Free The Devil of DiRisio by Leslie DuBois Page B

concerned himself too much with clothes had recently started dressing more like some sort of fashion model. I hadn’t seen his favorite dirty Converse All-Stars in weeks. They had been traded in for Italian leather shoes. And he had apparently started a collection of designer trench coats, since he seemed to wear a different one every day. They made him look even taller and more dashing. The women in the train station apparently agreed, since they were now all staring at him. I crossed my arms, slouched in my chair and glared at him. He must have felt the fire in my stare because he turned and spotted me. He breathed a sigh of relief and walked toward me.
    Will squatted before me and rested his hands on my knees.
    “Sony, you can’t go storming off out of the country every time you’re mad at me,” he said calmly.
    “Why not?” I fired.
    “Because it’s childish.”
    “And so is telling your girlfriend you’re playing video games when you’re really sneaking off to play with another woman.”
    “That’s not …” Will started to raise his voice, but then forced himself to calm down. “Let me just take you home, and we can discuss this in the car.” He spoke to me like a father speaks to a misbehaving child. Who did he think he was?
    “I got here by myself and I’ll get home by myself.” I crossed my arms and stared off to the side.
    Will sighed. “You’re shivering. Take my coat,” he said as he draped his trench coat over my shoulders. I was freezing, so even though I wanted to, I didn’t refuse the coat. Then he started looking on either side of me. “Where’s your purse?” I didn’t respond. Will took out his wallet and said, “If you insist on being ridiculous, at least take this.” He handed me some money.
    “I don’t want your money,” I almost yelled. Suddenly I was even angrier. “You’re just like all the other rich kids back in Bridgeton. You think you can solve everything with money. You think because you have money, you can get whatever you want.” I regretted the words as soon as they came out of my mouth. What the hell was the matter with me? How could I be so cruel and petty? I honestly thought I saw tears in Will’s eyes.
    “Is that really what you think of me?” he asked, his voice barely a whisper. “After all we’ve been through, that’s really what you think of me.”
    Will stood up to leave, but I grabbed his arm. “No, that’s not what I think of you. I’m sorry.”
    He folded me into his arms and said, “I love you more than anything in the world, Sony. Please believe that.”
    “I do. I believe it. I love you, too.”
     
    ~ * * * ~
     
    “Veronica and I are just friends,” he explained during the long car ride home. “She is a big fan of basketball. She attends all the home games and even goes to some of the road games. Sometimes, she’ll join us in a celebration party or something.”
    Will looked at me to see how I handled this information. I continued to stare blankly out of the window at the southern French countryside. It was beautiful even in the dark. “Lately, you’ve been really busy and preoccupied. Veronica is just someone to talk to.”
    “She’s really pretty,” was all I said. Will didn’t disagree.
     
     

Chapter 12

Out to Lunch
     
     
     “Where’s my bag!” I snapped at Anna Marie as I ransacked our room.
    “What is your problem?”
    “What are you talking about?  I’m fine.”
    “No, you’re not.  You’ve been snapping at me all day.”  Anna Marie walked over to my side of the room, lifted up a pair of filthy jeans and pointed to my dance bag.  “If you would clean up your side of the room you wouldn’t lose things as often,” she mumbled to herself.
    “Thank you for that brilliant summation, but when I want your opinion, I’ll ask.”  I didn’t know why I was being so mean.  Oh, wait, yes I did.  I hadn’t slept in days, my boyfriend was cheating on me with a walking venereal disease, and Alejandro