Secrets by Raven St. Pierre Read Free Book Online Page B

When the lady left, there was an awkward silence between the three of us.  Angel picked at her nails distractedly, AJ stared out the window lost in his own world, and I was still trying to unravel the mystery behind the man in the hallway.
                  “So, are you nervous about starting school?”  Angel blurted.
                  I cleared my throat as I gathered my thoughts.  “Um, no.  Not really.”
                  “I guess you weren’t there long enough to make friends yet, but is your roommate nice?” 
                  “Yeah, it’s Deanna.  Remember?”
                  “That’s right, I forgot.  What about your suitemates?  Are they cool?”  She inquired.
                  AJ laughed a little to himself as I replied, “Well, they’re both nice, but one of them is…… special .” 
    Angel laughed too and t hen she asked the million dollar question.  “So, what ever happened to that Antonio guy?  Did he really get that apartment near you?”  AJ clenched his jaw as Angel spoke Antonio’s name.  I couldn’t believe she’d bring him it up in front of AJ, but then again I hadn’t told her about all the drama between them.
                  “I have no clue.  I haven’t heard from him in months; not since he showed up at the hospital after my accident.”
                  “I bet he did go through with it.  He seems like the type that doesn’t know when to let go,” she replied.
                  Angel’s statement made me think.  What if Antonio did decide to follow through with his plan?  After he and AJ squared off at the hospital, I honestly hadn’t given him much thought.  I assumed that he’d finally gotten the picture and moved on with his life.  There was no way to tell unless I called him and asked, but there was no chance of that happening.  The chapter in my life that included Antonio was closed as far as I was concerned. 
    By the time our food arrived, the mood at our table had lightened a little.  We ate and laughed together and didn’t get up to leave until nearly 1:00.  Once outside, I hugged Angel tightly around her neck.  “Love you, Cuz,” she whispered.
    “Love you , too.  I’ll call you before we leave out tomorrow,” I replied.
    She moved to hug AJ goodbye. “Take care of her.  I know if I can count on anyone to look out for her, it’s you.”  AJ smiled before we parted ways with Angel.  We hopped into the cab parked on the side of the street and AJ gave the driver the address to the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Fifth Avenue just as the man pulled out into traffic.
    As we passed by some of the city’s landmarks, I smiled to myself.  There was so much diversity that prejudice seemed to be obsolete.  Interracial couples were at every turn and no one seemed to give any of it a second thought.  It was nothing like where we were from where our relationship had b een ridiculed since day one. 
    We pulled up to the museum and AJ came around to open my door.  Excitement shot through me at the mere thought of seeing some of my favorite art pieces on display, close enough to touch.  We held hands and walked through the front doors.  Again, I took note that no one seemed to even notice that AJ and I were different.  I gripped his hand tighter and smiled to myself.
    The first piece that we came to was my favorite, Birth of Venus.  I was overwhelmed by its beauty as soon as I laid eyes on it.  The colors were much more brilliant than I’d imagined and no picture in a book or cheap replica that I’d seen of the painting had done the real thing any justice. 
    “It’s beautiful,” I said in a voice almost low enough to qualify as a whisper.  AJ stood beside me, finally beginning to understand why this painting had always spoken to me.
    “W hat’s the name of the artist who painted this again?”  He asked.
    “ Sandro Botticelli.