Page 42 of The Young & the Sinner

Olivia

After the barbeque,Lorenzo hung out at my house more and more often. Max didn’t say anything about it, and he would always smile when I asked him if it was okay for Lorenzo to be here, but I got the distinct feeling that Max didn’t like Lorenzo all that much.

It could have been my imagination, or it could have been that because Max had played my protector for so long, he didn’t think anyone was good enough for me.

Whatever it was, I was just thankful Lorenzo seemed oblivious to it all.

I liked that Lorenzo was able to spend so much time with me, and there were so many things I was learning about relationships just by being in this first one. For starters, I found it to be easier to talk to Lorenzo like I would Lizzie. I didn’t need to feel shy in front of him anymore, mainly because he had his tongue shoved down my throat most days, so shyness was out of the question.

It was like having another friend, but one who you made out with. And after my talk with Max, I made sure to always communicate clearly with Lorenzo so that he wouldn’t confuse what I deemed was okay to do, and what wasn’t.

However, the downside to spending so much time with Lorenzo was that I was quickly finding things out about him that I didn’t like. Like the fact that he had a temper—though he was quick to hide it in front of me. There were times when I didn’t feel comfortable being alone with him. He was cocky and wasn’t used to hearing the word no.

He was also a spoiled brat, completely oblivious to the struggles of others who had less money than him. It was a very off-putting quality, particularly when we went out and he would look down at the people serving us as if they were below him, simply because they worked for living.

He didn’t understand why I was still working at the grocery store. This was a common hot-button topic between us, especially when I had to cut our date short because I had an evening shift.

“I don’t get why you’re still working there,” he said from his seat on the side of the bathtub while I readied myself for work in my bathroom.

“Uh, because books aren’t cheap.”

Of course, I spent my money on more than just books. But I didn’t want to explain my entire list of expenses to Lorenzo.

He rolled his eyes, and I felt a flash of anger running up my spine and near my heart. “Yeah, but you do realize Max brings home close to a seven-figure salary annually, right?”

I didn’t want to know how he knew how much Max made. I only knew how much because I was researching on how to apply for financial aid for college, and I needed my guardian’s income. Obviously, I didn’t qualify for financial aid now that I was living with Max. “Yeah, so?”

“So?” He had the nerve to look incredulous. “If you asked him, he could buy you a whole library of books. Why are you still working at that grocery store? They’re not even a chain. Their products are probably subpar at best.”

Ooh, big words for a future ivy-league student, I thought snidely. Obviously, I didn’t say that out loud.

“Joe & Family Grocers is a very good grocery store. Their products are carefully vetted before they’re put out to sell. And Joe, the owner, is nothing but a nice and generous man. He had donated to his fair share of charities, despite not being a chain.”

“Good for him,” he said sarcastically. “That still doesn’t explain why you’re working there.”

I let out a tired sigh. “Get out, Lorenzo. You’re going to make me late for work. I’ll talk to you later after you get your head out of your ass. Cool?”

“What?” he asked, his eyes widening in disbelief. I met his stare in the mirror, and raised an eyebrow, my expression serious, so that he knew I wasn’t playing around. After a tense minute, he got up, grumbled something under his breath, and left. I leaned forward until my hips touched the sink.

Lorenzo wasn’t all that bad. There were times when he could be sweet and charming. There were reasons I still liked him, but lately, I’d been wondering what I was still doing with him, when he didn’t make me feel the same butterflies I felt when I first had a crush on him.

Was my admiration of him so superficial to begin with? But then I thought of Mason’s blue eyes—blue eyes that had been haunting me in sleep and wakefulness—and I knew I couldn’t break up with Lorenzo just yet.

There was something very dangerous about being single while crushing so hard on Mason. It would make me hope on a hopeless thing.

So, yeah, I was admitting to using Lorenzo on some level, and I should have felt bad about it, but the more time I spent with him, the more I felt bad for myself.

I hated that I was doing everything I said I wouldn’t do when Lorenzo first asked me out on a date. I hated that I was becoming more and more like my mom the longer I stayed with him, but here’s the thing about doing something wrong: It was easy and tempting to just keep on doing it.

I walked downstairs in my work uniform and Max was sitting on the recliner in the living room, reading a book. “Hey, kiddo. Are you going to work?”

“Yeah. Can you drive me? I know I said Lorenzo was going to drive me, but he had to leave, and I already missed the bus.”

“Of course. Let me grab my keys.”

I smiled, grateful Max was home today. I should really stop depending on Lorenzo to drive me to work, although he had been the one to insist, weeks prior. Or perhaps I should think about buying a car? I had enough money saved up to put a down payment on a used one, and Max could help negotiate a deal for me. The more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea of getting a car of my own.

Before, I was pretty frugal with my money because Mom wasn’t. And it made me feel better that we could have something to fall back on, should we run into an emergency. But I didn’t need to be as cautious with my spending now.

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