All I've Never Wanted (53 page)

I can’t say I was sad to see him go.

“Mick—I mean, Mikey, settle down,” Giselle scolded as the puppy ran threatening circles around my grandmother, barking the whole time. Giselle had come to view Mickey as her grand-puppy; my grandmother, on the other hand, did
not
have a good relationship with Mickey. My grandmother hated animals, and I think Mickey could tell, because he never stopped growling at her when she was near, and she never stopped trying to swat at him with a rolled-up newspaper like he was a fly.

Needless to say, that was one feud I’m not going to intervene in. I value my life, thank you very much.

“Stupid dog, I ship you to pound if you don’t stop bark,” my grandmother snapped, eyeing my puppy resentfully.

Mickey crouched down and growled ominously, a challenge glinting in its eyes.

“Peewee! Blondie! Take care of him,” my grandmother demanded imperiously, as Parker and Adriana were the closest to her. They both just blinked.

At that moment, Mickey lifted up one leg and peed on my grandmother’s shoes.

Holy. Freaking. Crap.

Without saying a word, Roman, Giselle, Zack, Venice, Adriana, Parker and I all bolted from the scene, my grandmother’s scream ringing in our ears and attracting much unwanted attention. We managed to make it to safety but ran straight into Carlo.

“Carlo! You’re here!” I exclaimed, throwing my arms around the Colombian.

He looked amused. “Of course I’m here. You didn’t think I was just going to grab my diploma and leave without saying bye to you guys, did you?”

The rest of us exchanged guilty glances.

“So, you’ve decided then?” I asked, lowering my voice. “You’re going to Australia?”

Carlo’s face grew more serious and he nodded. I bit my lip. That was such a huge step, but I’m kind of glad he was going to do it. Middlebury would always be there. Love, on the other hand, is one of those things that was definitely worth chasing.

“Have you spoken to Daria?”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “Briefly, yesterday night. Right after she landed. The school’s going to mail her diploma, but…” He sighed. “She has no idea I’m going.”

I grinned and hugged him again. “I’m really proud of you,” I mumbled, my voice muffled by his chest. And I really was. 

If I wasn’t so in love with Roman, I probably would have ended up with Carlo, but I’m not sure that would’ve worked. We were just so similar it would’ve been like dating myself, and besides, I know he he was meant to be with Daria. Everyone had found their other half; I’m glad Carlo had too. They just needed to make it official.

“Well, well, what do we have here? Cheating on the great Roman Fiori right in front of him? It’s a sight for sore eyes.”

The lazy, cocky drawl, which had made my skin crawl all those months ago but now just made me roll my eyes, came from directly behind me.

I turned and cast a disapproving look in Rico’s direction while Roman glared at him, looking like he was going to rip his face off.

“You’re such an instigator,” I complained.

Rico just laughed and stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Can’t help it sweetheart. It’s part of my charm. Girls can’t resist.” He winked at me. “Including you.”

“That’s it!” Roman was about to storm over to Rico before Zack and Parker held him back.

I laughed at the sight of Roman struggling against their hold, his legs flailing in the air, while Rico just smirked, a smug look on his face. When he looked at me though, I could see genuine pride and amusement in his eyes.

Adriana and Venice, who were also laughing, came up beside me, linking their arms with mine, while Carlo provided a safe, warm presence behind me. My parents also joined us, trailing after my furious grandmother like naughty schoolchildren. Mickey strutted behind them, looking almost as smug as Rico. When he saw me, he gave a happy yip and bounded into my arms.

I beamed at the scene, which may not have been as idyllic as in the movies, but everyone I loved was here, and in the grand scheme of things, they were all happy. And that was all that really mattered.

*              *              *

“Don’t forget, I gave you a list of all the best restaurants, shopping, and nightlife in every city you guys are going to, so use it,” Adriana instructed, leveling Maya with a stern look as passengers streamed past them to board the plane. “Don’t trust Roman, his taste is…questionable, at times." 

“I’m standing right here, you know,” Roman snapped crankily, putting on his sunglasses. He was not a morning person, as anyone who looked at his face could tell.

Adriana ignored him. “But most of all, be safe—“

“Speaking of safe,” Parker butted in, pulling something out of a small brown Bloomingdale’s shopping bag. “I got you this.” He handed a box over to Maya, who turned the color of a tomato when she saw it. Roman, on the other hand, looked slightly happier.

“Seriously?” Maya shook her head, but there was a small smile on her face. “Parker. You shouldn’t have.”

“I know, I should’ve bought it for myself. Glow-in-the-dark condoms are awesome.” He shook his head. “I really hope you appreciate what I did for you.”

“Boy, it must’ve been hard,” she commented dryly.

Adriana just rolled her eyes, even though she was amused. She probably had the most perverted boyfriend on the planet, and frighteningly enough, she loved it.

The final boarding call was announced over the speakers.

“Oh no! It’s almost time!” Venice pouted, looking like she was about to cry. She picked up Mickey’s paw and waved at Maya and Roman. “Say bye-bye to your mommy and daddy, Mickey.”

Mickey whined sadly and pawed at the air, stretching out towards his owners.

“Oh, baby, we’ll be back soon.” Maya took Mickey from Venice and hugged him close to her chest, planting a kiss on his head. “And we’ll buy lots of doggie treats for you.”

“No we won’t. Like we haven’t bought him enough,” Roman said grumpily, but Adriana could tell it was mostly just for show. He would probably rather die than admit it, but Roman definitely had a soft spot for the dog.

“I hope you have a safe flight, and definitely keep in touch, ok?” Carlo stepped up to slap hands with his childhood best friend and to give Maya a hug.

His flight for Sydney was going to leave in a few hours, and Adriana couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sadness. The Scions had never been separated for more than a few weeks at a time, but even though they were growing up and parting ways, she knew they would always remain the closest of friends. Besides, she was happy Carlo was taking the gap year in Australia. He was such a good guy, and he deserved the love everyone else already found.

Everyone said their final good-byes, and a suspiciously bright-eyed Maya and Roman started to make their way onto the plane. Still, their conversation floated into Adri’s ears.

“…I can’t believe I’m flying freakin’ commercial. Why the hell did our jets have to be in maintenance
today
of all days?” 

“Stop being so spoiled, Rome, we’re in first class. It’s not going to kill you.”

“I’m not spoiled! Only sissies are spoiled!”

“Well, if the shoe fits…”

“Are you calling me a sissy?!”

Parker chuckled, slipping his arm around Adriana’s waist. “Those two are something else.”

“They most definitely are,” she agreed.

Carlo laughed, shaking his head. “I’m going to miss all this craziness,” he said fondly. “But I guess nothing stays the same forever.”

“Oh my god, puppy!” Venice interrupted, breaking the slightly somber mood and shoving Mickey into Carlo’s arms before she raced after a small golden retriever, Zack hot on her heels.

“Venice! Watch out for the pole—oh. Too late.”

Adriana, Parker, and Carlo cracked up, and in that moment, a bubble of joy rose up inside her. Even though they would all be off to different colleges in the fall, even though they needed to start being more grown-up and start making more adult decisions, Adriana instinctively knew, deep down inside, that the most important thing would never change: friendship. In their case, it was definitely thicker than blood. The Scions, Adri, Maya, and Venice had become a family, and they would always be a family—albeit a highly dysfunctional one—no matter what.

“Come on, guys, let’s go.” Adriana grabbed Parker’s hand and beckoned for the others to follow her, and, with Maya and Roman’s presences right beside them, they slowly moved away from the closed gate.

The future awaits.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ana Huang primarily writes Young Adult and Romance fiction. She started writing
All I’ve Never Wanted
when she was sixteen and originally posted it on Wattpad, a social reading platform, where it has over 17 million views. Besides reading and writing, she also enjoys traveling, Sunday brunch with friends, and shopping for shoes.

To read more of Ana’s stories and works and progress, please visit her Wattpad profile at
www.wattpad.com/user/ACRL37
.

You can also connect with her on her official Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Acrl37/121915021225305