Rising (Vincent and Eve Book 1)

by Jessica Ruben

  Janelle looks at me, a huge smile on her face. “Eve, there’s something I wanna tell you.”

  “What’s up?” I take a sip of my soda, my mouth around the straw while I look up at her.

  “Well, you know I only stayed at the Blue Houses because you were still there. Now that you’re moving out, I decided I’m going to rent a place with some girls from the salon. It’s a small place in midtown, but—”

  “Janelle!” I jump out of my chair and run to hers. She stands up and we embrace. Our lives are really changing. We’re truly moving on! Ms. Levine turns to us both, grinning.

  The waiter comes back and I order a risotto with honeynut squash, sage, and black truffle butter. Janelle and Ms. Levine agree that it sounds great, and decide to order the same.

  Ms. Levine turns to me. “Don’t forget, Eve. With your full scholarship and grant money, your only job is to maintain a 3.2 GPA and to enjoy life for a change. If you want extra cash, there are work-study programs like the library help desk.”

  I smile broadly in excitement.

  We finish our delicious food—and holy shit is it amazing—and then hug and kiss Ms. Levine goodbye. Janelle and I take the bus together back to the Blue Houses. Now that Carlos is dead, the Cartel seems to have risen in power and the fighting seems to be slowing down.

  We walk into our quiet apartment that we’ll both be moving out of soon enough. Janelle pulls out a bottle of vodka from the freezer and some seltzer water from the fridge. After cutting up a few lemons, she makes us drinks. Handing me a glass, I take it happily. We’re alone at home, and I have nothing to worry about with Janelle by my side.

  She raises her cup in a toast. “You’re gonna go to college. There are gonna be frat parties and stuff. You’ve got to know what it’s like to be wasted in a comfortable environment.”

  I laugh at her comment. “And anyway,” she continues, “I want to say that I’m proud of you. I’m so happy right now. To our futures!”

  “To getting out of this hell hole!” I add.

  “To moving on and up!”

  We clink our glasses together and moments later, ask for another. By our third, I’m swaying as I walk to the bathroom.

  After I’m done peeing, I realize that I miss Vincent so much my chest aches. In fact, it hurts even more now than ever. I thought drinking was supposed to make me forget?

  I’m washing my hands and staring at myself in the mirror, becoming angry. Why am I being such a baby about him? Why can’t I go ahead and text him? I mean, I’m all about women’s lib! He doesn’t have to reach out first. I take out my phone and find his name in my contacts. There he is!

  ME: Hey Vincent. Hi!!! Where are you???

  I blink a few times when I see the dots show up, letting me know he’s about to reply. “Oh my God, he’s going to reply!” I jump up and down, squealing.

  VINCENT: Are you okay? Do you need me?

  ME: Yupppp all’s well. Just home with my sister….

  VINCENT: Ah, that’s good. What are you girls up to?

  ME: Just drinkin’ too much :-)

  VINCENT: I see. So, this is a drunken text, huh?

  ME: Yupppp. Why haven’t you called me?

  VINCENT: Been busy.

  ME: Of course MR. FANCIEST PANTS ON EARTH

  I laugh out loud to myself, thinking I’m the funniest person ever. Why did I never realize before how funny I am?

  VINCENT: Hah. Not that fancy…

  I roll my eyes.

  ME: Not fancy my ass!!!

  VINCENT: =-)

  I huff. What is that supposed to mean? Stupid emoji. Behind my eyes, all I can see is his stupidly perfect smile, and I suddenly feel the urge to wipe it off his face! I’ve been waiting for him. Pining, for fuck’s sake! And he’s what, smiling with an emoji! The NERVE!

  ME: You’re an asshole!!!

  “There!” I huff out loud.

  VINCENT: ???

  ME: You heard me. You think you can just waltz into my life and then waltz out? Who the hell do you think you are?

  My heart pounds. I can’t even believe him right now. And he isn’t even replying! I deserve a reply. I’m a human being, too!

  ME: Ah, now you don’t reply? I’m not good enough for your perfect world? Well guess what! I’m going to college! Starting summerrrrr! And I’m gonna be someone! And one day you’ll see me and I’ll be like, I’m busy motha-fucka!!!!

  I slide down on the floor of the bathroom. Minutes pass, and he still hasn’t replied. Why won’t he respond? I feel nauseous.

  ME: I hate you!

  I turn my phone off and the tears start to fall. I’m crying. Did I do something wrong? Is the room spinning?

  “Yo, Eve.” Janelle walks into the bathroom. “What’s wrong?” I screw my eyes closed but can hear the concern in her voice.

  “Nothing. Juuuust …” I try to speak, but nothing is coming out right.

  “All right, you little drunkard. I think you’ve had enough. She opens the bathroom cabinet, pulling out a bottle of Advil and filling a cup with water from the sink. She hands the pills to me with the water and somehow, I swallow it down.

  Lifting me off the ground, she practically drags me to my bed. “Now go pass out and I’ll see you in the morning. Leo is calling, I’m gonna go spend the night.” She tucks me under my covers.

  All I can think about is Vincent. And how much I hate his face. I hate his brain. I hate his huge gorgeous warm body that makes me feel insane things. I hate how he always carries me around and it feels like home. His intelligence. I hate how he looks at me like I matter. Like, I mean something to him. I love him. I love him so much.

  I cry harder into my pillow until I finally pass out.

  I wake up the next morning with a pounding head. It feels like someone is hammering into my skull. I turn around and see Janelle’s bed is still empty. The clock says it’s six in the morning. What the hell? Why am I up so damn early? I slowly stand, my hand pressing against the wall for balance as I go to use the bathroom. I drop my head in my hands while sitting on the toilet seat, trying to soothe the ache when I spot my cell phone on the floor. I pick it up and turn it back on.

  Oh shit. Oh shit, shit, motherfucking shit! What did I do? I read my texts to Vincent and I want to die of shame. I have to fix this!

  ME: Hey. Sorry about the texts… was drunk, not sure what came over me.

  I close the phone, realizing that there is no way in hell he’s gonna reply at this hour. But when my phone buzzes, I turn around and grab it.

  VINCENT: It’s ok. We’re cool, Eve. And congrats on school. You deserve it.

  I want to reply. Hell, I want to talk to him. I want to see him. I turn on the shower and get under the spray. First, shower. Second, coffee. Then I’ll figure out how to reply.

  But after I’m done with all that, I stare at my phone and feel the nerves fluttering in my stomach. His last comment wasn’t exactly asking for a reply, right? Maybe he doesn’t want to hear from me. I mean, if I were him, I wouldn’t want to hear from me after last night. I re-read my texts to him, feeling more embarrassed each time.

  I remember the new book I took out of the library is in my backpack. If I read it, maybe it’ll relax me. Then, I can decide what to do.

  I’m shaken out of my book-induced trance when Janelle walks in with a huge box in her arms. “Hey girl, this came for you.” She has her phone on her ear as she drops the box on my bed before walking out of the room.

  I glance at the clock and see that it’s already three o’clock in the afternoon! Going into the kitchen, I take a knife from a drawer and bring it back into my bedroom. I jump onto my bed and lean over the box in excitement, slicing the taped seam with relish.

  I open it quickly as if it were Christmas. A beautiful travel coffee mug in pink, a cozy sweatshirt that says: COLLEGE, a pair of warm Ugg slippers with fur inside that I guess I can wear around the dorms! I slide them on and they fit perfectly. There are six packages of beautiful fountain pens, and four
spiral notebooks, with dividers. Sticky pads! Whoever did this, obviously went to town at Staples and holy shit, I’m not complaining! I pull out a scientific calculator. Wow! I open up an envelope and see a gift card to Barnes and Noble for $500.00. What! I guess I can use this when I need to buy books! I keep rummaging through, and see a box of Kind bars! I guess they will be useful when I’m running between classes. My heart is pounding with excitement. College is coming! I need to call Ms. Levine. She’s the best!

  When I finally empty the box, I grab my phone and with shaking fingers, dial her number.

  “Hey Eve!” Her voice is happiness.

  “Oh my God! I can’t believe what you sent me. SO amazing, I’m freaking out!” My words come out in a rush.

  “Uh, Eve. I’m sorry, but I didn’t send you anything.”

  “Wait, what?” My heart beats erratically as my eyes zero in on all the goodies on my bed.

  “What did you get?” she asks probingly.

  I breathe silently over the line. No. It couldn’t be. “Oh, um, okay…Ms. Levine. I’ll, um, call you back.” I hang up the phone quickly and go through the box again.

  I put my head in my hands and realize that I can’t ignore this. It’s too much. Too…thoughtful. Damn him!

  ME: Hey

  VINCENT: Hey you. I assume you got the package?

  ME: How can I thank you? It’s too much

  VINCENT: No. It’s not enough.

  ME: It really means more than you know. Truly. I wish I could do something back

  VINCENT: When you finish college and get into law school, that’ll be my thank you. Don’t give up. Focus. And don’t party too hard.

  ME: Thanks, Daddy… I’ll be moving on June 23. Should I write it on one of my new Post-Its and leave it on the kitchen table as a reminder?

  VINCENT: Daddy, huh? :-)

  I roll my eyes, but smile so hard my face hurts.

  ME: Thanks, friend

  VINCENT: My pleasure, baby. Kick ass and good luck.

  I lay on my bed with all my stuff around me. Janelle and I are both planning to pack our things together in the next week. She’ll help me move, and I’ll help her as well. Being so close to home has its perks.

  “Vincent,” I say loudly. I want him so badly, but I also know that he is staying away from me for a reason. Maybe it’s for the best. And I’ve got an entire life to live, right? I know that until I reach my goals, I’ll never feel confident or comfortable around him. I’ll always be afraid that he just sees me as some nobody. I need to fix myself before I can be confident enough to be with a man like him. Maybe it’s best that he backed off. And like he said, I’ve got to focus now, anyway. I’ve got to get my head in the game! It’s time to accomplish my goals.

  I stand up and decide to start packing my things. One more week! College, here I come.

  CHAPTER 18

  Two Months Later

  I’ve kept my word. My life is about more than first love...if you could even call it that. I have goals and right now, my education comes first.

  Columbia is awesome. It’s everything I could have ever hoped for and then some. I did the six-week summer session to get a jump-start on classes. A few girls in my dorm arrived early too, and we’ve all instantly clicked.

  Ms. Levine and Janelle ended up surprising me with a shopping trip to some decent consignment stores, so I finally dress like an eighteen-year-old woman, not a fourteen-year-old boy hiding in baggy clothes. After enduring almost two decades of hell in the Blue Houses, I finally feel like I could fit in. This is my place; this is where I’m trying to belong.

  The summer heat is still stifling, but most of the students are finally on campus. I came with my friends from my dorm; we’re walking through the extracurricular activities fair, moving from booth to booth and jotting our names down for random activities. Debate Club. Model Congress. Finally, I found myself at the PanHellenic Counsel table, filled with information about the sororities on campus. The girl sitting down, her name-tag says: CLAIRE, seems pretty cool. Her hair is braided in a 1960s flower-child way, and she’s wearing a long and flowy blue dress.

  I sign my name down for sorority rush while Claire asks me some questions. We chat for a few minutes about prospective majors, and it turns out we’re both pre-law.

  “Actually, I’m supposed to meet up at eleven-thirty with some girls from my sorority for lunch. Why don’t you join us?” I’m unsure what to make of this. Sororities aren’t really my thing. But before I could think too much about it, I blurt out, “Yes, I’d love that actually.”

  “How about we meet at the Coffee Cup at eleven-fifteen and we’ll walk together to the dining hall? By the way, we’re in Phi Alpha.” She winks like she just let me in on a secret.

  “Okay, cool. I’ll see you there.” I give her a soft smile and say goodbye.

  I find the girls to tell them I’m leaving for class. The rest of the morning moves quickly. Tons of work gets assigned, and I’m anxious to get started.

  I meet Claire outside of the Coffee Cup as planned. We walk side by side through campus, discussing our schedules for the spring semester. Luckily, she talks a lot. She tells me all about her sorority, and I’m trying to keep up with all the parties and fun they apparently have together.

  We walk into the dining hall that has turned into chaos. Over the summer, it was pretty quiet with no one other than jocks and kids taking summer classes. But now, with most of the students back on campus, it’s frenzied.

  The two of us wait in the lunch line and talk about bands we like. Turns out we have really similar taste in music. Our energy is connecting, and I’m actually feeling really good. Maybe joining a sorority would be a good thing for me.

  “Do you play any sports?” She’s looking straight ahead, getting annoyed that the line seems to have frozen to a standstill.

  “Nah, I’m more of the bookworm type.” I may want to hide where I come from, but my lies end there.

  She looks me up and down. “Ugh, I hate girls like you who just wake up with a body to kill.” She rolls her eyes at me playfully. “I play volleyball. Tryouts are coming up, and I really want to make the varsity team this year.”

  “With your height, I don’t doubt it. You’re probably awesome.” I didn’t realize when she was sitting down, but Claire looks like she’s even taller than Janelle.

  She points to some sandwiches underneath a little heater-looking thing. “Oh, the chicken sandwiches here are the best!” I watch as she takes one and I go ahead and pick one up as well, grabbing a bottle of water to go with it. The sandwich is warm and I can’t wait to dig in. We leave the line after paying and carry our lunch trays to the seating area while she looks around, trying to find her friends.

  “There they are!” she exclaims, walking to the left. I follow her and take a seat beside her. All of her friends at the table are smiling and dressed similarly in blue jeans and collared shirts. I’m in Pleasantville!

  “Hey guys, this is Eve. I met her during the extracurricular fair!”

  They all look me up and down and say polite hellos. Claire goes around the table introducing them to me. A few of them are sophomores like her, and two of them are juniors. I give a small wave to everyone, feeling really nervous by their inquisitive gazes. I sit down and unwrap my chicken sandwich, realizing at that moment how hungry I am.

  Ms. Levine made sure the school gave me a food credit. I can eat anything in the dining hall at any time—it’s like my personal pantry. Pretty nice of the school to take care of me like this, but Ms. Levine always says that you can’t get what you don’t ask for. Now here I am, eating like a queen in the best school in the country, all for free. Life is good!

  I’m taking a bite out of my food when I feel a presence. I’m obviously not the only one, because the noise level seems to have quieted down and as I look up; I notice that everyone has their heads turned toward the front doors. I follow the collective gaze, wondering what they’re looking at.

  That’s when I s
ee him.

  He’s just so much taller and bigger than everyone else. He’s a man among boys. My jaw actually drops when I take him in. He has a few girls giggling behind him, and guys on either side. What. The. Fuck.

  “Wow,” Claire says in a breathy voice, momentarily shaking me out of my thoughts.

  Allison sees the look of shock on my face and takes it upon herself to fill me in. “Oh, that’s Vincent Borignone. He’s a god around here. I would say you’ll get used to him with time, but no one ever does. He’s just that insanely sexy. Brilliant! And he’s also one of the most connected people you’ll ever meet. Some people say that he’s the son of the infamous Antonio Borignone. Like, you know, the crime family. But that’s probably just a rumor—”

  I lift a hand, stopping her. “Wait, w-what?” The name Vincent Borignone echoes in my ear. Rumor. It’s a rumor. I never knew his last name. Suddenly, it all clicks—all the puzzle pieces falling into place. It’s him. He never told me his last name because he’s a mafia prince! And he goes here. To Columbia. To MY school. Where my future is supposed to be happening. My mind is working on overtime right now. I blink, staring out into space while my heart beats into my throat.

  Claire turns to me, shaking me out of my fog. “Well, goddamn! It’s only been a few months, but he’s even better looking now. The man just gets hotter with age.” They all start laughing.

  “Eve, are you okay?” Claire asks, putting her hand on my back.

  I slowly turn toward her, plastering a fake smile on my face. “Is he in a fraternity?” I squeak, trying to move the conversation forward.

  “No way! But he doesn’t need to be in one; he just goes where he wants, and I swear, it’s like the entire student body rolls out the red carpet for him. He can get into any party at any time.”

  I bring my bottle of water to my lips when Allison points to his table. “By the way, that’s Daniela.” My body freezes at the mention of a girl in connection with Vincent; the water I was just swallowing moves down the wrong pipe—I’m choking. Claire taps my back as I cough like crazy. “Oh my God, are you okay?” I clear my throat, trying to regain my composure.