VALENTINA

"I ain't lookin' for my one true love, yeah that ship sailed away."

. . .

"Sometimes, I truly hate you," Mami hisses at me, and I ignore the stab of pain going through me at her hurtful words.

"I hate you too sometimes," I whisper back, trying to appear unfazed. The words don't hold any meaning and ring untrue in my ears, yet I want her to feel a fraction of what I'm feeling.

"What kind of daughter tells her mother she hates her?" she questions, surprised by my words. As if I'm a monster who spat the words first.

"What kind of mother tells her daughter she hates her?" I echo her words.

She turns her head and waves dismissively with her hand. "Get out of my sight."

I turn around and run to my room, biting back the burning tears in my eyes. Only when I'm in the safety of my room, where I can be myself, do I let it all go.

Taking a seat in the corner of my room, I let the tears fall down my cheeks. My arms are wrapped around my knees that are pressed against my chest.

My mom's voice is still echoing in my head, and no matter how hard I try, it won't leave and she haunts me; even when she's not here.

A knock is heard and I look up at my bedroom door, not moving from my spot. After a few seconds, the door opens the slightest bit and I see my dad's eyes peeking through.

As soon as he sees me, his features soften and he enters my room. He softly closes the door behind him and walks over to where I am, on the floor. He crouches down in front of me, searching my eyes.

"I know fourteen is a difficult age," he says and rests his hand on my knee, his warmth being a welcome comfort. "But it'll get easier, trust me, ling."

I wipe a tear away while suppressing a sob, but Dad doesn't miss the shudder going through my body and takes me in his embrace.

When he speaks, my ear is pressed against his cheek and the vibration of his voice makes my body relax the slightest bit.

"Your mom is just stressed, right now," he tries to soothe.

"She told me she hates me," I cry, my tears soaking his shirt.

Dad keeps quiet for a while before he speaks. "She's not good with words, ling."

I sob in his arms for quite a while, and he just rubs his hand up and down my back in a soothing manner.

"How about we go for some takeout, just you and me? We'll get some Chinese food or that fried chicken you like so much."

I lift my head and wipe at my wet tears.

"Yeah," I sniffle and look at him, smiling at the grin on his face. "That sounds good."

"You coming to the Halloween party on Friday, right?" Dante asks, adjusting the strap of his messenger bag around his body.

"I don't know..." I trail off because I don't know if I'm in the mood to socialize tonight.

"Come on, Val, please? Everyone is going, and Alyssa even invited that Melanie girl and she's going too. Give it a try, and if you don't like it, we'll leave immediately."

"Alright," I concede and chuckle at his excited grin. "But I don't have a costume for tonight."

"We'll figure something out. There's plenty of easy costumes to put together," he assures me.

I try not to think about the last Halloween party he dragged me too, because all I can recall is heaving breathing and moans floating around the room when I do think about it.

"Alright," I agree.

I hope this Halloween won't be as a disaster as the last one was.

By Friday, I've figured out a costume for tonight and am putting the last touches together.

"We've got a true siren among us," Violet grins when she enters the bathroom and views my costume.

"I'm glad I look like what I'm supposed to be," I grin, because achieving a 'wet' look for this costume was a challenge.

But, I've succeeded in the task and am quite happy with it. I've glued pearls and glitters all over my eyes and cheekbones and have used some light blue and silver eyeshadow to compliment it.

I've had to watch a dozen YouTube tutorials to succeed, but I'm proud of myself.

"You won't get too cold?" Violet asks, eyeing the white bralette and tight, silk skirt I'm wearing. I did my best decorating it with pearls and sea shells. Underneath, I'm wearing white fishnet tights paired with white heels.

I shrug. "I'm going to wear a thick jacket on top when we leave, and once we're inside, it's going to be hot anyway," I say and apply some clear gloss on my lips.

Violet herself is dressed as an angel, and the costume is incredibly fitting for her. She also looks stunning, and I know she's going to attract a lot of attention tonight.

The bell rings, and Vi rushes to get the door. When she opens it, it reveals Dante and Melanie.

Melanie is dressed like a white swan, looking beautiful and ethereal in white. Her brown hair is pulled back in a loose bun. Her temples have two white feathers, and she's gone minimal on makeup.

Dante is dressed as Patrick Bateman from American Psycho. Headphones, plastic coat, ax, and blood included.

"Sup, Lilac," he greets her and walks in. When he sees me, he smiles and applauds.

"You look great, Val. Told you a costume wouldn't be a problem," he says, giving me a brief hug.

"You look fucking amazing," I chuckle and motion to his costume. "Wasn't Alyssa going to join, too?"

He shakes his head. "She's got other plans. But Mel texted me last minute to say she's coming with," he says and nods his head to our new friend.

My guess for her being here is because of her crush on Dante.

His obliviousness is cute.

"Now, let's go and party tonight," he says and puts his hand on my lower back to push me out the door. I quickly grab my coat and purse as we head out, and we all take the elevator down.

"Where's this party, anyway?" I ask him when we're in his car.

"At some fraternity. Alessandro is friends with them," Dante answers. I stay quiet, and he glances at me from the corner of his eye.

"I don't think he'll be there," he adds, and I nod.

After what went down in The Underworld, I haven't seen him since. And I haven't told Dante about it, either. He'll get in his head about it, and I don't want that.

When we're in the neighborhood, it's not hard to miss the frat where the party is going on. There's a bunch of cars parked outside and some people are scattered outside the front lawn with cups in their hands.

"I never did understand the hype of frat houses," Violet hums from the backseat of the car, her gaze cast out of the window.

"Neither did I," I sigh and slump back in my seat until the car is parked.

"It'll be fun," Dante assures us both, and we get out.

We head over to the frat and enter through the front door, the loud music enveloping us as we close the door behind us.

The frat is huge, yet filled to the brim with party-goers.

There's a set of stairs facing the front door, and the one person whom I do not want to see is descending them.

Katherine is dressed as the black swan, and my insides clench together at the sight of her.

Her makeup is done flawlessly, her blonde hair pulled back tightly, and a crown perched on her head.

The costume fits her, since she's just as evil.

Her blue eyes land on us and linger on Mel for a few seconds because she's dressed as the opposite of Katherine's character.

Fitting.

She tilts her head to the side, assessing the situation, before an evil smirk covers her features and she disappears into the crowd.

"Luck is not on my side tonight," Melanie groans and looks down at what she's wearing.

"A-at least you're not dressed as the villain," I assure her, and she sends me a smile in appreciation.

"Let's get something to drink," Dante says and I can tell he's not as excited as he was before and is now looking more... annoyed.

Violet lingers by my side, looking uncomfortable; certainly because of all the stares she's getting.

"I told you that everyone would be drooling over you," I giggle and nudge her in her side.

She looks at me and raises a brow.

"You've got it all wrong, babe. It's you they're staring at."

I look around and become aware of the eyes that are on me. I look down at myself and frown.

"Is something wrong or out of place?" I ask, confused.

Vi chuckles and shakes her head.

"No, silly. You look hot!"

"Oh," I whisper, my cheeks suddenly flushing red.

Violet's blue eyes sparkle at my obliviousness and she chuckles.

Her black hair frames her face, highlighting the beautiful color of her eyes and the freckles on her nose.

How she doesn't have a line of wanting people waiting to date her, goes beyond me.

Movement from behind her catches my eyes, and all fades away when I see Alessandro enter the living room like he owns the place.

Dressed as Tommy Shelby, no less.

When his eyes meet mine, they linger there and he tips his head at me in greeting. Which is odd behavior for him.

Alarm bells go off in my head, warning me about Alessandro and what he might be up to.

I turn to Dante, who has an apologetic look on his face when he sees his twin here.

"I swear he told me he wouldn't be here," he promises, and I nod.

"It's okay. I won't let him ruin my night."

We go to the kitchen to get some drinks, and Dante busies himself grabbing cups and filling them with liquor.

"There you go," he says and hands me a cup. I take a sip of it and make a face.

"What the hell is in this," I cough.

"Mixed some liquor and juice," he shrugs and wraps an arm around my shoulder. "Now, let's explore this party, hm?"

Throughout the night, I remain by Dante's side and occasionally sip of my drink.

I don't plan on getting drunk, unlike what I did last year. And that led to some poor decisions.

"You e-enjoying yourself?" I ask Melanie. We're leaning against the wall opposite each other in the hallway while waiting for Dante to return from the bathroom.

Violet is right beside me, checking her nails and everything else going on. She's bored.

Melanie shrugs. "Kind of? I'm more clinging to Dante instead of partying," she chuckles and takes a large sip from her cup.

She's getting a little tipsy, and I've been keeping an eye on her to make sure she doesn't get too drunk.

"Me too," I snort. "If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have been here."

"Too bad you are," a voice interrupts us, and I turn my head to the side to glare at Alessandro.

He looks exceptionally good in his suit and hat, with a cigarette perched between his lips.

"The same can be said about you," I snarl back.

"And here I thought you'd be happy to see me since you like to stalk me so much," he smirks.

My face heats with embarrassment.

"I'd rather be caught dead than be happy to ever lay eyes on you."

His eyes travel over my body before going back to my eyes, and I shift on my spot.

I prepare to hear a remark about the way I look, but none comes.

He walks toward where I'm standing against the wall, and leans into it as well, looking down at me.

"Watch your mouth, siren," he murmurs. "Before you get too wet tonight."

He brushes past me without another word, leaving behind his cologne in the air that I try not to take notice of too much.

"Well, that was tense," Mel notices.

"It always is," Violet adds, shrugging. "It's their thing."

"We don't have a thing!" I argue. "He's... he's... ugh, I can't find words for it," I sigh, frustrated.

Violet smirks and shakes her head.

Before you get too wet tonight.

What the fuck did he mean by that?

I try to focus on something else before I drive my mind crazy with his words.

"Dante is taking an awful long time. Wanna hang in the living room until he comes back?" I suggest, and the white swan in front of me nods, as does the angel beside me.

"I'm really happy you're here. I don't feel so alone with you guys here," Melanie grins and hooks her arm through mine.

"Me too. I'm glad that Zainab introduced us."

On the way to the living room, we pass Katherine and Amber. The latter didn't bother to dress up tonight and is wearing a plain shirt and some jeans.

Ever since I learned that she broke up with Alessandro – though, who knows how long they'll remain exes and get back together – I've noticed that she always looks tired and like she's been crying.

A part of me wants to feel bad for her, but I dislike her too much to conjure up any pity toward her.

Katherine's manicured hands are wrapped around her cup and as soon as she passes Melanie, the cup manages to slip from her grasp and fall against Melanie's white costume.

Red liquid stains the material pretty quickly, ruining the whole outfit.

Melanie gasps and backs up a few steps, looking at Katherine with shock and hurt on her face.

"Whoops," the blonde sighs. "I'm so clumsy."

"Get a grip, Kate," Violet snaps, letting her temper show a little bit for the first time tonight.

"It was an accident, get over it," the blonde states dryly.

Violet and Katherine have never disliked one another, but Vi won't stand for bullying and never has.

She's not afraid to put Katherine in her place, and neither is Alyssa.

Amber looks down her nose at Mel, and when her eyes meet mine, they narrow into thin slits.

My hands clench into fists by my side and I take a step forward, parting my lips.

Katherine meets my gaze head-on and raises her brows. "Give it to me, Valentine," she smirks.

"Y-you're such a bitch," I bite out and grab Melanie, tugging her away from the blonde devil and to an available bathroom. Violet follows suit.

"Don't mind her," I tell Mel, "She's just born that way."

"A bitch?" she asks, a frown marring her face.

I sigh. "I'm afraid so. It's nothing personal. If she hasn't ruined someone's day at least every twenty-four hours, she won't get her beauty sleep."

Violet opens the faucet and tries to wipe the stains from Melanie's costume, but it only makes it worse.

"I'm so sorry," Violet cringes. "I don't do laundry at home."

"You have like a hundred butlers and maids do all that stuff," I chuckle and shake my head.

"We have one butler," Violet argues meekly but isn't making her case any better.

"Who needs a butler?" Melanie asks, her mood lifting a bit at the conversation.

"If you're the daughter of two popstars, you're certified to have a butler," I joke, and giggle at the swat Violet gives me.

"My dad is a rock star, excuse you, and my mom kinda is, too. But that doesn't matter!"

"Oh my god," Melanie gasps. "That's where I know you from! You're the daughter of Ares..."

"Don't say his name too loud," Violet interrupts. "I cannot stand one more person fawning over him. It's gross."

"He's hot," I state to tease her.

She flips me off.

"Nepobaby," I continue, and she rolls her eyes.

"You're born rich, too. Shut up," she chuckles.

My phone vibrates with a message and when I look down, I see it's from Dante.

D-man: I'm in the living room, where are you? They're playing truth or dare, wanna join?

. . .

(I'm casually gonna dump all my mommy issues I've experienced into this book)

bro I'm on a rolllll.

and I just know it's because I have exams next week. Inspiration decided to hit at the worst time.

But you guys have no idea how incredibly happy I feel to connect with my characters and this book. I thought that wasn't ever gonna be there.

thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

I love you.