Feels like Home

6. First Time

I know this chapter is long, but it's worth it!!

It was nice having the house to myself for once. Even though my siblings all moved out years ago, it always seemed like at least one of my parents was home at any given time. As soon as I got home from school, I changed into my oldest, rattiest sweatshirt and pajama shorts. I was in the mood to eat a gallon of ice cream and binge watch reality tv. I didn't want to think tonight.

As I stared into the freezer, trying to decide between Cookies and Cream or Butter Pecan, the doorbell chimed. I had no clue who it could be considering no one texted me to alert me they were coming over. I walked to the door and spotted Luca on my porch through the little window in our front door. Oh God. I hadn't seen him since my peeping tom incident two weeks ago, and I automatically blushed. There is no way he could have known what I did—but I knew, and that was enough.

I opened the door slowly, hopelessly hoping that he would give up and go back home--no such luck. He looked upset, though, so I instantly forgot my embarrassment. His eyebrows were creased together and his hair was a mess, like he'd been running his hands through it. He looked genuinely surprised to see me. That wasn't unusual though, I'm not normally home at this time of day.

I'd gotten into the habit of going to Heather's everyday after school, but she pissed me off today and I didn't want to be around her. While I was whispering to her at lunch about the phone call Jason and I had the night before, she yelled "Oh my God, Shelley, did you eat tuna today or something? Your breath is nasty!"

Everyone within hearing distance laughed, and my face caught on fire. I stole a quick glance to the other side of me at Jason, but he was just looking down at his tray. To his credit, he was at least trying not to laugh.

After school, I told Heather I had a headache and needed to go home. I'm sure I would be over it by tomorrow; I just needed some space from her right now.

"Hey, Shell, is your mom here?" Luca almost sounded desperate.

"No. She's not, she had to work. Luca, what's wrong?" He was starting to scare me.

"I j--just needed to talk to her. It's nothing." He began shaking his head over and over while looking at his feet, like he was trying not to cry.

"Luca," I reached out the door and placed my hand on his arm. "Come in. You can talk to me."

"You don't want to hear about this." He said, but I could tell he was aching to talk to someone, anyone—even me.

"Come in. Now." I wasn't asking anymore. He nodded and wordlessly walked through the front door. The first room you come to is our family room, so Luca took a seat at one end of the couch. I sat down on the other end. "So what's going on?"

"Well, you know how my mom started dating that douchebag?" He was talking about Steve. I hadn't met him, but Nancy, Luca's mom, talked about him all the time.

"Yeah..."

"I'm not sure if you're privy to the latest in their relationship, but he's moving in." I didn't say anything—I could tell there was more he wanted to say. "I refuse to live with him, so after school today, I called my dad." Oh no. That's never good. "I told him I wanted to come live with him, in Florida. I told him I hated Steve, and I hated school, and I hated everything about this god-forsaken town. And do you know what he told me? He didn't even pause to think about it. He just said it couldn't happen. He has apparently just moved in with Kelly--first I've ever heard of her, by the way--and she has three little kids. He said there's no more room."

He paused then and looked up at me. He had tears in his eyes. "Can you believe that? Not only is he rejecting me, his actual son, but it's so he can live with some kids that he probably barely even knows."