“So where do you come from?”, Jocelyn asked me as we walked passed a water fountain.

“I was born in a small town called Lordaniya in Russia, but ever since I was eight I have lived in Moscow when my mom got remarried to a politician.”, I told her.

“And your father?”, she asked me.

I bit my bottom lip and thought about telling her my father was a famous actor in Russia—but something made me hold my tongue from saying it. I looked down at my damp stain shirt and chuckled once. What sane person back home would do this? I knew Americans were crazy, but this girl took it over board and something about her made me feel. . .happy is the word?

She did what any normal girl would do when someone bothering her even when it was her that was bothering me because I clearly had that chair before she did. My uncle always told me to let a women be right though, it makes life so much easier.

I didn't want Jocelyn to treat me any differently, I liked just walking around with her and talking. It seems we could talk allot about things, never about movies my father in, and parties I could try and get her in. She didn't expect anything from me and that felt normal.

“My father owns a few businesses back home, nothing special.”, I said.

“So you are a rich boy.”, she chuckled. She then snorted, “I should make my escape now before it's to late.”, she sarcastically said and I gave her an amused confused look. “I live in a small town where half is rich and trust me, my family doesn't get along with some of them because I live on a farm.”

“You don't smell like a farm.”, I teased. “You smell like vanilla.”

“That's because my host parents drowns my clothes in vanilla soap when she cleans my clothes.”, she chuckled. She then frowned, “Do you miss your parents?”, she asked, looking up at me.

I put my hands in my pockets and looked straight forwards. “A little, maybe.”, I said since 'no' seemed to harsh to say. I was enjoying my interdependency and being hidden away from the lime light with no paparazzi shinning a camera in my face, trying to get juicy gossip about Vladimir Abramov oldest son.

“I miss mine very much and it seems like Skype with them isn't helping. My Italian isn't perfect, so I'm not making allot of friends. I'm starting to think it was a mistake coming here, I have never felt so alone.”, she said, frowning as she looked down at the ground.

I didn't know what to really say to her to cheer her up. I had always hated moments like this where it was a guy job to comfort a girl, but I hardly know her and she'll probably pull that can of pepper spray on me if I touch her again.

I found it amusing because it was cute.

I looked around my surroundings and realized where I was. I smiled and took a chance by grabbing her wrist, “Come.”, I said as I lead her around the block and pointed at the fountain as I lead us over to it, “This is the Speranza Fountain. You make a wish of your greatest hope and wishes.”

“I remember seeing this one in a tourist guide pamphlet.”, she said. “And if someone takes your coin, they will have to make that wish come true or they'll be curse for stealing the coin, that's why no one really takes it because that person that made the wish could never reveal what he or she wished for.”

“You are correct.”, I said, chuckling at her. When we stood in front of the foutian, I let go of her hand, and reached into my back pocket, giving her a Euro coin. “Make a wish.”

She stared at the coin for a moment before chuckling, “This is dumb, Yuri. What? Are you going to steal my coin?”

I shrugged my right shoulder, “Maybe.”

“It's just a myth.”, she said.

Again, I shrugged, “So? If it is, I don't have to worry about being curse. Just for fun, make a wish.”

She stared at me for a moment with an amused look before sighing heavily, turned around so her back was facing the fountain, and closed her eyes. She stood there for a moment, quiet as she thought of a wish. I was surprised at how long she was taking and I stood there awkwardly.

She took a deep breath then and threw the coin over her shoulder. The coin made a loud dip in the fountain water and she opened her eyes, turning to face me, “Happy?”

I reached into the fountain and took the coin out, “Lets hope I'm not curse thanks to you.”, I chuckled and she hit me in the arm, but chuckled with me.

So maybe the myth wasn't as much of a myth after all. It had been over a year since Jocelyn made that wish and God or whoever must have gotten really pissed me. Someone sending my dad here to ruin my life, that is my curse and Jocelyn will hate me for lying to her all this time.

“Hey, boy in la la land,” Jocelyn said as she playfully hit me in the arm and I woke up from all the thinking I was doing. I turned to look at her and she held the science book out, “Homework, remember? It's only your second day at school, stay focus.”, she chuckled.

“Sorry, allot is on my mind.”, I said and she frowned and looked confused because I didn't laugh with her.

“Like?”, she asked.

I hesitated for a moment but then I realized I couldn't hold onto my secret for much longer. I could tell her all now and get my plane ticket ready for Moscow or I could slowly tell her, making hints out to her. I decided on the last one. “My. . .my father is coming to American in three weeks and he wants to see me before he has to go to New York.”

Her eyes widen and she smiled, “What? That's so awesome, Yuri. See, he does love you.”

I snorted, “I don't want to see him.”

She now looked confused, “Why? How long as it been since you seen your father? In person, I mean?”

I shrugged, “The day I left for Rome.”

“Exactly, that was forever ago. If he's willing to take his time out to come and see you, he obliviously loves you more then you think.”, she said. “Why is he coming here anyways?”

“Some stupid business thing, I didn't really pay attention allot.”, I said and spoke before she could open her mouth. “I probably have to go with him when he go to New York, but only over the weekend. I'll be back for school that Monday.”

“Why do you have to go with him?”, she asked.

“It's a family thing, he would want me there only to make it seem like he still had the perfect family. I'm not going to have any fun though, I can't stand my stepmother as you know already.”, I said.

“She does sound pretty wicked.”, she sarcastically said, making us both chuckle. “How is she again? Thirty?”

“Twenty-nine.”, I reminded her. “Eight years younger then my dad and eleven years older then me.”

“It's amazing how far you're dad came.”, she said and I gave her a confused look. “I mean, he had a child at nineteen and he's a millionaire already there.”

“His family pushed him, that's why. Told him to marry my mother but remember if he wants to provide for us, he needs to focus mostly on a career.”, I said. “And he choose his career over me and my mom.”

“I know, I know, daddy issue.”, she said and I rolled my eyes.

“You wouldn't understand, you have the perfect family. Close brothers, parents are together, and you're the only girl. You're spoiled rotten.”, I said and she chuckled.

“We'll you're my friend, so you're apart of my family now.”, she said. “You know my family loves you. That doesn't mean you should forget you're family either and if your dad wants to try and fix his mistakes, you should let him. It sucks, but the past is going to forever in the past and you can't change a thing. You just got to move forward and hope he does better.”

“What can he do for me now?”, I asked. “I'm about to be eighteen, grown up. I don't need him anymore.”

“You're be surprised at how much you're going to need him, Yuri.”, she said. She reached out and put her hand on my shoulder, “You love your dad, I know you do Yuri. You're angry right now and that's blocking you from opening up.”

I winced as I narrowed my eyes on her, “You can be annoying when you say stuff like that.”

She chuckled, “You know I'm right.”

Jocelyn

I laughed and giggled when I crawled on Yuri bed and onto his back. He fought to get me off, “No! Get off me!”, he laughed but I wrapped my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist as he lifted himself off his bed.

I began to slid off him and I tighten myself around him, “Ah! I'm slipping!”

“Get off!”, he laughed and I let go of him, falling down on my butt. He bent down and grabbed my arm, throwing me over his shoulders. I laughed hard, hitting his back for him to let go of me.

“How can you be this strong?”, I asked as I giggled.

He held my legs down by wrapping one arm around them and his phone suddenly went off. It was a familiar beep and it was a Skype video chat request. My body suddenly stiffen and I moved to get off Yuri, but he held me there.

“Hey! Let me down!”, I yelled.

“Oh be quiet, someone calling me.”, he said and then started speaking in Russian to someone.

“Yuri, what is going on?”, the male said in English.

My face burned red and I felt so embarrassed as I brought my hands to cover my face.

“None of your business, father.”, Yuri said and I gasped loudly. It was one thing for his father to find—even over video chat—this way when all we were doing was wrestling. I felt so ashamed and humiliated.

“Yuri, let me down.”, I ordered my hard headed Russian friends. When he made no attempt to let me go, I groaned, “Yuri Gavril, if you don't let me down to this second, I will beat you with a pole and—are you mocking me? I can see you in the mirror mocking me!”

Yuri turned and he threw my back against his bed. I groaned and when he turned around, I quickly jumped up and tried to go around him, but he held his arm around.

“Hey! I want to say hi! Ugh, Yuri! I want to say hi to your dad!”, I said angerily when he started pushing me away and he pissed me off even more when he began to laugh.

“No! There's nothing to see. Stop being noisy.”, he said and I gave him a death glare.

He held my back with one arm as I tried to fight my way to get even a glimpse of what his dad looks like over the video chat, but Yuri was being to stubborn, “Come on! Why can't I say hi? What? Are you embarrassed of me or something?”

“Well, you can be a little loud and to friendly.”, he said and my mouth dropped and I gave him a look.

I dropped my arms from trying to fight and I glared at him. He let his arm down hesitantly, “Good.”, he said, bring his phone to his face when I didn't start to attack him. He began talking in Russian to his father and I grinned when he wasn't looking before snatching his iPhone out his hand and looked at the screen to see his father other then in pictures.

He was very handsome and looked just like Yuri, just older. He looked totally surprised as he stared back at me and I smiled, waving at the camera, “Hi, it's so nice to finally talk to you.”, I said friendly and Yuri groaned heavily. “Holy Cow, you do got Yuri's ears.”

Yuri's father, Vladimir, looked amused, “You are clearly not a shy girl Yuri says you are.”

“Shy?”, I questioned.

“Da, that is what Yuri will tell me when I suggest speaking to you.”, he said, his Russian accent strong and deep like Yuri's.

I gave Yuri an Is-That-True look and he awkwardly looked away as he scratched the back of his neck.

“Well, I feel like I know you already with how much Yuri talks about you.”, is aid, obviously lying since Yuri never talks about him unless it's to complain and whine.

“What have he said?”, he asked.

“Oh that you're really cool and gave him everything he wanted and—“,

“Okay, enough.”, Yuri said as he snatched the phone back. “You two met, happy?”, he asked, looking down at me.

I smiled and nodded, “See, that didn't kill anyone.”

“It killed me on the inside.”, he sarcastically said. He turned around as I crossed my arms over my chest and started talking to his father in Russian, leaving me there completely blind to what they could be talking about.

“What?”, his dad asked in English, clearly not happy. “Bozhe moy, I didn't think you hated my job that much.”

Yuri hissed a 'shh' and I rolled my eyes at Yuri selfishness.

They went off to talking in Russian again and I just wanted to know what they were saying.

“It's not like that!”, Yuri said, sounding angry and embarrassed as he turned his head to look at me for a second, his face slightly red and it made me want to know what his father said.

Yuri

“Well you know, your mother and I had a lot of playing around. It's how we ended up with you, so be careful Yuri.”, my father said and my face quickly heated up.

“It's not like that!”, I said in English. I had meant to say it in Russian, but I had been speaking English for a long time now, I'm starting to speak it more and more. I turned my head around to look at Jocelyn who was confused and raised an eyebrow at me. I turned back to my dad and groaned, “Jocelyn is just my friend, nothing like between what happened with mom and you.”, I said as I walked over to my bedroom door and closed it behind me so I could have a private chat with my dad even though we're speaking Russian.

“Well I will warn you again, be careful. I don't regret becoming a father around you're age, but it is hard. I want you to go to college and start a career, not get married and have a family before you are twenty Yuri.”, he said.

“Nice to be reminded I made you're life hard.”, I said.

He brought his hand up to his hair, running his fingers through it, and groaned, “You were not listening to me, Yuri, I don't regret nothing. The moment you were born, it was the happiest day of my life. I'm sorry I haven't been the best father to you, but why are you holding this knife to my neck about it.”

“What did you want to talk about?”, I asked, changing the subject because it was something I always did. I avoided things I didn't like and it was easy to me.

My father sighed heavily, “When I come in three weeks, it'll just be me. Korina and the kids will go to New York and we will meet them there when the weekend comes. Whatever you want to do, we'll do it.”

“We have nothing in common.”, I said. “And if I have to spend time with you, Jocelyn has to be there with me.”

“What?”, he questioned. “You don't want her to know who I am and what I do, but yet you want her around me when I come? I don't get it.”

I hesitated, “I want her to know, but at the same time, I don't. So many act differently around me when they know who you are. If you weren't my father, most the people back home wouldn't care who I was.”

“You say Jocelyn different, what would change?”, he asked.

“She might hate me for lying to her.”, I told him then realized I was actually talking to my father about this. I couldn't believe it. I almost pressed the end button right there.

“I can tell without even really knowing her that she cares about you allot, Yuri.”, he said. “I have seen you smile around her more then I have in such a long time. I can understand why you followed her out there. You like this girl.”, he chuckled.

I snorted, “You're crazy, father. Jocelyn is my friend, I don't have feelings for her.”

“Lair.”, he said, chuckling more. “You don't want to lose her because you love her.”

“This conversation is over. See you in three weeks.”, I said and cut him off when I clicked the end bottom. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, wishing I could undo that last conversation.