A L E S S I O 778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwoy5YT8hlZ
Fuck! I'm late.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFiDC17b9LE
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Twenty missed calls already from Beto.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv39iyNgzg2
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My cousin really knows how to drive me up a wall.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqPLLW5PdGW
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He has been living with us since both of his parents died some years back. I was grateful though to have him so close, especially knowing what a great asset he is to the family.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXmGwGaaYSD
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Though my dad taking him in certainly was not an act of kindness.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPDeUs6uiR7
He's ruthless and a piece of shit. He only cares about himself.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ29StsDGLAj
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He is your typical gangster. Mob boss. Don.
All of us were born into this life for a reason and we will die in this life. There will never be a chance at normal.
And once I graduate from school, I will have my shot.
I'll become boss. The don.
I have always wanted to the boss more than anything. I have spent years since the age of thirteen proving myself to this family.
"Ciao" (Translation: Hello)
"Where the fuck are you?" Beto snaps.
"Overslept."
"Well, I'm not waiting all day. I still have Anna and Giovanni with me."
I hang up and grab my cigarettes before heading out the door. I spot my step-siblings standing near the back of the Cadillac with Beto.
Giovanni and Anna are fraternal twins and both a couple of years older than me. They are the product of my father's second marriage.
Anna is a lot like her mother which really makes her a scary person.
Her mother had been known to be a very ruthless and mean woman. She was hateful and not one to fuck with.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxXzv2yAL2O
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She even made my dad scared, even as she died from her cancer.
Anna has always said she would walk in her mother's footsteps. So she decided to travel through Italy for a few years with an alley of ours.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj33uaTuTbU
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She fell in love and is now engaged to marry a Fubini son by the name of Alonzo. Once they tie the knot, our families will unify together.
This will give us access to a percentage of their ports and profits. In turn, it will strengthen our control of Sicily.
Now aside from Anna's terror, our brother Giovanni is a monster. He stands roughly at six feet and is about 260 pounds of pure muscle.
He is one of my best friends and I rely on him for many things. Especially, his muscle and lack of emotion when it comes to killing others.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTkYvUnLCvi
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Once the time comes, he'll be my second in command.
I walk up to the three of them and we all start to climb into the car together. Looking back at the manor, I can feel the dread build knowing I have months left of my senior year when I could be here fulfilling duties.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrYUqT3gV89
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We live in one of the wealthiest places up in the hills of California. Our mansion is large enough to provide sanctuary for our family, including several guards and housekeepers.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNhrxpmjgyY
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We top the current 1% of billionaires in the state.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJYrbsl7RY8
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"Took you long enough!" Beto glares and takes my cigarette.
I hand him a lighter. "Get over it."
Out of all of us, Beto is the smallest and youngest.
His signature Oakley sunglasses pushed onto his head to keep his dark hair back. Even with him being the baby of the family, Beto is known for his mind.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqCPNp65VUx
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He can get us out of any situation and is an absolute mastermind when it comes to technology.
The car pulls away from the driveway and onto the side road. We make our way into the city and to Westview High.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQL1gZYZoBO
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First-period English sucks. Mrs. Davidson sucks. The entire school sucks.
I slump back into my seat at the back of the room and let my fingertips play with the edge of my switchblade.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2WarI9kVJy
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I hate high school and loathe my father even more for making it a condition of my leadership.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcT3G9EQlbw
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He didn't have a normal teenage life so he expected Beto and me to be the ones to fulfill that weird fantasy for him since Giovanni and Anna both were homeschooled up until eighteen.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdddezJkFDZ
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At the age of 17, my dad had his first marriage to a girl from Italy for a few years. It didn't work out at all and actually ended with her death for the betrayal of the family.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqtv8jvJMa2
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He met Giovanni and Anna's mother shortly after and they married within three months of knowing each other. She was the daughter of another family in Italy and her mean spirit was a huge turn-on for him apparently.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMmjJQjFq8q
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My dad though is not a loyal man when it comes to women and while she was battling cancer he was starting a new relationship with my mother.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ858dtpcwbY
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She was his last wife and according to the stories, he did love her more than anything.
I don't remember my mother but I do keep pictures of her with me. She was beautiful and had the same black hair and brown eyes.
I was just four years old when she was murdered in the middle of the night. My dad had been away handling business and was on his way home when it happened.
That night has haunted me for years.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUmRnwFIuQN
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I could hear her screaming down the hallway when she was killed and the whole house erupted into chaos. Nobody understood how anyone got to her.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEvSt662r1H
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My uncle, Michele, had drug me back into my room and locked the door.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm9WLxPlTaB
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I had screamed for her over and over again. Hours felt so long that night.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDzjvkAgWS6
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"We'd love to learn a little more about our new friend. Would you mind sharing?" Mrs. Davidson's voice rings out in the room, pulling me from my mind.
I glance up and spot a girl I haven't seen before.
She has thick, chocolate brown hair that tumbles down to the edge of her waist. Her hand stops moving across a sketchbook and she looks up.
She seems to be struggling with the thought of having to introduce herself. I don't blame her though.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBKr2XRCXIe
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It is such a corny and silly part of starting a new school.
She stands and turns around to face the class. I feel my breath catch in my throat as she locks her eyes with me.
She's beautiful.
Her chocolate hair seems to frame her angelic, soft features and highlights the most stunning part about her.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdKfcRw9eIg
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Ocean blue eyes pop against the contrast of her dark hair and fair skin.
She seems so innocent. Fragile.
She starts to speak, "My name is Olivia Moore. I'm from New York, but we made the big move here recently since my dad accepted a new job."
I watch her lips as she parts them with each word.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrJ9qOSNkrd
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Full and pink. Pearly white teeth and a bit of sparkle as the light hits them.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcs3RlYYLKq
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Her blue eyes land on me again and my chest tightens from her intense gaze.
I feel myself lean into the desk as I study her again and again. I want to know her.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7aOxipAg0l
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I need to know her.
Snap out of it! Stop it! 778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQsjypG9khj
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I shake my head again and try to pull myself away from her hypnotization. I pulled out a pencil from the bag at my feet and went to work on my own artwork on the desktop.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjKDhHJ1Qdu
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Praying the time passed by quickly.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9XueQOI5uJ
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The last bell rings and I hurry out into the crowded halls.
Students are rushing around trying their hardest to get out of the school as quickly as they can.
"Watch it fucker."
I stop and turn to find the biggest asshole of Westview High.
Beloved quarterback, Nelson Tucker, is your typical "my dad is rich" driving around in his sports car and spending too much on his drugs. Despite how much I hate this kid I do love selling him marijuana at an outrageous price.
He curls his lip into a snarl and pushes his glasses back on his head.
"I'd watch yourself, Nelson." I laugh darkly.
He looks back at his football buddies and tries to take another step forward towards me.
"Stay out of my way or I won't help fund your shitty ass cigarettes anymore. Everyone knows you are only good for your drugs, bitch." He smacks the pack of cigarettes from my hand and they hit the floor.
I feel my body tense immediately and without thinking I pull him by the collar. My free hand edges my shirt up to expose my gun.
"Leave now. "I spit out and he catches the weapon at my waistband.
He takes a few steps back from me and flips me off before heading off with his little football gang.
I snatch my cigarettes from the ground and shove them back in my pocket just as Beto walks up.
"What was that all about?" He asks me.
"Just some punk bitch shit. Don't worry about it."
Beto laughs and we both look over as Giovanni and Anna make their daily entrance into the school.
Several students seem to back up against the lockers in fear as Giovanni passes them. The scary, mysterious Giovanni Romano always had a way to make men piss themselves and women swoon over his bad boy look.
Anna is hot on his trail and seems to be yelling at someone on her phone in Italian.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9N16yUHOsH
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"Hai 24 ore o ti tagliamo le palle!" (Translation: You've got 24 hours or we're going to cut your balls off!)
"What's going on?" I ask.
"Alejandro is fucking around, Alessio. I really hope he is legit like you said."
"He has always come through for me on time" I reply.
"He told me he'd have the money by tonight. Now I'm finding out that he only has half of our cut."
"Are you fucking serious?" I snap.
She sighs loudly, "Unfortunately."
"Well...I think your threat was justified then."
She chuckles and pulls out a cigarette.
"I'll talk to Alejandro tonight as well," Giovanni snickers and pulls his switchblade out, "Just so he really gets the message."
I laugh at him and look up towards a familiar face that appears in the crowd.
The beautiful girl from English.
Olivia Moore.
She's with three other kids from the school who I had seen around before. The Kimberly girl was known for being a bit of a flirt. She had thrown herself at me a few times but I just wasn't interested.
The short girl next to her was one I had seen before but knew nothing about. The boy with them, Austin, I knew plenty about.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrVcEMmOdji
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His dad worked for the San Diego police department and Austin himself was a bit of a bitch.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDfsFl65jSU
I could only really focus on Olivia though.
My eyes traveled up and down her womanly figure tight in her jeans and dark tank top. I watch as she tosses her head back and laughs at something before glancing over and finding me staring at her.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYJSiCGZaN8
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Her cheeks blush a bright pink and she looks down nervously.
"Alessio?" Beto snaps out.
Yes?"
"Ready to go?" He asks and follows my gaze towards Olivia.
I nod and light the cigarette that had been hanging between my lips.
"Piccolo uomo. " Giovanni teases as he walks behind Beto. (Translation: little man)
Beto mocks him and pushes his Oakley's down onto his face as the four of us climb into the car and head out onto the street.
After a few moments of driving in silence, I decided to get some detail on today's business.
"How did the shipment go today?"
Anna responds from the back, "Shockingly well. No trouble from the 12 or the San Diablo's this time."
The San Diablo's are notorious for sticking their noses where they don't belong.
They are just some random, bullshit excuse of a street gang that immediately tried to start trouble with us when they caught wind of the Sicilian mafia being in California.
Of course, they have never been a match for us.
We have several ports we control here and still back in Italy. We tend to only move quantities of guns and drugs that turn a significant profit.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHLqNtPBfm4
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If it is small, there's no point in the risk.
We move only large quantities of drugs and guns.
If it doesn't turn a significant profit, there's no point.
Our top priority tends to lie in the businesses we currently own.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAnhplGm3sC
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We try to put our money in places where cleaning the money will be the easiest, such as clubs and casinos. We own a few restaurants around the area as well.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjnAiGFuzFr
The more we have control of means our income will be higher and we can put our money into several different places if needed.
I knew exactly how the process worked and had perfected it as my art.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYwphB0EsqU
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My father, Adolfo, had stepped back from the inner workings of the organization due to his old age. He would be turning 83 later this year and he knew it was time to slow down.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡky8v6suftk
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I was ready to take over the family. I was ready to make a real name for myself.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDcRsBFxpAV
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I have to stay focused.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX1oFlbokQH
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I have to keep the end goal in sight.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc5aQRgMLVR
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I just couldn't get Olivia Moore out of my fucking head.778Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKQBYD9ko6E
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