PART 2

The rays of the sun marked the passage of time. The city shimmered with the familiar colors of sunset as Mike walked through a little-known neighborhood.

With Emily’s directions clutched in one hand and a strong sense of direction, the young man arrived at an old apartment block that looked as if it might collapse at any moment.

Mike knew that Diana had managed to get into the university thanks to one of the few scholarships Atlanta awards every five years, but he was unaware of her family’s economic situation.

“2B, 2B, 2B…” he repeated to himself as he climbed the stairs of the old building.

When he reached the door indicated by his classmate’s intricate map, he hesitated to knock, feeling that, like in the story of the three little pigs, a mere puff of air might cause the door to give way. Nevertheless, with careful movements, he knocked on the door, and after a few seconds, a pair of black eyes peeked out from the frame.

“Who are you?” the boy asked suspiciously, not fully opening the door.

“Good afternoon, I’m a classmate of Diana’s. I’ve come to drop off her homework.”

“A classmate? How do I know you’re telling the truth, especially since you’re a man?” the boy questioned skeptically, still not revealing his full face.

“Look at my uniform. That should be enough.”

“And who’s to say you didn’t steal or copy my sister’s school uniform to come here and do something depraved to her?”

Despite the childishness of the boy, there was something sweet and very familiar about him. His unruly hair, those deep black eyes, and those defined features with subtle touches—Mike had seen them somewhere before... though that vivid imagination of his was a bit concerning.

“So, you’re Diana’s brother?” Mike asked with a smile.

“I’ll let you in if you give me your ID,” the boy said, extending an arm and indicating that Mike should place it in his hand.

Mike wondered whether the universe had conspired to ensure that the most surreal things happened to him, or if it was simply a twist of fate. However, after a deep sigh, he pulled out his wallet and handed over his ID. Once the boy had it in his hands, he slammed the door right in Mike’s face, only to open it fully a few minutes later, much to Mike’s astonishment.

“You can come in,” the boy said, inviting him inside.

“Thank you,” Mike replied politely, stepping cautiously into the house.

Once inside, he finally realized that this boy, no older than eight, was the spitting image of Diana—only in male form. Yet, something else caught his attention even more: the boy had a recent cut on the lower part of his lip.

“My name is Zedd. I’m Diana’s younger brother. I’ve taken a photo of your ID just in case. If you try anything with my sweet sister, I’ll go straight to the police,” Zedd informed him seriously as he returned the ID. “She’s cleaning the living room. Second door on the right.”

As Mike walked through the apartment, he noticed the state of the house. At first glance, it was clear that it hadn’t been renovated in years, with peeling paint in some corners and large cracks in others, indicating the wear and tear of the place. He didn’t want to jump to conclusions based on what his eyes saw, but it seemed that Diana’s family might fall into a lower-middle economic class.

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However, all those thoughts that raced through his mind like foam vanished in an instant when he reached the archway leading to the living room and saw, with his blue eyes, the most delightful scene imaginable… seeing the girl he liked, dressed in simple shorts and a small top; wearing enormous headphones that doubled the size of her small head, mop in hand, cleaning the room to the rhythm of music that only she could hear.

image [https://i.postimg.cc/vZxr1qjJ/P-gina-7-2.jpg]

Sometimes she slid around with the mop, other times she sensually swayed her graceful curves, and other times she simply sang at the top of her lungs. And although it was the funniest and simplest performance his eyes had ever witnessed, the quickening of his heartbeat, along with the blush on his cheeks, perfectly revealed how he felt in that moment: simply elated.

image [https://i.postimg.cc/PqGm1bnP/P-gina-7-1.jpg]

“How long have you been there?” Diana asked, completely flushed, as her eyes widened in surprise at seeing Mike in the living room.

“Not… long.” Although that was a complete lie. “I… didn’t mean to disturb you.”

“I wasn’t expecting any visitors.” After five minutes, she approached Mike, who was seated at the table, with two glasses of water in hand.

“I just came to drop off your homework and the handouts from the last few classes,” he informed her, clumsily pulling the sheets from his backpack.

“Usually, Emily or Anna brings them to me.”

“Emily had a meeting with her father, and Anna had extra classes. Since I live nearby, Emily asked me to do it.”

“Thank you very much. It’s curious—besides them and Andrew, no one else from class knows where I live.”

For a moment, Mike wondered how Andrew could know where Diana lived, but quickly concluded that it must have been during the time he was dating Emily.

“Are you okay?” Mike asked, concerned, as he sipped from the glass of water.

“Yes, why?”

“Since you missed the last few classes…”

“Oh, that. The one who opened the door is my little brother, Zedd. We live with my mother in this run-down apartment. Despite having a frail constitution, my mother works day and night to pay for our education. So, if something happens, I take care of my brother until she gets home from work.”

“I see,” Mike replied, unsure of what else to say.

A deep, awkward silence fell between them. He continued drinking from his glass awkwardly, while she looked everywhere but at the boy in front of her.

“I…” they both began at the same time.

“You go ahead,” Diana said, fidgeting in her chair.

“No, you first.”

“This morning I couldn’t… but I wanted to tell you that I’m not going to tell Emily that you’re a guy.”

“Diana, I…” Mike continued with some difficulty, unsure of where to begin. “I don’t want you to think badly of me.”

“Not at all!” she interrupted him. “On the contrary, I don’t understand why you’re hiding the fact that you’re a guy from Emily… although, now that I think about it, it’s probably better she doesn’t know. She wouldn’t understand why Andrew would have turned gay after dating her.”

“Yeah… well…”

“Mike…” she said his name after another long silence. “You’re the person who gets the best grades in class. I know it’s very sudden to ask you this, since we’ve barely spoken, but for that very reason, I’d like to ask… if you could tutor me in algebra and drawing? I’m really bad at those subjects, and I don’t want my average to drop. I’d love to attend extra classes, but I can’t afford those prices, and I don’t want to add more burdens to my mother than she already has.”

“I’d be happy to help. I can come over every afternoon if you’d like.”

“I don’t want to be a bother, especially not every afternoon.”

“Not at all. Besides my judo classes and the occasional study session, I have plenty of free time.”

“Thank you so much,” Diana said with a radiant smile that made Mike’s heart literally skip a beat.

Just then, a little rascal came darting into the living room, waving something around like it was a victory flag.

“I found it! Sis, I found the necklace!”

“Thank you, Zedd! If I had lost it, I don’t know what I would have done,” Diana said, lovingly stroking her brother’s face.

From the chain that Diana held and looked at with extreme delight, a teardrop-shaped pendant in a sky-blue hue hung. It seemed like an ornament meant to complement another piece or that it was missing a part, but it was truly beautiful. However, Mike couldn’t shake the feeling that the pendant seemed very familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before but couldn’t quite remember where.