Saturn by RIZ LA VIE "All of the space we don't leave, filled with the things we don't need; All that we built, all of the land that we filled swallowed this planet like pills"

Family dinner hasn't happened in a long time. Mr. Baglio was getting busier with his wine endeavors, trying to expand it and set up in more locations. Mrs. Baglio was always flying out to European countries and getting heavily into interior design work. Sage's parents being preoccupied meant an easier time seeing and spending time with Dave so she wasn't complaining. But now, Mr. Baglio insisted on everyone in the family eating together because he had a lot to discuss.

"Sage, what is this report card? All B's except for the one C?" Mr. Baglio asked. He raised an eyebrow towards her. Mrs. Baglio set the rest of the dinner on the table with the beverages.

Sage sighed, knowing where the conversation was going already. Mr. Baglio poured a glass of wine and clinked the glass with his wife beside him. "Well," She started moving the sauteed vegetables on her plate around with her fork, she wasn't really hungry, "senior year is harder." She muttered quickly.

Sage knew it was a lame excuse but she couldn't come up with anything better fast enough. The real reason was the very obvious distractions that have been plaguing her for months.

"And that's why I have tutoring set up for you! I don't understand." He paused from the wine and looked at his daughter waiting for her to give him something to work with. That was the problem, she wasn't going to those sessions as much as she should've, if at all.

"I don't know, dad." She was exhausted and wanted so badly to go to her room.

"Well, it has to be all that time you're spending at Ella's..." He shook his head, "You are grounded which means no more going to Ella's house or anywhere, not until these grades are up. They're unacceptable."

Sage gawked at him as what he said registered in her head. Banning Ella's house actually meant less time with David and she refused to let that happen since that was her alibi. "Dad, you can't be serious right now..."

"Oh I'm very serious! I might have to pull strings at Princeton for you to get in, maybe Cornell..." He shook his head and muttered the last part to himself.

I don't even care to go to those schools so who gives a fuck!" She spat slamming her fork down on the plate. Mrs. Baglio looked up from her magazine at the sound of the fork falling and glanced between the two. It was very obvious tensions were high but she didn't foresee the tantrum Sage just threw.

"Is that anyway to speak to your father, Gege?" Ezra took in her daughter's appearance. The same person was there in front of her physically but her energy was disparate. Whenever conversation about her future came up she was emotional but she never snapped like this.

"Look, there's no reason to have this conversation...I already applied to the schools you wanted me to." She felt defeated as usual when talking to her parents.

The conversation Ezra had with her daughter a few weeks ago raced through her head. She cleared her throat and set the magazine down, "Gege, what exactly did you want to do?" Her tone seemed so earnest and gentle. Donati twisted his face in confusion, he didn't expect that to be the question his wife asked. His heart felt a twinge of betrayal as he shot her a look of bewilderment.

"That's not--" He began but Ezra raised her hand to signal for him to be quiet. For once.

"We should hear her out. We always talk and expect her to listen, babe." Her voice omitted a wave of tranquility and peace. The fire and passion at the table was no longer a blaring hot flame, everyone felt the shift.

Sage was surprised as well to say the least. She expected her mom to be there only to echo the words of her father like she normally did. In fact, she felt for so long that her mom didn't have any real thoughts of her own. But this sudden change opened her heart a little.

"I've always loved photography. Actually...Mrs. Paisley, she helped me put my work in her art gallery opening! She says I'm really good..." She exclaimed proudly. She was still cautious because she knew her dad was internally punching the air at this confession.

Mr. Baglio chewed his food slowly just looking between his wife and daughter, the two women he cherished and loved more than life itself. All he wanted was for things to go his way because he knew his way meant security and fulfillment. For him, it was more than just creating an image for outside folks but providing the best of the best. He didn't like fighting with his daughter but he had to show her the facts of life.

"You see, Donati? She's good, you heard that?" Mrs. Baglio said, turning to him. She raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to respond. Sage picked up her glass and sipped her lemon water, scared of what was to come.

"Yeah, yeah... but this is why she's failing her senior year...Look, you still need to bring up your grades and the punishment still applies--" He began, frankly at loss for words by the way the conversation switched so fast.

"But?" Ezra raised an eyebrow.

"But you can take pictures. I guess. Oh mio Dio!" He declared letting out a sigh of relief at the sight of his wife nodding in approval. And at that moment, Sage let herself breathe too. He wasn't exactly over flown with joy about her knack but she felt her parents were more receptive. Baby steps, she reasoned.

"Thank you, dad..." She couldn't find the right words for what occurred but this time the dinner table was a little more bearable, her walls weren't as resistant and her heart more ajar.

***

Sage felt like she could hear her heartbeat directly in her ear as she stood closely to David, Aubrey and Ella inside the nightclub. Aubrey peered over at her before Dave beckoned for him to come closer

"This is my girl, Sage. Y'all still haven't met." Dave said over the music to his brother. Aubrey nodded and gave Sage a quick hug.

"So you're the one keeping my friend busy?" Sage asked jokingly. Ella hid her face in feign embarrassment before playfully nudging her best friend. She was just happy to formally meet her best friend's love interest.

"I could say the same to you, girl!" The group laughed as they headed towards the seats in the V.I.P. section. The seats were these chic couches and the tables were glass and lined with bottles in ice buckets already. Some men were seated in the section looking like they were discussing something important. As they approached the table, the men in the V.I.P section stood and dapped Aubrey and Dave up.

Naturally, Aubrey sat next to Ella and Dave sat next to Sage but that didn't deter the conversation from unfolding.

"Yo, so this is the spot?" Aubrey asked them. The two guys nodded their heads and gestured for them to look around.

"This will replace what you lost in sales and more." The one with silver hair confirmed. He took a cigar from inside his suit pocket and lit it up with the lighter from the table.

David raised an eyebrow, "So how much you asking for? I know you want a big number." He rolled his eyes as the man that spoke before nodded his head in agreement again. The other one took a sip from his glass and leaned back on to the couch.

"Fuck no. This is your club, I'll give you that but our attendance is what makes this shit poppin', and on top of that," David raised a bag of coke, "we got the candy."

Aubrey glanced at his partner and bobbed his head to the negotiation. He knew they should actually be paying them for their services instead of charging them for the place.

Plus we don't actually need this club." He added in.

The men rolled their eyes at the arguments being pitched at them. Everyone knew East was a great negotiator and it didn't help his partner was always there with the cherries on top.

"What we gettin' outta this, East? Drake?" The younger one asked. Drake was what Aubrey went by in the streets.

"More customers, what you mean?" David said firmly. He leaned back letting his gun on his hip be visible. The pair got the message loud and clear, leaving them no choice but to comply. Sage tensed up and moved in closer to Dave. She wasn't sure where this was headed.

"Understood?" Aubrey said rhetorically. It wasn't long before the men they were negotiating with cleared the area. Sage's heartbeat slowed when she realized they were safe.

The group vibed to the music of the club and drank having a good time, until Sage got up ready to go to the bathroom. "Baby Girl, let me go with you." Dave stared at her and bit his lip. In his drunken stupor that's all he needed around him at all times, his baby.

"It's just to pee, Davey." She smiled and pecked lips, "I'll be right back." She wasn't all that drunk and the liquor she was going to pee out would sober her right up.

Sage looked over at a drunken Ella and Aubrey loving on each other in the corner, she loved seeing her best friend happy. She shook her head out of her thoughts and stood up again, letting go of David's hand. "Come back soon, baby," he joked, blowing kisses at her as she walked away. Any other time, David would have ignored her protests to stay but he was very drunk.

After waiting in the long line to the ladies restroom and relieving herself in the bathroom, Sage looked at her cellphone and peeped a text from Jay. She was confused because they weren't on the best terms. She clicked the messaging app and saw his text: "You look lovely." No emojis or anything, just a simple compliment that insinuated he saw her. Sage took a quick look around but didn't see him at all. Jesus.

She didn't even care enough to let his presence worry her as she made her way back to their section of the club, now with more people surrounding them. She could barely see the table or her group until she pushed through the new arrival of people. Aubrey and Ella were practically about to have sex on the couch and Dave was sitting there with coke out and a girl sat next to him, whispering in his ear and him laughing along. The image before her made her stomach churn and her heart fall. She didn't know what was going on but she didn't like it one bit. David didn't see her until she stepped closer picking up her purse with a stone cold look..

Dave grinned wide, "Babyyy where you been?" His words were slurred and his drunken stupor didn't allow him to discern the anger she so clearly exhibited.

"The fuck!" She screeched staring at him. The girl sitting next to him looked between the two cautiously. Everyone else was too distracted with their own activities to even notice the argument at hand..

"We doin' this right now," Dave sputtered, realizing she was mad. His mouth gaped open when he noticed he had the coke out and how he must have looked with the girl. Just one irresponsible thing after another.

Sage refused to stand there any longer to justify her anger, she wanted so badly to leave. So she did. She turned on her heels and pushed her way through the crowd as she heard David call after her. She knew he was going to eventually catch up to her but she didn't care at that moment. Instead of leaving through the front door she went out through the back.

A gush of cold air hit her as soon as she stepped out. She started walking but she didn't know where to. It wasn't long before she heard a familiar voice call out her name while she was already halfway down the block. She rolled her eyes recognizing the voice immediately as Jay.

Her toes were sore from standing up for so long and she left her mink in Dave's car leaving her arms exposed to the cold in her club attire. She stopped and spun around as Jay approached her. She felt her phone continuously buzz in her hand knowing exactly who it was.

He gestured towards her cellphone and chuckled, "You gonna pick that up?" Sage rolled her eyes ready to turn around and leave again but Jay caught her by the wrist.

"Jay, I'm really not in the mood right now." She said and yanked her wrist back from his hold. "I don't even know why I stopped!"

"Because you need a ride," Jay suggested bluntly. He couldn't think of any other reason. "I took it you and loverboy are in a fight." He nodded towards the phone again and laughed lightly.

Sage wanted to deck him for being right about everything and barely hiding how smug his face was. She contained her anger though and simply shrugged, her pride was not going to get the best of her. "More like I'm curious as to what you called me for. I can easily uber."

"Why do that when you can hop in my lambo? I miss you." The last sentence was quiet but he knew she heard and he wanted her too. He never hid his feelings towards her, that was his friend before anything. "I miss our friendship," he added clearing his throat.

"You ruined that though," Sage felt another brush of wind and she started shivering.

"You're cold, come in my car. You can come to mine for the night. We can sleep in separate rooms." Jay blurted out. Sage peered at him warily and thought about it. She didn't feel like making any decisions out of anger towards Dave.

"No Jay, I won't be spending the night." She answered firmly. Jay rolled his eyes at her stubbornness.

"Alright well--" He began.

"But you can take me home," She wrinkled her nose and peered up at him. He flashed a smile, "Yeah I got you. We can talk on the way there." And with that they filed into his car and drove off into the night.