it pizza night with the boyfriend or something?" I throw my head back and laugh.
"Ha! No! I told you already, I'm as single as it gets." She squints her eyes at me in disbelief. I don't know why it's hard for her to believe it when I have the social skills of a rock.
"You're really gonna make yourself a pizza from scratch instead of buying a frozen one? Fuck. I need to stop being so lazy." I laugh knowing how lazy I usually am. I was just feeling fancy and wanted to feel like an actual adult who doesn't order Postmates every night.
"What do you mean, it looks like you're cooking something." I motion to her basket.
"Oh yep....I'm picking up some food for Vinnie and.." My heart skips at the name. "The house wants to make burgers tonight so I said I would pick up the stuff while I was out. You know, just assistant thingsss," she says with a chuckle.
"So you don't have anyone special waiting for you at home?" she asks. I look back up at her and cross my arms.
"No, Lizaaa stop rubbing it in my face jeez"
"Then come to the house tonight!"
I freeze. I was prepared to stay in my comfortable little bubble tonight, which is staying in my apartment and watching TV. I wasn't prepared to possibly see Vinnie tonight.
Liza reads my anxiety right away and says through a laugh, "We have more in common than I thought." She tells me it's gonna be totally lowkey and not to worry, and a tiny part of me wants to go.
"I won't be offended if you don't come, it's up–"
"I'd love to!" I scream a little inside as the words slip my mouth.
"Tight! You can drop your stuff at home and then we'll head there. Just text me your address."
"Okay...yeah..sounds good. See you later!"
"Bye." I head to the cash register and tuck my hair behind my ear, exhaling. I'm gonna do my best not to overthink tonight, but we all know that's not gonna happen.
I hop out of Liza's car and grab some of the groceries from the backseat. I feel the night time California breeze send a chill through my body. I'm wearing a white crop top and leggings, because I didn't have time to change when I dropped my stuff off at home. Liza sees me shivering and laughs. "Don't worry, there's like ten people in this house. I'm sure someone will lend you something." When we enter the house, my heart melts at the couple of dogs that greet us. I kick off my shoes and notice that there's still that new house smell, one of my favorite scents ever. We enter the kitchen, and I get deja vu as everyone turns their heads to me. I do a quick glance and don't see him.
"Vinnie's girlfriend is here again!" Calvin shouts.
"Calvin shut up, leave the girl alone," Thomas laughs as he takes the food from us.
"I ran into Scarlett at the grocery store and invited her without asking if it was okay, but...I mean...she's really cool so if you don't like her, you can leave." Liza's attitude makes me laugh, and her words make me feel grateful for meeting someone like her who makes an effort to include me.
"Umm Liza, we actually live here, so you would be the one leaving. But don't worry, it's good to have you here, Scarlett. It gets boring around here with the same roommates," he says as he shakes his head at Calvin and Paper.
Alex walks in and spots me. "Hey, Scarlett! It's good to see you." He goes in for a hug, which surprises me, but it also doesn't, because Alex seems like one of the most genuine people. Thomas starts preparing the meat, and Mia starts preparing the toppings. I offer to help, and I start pouring the frozen french fries onto the sheet pan. I look around and Vinnie still hasn't come into the kitchen, and it's been over 20 minutes. I must've made it more obvious than I meant to because Liza comes up next to me and quietly says, "He's out with Jet. They'll be back soon." I pretend to be confused about what she's talking about, but she doesn't buy it. She laughs, seeing right through me.
I sit at the table and throw the ball over and over again for Mia and Thomas' golden retriever puppy. Dogs are way easier to talk to than humans. I pull my attention away from the ball of fluff to the doorway when a girl a little older than me walks in. Her blonde hair and gold hoops complement her bronzed skin, and her freckled face is sunkissed. She looks like a Pinterest photo with her glowy skin and pink sundress. She wasn't here the last time I came. Does she live here? I give her a sweet smile, but it doesn't feel genuine like I meant it to be. Did he forget to mention her? She spots me, and I realize I should probably introduce myself.
"Hey, I'm Scarlett! I'm working with Vinnie on his merch line."
"Oh, I'm Emmy. Nice to meet you!"
"You too! I love your outfit," I say truthfully, taking in how effortlessly pretty she looks.
"Thanks, you're so sweet!" She replies with a smile.
"Hey, Emmy" Thomas and the rest of them say hello, and she makes her way to Paper, who puts his arm around her and kisses her head. Oh. The tension in my body leaves as I realize I had it all wrong.
I hear the garage door shut and a familiar laugh. Jett and Vinnie walk into the kitchen, and his expression goes blank as soon as he sees me. He's in sweatpants and a white t-shirt without his usual jewelry. His hair is messy like he just woke up, and his tired eyes stare at me in shock. That wasn't the reaction I was expecting.
"Scarlett? Hey....um.. what are you doing here?" He looks down and scratches the back of his neck.
"I ran into Liza at the grocery store and she invited me for dinner!"
"Oh," he says with a forced laugh as he eyes Liza. He looks back and forth from her and Jett, and Jett puts his hands in the air like he's not a part of whatever is happening.
"The food's ready!" Thomas yells, breaking the awkward tension.
Dinner is chaotic and loud, with twelve people talking over each other at once. I've only been talking to Liza. I hate it how the minute I catch feelings for someone, I forget how to communicate with them. I'm gonna force myself to talk to him eventually, it just feels weird right now. He doesn't seem like his usual self, which makes me even more intimidated.
When I'm done eating, I head to the bathroom to freshen up. I powder my face and pull my hair out of my ponytail, running my hands through my waves. I stare at myself in the mirror and sigh. Out there is a guy who I really like. His friends are awesome, and he's not like any of the guys I've met before. Even though he doesn't like me back, I still want him to be in my life as a friend. There's nothing to be afraid of. As long as I don't make it awkward, he won't sense a thing. I fix my hair one more time and give myself a reassuring nod.
"Liza, you can't just invite her over without asking me!" I overhear Vinnie talking as I walk out of the bathroom, and my heart drops.
"Vinnie, it's not that big of a deal. You're overreacting," Liza laughs.
"Liza, I'm serious. I wasn't expecting her to be here, and I'm not in the mood for this right now."
"Why do you care so much if she's here or not?"
"You could've asked me!" I can tell by his tone how aggravated he is.
"Dude, I don't know what's up with you. She's your friend. I thought I was being nice."
"It's just....this was the last thing I needed right now." What's that supposed to mean? My chest tightens.
"Vinnie, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to ruin your night."
"It's not your fault....I overreacted" I hear him sigh and push his chair away from the table.
"Let me know if you need anything." I hear Liza reply.
From the silence, I can tell that he's left the table. So much for my confidence pep-talk. I feel like a complete burden now. I enter the room and everyone looks at me. Liza's eyes widen and she pulls me into the hallway.
"Did you—"
"Yep." I cross my arms. "Look, did I do something? I can totally leave, it's not a big deal."
"No! No...it's not your fault, Scarlett."
"He made it pretty clear that he doesn't want me here."
Liza shakes her head at me.
"No....trust me, he does. He's not feeling his best today. He went on a drive with Jett before this to clear his mind. He's been on edge all day, and I just annoyed him even more. I should've known this would set him off. He didn't have time to mentally prepare himself to see you. He couldn't drench himself in cologne or stand in the mirror to fix his hair for twenty minutes." She laughs.
"Why would he need to do that?" I feel my cheeks get hot.
"Because he wants to look his best in front of you." My cheeks get even hotter, even though I know she's just trying to embarrass him.
"Well is he okay?"
"Don't worry about him. It's nothing serious. I'll check on him in a little bit."
I nod and we go back to the table. I sink down in my chair.
"Let me guess...Vinnie left the table to go sulk in his room again." Michael rolls his eyes.
"Michael, c'mon man, he's got a lot on his plate," says Jett.
"You know Vinnie, he just needs some time," Alex says as he takes a drink from his can.
"Yeah, well, he could at least be more pleasant and lose the attitude. We all go through shit too, but we don't shut people out." Michael's snarky comments make my insides burn with anger. My chair makes a loud noise as I stand up, and everyone looks at me.
"I'm gonna go make sure he's okay." I stare straight at Michael.
"Good luck," he scoffs.
"Maybe if you actually showed that you cared about his feelings, he wouldn't have an attitude with you." I glare at Michael and storm out, without seeing anyone else's reactions.
I make my way up the long staircase and go all the way to the end of the hallway where Vinnie's room is. I'm not so sure this is a good idea, since I'm the reason he's mad. Maybe I'm overreacting, but I can't stand it when people act like Michael did.
"Hey, Vinnie, it's Scarlett. Just wanted to make sure you were okay. If you just wanna be alone, I get it." After a few seconds, he slowly opens the door so that I can just see his face.
"Oh...um...hey...look, I'm not really feeling the best today. I wasn't trying to ignore you or anything, I–"
"I get it. Don't worry. Is there anything you need?"
"No, thanks though. I've got Liza for that." He laughs, but it sounds forced. "I just need a break alone."
"Yeah, okay. It's just.....do you actually wanna be alone? Or would you rather have someone to talk to?" He meets my eyes and slowly opens his door all the way, nodding at me. He plops himself on his bed next to Hera, and I join him, sitting on the other end.
"Sorry, it was shitty of me to leave you down there alone with a bunch of people you don't know."
"That's okay, I've got Liza," I smile. "So, she told me you've had a pretty rough day," I say, looking down at Hera.
"Yep. One thing after another, and I just blew up."
"Is everything okay?"
"Yeah........I mean...not really. I'm just exhausted. I'm up at five in the morning to train, and now that the fight is getting closer, I'm really feeling the pressure of everything. Then I come home and have to film content for the house and my own stuff.... and I've trapped myself into this f-boy tiktoker persona....I don't want people to think that's me.....and I'm also supposed to be streaming consistently to grow, which I don't have time for.....I've completely abandoned my youtube channel...and it's kinda overwhelming to come home to a house full of twelve other people. Some of them just get on my nerves." He rubs his eyes with the palms of his hands.
"I know what you mean....when it seems like the universe is out to get you and anything someone else does makes you want to punch a wall." He laughs and throws his head back.
"Yep, that exact feeling." I lay back and prop my head on my elbow.
"Do you have any time to just relax and enjoy life?" I stare at his scruffy face, and somehow, his dark circles and messy hair make him look even hotter.
"Not really."
"Well what are you doing tonight?"
"I have to stream in a little bit."
"But what do you want to do?"
"To be honest, nothing." He laughs.
"Then come on," I say as I stand up and nod my head towards the door.
"Where are you going?" He asks with his hand in the air.
"Outside."
"Why?"
"To do nothing...C'mon!" I wave my hand towards me. He looks me up and down, and it makes my stomach drop.
He raised his eyebrows at me. "You're gonna need something more than that. It's cold right now."
"I'm from New York. I'll be fine." I huff.
"Whatever," he laughs, grabbing a hoodie from his closet and slipping it on. He runs his hands through his unruly hair and grabs his phone. I tell him to grab a blanket, and he follows me outside into the hallway, shutting off his light.
"Where exactly are we going?"
"To your backyard."
"Do you even know which door leads to it?" he smirks.
"I'll figure it out." He laughs and shakes his head.
In the backyard, there's a big hill that looks over the pool. You can see the rest of the land around the house from up here, and it's perfect, just how I pictured it. I lay out the blanket and plop onto it, patting it to tell Vinnie to sit next to me. I immediately feel the cold air traveling through my top, sending goosebumps to my skin's surface. I instantly regret not grabbing a sweatshirt, but I don't want to ask anyone, and it would be too weird to wear one of his.
Vinnie lays back and puts his hand behind his head.
"I've never actually layed under the stars before," he says.
"It's way better than staring at a ceiling, isn't it?"
"Yep," he laughs.
"When I'm home, me and my sister talk under the stars for hours until we fall asleep. We'd close our eyes and just listen to the peaceful sounds. It's kinda our little thing."
"Then why are you letting me in on your little thing?" He tilts his head towards me.
"Because it always makes me feel at peace, and that's what you need right now."
"I think it's working." He looks up and smiles.
I close my eyes and try to focus on the sound of the wind and rustling trees, but it only makes me colder. After a few seconds, I open them, and Vinnie is staring at me with a grin on his face.
"What?"
"I'm from New York. I'll be fine," he whines, mocking my voice and mannerisms. I scoff. I cheer him up after a bad day and this is what I get in return?
"Scarlett, you're shivering." He looks at me with the most annoying smirk I've ever seen.
"Okay, fine! It's fucking freezing!"
He laughs and shakes his head, pulling his hoodie off of him.
"Wait...what..no! Keep it! Now you're gonna be cold." I push his hoodie back at him, even though it pains me to.
"I'm fine. Dude, if you keep shivering next to me, it's gonna fuck up my zen."
"Fine." I grab the hoodie from him. "Sorry for disturbing your zen," I mock. I pull it over my head, and the warmth of the hoodie mixed with its fruity and woodsy scent makes my heart race. I pull my hair out of it, and he watching me with a smirk. I cross my arms and lay back, closing my eyes again. I'm just pretending. There's no way I can actually be calm right now. I'm laying under the stars with Vinnie, in his hoodie. Good thing it's dark out right now because my cheeks are burning red. My breathing eventually calms down, and I relax as I listen to the wind.
I'm interrupted when Vinnie blurts out at me, "Okay, now I'm cold!"
I sit up. "Sorry, but you're not getting this hoodie back." He groans.
"I'm not walking a mile back to my room to get one." The breeze billows his white t-shirt, revealing his Calvins. I quickly divert my eyes and look up at him.
"I have an idea," he says as his eyes light up. He grabs my arm and pulls me next to him, wrapping his arms tightly around me. Shit.
"Ummm no. I can't relax with you cutting off my circulation, buddy." I say, trying not to make my feelings for him obvious.
"Come onn, you're my only source of heat."
I huff, letting my head fall onto his chest, and I rest my hands on his freezing ones.
"K, I'm good now." he says, satisfied. I can tell he's smirking without being able to see his face.
"Good for you," I laugh, shaking my head.
I feel his heart beating rapidly in his chest, and mine is beating even faster. I guess my plan didn't really work out because we're far from relaxed right now. I don't mind it though. I close my eyes and take a long breath. I can't stop the smile that forms on my face.
"Scarlett, Vinnie! The fuck are you doing?!" I wake up and practically jump out of Vinnie's grip. Vinnie gets startled and sits up, rubbing his eyes. I check my phone and it's midnight. We've been out here for four hours. I look behind us and see Liza standing there, squinting at us with her jaw dropped to the floor.
"It's not what it looks like!" I say, dropping my head in my hand.
"Shit, Liza, you scared me!" Vinnie spots her too. Liza laughs and cups her hand to her mouth, getting too much enjoyment out of this.
"So this is what you two do when you're alone?" Liza crosses her arms and smirks.
"We were just watching the stars."
"Ohhhh, okay, got it." Liza says sarcastically, then raises her eyebrows right at me. "In Vinnie's hoodie, huh?" I shake my head and laugh, thinning my eyes at her.
"Fuck you, Liza."
"Yeah! Fuck you, Liza!" Vinnie chimes in.
We all laugh and Vinnie starts folding up the blanket.
"You ready to get going?"
"Yep."
"I'll see you later, Scarlett. Oh, and thank you. I feel a lot better now." Vinnie says sincerely.
Liza scoffs in disgust. "I'm getting outta here. I'll be in the car."
Vinnie slaps his face as he realizes what it sounded like. Liza walks away and Vinnie holds the blanket to him.
"I'm serious, Scarlett. Thanks for caring. It means a lot." When he says that, it shatters my heart into a million pieces. I hope the people he lives make an effort at least sometimes. I can't help myself from hugging him.
"Of course, Vinnie. You can always talk to me. I love listening."
"For fucks sake, let's go! You guys can make out tomorrow!" Liza yells from the driveway.
We quickly let go of each other and I run towards Liza, yelling "Bye!" over my shoulder to Vinnie. I hop in the car and realize I'm still in his hoodie. Oops. Oh well.
I feel Liza's eyes on me and I turn to her.
"What?!"
"Nothing" She smirks, turning on her car and pulling away.