Bittersweet

"Ava?" a familiar voice called from the other side of the bedroom door.

It had been two months since the move. A move from London to Italy. A month since Ava left everything behind. Her friends, her job and...him. It seemed so easy for her parents to just move on so quickly with their lives whilst Ava drifted away in her own path. Time moved slowly for her. She at least thought she would of gotten used to the idea of moving by now, but letting everything go was a different matter entirely. The young female sat on her bed and sighed as her mother continued to call for her from the other side of the door. Ava sadly had completely isolated herself away from everybody.

For the past week Ava was dragged along to numerous of parties by her parents, most of them being charity events. One after another, she'd show up to one of them along side her parents. Every where she glanced there were people she hardly recognised. None of them she felt comfortable interacting with. This was the type of scene Ava despised. Unfortunately for her, she'd been pulled into it with no exceptions. A few girls her age would grab at the first chance to enter something like this; not Ava though.

It weren't just the parties that had begun to irk Ava, her mothers obsession for classier clothes had driven her to the edge. Lucia had turfed out nearly every item Ava owned in her wardrobe for much expensive wear. Fashionable brands and designer clothes, shoes, bags stared back at her every time she opened the double glass doors.

"Ava! Open the door, I want to explain." Lucia continued to shout. Ava rolled her eyes and angrily stormed over to her door before opening and coming face to face with her mother.

"Explain what? Yet again you've decided to hitch me up with a new date. Wait-let me guess, he's another businessman." Ava argued back for only Lucia to place her hands on her hips. Lucia had grown tired of Ava's complaints over the last few days. She only wanted her daughter to move on and be happy instead of moping around the house doing nothing.

"Robert is wonderful," Lucia reassured. Ava simply rolled her eyes again. "He has a great attitude, he's funny, he's intelligent and he's such a charmer."

"You said that about the last guy, look how that one turned out."

"Ava please! You know I don't like that tone, you won't find a man with this bad attitude."

"Who says I need one anyway? Look I appreciate your concern, but I'm not exactly thrilled having my mother find a boyfriend for me, especially right now."

"Well at least come to the banquet." Ava groaned at the mention of the word. "You can go with Robert seeing as he's going tonight as well."

"You mean as my date? No thanks."

"Ava-"

"No." Ava shook her head and slumped her shoulders. She saw the hint of sadness as well as fury that appeared on her mothers face. Ava instantly regretted shouting at her. "Look, I'm sorry, but if you really want me to be happy and I mean truly happy, then you have to let me do this on my own," Ava sighed. "And if it makes you happy I'll go to the banquet, only if you let me go by myself, no dates." Lucia took a minute to think it over before nodding in agreement to Ava's proposition although she wasn't best pleased. Ava sighed in relief. She knew her father wouldn't be happy either, but for her sake, he'd have to try and be.

-

Arriving at Venuti's two hours later, Ava walked through the giant stone building wearing a black Versace cocktail dress. She stood next to her mother and father who were both admiring the inside while her own gaze was cast down towards the floor. When Ava looked back up, there was a middle aged woman heading her way. "Lucia! Vincent!" she greeted the couple kindly, her heavy Italian accent stood out. She welcomed them both with loving arms before her stone eyes landed on Ava's. "This must be your daughter." she said rather boldly.

"Ah yes, Marietta this is Ava." Vincent introduced, putting his arm around his daughters waist. Marietta eyed Ava who felt quite uncomfortable from the woman’s stare as scanned her from top to bottom. Ava could feel the bad vibe radiating off of Marietta. She wasn't a woman to be messed with.

"I'll escort you to our table."

"That would be wonderful." Lucia commented.

After finding their seats, the Garcia family settled down around a large table along with Marietta and her family. Ava noticed immediately that there were two other blank spaces on her side. She was about to ask her mother who they were reserved for until the two guests arrived. Two males in fact. One of them happened to be around Ava's age. 'Robert' she silently thought and the older gentleman must be his father.

"Looks like I have a great seat." Robert said flirting directly at Ava who frowned at his cockiness. She sent a small glare to her mother who only shrugged it off. She knew Robert was going to be sitting next to her but her mother never mentioned it. Ava contained and remained calm telling herself this would be just a simple dinner. This would be a long night. She watched as the waiters went round filling every glass with champagne. Only when they reached her, she waved it off.

"None for me thanks."

"Ava-" Lucia warned but Ava ignored her.

"I'll just have a water please."

This would be a long night indeed.

-

Throughout the meal, numerous of conversations had progressed around the table, Ava would have an input here and there. Sometimes she'd disagree with what the guests had to say. She expressed her own views and opinions on things whether Marietta hated them or not. Ava also answered questions to those who were without a doubt bit curious, but despite the will of getting to know a few of them there was still someone who nagged Ava.

"And what do you do for a living?" Marietta asked her which led the whole table to quieten. Ava stiffened in her seat as she glanced to her parents and then back to the older woman who was smirking in satisfaction. Ava's eyes lowered to the plate in front of her that contained food she'd hardly eaten. All night this woman had put Ava in the hot seat. Some of the questions she had happened to of asked were quite personal, a few of them Ava would definitely not talk about.

"I used to have a job."

"So you're unemployed?"

"No..well yes, but I did have a job before I moved from London." Ava admitted. Marietta's gaze changed entirely in a flash. She did look at least bit interested.

"London? And what did you do down there?"

Ava was hesitant for a while before she finally answered. "I worked in a daycare teaching children, well the most unfortunate ones actually." Marietta gave a small snicker to her reply which had begun to really ticked Ava off. "I'm sorry, did I say something funny?"

"No, but I am a little disappointed Ava." Ava's face set into confusion. "A nice young, intelligent girl such as yourself working as a teacher is not what I expected to hear," Marietta carried on. Ava pursed her lips. "Your parents are classy people Ava if you have not already realized that. Not having a job and surviving off of your parents is a bit low, don't you think?"

"She has been looking Marietta, but Ava is somewhat picky." Lucia confirmed.

"Mum!" Ava hissed as she glared at Lucia. "It's not that I'm picky, I just don't want a job working for some stupid firm and I'm certainly not working in a shitty office."

"Ava, language!"

"No, I've had enough." Ava stomped her feet and stood up from her seat. All eyes were on her and more as the guests on other tables had stopped from their own conversations to hear what all the commotion was about. "All night I had to sit here feeling humiliated like some cheap puppet act while you and dad ignore it as if nothings wrong. I wasn't going to sit here and pretend to be someone I'm not because this is who I really am. I've been dragged to places this week where I didn't want to be, I've been pressured to talk to people I hardly know, I've been set up with men when they're not even my type nor am I looking for a relationship and now, I have a completely different look because apparently the clothes I chose to wear before were either not fashionable or I wasn't classier enough for you. Well you can forget it."

"Ava sit down." Vincent ordered strictly, but Ava once again ignored his commands and continued standing up.

"There was only two people who truly understood me, they accepted me for who I am without having to fake anything. One of them was my best friend and the other...he was rather special, but still they did not judge me or change me in any way."

"Your daughter certainly has an attitude Lucia, how do you put up with her?-"

"And you?" Ava said rather irritably directing her anger at Marietta cutting her straight off. "Who the hell do you think you are? For someone who's meant to be classy, you're hardly showing it." A few gasps where heard from around the room, but Ava was far from over with her rant. "I saw you with that smug face of yours like you're some queen thinking you're better than anyone else well let me tell you something Marietta, I hardly like people like you in fact I can't stand people like you. Whether I worked as a teacher or not that does not make me a bad person actually; I loved my job because I was making a difference to someone’s life, I made them happy," Ava lowered her anger until she was now speaking with a much softer tone. "Their parents could hardly afford them to go to a proper school. Most of them didn't even have parents, can you imagine that? How hard it is for them to make friends, experience new stuff, learn things they don't even know about and then you sit here drinking your champagne looking down upon someone just because their life is a bit different from yours, you don't know anything and you certainly don't know me."

Silent remained all over the room after Ava had finished. Everyone was left speechless. Lucia and Vincent could hardly say a word. Ava remained glaring down at the woman who swallowed hard several times. It was obvious Ava's words took quite the bullet. Marietta had never been stood up by someone before, especially by someone 20 years younger than her. Her stone eyes flicked up to Ava's and she took a shaky breath. "I think you should leave."

"Don't worry I'm going, I didn't want to come here in the first place." was the last Ava said before she made her way out of the hall ignoring the shouts from her parents. Once Ava appeared to the cold, rainy outside, she strode all the way back home on her own, silently wishing she had someone to comfort her. Out of the people, Ava mumbled the one she needed most.

Fernando.