Bella Fortuna Read Free Page A

“Give us a minute. I’ll catch up with you in a second.” Sal nodded his head and walked toward school.
    Michael removed his arm from my shoulder and bent his head lower so his eyes met mine. I stared at the ground, wishing I could shrink to the size of the ants that were crawling around the broken pieces of bread that someone had thrown to the pigeons.
    â€œAre you okay?”
    I nodded my head. “Thanks,” I managed to mutter in a tiny voice.
    Michael patted my arm. “Don’t feel bad. You hear me? You didn’t do anything wrong. You’re a good girl, Valentina. Mr. Li’s a stingy jerk. He once wouldn’t let an old lady who was short a quarter walk out of there with a loaf of bread. I gave him the quarter. What a creep.”
    I just nodded my head again and continued to look down at the cracks in the sidewalk.
    â€œWell, I gotta get back to school. My lunch break is almost over. But if you want, I’ll walk you home.”
    I shook my head. “No. That’s okay. Thank you.”
    â€œDon’t sweat it!”
    I turned and began walking home.
    â€œHey, Valentina!”
    I stopped and looked over my shoulder, still not meeting Michael’s worried gaze.
    â€œIf anyone ever treats you like that again, just tell me. I’ll take care of them for you.”
    I finally managed to smile at him. He winked at me and then turned around, running to catch up with Sal.
    That wink was all it took to make me fall completely in love with Michael. After that day, every time I saw Michael he always winked at me after he said hello. It was as if he knew its power. For with that one wink, I felt myself soar high above the sky, dancing in midair with the birds. Now my childhood fantasies of wedding my prince someday were replaced with dreams of marrying Michael.
    And that was how my crush on Michael began. But I had to watch helplessly over the years as he dated one girl after another. When I turned fourteen and puberty finally decided to pay me a visit, filling in my flat chest and narrow hips, Michael still seemed to look at me as if I were that ten-year-old kid whom he’d rescued. I’d noticed his friends staring at me a few times when they thought I wasn’t looking, but not Michael. Unlike his friends, his gaze always met mine rather than my boobs, which were already a C-cup at that point. But something had changed in how he treated me. He no longer winked at me after he said hello. In fact, he didn’t even try to make me laugh, as he’d loved to do when I was younger. I didn’t get it.
    So I started dating, having one miserable relationship after another or not having a boyfriend when important occasions arose like a friend’s Sweet Sixteen party or my sophomore-year dance. My best friend, Aldo, had gone with me to the dance. I could always count on Aldo when I needed a date. So I’d put on my best poker face and pretended I was having a blast with him when all I could think about was, Why can’t I have a boyfriend for longer than two months? Why can’t I have a boyfriend here with me instead of my best friend?
    Of course, Michael still wound his way into my thoughts, but not as much since he’d left for Cornell University. I only saw him when he came home for breaks. I was beginning to accept the fact that he’d never have any interest in me as anything more than a childhood friend. I was the little sister he never had, nothing more. Yet from time to time, my mind still wandered to him, wondering what he was doing.
    â€œSwaying room as the music starts . . . strangers making the most of the dark.”
    Madonna’s “Crazy for You” was playing. I loved this song. I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned around.
    â€œWanna dance?”
    Michael!
    â€œHey! What are you doing here?”
    â€œI heard the music from outside. I couldn’t resist coming in and catching up with some old friends and