know who Brando Fausti is,” she sighed. “The girls love him. Most of the guys hate him but respect him. He’s…” She rested her chin on her hand, looking his way. “Brando Fausti. The ‘Italian Stallion’ but without the cliché attached to the name. The kind of Italian that you see in high-end magazines, all decked out in thousand-dollar clothes, cheekbones on prominent display. He has a reputation. Always in trouble, but sweet to the girls. Actually, he’s sweeter to the women. That one is a recipe for disaster. A heartbreaker for sure. And he came to your rescue. Imagine that.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I shifted a bit, the wood uncomfortable. “You said he’s sweet to women. Carlos the Perv, as you call him, hit me and then laughed. If I were a guy, I would’ve socked him too.”
“See, that’s the thing. When I say sweet to the ladies, he’s sweet until he gets what he wants. Then they never hear from him again. Capisci? I mean, look at them.” She raised a hand in his direction. Girls hovered around, taking turns approaching him and his friends. “Look at him. He’s a prize to be won. Chasing him is an impossible game to be played. All that cool restraint? Just think about what he’s holding back. He lets it loose under the sheets. Or wherever.”
My cheeks stung from the sudden rush of blood. “That’s pathetic.” Who would want to change him? Why not let him want to change himself, if she, whoever she was, mattered that much.
“Ooh, someone’s mad.”
“I am not! But why make an ass of yourself? Look at the one standing next to him…she’s practically got her breasts shoved in his face.”
“It’s nice to see something—I mean someone—has you worked up again.”
I turned my body to face Violet, so I wouldn’t be so tempted to stare. I refused to watch the show that seemed to be just beginning. “I’m not worked up, Violet. Besides, your thoughts are headed in the wrong direction. He’s a friend of Elliott’s. He probably felt sorry for me. Stood up for me the way Elliott would have.”
I didn’t tell Violet about our night in the snow. I refused to. The memory belonged to us. So she had no idea we had ever spoken before the bonfire party, or that we had what my heart insisted on calling a short but intense history.
“Have you noticed anything peculiar about tonight?” Violet hummed, trying to make her question seem more like a juicy mystery.
“Violet.” I stood, stretching, running a hand down my stained dress. “I’ve been physically assaulted, laughed at, and I would’ve been mortified if my give-a-shit meter was still in working order. I’m tired. I’m bruised. I’m ready to go. So if you have something to say, just say it.”
“No need to get saucy.” She stood, taking me on, even though the only thing big about her was her hair. “Guys never flirt with you. They look at you. Hoping you’ll catch them and then acknowledge their efforts. You are the epitome of beauty. No. Daunting beauty.” She shook her head. “English is really working for me this year.”
“Earlier you said I was beauty trapped in a tragic cage,” I reminded her.
“All great beauties are touched by the tragic. That’s what makes you so appealing. You are a classic, my friend. It’s hard to look away from you. And no one, not one soul, and there are a few here in need, has even so much as looked at you this evening.”
I tried to knock more mud off my clothes. “What does that even mean?”
“Hello.” She snapped her fingers. “Brando scared them away! What’s he even doing here? He’s too old for this scene. I’ve never seen him here before. Ben almost laughed at the idea of him stepping foot on this ground. He came here for the tragic beauty trapped in her cage, that’s why. The beast wants to rescue her and bring her to his lair.”
I laughed. Truly laughed. “Sure. Sure. And Carlos the Perv only knocked me to the ground to get my undivided attention. Like boys claim to do in Kindergarten when they have a crush.”
Violet gave me a square look. No humor. “It’s a known fact. When I was slow dancing with Ben I had wondered out loud why none of the guys at the party were even looking. Two words. Brando. Fausti. From what Ben claims, this is not the first time. Then one thing happened after