CHAPTER 23
Aurora met Ade outside the mansion. As she strutted out the entrance, she grinned upon seeing the Volkswagen Beetle in a shiny blue-green color. How cute. She really admired this car. Mr. Bean always popped into her mind when just thinking about a Beetle coupe. A valet opened the car door for her. But before hopping in, she tapped the car's roof as she shook her head in awe.
"Pasok na, Signorina. Baka bigla lumabas si Signora at magbago isip nyon lalo na pag nakita niyang ganyan ang suot mo." (Get in already, Signorina. Signora might come out any second and would change her mind. More so when she saw you in that outfit.) Ade urged her. She hopped inside the car, and the man closed it after her.
"I miss seeing this car." She was still grinning. "You know how I admire this. It's just so cute. How I want to pinch it." She commented while locking her seatbelt.
Ade giggled. "Though it wasn't entirely like Mr. Bean's. His was just too small."
"Yeah. It was a two-seater." She agreed. Ade slowly pulled out of the mansion. She opened the roof as they started on the main road. They have the same habit of riding in a car with its roof off, except when the sun's heat was so penetrating that it would get Aurora's skin rashes triggered, then they had to keep the roof on their heads.
Ade's car was a convertible also. A four-seater Beetle that was more comfortable to sit in at the back.
"Ah." Aurora exhaled, placing an elbow on the car's door. "I miss this city." She uttered. It was already 7:00 pm. It was getting darker.
"Where do you want to go, Signorina? To that place?" Ade asked as she glanced at her friend, who had her face on her arm. Aurora was too focused on looking at the building that they were passing by. "What's bothering you?" She knew it when Aurora was acting like this, and it would take some time for her to talk.
"Yes. To that same place." Her enthusiastic tone earlier when she was getting inside her car changed into a cold one. "What's bothering me?" Aurora was asking that to herself too. She shrugged her shoulders, not looking at her friend that was driving. "I don't know either. I don't know anymore."
In the first week when she was in Rimini Campus, she and Max hadn't been talking with each other that much. And they rarely met with their different schedules. She didn't see him often in the school cafeteria; certainly, he ate outside with his group. She wasn't interested in getting close with Max's friends, except for Niko, who was from the same circle as her. She was comfortable with him because she knew that he wasn't being fake, for he came from a wealthy family as well. She liked his company. Nico was a cool guy.
Unlike Max, who was a bit moody. Acting all friendly, then in one moment, he was cold, like pulling himself from her. And the embrace that she saw on that first day of school after Max toured them around somehow irked her curiosity about what it was about. But it wasn't that unusual for friends to hug even with the opposite sex. Then why do they seem afraid of getting caught? There was that voice again that she could imagine even raising a brow at her.
"Fuck it." She cursed under her breath. She hadn't realized that she'd said it.
Ade blinked upon hearing it. She slowly turned her head to the person next to her. She rarely heard her swear. And though she won't tell her the reason behind it, she already had the idea of what it was about. And it worsened when she got home. Maybe her parents had said something. She'll pry about it late; for now, she has to focus on driving.
After some time, Aurora opened a topic. "How's your family dinner?"
She was a bit stunned that Aurora talked again. She glanced at her, and she met her gaze. Her face lacked emotions, but she responded anyway.
"Why did you let Bulter Durante off? I received threats from him." She snapped.
Aurora snorted at that. She would never get tired of hearing her friend's comments about their mansion's butler. Though she was saying things like that, she knew it was only meant to make light of their conversations. Ade never really held a grudge against her father. She was just making fun of her father's strict conduct as a butler.
Ade secretly smiled that she made her friend's mood lighten up. "He said that if I failed just a single subject, he would sell all the things he'd brought for me." She loved her father, though he was very strict even to his family.
"That's impossible." Aurora instantly replied.
"It is if I took a business degree."
Aurora laughed. Ade was like Sofia, her mother; they don't like doing business themselves because they said that they have the skills for it. But they just don't want to socialize with a lot of people. They don't like to think about complicated things. Even she chose the business degree to help her father.
"But, of course, I would never fail. I've been an assistant and apprentice of the one and only Sofia Fontalva, the Stellar Queen." She smugly announced.
Aurora gasped mockingly, and propped a hand to her lips. She even retreated from her seat. "I don't know where you got that arrogance." She commented.
"Oh, please." Ade rolled her eyes though she was looking at the highway. "It's as bright as the sun where I got it from. Your confidence rubbed on me." And she gave Aurora a side-eye glance.
"Yeah. Confidence. A much better word." They burst out laughing. Aurora didn't deny it that she had arrogance in herself. She had the what it takes, aside from her wealthy state of life, she had brains, talents, and a beauty that was proud of.
Silence dawned on them again. But it lessened her grumpiness she felt earlier. She looked at her friend. "Thanks, Ade." She mumbled. "I know you were trying to make me feel better." She added.
Ade turned to her and raised a brow her way before looking back at the road. "Certo, sei la mia migliore amica, Aurora. (Of course, you're my best friend, Aurora.) You reek of frustration. I can feel it though wouldn't voice it out. I'm just not sure of the reason. Tell me whenever you want. Two heads are better than one in any ways."
She smiled at her last sentence. Ade won't call her 'signorina', and she would use her own language whenever they talk things like this. So, she felt how genuine she was to her. It felt more personal.
When stopped in front of the bar, Ade closed the roof and they hopped out.
People instantly eyed their direction, especially Aurora. She was wearing a black bell short that reached her mid-thigh. Her long, smooth, white legs were obvious. If she didn't plan to play drums right now, she would have worn a boots with high heels so her legs would look much longer. But she wasn't comfortable wearing heels behind the drums. So, instead, she wore a flat ankle boots. Even in normal days, she doesn't like to wear heels above three inches because she was already confident in her height.
In her upper, she had a black sleeveless crop top with gray cardigan. Her wavy hair was hanging loosely at her back. She wore some bangles and leather bracelets. Light make-up painted her skin. It was how she always liked it, just to put some color on her pale skin.
"Long time no see, Rosa." A guard greeted her when he recognized who she was. She used 'Rosa' when she got to places like this. She smiled at him and nodded.
"Same to you, Lina." He turned to her friend. Ade talked to him and she continued inside first.
She smiled at the familiar faces which her eyes landed on. Filipinos mostly frequented the bar for that was why it was her favorite place to hang out. She often went to a bar to perform, not just to sing, but to play an instrument as well. And now, she planned to take on the drums. Her hands were twitching to hold a stick to beat something. She had a drum set in the mansion but she wanted an audience.