Amore Mio

XVIII. Solitaire

Alice’s POV:

Neilson marches towards me and wipes my forehead with his sleeve until it starts giving me a burn. “Stop it!” I smack his arm away and rub my aching forehead

“He kissed you. I don’t like that.”

I roll my eyes and walk into the kitchen, in need of some water. “Look, it’s only a kiss on the forehead.”

I grab a cup, “It means nothing.” I filled it with water and drank it.

“Geez, you’re acting like an annoying older brother,” I mumble under my breath and set it on the counter.

Turning around, Neilson was right in front of me. “You got to stop sneaking up-” he cups my face, and I stop talking. With wide eyes, I can only stare at him.

“Nothing? A kiss on the forehead is nothing?”

My heart picks up its pace seeing him move in towards me, kissing the same place Randy did.

“Was that nothing?” He asks, and I couldn’t make up any words to respond.

He continues to stare at me.

I opened my mouth, but his phone rang. He slides his hand inside, not removing his body against mine, and he picks it up. “What?” He said in a cold tone.

Neilson takes a step back, then points at the other side of the room, and I nod my head. I can hear him mumbling some words, but I wasn’t quite sure.

I know I shouldn’t eavesdrop, but -

I twirl towards the door and crack it open.

“What the f**k do you mean he got away?” Neilson practically shouts, running his hands on the back of his red neck. “Well, f*****g find him!” he screams, and I was taken aback a little.

Turning around, I rush back towards the counter, pretending to get water. I can hear the door creaked open, and Neilson walks in. “I have to go,” he said, and I nod. There was this awkward atmosphere lingering in the air, and soon Neilson left.

I release a deep breath, ready to sleep for the day, forget homework. I need my bed right now.

The next day, things did not get better.

My head drops to the ground, and I start walking to school. I kick some pebble, dragging my leg on the cement but stop when I feel someone’s chest. Eyes were slowly lurking up, and I saw Neilson standing there in his usual businessman suit. I didn’t know what to do except stare at him and his damn handsome face.

Slowly, he lifted a hand towards my cheeks, and I suddenly found it harder to breathe. He traces his thumb against my cheekbones, and I couldn’t help but tremble at his touch. He grabs my hand and leads me to his car. I was fidgeting in my seat, wanting to say something but nothing came out. So, we drove in complete silence the whole time.

We stop in front of my school, and I quickly grab my backpack. “Thank you for the ride,” I mumble and hop out before he can even say anything. Immediately, I rush into school and towards my locker.

My breathing was heavy, uneven as if I just ran a marathon or about to have a heart attack. I shake off the sensation and dial in my combination to grab the back breaking books.

“Boo!” Someone shouts, placing two hands against my shoulders, and I slam my back against the lockers, eyes widening to see Nina laughing at me.

“What the shithole! You scared me!” I shouted, then went back to my business.

“Well, I’ve been calling you since you entered school, but you didn’t listen to me and-” she pauses, then grabs my elbow and turns me towards her. She closes the distance between us. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” I threw my books inside my backpack.

I hear a few girls squealing, and I turn to see Randy walking in the halls, and cuts covering his face. He stopped in front of us and messed with my hair. “Hey, Alice. Hi Nina.”

“Woah, what happened, Randy?” Nina asks.

He shrugs as a response. Unlike me, Randy doesn’t like lying, so when someone asks him, and he doesn’t want to tell them the truth, he shrugged.

“Another fight?” she questions, and he shrugs again.

We stand in the hallway, talking with one another about irrelevant things. Nina noticed that Randy doesn’t want to talk about what, so she dropped it. That’s one of the things that I’m afraid most about her. She can read the atmosphere around her pretty well, and if you aren’t cautious, she will catch you. But, she will never bring up the topic first unless she has to.

“Hey, guys!” Carla came up to us, giving each of us a hug, a long one, particularly for Randy. I know she has a thing for him, but she didn’t want to be pushy. I waved at the crew standing behind her, who acknowledged me in return. There is a part of me that believes Randy has a thing for her too, but he doesn’t want to drag her into his world, or, more precisely, his alcoholic father.

Soon, we all went our own way. I leaned my head against Nina while we walked to class. “So, how is Princeton going?”

“I don’t know,” I lied. Princeton had been sending me pamphlets and all those other things, wanting to intrigue me more regarding their campus. It wasn’t just Princeton. But a few other colleges have been recruiting me, but I haven’t responded. I guessed being young and considered a genius or something is a big deal.

“Alice,” she said in a severe tone.

“Hm?” I reply, taking a seat on the desk and unpack my stuff.

“Tell me you aren’t throwing away your life merely, so you can stay in this tiny town to see Neilson.”

I chew on my lower lips, taking out a pencil. “Of course not, only a stupid person will throw away their future for someone who doesn’t feel the same way as they do,” I mumble.

She pinches my cheek, turning my face towards hers. “Do not throw your future away for someone who doesn’t realize how precious you are,” she said slowly as if I am her goldfish, Matthew.

Yes, she named her goldfish Matthew or Matt for short. When Nina turned fifteen, before she got together with Kevin, she went to Chicago on a last-minute visit to her aunt, who passed. She met this older guy named Matt. She had no idea how he looked, but she said he was probably damn hot because the kiss they share was terrific.

Even though she is together with Kevin, she still can’t forget their heated makeout session in his car during Valentine.

There was something about him that made her super attracted to him, but she decided to move on with her life.

She met him, a stranger in Washington. What’s the chances of her meeting him again? Mainly since she never told him her real name and left the morning after.

Sometimes, I don’t understand Nina. She is this smart violinist who is the head of the student council. She has boundaries, and she lives by the damn rules. She is the type of girl who wears ponytails with her giant glasses and dressed pretty conservative, or like a grandma.

And then she throws you off by humping and strangling a stranger with her tongue in his car.

“You made out with a stranger,” I mumble, knowing what I say was utterly irrelevant.

“So irrelevant,” she replies, pointing her pen at me.

“You still did it,” I smile, knowing that I am swaying away from what I should do with my future topic.

She snorts, “He is still hot.”

“You have a boyfriend, and you’re thinking about another guy?” I tilt a brow at her playfully.

She gave a one-shoulder shrug. “Matt was before Kevin’s time, not like I’m cheating.”

“From what I heard, the dude is in his twenties. He sounds like a pedo, making out with a teenage girl.”

She tilted her head towards me, dangling the pen on her fingertips. “You don’t want to bring up the age difference with me, Lee.”

Damn it, went too far.

Unfortunately, the school was over a lot faster than I would like. Neilson messaged me around lunch that he would pick me up, something about wanting to talk. A part of that was anxious for Neilson to come to pick me up, but then there is another part that’s like, please don’t come.

Lucky for me, I got a message from him saying he is busy.

And at that second, standing in front of the school, I feel only one thing - disappointment.

There was a hand waving in front of me, and I glanced up to see Carla and the other cheerleaders. “Hey, you look sad. What’s wrong, sweetheart?” She cooed.

The whole day, Carla and her friends babied me because they felt terrible about my almost coma situation. It was suffocating, but I know they meant well, and I love free food.

I smile, “Nothing.” My eyes roamed around, “Going to practice?”

She takes a seat beside me while the girls chat about whatever it is they want to talk about. “Kind of, tryouts. Perhaps you can, you know, try out.”

“I don’t know,” I mumble.

“Come on, Alice! I know Nina is busy with her student council, violin practice, book club, and all those other irrelevant stuff. But what are you doing?!”

I smack my lips together. “My bed needs me to warm it up.”

She grabbed my wrist. “You are going to become a cheerleader, Alice Lee.”

I stand there, holding a bag Carla got for me. “See you at school for practice!”

I don’t know what happened, but I went to the gym with her, somehow managed to do some backflip without breaking my neck, and I’m a cheerleader now.

Whatever, it’s not like I was doing anything anyway.

When I saw an unfamiliar overly expensive-looking car in Neilson’s driveway, I duck down in the bushes, quite curious about who is inside. Neilson got out of the driver’s side and went to the passenger side. He grabs the handle and opens the door to reveal someone very familiar.

A certain blonde female.

She steps out, positioning her sunglasses over her head. “Thanks for the meal Neilson,” she said, placing out her hand, and Neilson dropped the keys.

That’s why Neilson didn’t pick me up today. He was out with her.

She leans in, whispers something in his ear, and kisses his lips before going back into her car. She rolls down the window. “Call me,” she winks before driving away in her expensive-looking vehicle.

Lifting my bags, I quickly went back to my house. I walked upstairs, threw my stuff in the corner, and closed the curtains. “What the f**k,” I threw myself on the bed and stare at the ceiling.

The next morning, I hop out of bed, getting ready for the day. I grab my backpack, staring at the bag in the corner, and use all the minimum amount of energy I have left and lift it. I don’t understand how cheerleaders can carry all these things every day. It’s back breaking—no wonder why they always leave their books at school.

Horn honk.

Neilson.

I gave him my usual smile and waved.

“What’s up with the bag?”

I held it proudly and lifted my head. “You are looking at a new cheerleader.”

His face fell flat, the finger that was in the air dangled down. “You’re a cheerleader?” he asks, and I nod firmly. “W-When?”

I smile. “Yesterday, after school,” I said, gluing my teeth together, trying my best not to sound bitter, remembering when that blonde girl kissed him.

Hearing a beeping sound, I tilt to the side to see Carla. “Well, I got to go.” I robotically turned my body and made my way towards her.

He held my wrist. “Are you free after school? I’ll pick you up. I want to tell you something.”

I shake my head. “I have practice after school.”

“What about tomorrow morning?” he said in a rushy tone.

“Practice in the mornings too. That’s why Carla is picking me up,” I respond, seeing Carla lifting a brow behind her sunglasses.

“What about after practice today?”

“I can’t. I promise the squad to hang out with them. I’ll probably be back late-ish.”

There was another beeping sound. “Come on, Alice! We are going to be late!” Carla shouts.

“Coming!” I remove his hand from my wrist. He stands there staring at me, opens his mouth, but slams it shut. I pat Neilson’s arm. “Isn’t this great? I’m a cheerleader!” I squeal, trying my best to sound happy.

“Y-Yeah. G-Great,” he replies.

“Bye, Muffin.”

Throwing my stuff in Carla’s trunk, I turned my head to see Neilson standing there, and I gave him a wave. He smiles at me and waves back. I hop into Carla’s car and put on my seatbelt to see her drooling over him. “Who is Mister Fine over there?”

I turn my head to see Neilson still in the same position. Frankly, it’s starting to creep me out a little, but God, my panties are soaked with all this intense stare. I grab the seatbelt, pulling it across my body, attempting to make myself comfortable. “That’s Neilson, my next-door neighbor.”

“He’s hot! Is he taken?”

I take one more glance at him. “Yeah.”

“Who is she?”

“A super hot model Russian girlfriend,” I said in more of a mocking tune than I intended.

She eyed me, lifting a brow. “Someone sounds jelly,” she said, playfully nudging my shoulder.

“I’m not.”

She starts driving. “I won’t judge if you like him. He is fine.”

I stare at the rearview mirror until Neilson disappears.

When am I going to get out of my delusional state?

I thought something might be going on between us after all the bizarre kisses he gave me. I thought he was jealous of Randy, which was why he punched him. But I was wrong. Everything was all inside my mind. When I saw him kissing that hot blonde girl that he probably f**k, everything became clear.

He doesn’t like me the way I do.

I gotta get out of my delusional state and perhaps get a real boyfriend or maybe a girlfriend. Who knows, possibly feeling this way towards him turned me. Maybe one day, I’ll find a guy or girl who will like me and not give me all these false hopes.

I’m sick of playing these games.

No, it’s not even a game if there is only one player.

Solitaire.

I hate playing solitaire.