Innocenti

Strawberry or chocolate ice cream.

She had been standing in front of the glass showcase, where the ice cream displayed itself, her eyes scanning the various selection of ice cream flavors in front of her. What she didn’t sense was the cashier staring at her.

She managed to reduce her choices to only two, but somehow that made it even harder to pick one. She likes strawberry ice cream, it has a beautiful color to it that she loves, but she also likes chocolate ice cream and how the thickness of the chocolate cocoa mixed with the bitterness taste in her mouth.

She shakes her index finger back and forth from the strawberry to the chocolate, doing the eeny, meeny, miny, miny, moe nursery rhyme to help her pick her choice. She suddenly stops as the guy at the other side spoke up.

“How about you pick both?” He suggested.

“Okay.”

She wasn’t rich nor did she have a job. She would get 50cents from her mother, who she would call the nuns that would visit her once a week. She was an orphan, but she left the orphanage since it was time for her to leave. She didn’t know where to go, so she decided to follow a butterfly and it lead her to the ice cream shop. She thought, as an eighteen–year–old she would give herself an ice cream as a present.

“Here you go.” The guy said, as he handed the ice cream to her.

Before she took her ice cream, she grabbed her ziploc bag from her hello kitty backpack that was filled with coins and dollar bills. She grabbed $1.50 and gave it to the man.

“It’s on the house, beautiful.” She smiled widely at this. She was lucky enough that someone paid for her ice cream, so she wouldn’t have to waste it. “Thank you.” She waved a goodbye.

She put the money back in her backpack before taking her ice cream and sat down on a table beside the window. She watched as the ice cream shop filled with all sorts of adults and children. There wasn’t enough room so of course people had to share.

“Hello, can my two brother and I sit here?” A girl asked.

She nodded as she continued to eat her strawberry–chocolate ice cream, pink and brown smudges all over her mouth. She was savoring her ice cream. She moved her stuffed animal bear, that was sitting beside her, closer to her to make more room.

She felt the girl sit beside her as two other guys sat on the other side of the table booth, but she didn’t care.

“Hello.” The guy in front of her said. When she looked up the guy was staring straight at her.

“Vincent, leave her alone.” The girl next to her said.

She was about to say hello, when the girl next to her told her something. “Don’t listen to him, he always flirts with any girl she sees. Don’t let those looks fool you girl.”

She didn’t know what she was talking about so she just nodded and turned back to licking her ice cream.

The guy who sat next to Vincent, she assumed was his name since that was what the girl next to her said, chuckled. “Damn.”

“Hello. My name is Jasmine and these are my annoying brother’s Julian,” Jasmine pointed to the guy in front of her, the guy who chuckled, “and Vincent,” she pointed to the one that tried talking to her. “What’s your name?”

“Hello,” the girl smiled widely and waving with her free hand. “My name is Alyssa and this right here,” she picked up her stuffed animal, “his name is Berry.”

Jasmine and Vincent chuckled at her cute gesture while Julian smiled in amusement. Alyssa noticed how they dressed so professional, in suits.

“How old are you, twelve?” Vincent teased, but soon made a pain sound when someone kicked him under the table. It was Jasmine with a look that said ‘don’t make fun of her or I’ll give you something to cry about.’

“Why could you be a girl, than maybe you wouldn’t be such a dick.” Jasmine snickered.

“And make my life even more miserable, no thanks.” Julian clapped back.

“No, I’m eighteen. My birthday is today.” Alyssa said, cheekily, not knowing is question was a joke.

“Oh, happy birthday!” Jasmine cheered.

“Thank you!” She hugged her, which took Jasmine by surprises but she hugged her back.

“Where are your parents?” Vincent joked.

“Vincent!” Jasmine was about to hit him when Alyssa spoke up.

“I don’t have any.”

The three of them looked at her with shock on their faces. “...”

“Where do you live?” Julian broke the silence.

“I don’t have anywhere to live.”

They were so shocked in her confidence. How can she say it without any problem.

“How did you survive?”

“Vincent can you shut up! That’s not how you ask her.”

“I lived in an orphanage. Since I’m eighteen I can’t live there anymore.” She said, continuing in eating her ice cream.

“Oh.”

“You can live with us!” Jasmine said, excitedly.

“Jasmine!” Julian yelled at her. “You can’t just invite a stranger to live with us.”

“I don’t mind.” Vincent shrugged.

“So you can sleep with her?” Julian clapped back. “No way!”

“What’s so wrong about her living with us? She needs home, and I’m giving her one.”

“What is mom and dad gonna say?”

“I’ll just wing it.” Julian rolled his eyes at his sister. This was a sign of defeat since he knew his sister wouldn’t listen to him.

“C’mon Alyssa. Let’s go home!” Jasmine said.

“Yay!”

To say Alyssa is excited was an understatement. She was more than excited. For eighteen years of her life, she always wanted to be live with a family and finally her wish came true.

She followed Jasmine into the car.

“You sit in the back, Alyssa.” Jasmine opened the door for her to let her inside.

“Umm... hi?” She greeted Julian, who was sitting next to her.

“Seatbelt first.” Julian said as he buckled his seatbelt.

“Seatbelt? What’s a seatbelt?” Alyssa asked which earned a chuckle from Julian and Vincent.

Jasmine was trying hard to contain her laughter to avoid making Alyssa embarrassed, but failed.

“You sure have a sense of humor, kid.” Vincent kept on laughing and then stopped once he ran out of breath.

Alyssa didn’t know what was funny with her question. Her grammar was correct. She kept quiet until she heard a loud click indicating that Julian unbuckled his seatbelt.

“Pull that.” He pointed to the long, grey belt on the side of Alyssa’s seat. It took her two pulls before she could successfully hand it to Julian.

“What are you gonna do with it?”

He didn’t answer her. Instead, Julian buckles her seatbelt. All Alyssa could do was stare and she couldn’t stop.

She’s eighteen and he’s nineteen. There’s a lot of things to know about each other.

He’s handsome. Like really, really handsome.

She copied his movements, but on her stuffed animal bear, Berry, but failed.

“Give me that.” Julian points at Berry. “I’ll do it.”

Alyssa nods and gives him Berry. In the proccess, Julian’s fingers linger onto her’s and it made her heart beat a thousand times faster.

She puts her hand on her chest. “I think I need a checkup.”

“Why?” Jasmine asked.

“My heart is braiding really, really, really fast.” She starts to whimper. “I think I’m dying!”

“What the hell?” Julian starts to laugh.

“Why are you laughing? Can’t you see that this is a serious matter? I really think I’m dying!”

“You’re not dying, geez.” He hissed and rolled his eyes. He wasn’t angry though. He just needed to restrain his laughter to avoid future embarrassment.

“How are you feeling?” Jasmine asked.

“No well. My heart suddenly, umm... beated fast once Julian accidentally touched my skin.” She said, unaware of the shocked Julian beside her. “I think it’s not normal.”

“It’s normal.” Was all Julian managed to say before tilting his head to face the window.

He was hiding his uncontrollable chuckles and he knew Jasmine was gonna start teasing him once they’re home. What Julian and Alyssa didn’t notice was the crazy smiles from Vincent and Jasmine.