Welcome to my first posted work. These characters have not been based upon any other original characters, so any similarity between these characters and any others is purely coincidental. The main character's name is pronounced kee-YAN-ga. Further author notes are at the end.

Italian Dreams

Kiyanga sighed and leaned on the wall next to the lavatories. She slid down gloomily, opening her lunch.

“Joy,” she mumbled. “Pizza. Again. You’d think that living in the land of Italy, I’d have something other than just pizza, right?”

An Italian boy ran past then and yelled something at her in his native tongue that Kiyanga did not understand. She reflected to herself, Ever since the oh-so-popular Maria transferred out, the remaining five kids in the class have been so… mean to me.

She quickly finished her lunch and threw the sack away. Kiyanga then upheld her reputation as an odd recluse, darting into the school’s tiny English library to read until it came time to leave campus. Back in the U.S., she would never have cut class, but no one here seemed to care. Besides, everyone here refused to speak anything other than Italian to her, despite being fluent in English. So it wasn’t like she would be able to understand the lessons anyway.

Well, last day of this year’s torture, at any rate, she considered. But still no Internet here, so there’ll be no talking to anyone for me – for yet another summer. I don’t understand it… why’d we have to leave?

----

A month later, Kiyanga lazed in her room, re-reading one of her favorite books for about the ninth time. Her parents had taken her little sister to a birthday party, so Kiyanga was alone in the house until they returned. Her head shot up and her eyes narrowed fractionally in surprise when she heard the doorbell.

Kiyanga stood cautiously, laying a bookmark between the pages of her book before setting it down. She stepped through the house on cat’s feet, approaching the door silent as she could. She stretched, and nearly yelled in shock when she saw her friend Rhianna looking back at her through the peephole.

Kiyanga threw the door open and rushed to embrace her friend.

“Rhee, what’s going on? And why,” she added dryly, “are they all with you?” Kiyanga gestured at Rhianna’s boyfriend, Chris, and the other four friends aligned behind them – Cymri, a tall girl with long blonde hair; Daniele, a short redhead with an easygoing manner; Angel, an average sized boy with dark blonde hair and a teasing disposition; and Scott, a guy Kiyanga had thought only she herself had known.

Rhianna shrugged half-heartedly and replied, “Well, Mom tried to break me and Chris up again, so I told her that I’d run away. She didn’t believe me.” Rhianna leaned into her boyfriend’s arms, sighing happily as he lightly nuzzled her neck. She jumped away, though, when Angel cleared his throat loudly, startling her. Her skin flushed red and she added to her previous remarks, “She ought to believe me now.”

Angel glowered at Chris in mock-anger before telling Kiyanga, “Me, Cym, and Daniele wanted to come see you. And he,” – Angel jerked a thumb over at Scott – “came with us. You can ask him why. I only know his name, and only his first name at that. So who is he?” Angel quirked a brow at her.

Kiyanga’s skin flushed and she said, “Hey, Scott.”

Scott’s bright green eyes shone as he replied, “Hey, Kiyanga.” A sexy smile spread across his features, and he winked cheekily at her before saying, “I’ve missed you back at home.”

Cym and Dani smirked at each other before Dani said, “Hey, Kee! Wanna help us get in before someone sees us?”

Kiyanga tore her eyes away from Scott and gasped at the mountain of luggage piled up behind Cym and Dani. “You guys, just how long are you planning to stay?”

Chris answered for everyone, his voice flowing through the air, “As long as we’re needed.”

“Okay guys. No one comes down here, but be quiet as you can, just in case.” Kiyanga furrowed her brow in thought before telling the visitors, “Right then. I’ll smuggle your dinner down later. And you two” – she singled out Chris and Rhianna – “behave yourselves.” Rhianna only grinned, unashamed of how she and Chris acted when together.

Kiyanga raised a brow at her friend and grinned at Cym, Dani, and Angel playing cards in a corner, before walking up the basement stairs. She carefully shut the door and turned, meaning to return to her room, but instead yelped in fright when she ran into Scott.

“Scott,” she gasped. “Why aren’t you downstairs with the others?” Kiyanga felt very aware of the closed door at her back, and just as aware of how close she and Scott were standing to each other.

His voice rumbled between them when he replied, “I wanted to see you – without them around.” With that, he closed what little distance still separated them and kissed her.

Several thoughts raced through Kiyanga’s mind as to how she ought to react, but the only action she took was to let her arms encircle Scott’s neck and pull him closer to her. Scott rested his hands on her hips, playing with the hem of her shirt unconsciously.

They finally parted, Kiyanga’s mouth slightly swollen. The color she had gained during the kiss drained and her eyes widened. She told Scott through bloodless lips, “Get into the basement. They’re home.”

Scott shook his head and touched his forehead to hers. She said nothing, but her eyes pleaded with him. He sighed and kissed her once, quickly, before letting her move from the door. He flew down the steps and sat with the other five runaways. Scott reached out and grabbed the deck of cards from Chris.

“I’ll deal. Jokers, one-eyed jacks wild.”

----

Kiyanga raced into her room and then inside her lavatory. She glared at her reflection and willed the expression it showed to return to her natural one of neutrality. She watched as the spark in her eyes faded, her hint of a smile disappeared, and the shy blush that had stained her cheeks ebbed away. Her eyes searched her room for any indication that something had happened to startle her, and found nothing. She had made sure that there was no hint of her friends either in the kitchen, or in the living room already. Kiyanga threw herself down onto the bed and pretended to read just as her mother came in.

“Hello there, Kiyanga,” her mother said carelessly, not even looking at her. Mrs. Korenska instead glared at the dusty state of her daughter’s room, but continued, “Your sister, father and I are back. Dinner at the usual time. Be down soon.”

“Sure,” Kiyanga mumbled, seemingly engrossed in her book. Only after her mother had left did she let out the breath she’d been holding. She tossed down the book, grateful that her mother hadn’t noticed that Kiyanga was holding it upside down – but then, her mother never noticed anything she did.

Minutes later, she stole into the pantry, taking her two largest bookbags with her. She filled all five of the pockets of one with food, two pockets from the other bag with food, then the remaining two pockets with water, juice, and milk from the refrigerator. The servants glanced at her, but then looked away – by now, they were used to the odd things Kiyanga did.

She opened the door to the basement and motioned for her friends to be quiet. Angel bounded up the steps and gallantly took one of the weighted bags from her, careful not to be seen by any of the servants preparing dinner. Kiyanga knelt onto the ground after leaving the bottommost step, Angel beside her. She silently passed the food and drinks around, taking care not to brush against Scott in any manner. Both Chris and Rhianna noticed and glanced knowingly at each other, a look that was not lost on Kiyanga.

“Okay, you guys, stop doing that!” Kiyanga snapped at the only official couple in the group.

Rhianna smirked and feigned innocence. “Why, whatever do you mean, Kiyanga?”

“You know exactly what I mean. What’s with all the little ‘oh, she’s not fooling us’ looks?” she demanded.

Chris grinned wolfishly at her and said, “Well, you’re not.”

“Not fooling you about what?” she challenged.

“Honestly, Kee, you’re worse than Stacy today,” Cymri spoke up, referring to one of their friends, more commonly known as A.J.

“Yeah, no kidding,” Dani mumbled. She was too preoccupied with eating, just as Angel was, to pay much attention to the conversation.

Angel, food stuffed in his mouth, concurred, “Really, Kiyanga, if you like him, just tell him about it. It got me nowhere with my first love” – he looked soulfully at Rhianna, who laughed and swatted her hand at him – “but maybe it’ll get you somewhere.”

Kiyanga flushed crimson and muttered, “Uh, I think I ought to go back upstairs, before the others in my family miss me. I’ll come talk to you guys around elevenish.” She stood up again, brushed off her jeans, and walked up the stairs. Scott was leaning on the wall away from the others, where he hadn’t heard the earlier conversation; Kiyanga paused on the topmost step and glanced back down at him, and he sent her a flirtatious look. Kiyanga, her face remaining stoic, simply nodded at him in return, causing him to glance at her in confusion. She brushed it off and went upstairs, ready to fake interest in whatever her parents and sister wanted to talk about.

----

Every night, Kiyanga smuggled food to her friends, enough to last them until the next batch. The card deck got so worn that she was forced to acquire two new sets of cards for her friends. Dani, Cym, and Rhianna had each remembered to bring their computers with them, and Kiyanga configured them so that her friends could access the Internet through her family’s newly acquired wireless connection (they’d only gotten it to shut Kiyanga up, who was “whining” about not talking to her friends). So when she was finally able to return to her basement hideaway in the daytime, nearly a fortnight after they had arrived, she found Chris, Angel, and Scott looking intently over the shoulders of Rhianna, Cym, and Dani respectively at glowing screens.

“Hey guys.” Kiyanga greeted them all with a generic salutation.

“Hey,” they all mumbled in return.

“Listen, you guys can come out for the next day or so. My parents are gonna be out of town till Monday, so no worries.”

“Party hearty,” Angel said, not really paying attention.

Kiyanga watched them, worried at their lack of response. Preoccupied with looking at the screens of Rhianna and Cym, she didn’t notice Scott slip away from Dani’s computer. So when Kiyanga felt his arms go around her waist, she stiffened in surprise before relaxing against his chest. She listened to the soft burr of his voice as he told her, “I’ve really missed holding you, Kee. It’s been too long since I’ve done this.”

“Scott,” Kiyanga spoke his name quietly. She waited until she was sure she had his full attention, and just as sure that none of the others were listening, before continuing, “Scott, we can’t do this.”

“Why not?” he whined, sounding like a spoiled child.

“Because,” she whispered, “I can’t handle this.”

He moved slightly away from her, checked if the others were listening, and almost laughed at her. “What is it that you can’t handle, Kee? Our relationship? The fact that I have said that I love you? Or the fact that you can’t say it to me?”

Kiyanga groaned and pulled away from his grasp. “Scott, this isn’t real. You know that. Unless you have plans to marry me in a few years, I don’t think this will go anywhere.”

“So,” Scott replied tightly, “I come all the way to Italy from the U.S. for you to break up with me over something as far away as marriage. Lovely thing to do to me, Kiyanga.”

Kiyanga rubbed her forehead with her fingertips and mumbled, “Scott… I…” She was cut off by his mouth on hers. When she was again coherent, Scott looked at her with a mixture of pity and coldness.

“Think about that, Kiyanga. And then tell me that you don’t want me with you.” With that, he traipsed up the stairs after the others, who had gone up moments before without either Kiyanga or Scott noticing. Kiyanga waited a minute or so before trudging slowly up the stairs, ready to hole herself up in her room until she could figure out what had just happened between herself and her… and Scott.

----

Kiyanga sat up abruptly, having wakened to frenzied banging on her door only moments before. She glanced at her surroundings groggily, only half-registering that she was again in her room.

I must have fallen asleep, she thought to herself. Otherwise, why would I be waking up? Why do I feel so…

Her thoughts were interrupted by a clearly exasperated Rhianna.

“Kee-yanga!” Rhianna yelled. “I swear, if you don’t get up right this minute, I am not cooking anything for you later on! Get your butt down here, like now!”

“All right!” Kiyanga yelled in return. “I hear you, Rhee, I’m not deaf! Though I might be now,” Kiyanga mumbled under her breath.

“I heard that!” Rhianna shouted. “Three minutes, Kee! Three minutes!” Then she stomped down the stairs heavily.

Kiyanga got up and looked at her door. It was only maybe an inch thick and a quarter of the way open; there was certainly nothing there to warrant a screaming match. She smirked to herself and thought, Wow, I must really have been out.

She slogged out the door and down the steps to the first floor. Rhianna thrust a plate at her, and motioned to the heaping pile of food on the island.

“Oh. My. God,” Kiyanga gasped. “Did you clean out the pantry?”

Rhianna shook her head. “Nah.” She thought about it. “Okay, well, almost. But I promise, we’ll help pay for replacement food!”

“Yeah, whatever,” Kiyanga mumbled. Food was stuffed into her mouth, and she had trouble speaking around it. Angel laughed and slung an arm around her.

“Kiyanga, you might want to breathe between bites! God, do you not eat when your parents are here?”

She shrugged a shoulder in response, then looked up, feeling someone’s eyes on her. Her brown eyes locked with Scott’s green eyes, and she turned away, still stung from what he had said to her.

I’m only seventeen! she thought desperately. I’m not ready to do this! I don’t want to say I love him if I’m not sure yet… even if that means letting him leave.

----

Perhaps a week and a half later, she had snuck out of the house with her friends. Scott hadn’t understood when she had tried to explain why she couldn’t tell him she loved him. Even so, she had patiently listened as he explained to her why he had come.

“Kiyanga, you had been out of touch with all of us for over a year. I was scared,” he admitted. “I had to come see you, make sure that you were okay.”

“But, Scott… Italy!”

He lifted a shoulder and shyly looked at her from beneath dark lashes. “Dad didn’t have a problem lending me enough money to get over here. And, besides, I love you,” he reiterated. “I love you, and I had to see you. You can’t tell me you didn’t miss me, too.”

“To do so would be lying,” she admitted. “But, Scott…”

He laughed hollowly. “You can’t say you love me. You’re not sure yet. We’ve gone over this, Kee. I know all of this. But why can’t you tell me the truth?!” He shouted the last, slamming a fist into the wall. He winced on the contact, and Kiyanga took his hand into her own.

She lightly kissed the bruised knuckles, and then let his hand go. “If you can’t stay because I can’t say it, I understand,” she said softly. “I won’t keep you with someone who… can’t say they love you.” Before she left she turned back to him and said, “If you want the truth, I suggest you look within yourself before you ask me.” She left, praying he would stay.

Even so, he had decided to leave, and his plane left tonight. He already had the ticket, and was leaving his “baby,” his car, for Rhianna to bring back to him at a later date. Kiyanga watched emotionlessly as Scott said his good-byes to the friends he’d made while stuck in the same room for fourteen days with them: he kissed Rhianna’s cheek, nodded to Chris, waved at Angel, did the “jock handshake” that he and Cym had made up, and kissed Dani’s forehead. Then he saw Kiyanga.

“Good-bye, Kiyanga,” he said stiffly, all jovialness draining from him.

“Good-bye, Scott,” she replied softly, feeling a crack begin to form in the mask of numbness she held before her.

He turned to leave, and Kiyanga watched him walk through the connecting tunnel to the plane, a single tear sliding down her cheek. She swiped it away and jerked when she felt an arm slide around her shoulders.

“I know what it feels like,” Rhianna told her quietly. “To let him go when all you want is to keep him lashed to your side. I can remember.” Rhianna handed her friend a soft towel to dry her face.

Kiyanga watched the Mexican-American girl glide back to her boyfriend, who wrapped his arms around her and gently kissed her face. You don’t know what it’s like, Rhee, much as you think you do, Kiyanga thought. Y’see, Chris came back for you… Scott won’t come back for me. He took a risk once; he won’t take it again. That’s just how he is, even more stubborn than you. That’s why I love him. And now he’ll never know.

El Fin

Author Notes:

I've written quite a few short stories and let my friends read of them, Jen and Amanda, encouraged me to post them onto FictionPress. Okay then, you guys, you can stop nagging me now!

Anyway, by no means am I conceited enough to believe that there are absolutely no mistakes in situation or grammar, so if anyone finds a mistake or is confused by something, leave a review. This is definitely a one-shot, and it's doubtful that I'll pick these characters up again.

Gentleness is never an issue with me when it comes to bettering my writing style.