I'm now driving. On my way home. I tried to finish the ice cream while driving. This is the first time I've finished an ice cream in just five minutes.
Everything that happened felt so weird. I glanced at the rearview mirror—Angelo's pickup truck was still behind me, still following me. Who is he, really? And who was he talking to on the phone? He's so strange. And why did he say I wasn't safe? I had so many questions in my head, so many thoughts racing through my mind.
I was so deep in thought that I didn't realize how long I had been driving. I had no idea what I was going to say to Mom when they found out I snuck out.
I knew I was close to the farm when I started seeing empty lots. Goodbye, city. You made me happy, even if just for a moment. Wait… Angelo? I looked in the rearview mirror. No one was following me anymore. I let out a deep sigh. I didn't even get to thank him or ask for his number.
I hope I get to see him again someday. My heart started pounding as I could feel I was getting closer and closer to home.
This is it… I'm getting nervous. A tall black gate came into view—so tall, it was almost the height of a tree. It was heavily secured. It opened automatically. I drove into our basement parking. I saw the guards watching the car as it moved. I wondered if they noticed it was me and not Mom driving. I wasn't wearing a hat anymore, but the windows were tinted, so they couldn't really see me. I finally parked. At last. I took a deep breath and exhaled loudly. My heart was pounding—so hard I could almost hear every beat.
I was gripping my phone and the car keys tightly in each hand. I headed toward the kitchen but stopped when I saw Marco, Andreis, Mom, and Dad in the living room. I froze. I held the keys tighter so they wouldn't notice I had them. I walked with a smile on my face. Hopefully, they wouldn't suspect I went out. Because if they did, Marco would probably be strangling me by now. I smiled at Marco—he was frowning while sitting on our white couch that could probably fit ten people. "What?!" I acted casual so they wouldn't notice anything.
Marco just shook his head. Andreis was smiling as he looked at Marco. Mom and Dad were still looking at me. "Dad, you and Marco came home early?" I asked, trying to play it cool. I was so nervous. "We finished everything at work early," he replied as he walked over to me and kissed me on the forehead. Ahh, so they didn't find out I snuck out after all.
I walked to the kitchen, pretending I was just going to get some water. Slowly, I opened the drawer to return the keys without them noticing.
As I drank the water, which was actually well-needed after the ice cream, I smiled to myself while staring blankly, lost in thoughts about everything that happened earlier. I glanced at them—they were still in the living room talking. Mom and Dad were looking at Marco, who seemed to be speaking angrily. And then there was Andreis… staring at me. Smiling. His smile, his gaze—it was just like Angelo's. I wonder… could Andreis have a brother? Could Angelo be his brother?
I shook my head. I'm overthinking again. I placed the glass in the sink and walked upstairs to my room.