They close the door behind them and Bianca greets them from the kitchen: "Hello, boys! Have you had breakfast yet?" The boys greet her and tell her, yes, making the woman nod with a friendly smile on her face. "I'm making cookies, would you like some?" Jonah nods, albeit less eagerly than usual. The boys take off their shoes and jackets. While Bianca is getting the cookies out of the oven, her daughter makes her way down the stairs and joins them in the kitchen. "Buon giorno.", the girl says, walking up to her mother to give her a kiss on her left cheek and then a second one on her right. "Buon giorno, bambina.", her mother answers. After greeting her mother, she greets the boys, who all wish her a good morning. Again, she exchanges kisses with the boys the same way she did with her mother, adding a kiss on the forehead when it comes to greeting Jonah. "Guiliana, could you make some Cappuccino to go with the cookies?", Mrs. Rossi asks the teenage girl. "Sure, mamma.", Lia answers. "I'll help, too.", Yujah says and joins the two of them in the kitchen while Jaxon and Jonah take a seat at the kitchen table. "Do you want some hot chocolate?", Lia asks Jonah. The child nods. Yujah asks Lia if she's going to school and she tells him that she couldn't possibly go there when she can be there for a friend in need of comfort instead. After four cups of Cappuccino and one cup of hot chocolate are ready, they all sit down at the kitchen table together to enjoy the cookies and drinks. Although Yujah barely touches the cookies.
After some small talk about Bianca's long-term boyfriend who had to leave early for work, what he read her from the newspaper and how delicious Bianca's cookies are yet again, Jaxon asks if they could get his car after they've finished. "Sure. If you want to do that now. Are Yujah and Jonah going to stay here?", Mrs. Rossi answers, looking at Yujah when she asks her question. "I think we will. We'll probably watch a movie or something.", the boy answers. They keep some light small talk, although the boys talk less than usual, and finish up their drinks. Jaxon and Bianca then leave to get Jaxon's car from the hospital. "Okay.", Lia says, "Now we got about two hours until they get back, so... movie time? In my room?". Her childhood friend answers that with a simple "Sure." before they all head to her room and make themselves comfy on her queen-sized bed. Guiliana opens a streaming service on her TV with her smartphone and lets the six-year-old pick something from the children's section. A bit later, the young boy is absolutely captivated by the movie and sitting at the end of the bed so he's as close as possible to the TV. The teenagers are leaning on the headboard. The girl scootches closer to her childhood friend and puts one hand on his shoulder before whispering: "How are you feeling?". The boy turns his head around and is met with the girl's gentle smile. He sighs, before saying: "Confused. Lost. Overwhelmed... I'm feeling so many things at once. It's been a while since I've felt that way..." The girl nods, her eyes slightly wet. Yet her gentle smile does not disappear. "Is there anything I can do to... make things easier?" The boy tries to smile at her, but his eyes tell a different story. "... you being here is enough. Thank you." He puts a hand on the girl's, which is still resting on his shoulder. Lia takes her hand off his shoulder to hold his. She looks him deep in the eyes. "Are you sure? I'd do anything." Her friend avoids eye contact and thinks for a second. "There is something...", he ends up whispering. "What is it?", the girl says, looking at him expectantly and with clear curiosity. Yujah turns his head to look at her and inches closer, putting his lips next to her ear. He swallows and licks his dry lips before whispering: "Can you send a message for me?" He puts a little distance between them again, so he could see her face. She looks puzzled. "Sure... what kind? And to whom?" The boy takes out his phone and lays his head on the girl's shoulder. He opens the contact labeled 'Louis' and texts 'Can you tell him about mother and father?', so the girl next to him can read it. She nods, takes the phone from his hands, and starts typing. After she's done, she shows the text to her friend, who nods at her to send it. After she does, he pecks her on the cheek and whispers: "Grazie.", before taking his phone and putting it back into his hoodie. Yujah goes back to watching TV, and so does Guiliana, after laying down her head on the boy's shoulder and squeezing his hand for reassurance, which makes him smile a little. After a while, he can feel his lack of sleep setting in and dozes off.
When
he wakes up again, he can hear voices. At first, the voices aren't very
clear but as he gains more consciousness, he recognizes them. One of
the voices belongs to his childhood friend whom he has known since they
were toddlers. The other voice belongs to another long-time friend of
his. After opening his eyes, he can see Lia standing close to her
bedroom door. She's talking to Jess, whose tall, sporty figure leans
leisurely against the doorframe. Jess couldn't have been there for long,
he figures, as he sees that Jess hasn't taken off the outdoor clothes.
The TV is shut off and his younger brother is nowhere to be seen. How
long did he sleep? His head is laying on one of Lia's pillows and her
blanket is covering him. "Hey.", he says as he sits up. His voice comes
out hoarse and he realizes that his throat is dry. Yujah cleans his
throat immediately, although it doesn't seem to have the intended
effect. Two pairs of eyes turn to look at him. "Hey.", his friends say.
The boy tries to clear his throat again. "Is your throat dry? I'll go
get you some water.", Guiliana says, already walking towards the door.
"I can go get it mysel-", he tries to say but the girl already left. He
sighs. "She treats me as if I'm sick." Jess leaves the position on the
doorframe and moves closer to him. "I don't think there's anything wrong
with that. You don't look so good, anyways." Jess stops in front of
Yujah, inspecting the dark circles around his eyes from a small
distance. "Gee, thanks.", the boy answers while rolling his eyes.
"You know what I mean. You look exhausted. Lia told me that you just
slept for five hours. Besides, it's okay to be feeling unwell after
someone's death. Especially if it's your parents'." - "How do you know
about that?", the boy asks. Jess shrugs. "News travel fast around here."
Yujah sighs. "Yeah, too fast. I wanted to tell you." Jess reaches
out to put an arm around the younger boy's shoulders. Yujah lets out a
deep breath and lets his forehead fall onto Jess's shoulder, making his
friend hug him. "I'm sorry for your loss." The boy shrugs. "It's fine.
They weren't the best of parents anyways." He can smell Jess's shampoo
as a part of Jess's long black hair is right where his nose is. The
smell is refreshing and comforting, so he takes a deep breath. "It
doesn't matter whether they were good or bad parents. Parents are never
perfect anyways. What matters is that you are negatively affected by it
and don't feel well. Don't try to deny it, we can all see it clearly.
Don't try to suffer on your own, you always do that. And we're always
here for you, so you don't have to..." - "I know."
"I'm back!", Guiliana cheerfully announces as she enters with a glass of water. "Here you go." She holds out the glass so Yujah could take it. The boy looks up at his ginger-haired friend and takes the glass as he thanks her for it. Jess's arm is still resting around his shoulders comfortingly. Guiliana smiles and jumps onto the bed, next to Jess. Yujah's eyes widen as he slightly chokes on his drink. "Lia!", he says. "Sorry!", the girl says apologetically, while putting her hands together. "How can you jump up like that when you literally just gave him a glass of water??", Jess says, pretending to be stunned. After all, they all know that it's part of the girl's personality. Lia has always been like that. "Shut up, Jess.", the girl answers while pouting like a child. Jess laughs. Yujah doesn't. He wants to, but there was this familiar, heavy yet numb feeling that made him unable to do so. And Jess just told him not to deny how he really feels. If he forced himself now, his friends would definitely notice, so he sits there quietly.
"I'm surprised that you are the only one who came here. I'm sure the others have heard the news, too.", Giuliana says while running her fingers through Jess's hair. "We played rock-paper-scissors. I'm the one who won.", Jess answers before addressing Yujah: "They all wanted to come here, but we figured it would be best to give you some space." A soft smile forms on the boy's face, although his eyes stayed dull. "Thanks, I appreciate it." Lia, who has started braiding Jesse's hair, now asks what she had been dying to ask her childhood friend since before: "What are you going to do now?" She didn't have to specify; they all know what she means.
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