•Flashback•
Prom, the party, they were all… eventful.
It was all so crazy, even more than his wildest dreams. Never in his life he thought his senior prom night will be like that, everything, from having the most amazing boyfriend and prom date, to coming out to his parents, to coming out to the whole damn school and having sex with said boyfriend in a blackout storm at a party in the house of a guy he never even met. It was all just a crazy night, each part of it.
Yes, of course there were cons to it, being kicked out of your house at 18 isn’t really ideal for anyone. But he was lucky to have the Ribeiros in his life who were kind and considerate enough to let him stay with them until he figures it all out again.
The day after prom was quite a blow, hearing the news about Candice wasn’t easy for him but not remotely as much as it was for Luciano, or at least that’s what he figured since the boy became very distant and isolated ever since. Gio hates seeing him like that, but he knew there’s nothing he can do, and that he just needs his time to process. The death of someone you care about is never easy, and Gio knew that well since it wasn’t the first time.
The only thing he could do was focus on Aline, considering it was her birthday even though a girl just died. Aline was very important to him as well, he didn’t want her 18th birthday to be remembered as a bad day, even if he himself was sad, he put his own pain aside so he could be there for Aline. which was something he had the tendency of doing, ignoring his own problems for the sake of the people he cares for.
Even though he didn’t want to face his parents face to face, especially his father, he knew he had to. Coming from the party to the Ribeiro household, he didn’t have any belongings with him, even his car was still at the prom venue. So at some point in the day he went to the venue to pick up his car, and drove to his parents house. Opening the door was no other than Annabel, the maid and his favorite person in the house. She hugged him immediately with a worried look in her eyes, ’I heard you told them…’ she said and looked inside briefly before turning back to him. ”Are they here?” he asked regarding his parents, she nodded ”Your father is in his office, your mother left, she’s supposed to come back anytime soon” she said and stepped out, closing the door behind her.
She rested her back against the door and he told her everything that happened, from telling his mother, to prom, to being kicked out and staying with the Ribeiros. Annabel was always there for him and he never worried about telling her anything, even though they had quite a big age gap, she was his best friend, he could honestly trust her with his life blindfolded. she was his person, even more than Elske or Luciano, honestly, deep inside him he could she was his guardian angel or something like that.
’Wow.’ she replied, in partial loss of words, ’Im proud of you’ she added with a light smile, and was interrupted by Giovanni’s mother, Valentina, who headed towards the house looking at the two of the ’Giovanni is that you?’ she asked and Gio turned to face her.
His mother was never the problem, he loved his mother, but she was flawed in the way she followed her cold hearted husband like a lost puppy giving things up just because he said so. And Gio, as well as herself and even Annabel knew inside them that if it was up to her in a way, Gio would still be living with them. Even though she never really accepted gay people, it might have been because it was never something that was involved in her life, only seemed off in theory. She would never throw her own son out, she couldn’t lose him, not again.
He looked at her, and stayed silent as she walked towards him, ’mio figlio’ she whispered calling him her son in Italian, and stroked his cheek. As much as it was hard for her and she didn’t support him being gay, it was in her nature, she couldn’t stop herself from worrying, ever since his father didn’t allow him so come back home that night, Valentina was worried whether her boy was okay, or what if he was sleeping on the streets, it would all roll into something much much worse.
”I need clothes, my things, something” he said. He didn’t try to find his way back to living there, he knew it was wrong for him even if it was possible, which it wasn’t. She nodded and walked to the doors to enter the house, seeing her husband look at them. As seeing Gio his expression changed ’What is he doing here? Get out of my house.’ he said as Gio stepped inside the house. Gio, hurt but the words of his own father, looked down in shame ”I just need my clothes” he responded quietly as his father muttered quiet in Italian ’I told you once, you will never set foot in this house again, you wretched filth’ Mario said once again, his voice stern. Stepping back outside in shame, against other people, he could potentially stand his ground, but his father was always a weakness spot for him, and not in a good way. Gio has been scared and hurt by his father so many times in his life, inside him he hated this man for all he’s done to him and the way he behaved as a father. Looking at his mother, she took a subtle breath and looked over to Annabel, signaling her to go upstairs and pack some things for the boy.
His father left and called his wife to come with him, and soon enough Annabel cane back with a suitcase with some of Gio’s stuff. ”thank you, so so much” he thanked her and gave her a hug before leaving, and brushing his problems away once again for the sake of Aline and her birthday.
•Present day•
The day of Candice’s funeral has arrived, and all the sadness came right back as they drove to the church.
’Buenos días, Aline. And Gio.’ Aline and Luciano’s mother, Marcia, said and lightly squeezed Gio’s arm as Aline got in the car telling her Buenos Dias.
She was an amazing person, Gio always appreciated her as a person but now, when he actually lived at the same home with them, he got to know her a lot better and he loved her as if she was his own mother. He didn’t reply in a buenos Dias though, since it was after all not a good morning whatsoever. They started driving towards the church, Gio looked at Luciano in the front seat, his gaze out the window, he just looked so sad and hurt. Seeing the man he loved be in this state, broke Gio’s heart, he wished there was something he could do to help, but there wasn’t.
As they arrived at the church, they got out of the car and both Luciano and Marcia went in, leaving him and Aline still outside. Aline signaled him that she’ll be in in a minute, but seeing the church in front of his eyes, Gio himself found it hard to go in.
Let alone the fact that churches had a bad connotation in his head now, seeing it all right in front of his eyes made it all feel real. She was actually dead, which was hard to believe. Gio sighed as he watched Aline go to the back of the church.
He stayed and stood there for a few moments taking it all in, he and Candice were friends, but there were many other people here who were way closer with her than he was, and he couldn’t even bare the idea of how much more painful it was for them.
Honestly, he didn’t really want to go in, not immediately at least, so he headed to the direction where Aline went, checking on her.
As she took a breath with her eyes closed, Gio went and stood by her resting his back against the wall ”Are you okay?” he asked, considering she looked a bit off but at the same time she wasn’t even close to candice.
Annabel
Gio funeral outfit
With black sneakers
@unsungcheerio - Aline, Luciano mentioned
@benitz786 - Candice mentioned bro
This is way too long for me to read again and correct smh. It is what is it
