by K. J. Thomas
I sit next to my grandfather. He gives me a nod and a smile, the same thing that Garrett does.
“Avery, are you hungry?” Arya’s eyes are very puffy. I didn’t even stop to think for a minute, but this is affecting them as much as myself. They’ve been working a lot, but now they’re here dealing with this. I guess it is family stuff.
I do something I don’t normally do. I get up and go around the island and hug Arya as tight as I can. Neither one of us says anything, we just take the comfort where we can get it.
She puts a steaming plate of everything in front of me a few minutes later. Bacon, eggs, waffles, pancakes, toast, hash-browns and even fruit. There’s no way I’m gonna be able to eat all of this, but I’m going to make a good dent in it.
“Hey Grandpa, can I talk to you for a few minutes?” My voice is meek and small.
He puts his fork down on the plate letting me know I have his full attention. Dammit, one day I want to know why I couldn’t have my grandfather when I was younger, he’s an awesome guy, but now is not the time. Hopefully one day soon all of us can sit down and talk everything out.
I nod towards the kitchen window. A lot of the guards are outside eating on the back porch since there’s not enough room in the house. The only one standing is Mac. “Can I use Mac for now as a personal bodyguard? He just makes me feel a ton safer.”
“That’s fine, actually perfect,” Vito Romano says as he goes back to his food. He looks content with this. I imagine they were talking about me getting a personal guard, but were afraid I’d reject it. Not after everything.
It doesn’t take me long to finish eating. I run up the stairs, brush my teeth and grab my shit so I can get over to Tate’s.
This morning I sent her a text message. It’s time, I’m not holding anything back anymore. I told her I was picking her up. I am telling her everything on the way to school. I need this to be done and over with. I need her to be okay with me.
Thankfully, Mac doesn’t need to drive or ride with me so he follows very closely with about five other guards, keeping me safe while I drive over to Tate’s. I know that if they need to, they can dispatch more men, but for right now I do feel safe. Mac isn’t just a Luca repellent, he’s also an Asher repellent.
I go up to the door to grab Tate. Everyone is usually out of the house before she leaves because she leaves at the last minute. She never could understand why people want to go to school early, she’d rather be sleeping.
When she opens the door, I give Tate a huge hug and we walk arm in arm to the truck.
We still have about ten to fifteen minutes before first class starts so I turn and face towards Tate. “It’s time, I want to let you know who I am.”
I try to continue, but Tate raises her hand, stopping me. “No, not yet.”
She can see the confusion all over my face. We both know that she’s gonna have to give me more. Why wouldn’t she want to know who I am?
Tate sighs and leans her head back against the head rest. “If you tell me and I have to tell you whose house this is, I don’t know if I’m ready to yet.” She turns to me, I can see her eyes glossing over.
My eyebrows are pinched together, and I am very intrigued. “Damn woman, who owns the fucking house?” That kind of just slipped out, but I am curious.
Tate gives me a smile and it hits me. We’re perfect together, and we’re both afraid of losing our friendship by telling our biggest secrets. I feel guilty. Don’t true friends know everything about the other person? Would we just be fake friends now?
We’re both terrified, so I relax a little bit. Even though this was something I was pumped and ready to do today, I’m actually okay, relieved even, with waiting a little bit longer. Who knows, Asher might make me out to be some horrible traitor or that I’m here to kill them all.
We both cry because we know how much our friendship means to each other to have the secrets, and how important are secrets are to remain ours. We both sit in comfortable silence the rest of the way.
“IT’S WEDNESDAY MORNING, so how about this. I’ll make a deal with you,” I say to Tate as I park at the academy. “Over the weekend sometime, we’ll tell each other everything. I don’t wanna lose you, either, Tate, but I hate having secrets.”
Tate smiles, it reaches her eyes, so I know that she’s in. That just gives us several more days to pretend like nothing’s wrong and that we’re both doing fine. We get to keep living in this make-believe world that we are in. It’s amazing what some people will do just to stay sane.
A quick glance in the rearview shows that the SUV full of armed guards is following us. I haven’t said anything to Tate about who they are, but she knows we’re being followed. She’s not a stupid girl, she’s a fucking Mancini and they know to look for everything.
One more week of this sweet ignorance. Shit, who knows, maybe Tate and I will be able to get the families in a truce. More than likely it’ll probably be Asher and me to unite everyone, but he’s in the same boat as Luca and I hope it sinks.
THE LAST PERIOD BEFORE lunch, we were able to sneak out fifteen minutes early. Normally I don’t give a shit because we’d be going to the cafeteria anyway, but Tate and I were able to hang back and relax, basically avoid everybody.
In about ten minutes we’ll be able to get our food early and hide in our little enclave until lunch is done. When it becomes nicer outside, we’ll find a tree or somewhere else to hide away from everyone. Well from some, like Asher’s and the bitch group.
Tate is using the restroom as I finish washing my hands when the door opens. I guess things weren’t going to go good for too long. Paisley and her friends walk in.
Tate comes out, looks at them and me, then rolls her eyes and walks over to wash her hands. The girls are still dramatically talking, well Paisley is anyway, so they haven’t even noticed us yet.
Right as Paisley’s talking, an evil smile spreads across her face.
Before she has a chance to make some stupid remark, I say as I inch closer. “Oh my god, what happened to your nose? There’s a tiny, but noticeable dent.”
Tate starts to chuckle, she’s trying to contain it, but then she can’t hold it anymore and she’s full out laughing. Thankfully, she just went to the bathroom or she would’ve pissed her pants.
Tate comes up next to me, grabs my arm and we both try to make our escape out the door. Paisley still has to be butt hurt from when I cracked her nose, so she tries to push me against the wall as we’re walking by, but instead she misses and knocks Tate into the wall, making her head slightly bang against the tiles.
“Fuck,” I mumble to myself. Tate has a fiery personality, and shit is not gonna end well for anyone.
Tate grabs Paisley by the back of the head. “Let me go you stupid bitch!” Paisley cries out as Megan grabs her arm, pulling her the other way. Palmer is just sitting there in shock watching her friends take the brunt of what Paisley caused.
Paisley is still screaming, and her arms are flying everywhere trying to knock Tate off her. That’s what I should’ve done the first time. I like how she’s going out in the hallway and not stuck in the bathroom. Too much shit can happen in the bathroom when there’s no witnesses. Maybe like three on one, just a guess.
I look down the hall and catch eyes with Mac who’s already on his way, walking incredibly fast. I imagine if it were me, he would be running but I shake my head and let him know that it’s fine. Typical high school bullshit that everybody has to deal with.
A crowd has gathered and is gawking and laughing as Tate angrily lectures the teary-eyed Paisley. That’s got to fucking hurt seeing Paisley doesn’t have a thick head of hair, it’s thin. I notice clumps of it falling out. Tate is grabbing and yanking really hard.
At the other end of the hall, Asher and his minions are watching with amused expressions. I’m grateful that he switched his locker and is down there by all the other popular idiots.
“Tate, the dean,” I try to warn her as I see the dean walking from the other
side. The same hallway that Mac is in, except he’s walking a lot faster than Mac was.
Tate lets go as we both turn around and start to walk away. Nobody’s hurt, no blood was spilled, so I seriously doubt anything will happen. The administrations not going to go after a Mancini unless there’s bodies piled up and they can’t sweep it under the rug.
Neither one of us look back. I think that was the most euphoric feeling of the day. I didn’t need to look back and see Asher, nor did we need to look back to see how the girls were doing. They were probably all holding and coddling Paisley for the torture she had to go through with Tate. That ain’t nothing compared to a broken nose, but girls are dramatic especially when they’re around other people, like the student body and administrators.
I didn’t even check to see if Mac is coming. We’ve decided to go on to lunch. We’re not gonna bother anybody else like they always bother us. We’re not gonna stand in anybody’s way, but we are going to do our own thing, the way we want to.
Six
AVERY
This whole morning has been nothing but good for me. You know those days when your hair just goes perfectly or your make-up looks flawless. Even your clothes make your ass look good, yeah one of those days. Not to mention it’s Friday.
Tate and I aren’t the party type of people but maybe since we’ve had our little talk and I’ve gone through my own things in my head, we can have a little fun. I’ve had to deal with all the monsters in my life and Tate probably has, too, so we are extremely excited for a party tonight.
One, thankfully, that isn’t going to be at Tate’s house, so she has somewhere to go when we’re done. And everybody else from the party won’t follow the two drunk girls up to Tate’s room.
We just want to drink and have fun and be teenagers while we can. When you’re in a mafia family usually the choices that we make, they’ll be dictated and orchestrated by whoever’s in charge. For her that would be Asher and for me that would be Vito. At least Tate doesn’t have to deal with her brothers taking care of everything, she only has to deal with Asher. But I’m thrilled that mine is my grandfather.
The only thing that ever makes me nervous is how sometimes instead of referring to me as his granddaughter, he refers to me as his living heir. I know he wants me to take over the Romanos one day, but I don’t see that happening. If he wanted to, he could force me into it, but I gratefully do not see him doing that. I might end up having a position like Arya and Garrett, at least I hope anyway.
Once you’re in a family you don’t really ever get out of a family. It’s just not the way things work. We’ve been taught since we were born how to adapt with everything, how to deal with things, how to understand the lives that our elders have set up for us. The rules are still followed from centuries ago. Everyone knows their place and it will continue that way. We just both wish we had no part of it.
All I know is that if this life didn’t exist my parents might still be here. I’ll never know because apparently, I only attract a single psychotic type of man. Who knows what might’ve been? They might be dead and maybe I would be, too. The world has a way to fuck with your head.
All I know right now is I’m going to make the best that I can of the situation that I’m in. I might have to rule this shit one day, hopefully I won’t. As of today, it is Friday, and I am a senior in fucking high school and I’m gonna have fun. I will never be a senior again. I want at least one epic party I’m not forced to go to.
Even if Asher and the rest of the guys are there, we plan on avoiding them like the plague. There’s no reason for all of us to hang out.
Tate jumps in the truck happy and excited. She gives me a wink as she looks forward. She’s up to something.
The rest of the drive to school I don’t even ask what this girl is up to. It’s most likely some kind of weird drink or some crazy spitfire outfit just like she is.
All I know is that this weekend is going to be epic, and I’ll have my best friend there with me the whole time, just like it should be.
It never fails, my emotions make an entrance whenever they want. I blink away the tear. At least I’m able to be happier, it’s taken this long to do so. Right after my parents died, every time the smiles started to come back, I would guilt it away. Why should I be able to be happy when they’re not here? My parents are basically dead because of me.
I can feel my mood start to diminish and there’s no way I’m gonna let that happen, they won’t want that for me anyway. My mom would be excited for me, and my dad wouldn’t be too happy about this party.
As we walk into the school, Tate looks at me causing us both to stop. “No fighting today, I really want to go to this party.”
The sip of coffee I just took ends up spraying all over the ground. At least I had a second to turn my head before I sprayed Tate with it.
“Oh really, you do remember what happened two days ago, right?” She gives me a huge smile. Yeah, my girl remembers and she’s pretty freaking happy about it.
We both gather our shit and make our way to our classrooms with less than a minute to spare. I don’t like being tardy. If you get too many, they make you sit in some room with a very underpaid teacher that looks like he’s about ready to lose his shit.
I forgot my trig book, so I run back to my locker. I find the damn thing is stuck at the bottom of everything else. My locker is a disaster area, books aren’t even stacked nice in the bottom, they’re on their side, upside down, sideways, diagonal, whichever way I can cram shit in there. A few weeks ago, a notebook spilled open, and all my papers are laying down there, too. Maybe I should clean this crap up, maybe not.
I’m still in my head, I don’t notice someone has walked up. My back is pressed into the locker, and I can smell Asher’s sweet, spicy-woodsy scent. I’m not sure if it’s his shower wash, or some freaking outrageously overpriced cologne but it smells damn good.
He puts his hands above the locker caging me in with my back to his chest. I have to put my hands against the back of my locker to keep from getting stuffed in there.
“Any plans tonight Avery?” Asher says right by my ear. I can smell the peppermint from either his gum or some kind a breath mint.
“None with you,” I reply and push back with all my weight giving me just enough leeway to squeeze by and head to my next class. Asher is trickling in right behind me, of course, we have Trig together.
Thankfully, he leaves me alone for the rest of the class. Occasionally I can feel his smoldering look in my direction.
We just need some new girl to walk in that’s just gonna blow Asher away, keep him occupied. And keep him away from me.
If things were different, there might’ve been something between us. I can feel the sparks even though I also hate him. There’s an electric energy between us. It’s like the air sizzles when we’re both in the same room, it’s hard to explain, but it’s probably just toxic air from him and I’m breathing it.
Asher needs someone to grab his attention and hold it. I’m just a quest to him. I know I’m probably the only girl in history that’s ever told him no. He could have anyone of the students in the school, he could’ve had any of the teachers. Dammit, he could probably do the mothers of any of the kids and the mothers of any teachers.
I chuckle, it comes out before I get a chance to stop it causing the teacher to glare at me. Thankfully, he doesn’t demand I come up to the board and work on problems, I haven’t been paying attention and I have no clue what we’re doing.
I glance in Asher’s direction and find him staring at me, again. I know he’s not gonna stop until he has me, then he’s not gonna stop until he figures out who Luca is. I’m not sure of everything he saw when he was at the meetings with my grandfather. From what I heard from Vito Romano telling my aunt is that Luca and Asher were both there.
Something had to have happened besides the note for everybody to be living at the house again. Maybe the families are getting ready to go to war. I just wish somebody would tell me.
I glance at the camera in the corner of the room. The faculty put it up so that the security guards would feel better, and they don’t have to cram into the classrooms with us. I wonder if Mac knows everything that’s going on. He’s always around so he would pick up things here and there. He’s not someone high enough for privy information, I doubt if he’d fucking tell me anyway.
It might not be the worst thing if he knew exactly who Luca Delano is to me. I know he knows of the family, but not what Luca did to me and mine. There are reports done by the police, but none that state Luca is the perpetrator. I know my grandpa wants to handle this one himself, and by handle I mean he will take care of all the Delano’s when the time is right. I wish he would’ve killed him when he had the chance at the meeting him and Asher were just at. Maybe he couldn’t, I don’t know and it’s not my place to ask.
Shit, maybe one of the monsters could off the other one, but then I guess I’d be stuck with whoever is left, maybe I could just finish off that one. Yeah right, the sight of blood makes me really queasy. Poison, I think and smile. I give myself a tight nod and then glance around the room realizing I really need to keep my outwardly actions in my head.
Unfortunately, the only one still staring at me is Asher. He looks a little amused and curious. Great.
The class seems to take forever to finish, it’s just dragging on and on. About a half an hour before the bell rings for lunch, the door swings open. One of the most gorgeous guys I have ever seen saunters in.
Tate notices and so does every freaking girl in this room, even Paisley and her friends open their mouths and stare.
This guy just rolls in like he owns the place. Dirty dark blonde hair, green eyes. He’s not built like the football players, but he’s got a great runner’s body and he likes to show it off with a pair of tight skinny jeans and a tight t-shirt.
