The smile on his face is one full of pride. Adone has to admit, he thinks of himself to be a great genius at this current moment. He was going to say something when Fran, yes in his mind he will call her that, was putting on her shoes. By the moment his lips parted, they immediately shut. Actually, he bit on the inside of his lip while holding his right leg. So this girl really does play football, interesting.
Whether it be out of surprise or for dramatic flare, he fell to the ground. "I am not a fool," He groaned. His shin actually does hurt; he waited till the sudden pain was beginning to go away. As he held his leg, an idea hit him. Like a light bulb going off, his eyes lit up.
Adone jumped up then dusted off his trousers. Looking at Franny, he smiled. "Okay, try to beat me, Franny." Not even a second after, he started to bolt down the hill. No warning, no time for Franny to prepare; he just went for it.
She squawked in offense before chasing after him. "Get back here and answer for your crimes!"
She actually had to chase him most of the way down the hill due to her steps being so much shorter but she was still much faster and eventually tackled him, straddling his back so he couldn't get up.
"I may be small but I'm not slow, bello. Next time, don't challenge the girl who does a lot of running for her sports to a race. Now," She leaned down, smirking to herself. "Apologize for your heinous acts."
A shot of laughter arose from him before he had to stop himself. The rush of adrenaline coursed through his veins as he dashed down the hill. He was about to looked over his shoulder while reaching the bottom of the hill before suddenly being slammed onto the ground. After multiple attempts to get up, and a bunch of swearing in Italian, he gave up.
"Heinous?" Adone tried to lift his head in order to glance at Fran. He gave up as he groaned. "What does that even mean?" It must be some pretentious or made up word she is using to make him seem stupid; and he will never admit that he is stupid for he truly isn't. "I did not commit anything acts that you accuse me of for I am completely innocent."
She laughed, shaking her head. "Heinous essentially means evil, you dork. And yes, you committed a horrible crime. I told you, I go by Frenchie. I was okay with farfallina because it was…" She blushed red just thinking about before shaking it away. "But I will not stand here and tolerate Franny. I didn't think you could get worse than Fran but apparently you can."
She sat back, crossing her arms with a triumphant smirk. "Now then Mr. High and Mighty, now that you've been pinned by a girl almost a foot shorter than you, there's not much lower you can sink. So I will not move until I get an apology."
Dork…He might actually know that one; whatever it means, it definitely is related to weirdo, nerd, or idiot. He is not any of those. None! How can he let himself be tortured by an American girl of all people? This really is torture, more than his older sisters dragging him to do something or listening to Mama talk about all the gossip in the city or her trying to matchmake him with someone's daughter. Torture, oh Lord help him.
There are more lows he could reach. He could be like those boys who join the mafia. He could be full of sloth and just not do anything all day. Sloth….Wait a second…..
"Okay……" He yawned. "Guess I will stay here on the ground then. Have fun, Farfallina."
Frenchie thought for a second before grinning almost evilly as she stood and brushed off her dress. "Fine. Stay there. But if I die out there going to a party, it'll be on your conscious. Oh woe is me, two days after arrival for my summer in Italy, I get left on my own to explore a city and get kidnapped and murdered. How unfortunate." She sighed dramatically, brushing fake tears away.
She then flashed a bright smile and headed off down the rest of the hill and towards the city. Or at least what she thought was the city. She had no idea but she had a point and would stick to it.
While his mother would hit him for this, Adone rolled his eyes, slowly shaking his head. "My conscious will not be affected by an American girl such as yourself," He stated. "Say hi to the nossa costa for me then." Even despite the relief of not having Franny on his back, he stayed there laying on the ground. Does he care that he probably does look stupid? No. Humiliation is not something that runs in his blood and he does not care.
He waited about a minute or so until he stood up. Like an old man, his hand was behind his back as he heard crack sounds from both his back and knees. The next couple of moments were spent by him stretching then reluctantly watching as Franny walked. He would definitely get arrested if something happened to her, as long as he doesn't get killed by Mr and Mrs Russo first. Death or arrest means no university to him which ultimately means death for him.
There was no real use for him to run to her. He took advantage of his height and normal pace in order to get to the Americana. "Are all American girls like you?" Adone clicked his tongue. "You have no idea where you are going….Ah buon Dio."
"Oh if only they were. We'd make your life a living nightmare, mia cara vittima." She giggled, just imagining his suffering if he were to deal with a thousand other girls just like her.
"And besides! You don't have to join me. You could technically leave me here to go off by myself. But I'm assuming you're joining because there's consequences if you don't, non c'è?" She raised an eyebrow at him with a knowing smile.
"No no no." He does not want to imagine what it would be like if there were more like her. Adone nervously chuckle, glimpsing over at Francesca as she giggled. "One is enough. You are already a nightmare to me."
No he cannot admit anything. If he does, then all of it will be used against him. Holding his shoulders back and his chin up high, he shook his head. "Noooo, silly Farfallina." He removed one hand, using his right index finger to bop her nose. Then his hands clasped behind his back. "You are going the wrong way. In city, some parties are catered to tourists like you. You have to get out near my neighborhood if you want a real party. No formal stuff, all real fun."
She couldn't help but smirk at his reaction, his nervousness to the thought of more people like her making her giggle. "Darling I'm a nightmare dressed like a daydream."
Frenchie scrunched her nose at the boop, shaking her head before looking up at him with a raised eyebrow. "Is that so? Well then why don't you prove it. If you're so desperate to prove what a real party is like, then take me to one."
"Then I wish to wake up from this nightmare, I hate it." Adone slowed down his paces in order to match hers. As he did so, he gazed down at the feet, until he was satisfied with his walking. He laughed at the sight of her scrunched nose. It was unnecessarily funny to him for way too long. Chuckles just came from him even as she spoke.
"Challenge accepted then," He said. The moment he did, he linked arms with her, then made a right turn onto an empty road. The night is still young, but the farther you get away from the city and the better off neighborhoods, it becomes quiet until you reach out where he's from. "I am not desperate by the way, just very bored. So taking you to a real party and bothering you the whole time is a win-win for me."
"Well, being able to bother you and see an actual party is a win-win for me too. Don't act like you're the only one getting something out of this. Although I can't say it's not funny to watch you squirm." She giggled, falling in step with him easily.
"So do you have any idea where we're actually going or are you just walking in a direction and hoping we find something. Because I wouldn't put it past you to do either one. The only difference is one is significantly cooler to do than the other."
"Ah, not only am I glad that you benefit from my unfortunate disturbances, but you are so vocal about them too." He rolled his eyes. If it weren't for the comment about when she got on top of him back there, he probably would be laughing too. All he could do was just shake his head.
Adone ran his hand through his messy hair. "I live out here," He breathed. "During the summer, there's always someone who is holding a party outside because they can. Great live music, but sometimes someone brings one those huge radios. Then there's always dancing too, the good and fun kind."
"Oh, so a house party. I'd hate to be their neighbors, I know that much. Back home there was a neighborhood a couple blocks away from my house that was notorious for throwing massive parties and having them shut down when the police show up because of all the noise complaints. Someone once broke into one of the neighboring houses after one of these complaints and clogged all their toilets. It was a mess, people got sued, it was a whole big thing." She laughed at the memory, her hands going with her words to convey her story.
She smiled sadly at the reminder of home. It was only day two and she was already kind of homesick. Frenchie was very close to her family and while she had been frothing at the mouth excited about spending a summer abroad, it also meant being away from her family for three months.
Again he shook his head. "No, not a house party. More like a dance outside on the streets, they are fun, but usually having the right dancing partner or someone to be with makes it even better."
Adone was silent as she spoke. Throughout the story, his eyes widened. His jaw dropped slightly. Of course he had learned about American parties and what they were like from movies, shows, and whatever a foreign exchange student would tell him; most of it he thought to be an exaggeration, guess not. "Sounds like you had a good time then, no?" He laughed softly. "I cannot believe those kind of parties actually happen."
His gaze was glued to her. Even after she finished the story, he had expected her to be the same as she was moments ago. Adone believes himself to be pretty good at reading people, even though books and people are drastically different from each other. Her smile wasn't the same as the one from their bantering.
"Is something the matter, Farfallina? We only have met a while ago, but that smile you made tells me something," He pointed out. "We don't have to go; I will admit defeat, but I will win soon if that's the case. If something is wrong, you can tell me; it's not because of consequences or whatever. I don't mind."
She chuckled softly, turning to him with a brighter smile. "Ah, no, nothing's really wrong per say. I still want to go, I want to see if you're right, I'm just…a little homesick. I'm really close with my family and I've never been away from them for so long. I guess it's finally setting in that I won't see them until September."
She sighed softly, shaking the thoughts away. "Ah, what am I doing. No sad thoughts, it'll spoil the mood. And I actually did attend that party and it was a lot of fun. Had to hightail it out and ran through a thorn bush on my way back. Scratched the crap out of my legs, I had cuts for like a week."
Adone turned around and began to walk backwards. At first, he cautiously looked over his shoulder, but went back to looking at Franny as she talked. It's fine, it's not like a ghost is going to trio him or something. "Homesick…" He had to process what the word meant for him. The wheels in his head turned. "Homesickness is a sickness like any other. It might be hard to get over it, but there's a cure for it, right? Like time or making friends here. Then after you kick some Sicilian boys in the shin, you get to go home. Fun!"
Faint music played in the background. It's louder than normal; must be a love band. Adone shrugged, "I don't know. What are you doing? You attend some of the most crazy and boring parties ever. You play soccer and don't like shoes. Now you are following me to one. You are crazy, like molto pazzo."
Frenchie couldn't help but laugh. Like, truly laugh. She nearly doubled over from it. "Okay, first of all! You wouldn't have gotten kicked if you hadn't called me that name we don't speak of. And second! You're the one that took me up on the offer to show me a true party so this is more your problem than mine."
She sped up her pace to close their distance a bit. "Besides, have you ever spent the summer in a foreign country? Excuse me for wanting to explore a bit." She stuck her tongue out with a smile. "I miei problemi sono i tuoi problemi, mia cara. At least for this summer."
"No you gave me a challenge and I am going to prove you that I am right. I am saving my pride here, it's very important. And you really hurt me too, it still hurts."
He shrugged. "I've been to Malta for a week, if that's what you mean." It's definitely not like he went to somewhere else like Spain, France, Romania, or even the United States for three months. He wondered what it would be like to be in the States for three months. "You know, if you go to mainland, you travel to other EU countries for cheap. Go to Paris or something and bother a French boy instead."
Adone laughed at her words. He had to stop walking backwards in order to keep himself from falling. "What? No. You are not going to bother me this entire summer. I won’t allow it. No way, Farfallina."
Looking over his shoulder, he watched as people of all ages were out and about in the neighborhood. Some were dancing while others were talking and gossiping. There was someone sitting next to a radio system, happily bobbing his head to the music as he watched people dance.
"See, Farfallina?" Adone motioned to the neighborhood party. "It's great! It's a real party, no offense to your aunt and uncle though."
"Ooo, I'm telling Aunt Lina." She teased, poking his side with a giggle. "And for your information, yes, you're dealing with me for the rest of the summer. You already gave me a nickname, it's practically set in stone now. You would really rather dump me on some other poor unsuspecting foreigner? Some other Sicilian or European?" Am I really that hard to deal with?
She shook her head and headed closer to the party. "Well, we're already here! Might as well jump in, right?" She looked over her shoulder with a smile. "Come on! No good party starts before sunset."
"Hey!" He jumped a little at the poke. Adone could feel his face warming up, but ignored it, assuming it was just the summer heat instead. At this point, she is right thought. Why is he calling Francesca "Farfallina" though? It just appeared on the whim; it makes sense, even fitting, for her. He likes the nickname.
He shook his head. "I guess I will be the poor unsuspecting foreigner if that's what you're getting at. I don't have control on what happens anyways. As long as I don't get kicked in the leg, everything is okay."
"Coming Farfallina!" He responded. Adone stretched the leg that got kicked before dashing over. "So, I suspect that you want to dance and you want a tall handsome smart Sicilian boy named Adone to be your dance partner. Is that true?"
Frenchie craned her neck up to look at him with a half smile. "I mean, I'd definitely prefer someone more my height but I guess you'll have to do." She sighed dramatically before grabbing his hand and dragging him closer to the makeshift dance floor.
Her heart was thumping in time with the music and she was nearly bouncing on her toes. Her first real Italian party, she was really here! If only her family could see her now. Especially her brother, he'd be so jealous.
"You guess?" He giggled at her dramatic sigh. It was not a second later until his pupils grew wider as he was dragged onto the dance floor. Yes, he should have expected this, and yet, even as he stood in front of Frenchie, he was completely caught off guard. Adone was totally startled to the point where he didn't even know what to do next. His eyes took a glimpse around at all the people before they settled back on Franny.
"You seem to be enjoying yourself." His head was gently bopping to the music. He laughed as he watched her before holding his hands out. "Shall we dance?"
She blushed pink and took his hands. "I think we shall." She was excited but she'd never actually danced with someone before. Usually if she attended parties, she danced by herself. "I will warn you, I'm not much of a dancer. I don't attend parties, I suck at dancing."
Frenchie knew her heart shouldn't be beating as fast as it was but she couldn't explain why. She just tried to brush it off as excitement and the music.
"It's alright," He assured her. Once Adone took ahold of her hand, he carefully spun Frenchie then pulled her back to him. "As long as you do not look at your feet a lot and we both are in sync, then everything will be okay. It's not that hard."
Just as he finished talking, he looked down at their feet. Even with the little dancing experience he has, he still looks down from time to time. He normally watches people dance at parties like this; hopefully he is doing everything right.
