Cinnamon Girl by Lana Del Rey "There's things I wanna say to you but I'll just let you live, like if you hold me without hurting me"

"Tell me why there's a kickback tonight, and since we got away with the other bullshit then we should go!" Ella was on a high being as they got away with sneaking out and sneaking back in their first time.

"I know you feel invincible but I don't," Sage laughed. After her gentleman friend from the club dropped her off she had to do so much to make it back into her own apartment. "Also, we should be glad I wasn't kidnapped."

"You right. I guess I'mma go with my new boy toy," she snorted.

"What? Boy toy?"

"Yup," Ella smacked her mint gum and plopped back down on the rug beside Sage. The two were currently in Ella's room trying to kill time before Sage had to attend an evening study session. Mr. Baglio was very hard on her about grades so he made sure to pay for time with a trusted and Ivy League alumni. It was ensure she stayed on track and possibly better her grades. Sage absolutely hated it because it cut into time with her best friend, actually, her sister at this point. It didn't help she hated academics, school just isn't for her.

"Where'd he even come from? I knew you were texting someone!" She knew when Ella got involved with a boy even before she would be straight about it. First clue, she'd be all giggly and daydream extra hard, then she'd drop little details about him, and lastly, she would let it be known she spent fifty hours on facetime with him

"I met him at the club, he saw me freakin' out cause I didn't know where you were! Thankfully your boy toy is friends with him. He facetimed us from your phone. You don't remember?" Ella asked pointedly.

"Bitch my boy toy? I--" before Sage could even correct her about using the wrong word, her iphone alerted an incoming call. Ella giggled as her friend scowled at the name and the contact picture across her phone screen. "EAST" it read with a heart emoji.

"Boy toy." Ella mouthed.

"Hello," Sage answered into the phone but not before swatting a dying Ella with a throw pillow from her bed.

"Hey ma, you don't sound too excited to hear my voice. Ion like that." East's familiar voice exclaimed.

"Oh no, it's not that. What's up?"

"Baby, I'm finna take you out that jail you call a house in like an hour or two."

"First off, I'm not even home!" Sage stated.

"It don't matter, I'll come get you wherever." Dave didn't have the patience to wait for a response because he was getting what he wanted either way.

"How do you know I want to come?" Sage inquired. No, she was genuinely confused at how demanding this man was. Did she hate it? No. But was she thrown off? Yeah, pretty much. Sage did know one thing though, she had tutoring and it was not up for debate if she was going to go. If her dad ever found out she skipped he would be livid.

"It's not about what you want. It's just food ma don't be scared." Dave was growing impatient already but he wanted to make sure they were on the same page. He calls the shots, she just needs to comply. That's all.

"I-I have tutoring," that response made Dave roll his eye so far back in his head but at the same time softened his heart. He knew what he was getting into when he picked up a schoolgirl that night, especially one without a rebellious bone in her body.

"One day won't hurt. I won't let it hurt you." He assured her.

"Even from my dad?" She wrinkled her nose up, something she did when she was in deep thought. The question was half rhetorical half serious seeing that she knew her dad would be furious. If he ever found out she chose not to follow schedule, particularly why as well.

"Even him, ma." And Dave was all the way serious.

***

Sage felt at peace once she was in East's car for a good ten minutes. He was cruising further uptown trying to get to the best Dominican spot in the heights.

"I'm Caribbean too! Well, on my mother's side. She's Jamaican but she grew up in the U.K." She explained. She didn't really anticipate getting anywhere near the topic of her parents again but their conversation was flowing naturally.

"Shit, my pops from Barbados! What's really poppin'?" They both chuckled as he pulled up in front of the restaurant. "Stay here, I'mma get the food so we can take it back to mine."

"You don't even know what I want!" Sage teased. East took the key out of the ignition and shrugged. "Okay Ms. Independent, whatcho' Upper East Side ass know about some Mangú?"

"Lots."

"You know? You cute when you lyin.'"

Sage feigned being offended, placing her hand over her heart, "Psh, I'm hurt."

"Yeah, ma, whateva." He teased.

After ordering their food, East rushed back in the car so it wouldn't get cold. The car ride back to his apartment was even more laughs as he told her stories about times he would get high and beg his friend to pick up food for him from that same spot.

"Nigga you be fucking hungry!" Sage felt more giggly with every story time.

"You should've seen me, I'm most vulnerable when I get the munchies." Dave pulled into the apartment complex parking lot.

"Okay yo ass live in the Upper East Side too," She teased.

Dave shrugged, "Yeah but it's different. I'm not from here. I grew up in Queensbridge and East Harlem."

"Hence the name?" She meant to think this but it came out her mouth before she knew it. Dave nodded before coming around to open her door. "Why do you go by an alias? You hate your real name? Are you a rapper? What do you do for a living?"

Dave didn't want to straight up lie to her but he also didn't want to scare her with the truth...at least not yet, so he compromised. He stopped walking, turned her to face him, lowered his head and softly pecked her lips. When he pulled away Sage blushed and tried turning her face but he did it again so that she knew every time she tried to escape he'd pull her back in.

"Just know I handle business, nothing yo fine ass gotta worry about." Sage nodded, looking up at him because he towered over her. Him being so close and kissing her made her feel a warmth she never felt before with anyone. She didn't know what type of feeling the questions triggered but if it was gonna get her more kisses she didn't mind triggering again.

"I-I'm sorry." Her voice came out in almost a whisper but Dave heard her anyways.

"Do I make you nervous?" Sage shook her head and chewed her lip.

She's lying, he thought. He wrapped his arms around her, rubbing her back in small circles like he did the first night they ever meet. She quickly relaxed into his arms and wrapped her arms around his waist, taking in the cologne on his tee shirt. "Come on. Let's go eat."

***

Sage didn't actually mind that East was mysterious and vague sometimes, she just brushed it off as him not trusting her yet. After all, they did just meet. She's always been a curious cat and tried to find out further than what she was told, but for now she felt like she could wait.

His residence was very large like her own, except he seemed to live by himself. It smelled of eucalyptus air-wicks and fresh linen wherever she went. Impressive. Sage was growing sleepy as they were finishing their conversation and their food. Dave noticed her eyes were closing every so often but she still responded to everything he was saying.

She placed her head on his lap and his fingers were doing his favorite thing, tracing her cupids bow. She grew sleepier and before he knew it, light snores could be heard. At that moment, Dave felt a wave of tranquility sweep over his body and it was largely unfamiliar. Most times he's dealing with the anxiety of running his "business" even questioning his closest and most loyal folks but right now he got lost in thoughts about her and he liked that much better.

***

Again. Sage sighed as she found herself in East's king size bed. This time he wasn't sleeping beside her, his spot was empty. Panic set in when she realized how long she slept without contacting her parents. She grabbed her phone and seen messages from a group chat she was in, Ella, her dad and this guy that liked her. He was cute but she knew why he really wanted to hang out, not just because he's flirtatious and the school hoe, but because he outright admitted he wanted sex. She simply wasn't ready and she wasn't going to do that with a boy she's not even dating and would never date, but that clearly didn't matter to him since he tried all the time.

The message from Ella read: "I was wrong! He's your man at this point. Btw your folks were worried about you and I lied and said you were sleeping at mine. Reply asap so I know you're okay fr." Sage sighed relieved at her quick thinking best friend who always seemed to say the right things. She quickly scrolled to her father's text message thread and read all the messages: "Call me ASAP" and then the next hour after that he sent "You slept over at Ella's without telling us??" She looked at her call list and seen he called twice. Fuck, She was gonna worry about East's whereabouts later. He was most likely in another part of the suite anyway, right now she had to face her dad.

Before calling her dad she sent a quick text to Ella thanking her for keeping cover knowing she wouldn't reply until later because it was currently 15 minutes to six.

"Figlia, this is what you do now? Upset your father, " His harsh Italian accent rang through her ears and honestly she was already over this.

"Daddy, you don't understand that I was tired." She tried to reason.

"Why you so tired for? You didn't even go to tutoring." Mr. Baglio was annoyed at his daughter at this point. She didn't even seem apologetic that she disobeyed his rules which disappointed him.

"That's why I didn't go! Anyways, I bring home good grades why do you do this to me? You realize we're talking about this at 5 in the morning!" She exclaimed.

"For your fu--" He started but she cut him off before he could get anymore words in.

"No it's your future, what you want. My grades are good enough for what I want to do." Not even caring that Dave might possibly hear the conversation from wherever he is in the apartment.

"If I would've just let you stay in Italy," Mr. Baglio sighed. He truly believed if he let his daughter be raised in Italy he wouldn't have to deal with such opposition from her. He always had a theory the people around her here were filling her head with defiance.

"You always mention Italy but the truth is I'm the same person regardless of where I am. I would have the same dreams and aspirations no matter what." She was over pleading her case, he never really understood. He listened but communication is nothing if you keep running into the same brick wall.

"Whatever, Figlia, come home no later than noon." He clicked the phone and the phone line went dead. That was his issue, he didn't even want to comprehend how boxed in she felt from the restrictions he put on her, and nothing she seemed to say can change that. He won't be satisfied until she becomes a doctor or lawyer, he won't be satisfied until she goes to the school he chooses for her, he won't be satisfied until it's all A's or she's a failure, what other part of life he basically wanted to live for her?

Sage's mind shifted to Dave. Where is this guy? If he was in the bathroom or another room surely he'd be back by now?

End note: I'm only posting every Friday now. Also, figlia means "daughter" in Italian. What vibes are you getting from everyone so far?