Читать книгу If You Were Mine - Rosanna Capursi - Страница 6

Chapter 1

One year later

Monica Valentini, a 24-year-old girl with brown hair over her shoulders and camel eyes, graduated from Bari University in Foreign Languages and Literature, spoke several languages, i.e. Italian – her mother tongue -, English, Spanish, French, and German. She had two younger sisters: 20-year-old Fiorella whose brown hair was long to her waist and her eyes were as camel as Monica’s; and 15-year-old Elizabetta who had dark brown hair above her shoulders, and whose eyes were light brown.

Monica used to live with her parents in the town called Venosa which was at the south of Italy. She loved to go out with her sisters. One night, she was next to her friend, Natalia Napolitano, who was a blond girl whose hair was long to her waist and had blue eyes.

– Hey, Mon! Would you like to go to a party in Manschito? – asked Natalia while they walked down to a Venosa street feeling the heat of August.

– A party? It's only Friday… – said Monica while she introduced her hands into her pants pockets.

– Come on! You know that Italy this month is full of parties. You are of legal age already! I believe nothing is going to happen to you just by going to a party. – She told her while crossing her arms.

Monica doubts it for a couple of seconds and then laughs while passes her hand through her hair messing it up a little bit.

– Ok, we'll go… what time is the party?

– At 10 p.m. – said Natalia as she stopped. Monica stops and looks at her watch on her arm, it was barely 6 p.m., so there were several hours left before going to the party.

– I'll drive. I'm sure you'll drink more than you should as you did last time. – Said Monica smiling. Last time they went to a party at Ginestra city, and Natalia got drunk so much that Monica had to take her car to her place, because Natalia lived alone, and had no one to wait for her and scold her or something like that. With Monica, it was not the same, because her family got her used to drink alcohol moderately; however, the day they had gone to the party, Monica and Natalia forgot about one important detail, they had spoken with their bosses (Monica worked at a jewelry shop and Natalia at a bakery), so that they would work on that day and take a week day off to go to the saloon.

– Ok. Then pick me up at 10 p.m. See you later! – Said Natalia giving one kiss to Monica on each of her cheeks and now walking on her way to her place. Then, Monica looks at her watch again, 06.02 p.m., she still had time to go to her place, tell to her family about the party, take a shower and get dressed.

1 hour later

Monica was watching TV in her bedroom lying on her bed when her sister Fiorella came in.

– How's that about you are going to a party without me? – She asks her putting her hands on her waist.

– You are under aged; I can't take you to a party where only adults will go. – She tells her while turning off the TV with the remote control and sat on her bed to then look at her.

– I'm 20 years old, I’m legal aged. – Fiorella said inflating her cheeks, Monica laughs: she used to find amusing that her sister behaved as a child. Then, Monica stands up and gets close to her sister.

– Not in Italy, remember legal age is not 20, but 21. – And without saying anything else, Monica leaves her room and starts walking; her sister sighs and walks behind Monica following her.

– Come on! Nobody will notice it!

Monica goes to the kitchen and fills a glass with water.

– Mom and dad won't let you go. Don't insist. I'm just going with Natalia, I promise that before 1 a.m. I'll be at home. – She said.

Fiorella tells nothing and leaves to her bedroom. She loved going to parties with her eldest sister, but Monica didn't want to take her along. What if they asked her an ID? She had to take care of her little sister and, for a moment, she just wanted to have fun with her friend, Natalia.

3 hours later

Monica was just finishing to get dressed to go to the party. She would look at her in the mirror; she was wearing a red dress whose length was above her knees. Monica said goodbye to her family and went to pick Natalia up in her car, blew the car’s horn several times, and Natalia came out locking the door with the key. She was wearing a short purple dress and had her hair loose, got on the car and closed the door.

– Monica, you're beautiful!

– You too, Natalia! – said Monica while starting the car.

Natalia smiles and starts looking out the car’s window. She was sort of excited for the trip to Maschito.

Shortly after, they arrived to the party, were asked their ID cards and got in. There were a lot of people and in the back some techno music could be heard.

– I told you we had to come! – Yells Natalia at her while passing through the people there.

They stopped and started dancing. A brown haired and blue eyed guy and another one with black hair and brown eyes approach to Monica and Natalia.

– I’m Luca. – Said the one with brown hair.

– And I'm Mateo. – Said the one with black hair.

– We are Natalia and Monica. – Said Natalia while looking at the ones who just arrived.

– Would you like to dance? – Asks Luca; Natalia looks at Monica as if she were expecting for approval and Monica agrees.

– Sure. – Said Natalia.

Natalia starts dancing with Mateo and Monica starts dancing with Luca, the four of them dance for a couple of minutes; then, they go to get some drinks, danced, chatted, and after four hours, they decided to leave.

– This party was so fun! – Yelled Natalia while dancing on her sit.

– Indeed. – Said Monica laughing while driving.

When they were passing by the cliff at the entrance of Venosa, just by the curve, the light of a truck blinded them, Monica moves the wheel to several sides, but she finally goes to the right, climbs the berm, twists and turns on some rocks and goes down the cliff in a clean jump falling to their fatal destination.