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fifteen

F L O R E N C E

"I have a few questions for you too."

"Okay, ask me anything." Massimo answers.

"Why did our dad kill people?" I ask, catching him off guard. I watch as he tries to find the right answer. The answer that won't hurt me. The answer that I know he doesn't want me to know.

"Who told you this?" He chooses to ask instead.

"Jake."

"Is Jake the reason why you're upset?"

I nod. He sighs running his fingers through his hair. His eyebrows are furrowed, he looks stressed. He doesn't know how to answer my question.

"I want to tell you why our father did what he did, but I'm scared." He sighs. "I'm scared that you will not trust us anymore, I'm scared that you will look at me as if I am a monster."

"I won't." It's true, I have seen enough bad stuff in my life that nothing surprises me anymore. Massimo, and the boys, they are the only people I have left. Whatever our father did, or why he killed Jakes family. No matter what, they will forever be my brothers.

"Are you sure you want to know?" He seems unsure, as if telling me this secret is worse than me being oblivious to it for the rest of my life.

"No more secrets, they are bad." Last time I had a secret, I passed out and woke up in the hospital all embarrassed. If I can be more open with them, they can be more open with me.

"You're very right," he takes an awkward sip of his milkshake before settling his eyes back on me. "Our family, we aren't what we let the average person see." He whispers while looking around to make sure no one is listening. "We have legal businesses, and illegal businesses. Honey, our dad passed on his mafia to me."

He looks at me like he just dropped a massive bomb and he's just waiting for it to explode. He's all tensed up, and ready for an uproar.

"What is a mafia?" I scrunch up my face while asking the question way too loud. I quickly get hushed by Massimo, he's cringing.

I don't understand what is bad about a mafia. I don't even know what that is. I spent majority of my life studying, with my face in science and math text books. I had no social life, or access to the TV and the media. I stayed in my room, and spent my time napping or studying.

I've never heard of a mafia before. Unless something was mentioned in my science books chances are I will not have any idea what it is.

"You don't know what it is?" His eyes widen, his lips slightly parted in shock. I scrunch my face up again not understanding all of the hullabaloo.

I instead scoop up a fry and place it in my mouth. Chomping on it while slightly bopping around. Dom says it's a happy food dance. All I know is that I have been starving all week no matter what I ate two hours prior.

"Do you want to know what it is?"

I shrug. "Are you like a drug dealer?" I remember hearing about one of those at my old school. There were a lot of drug dealers wandering around the hallways. They always looked super dope.

"Well sort of... our business is illegal. We do some bad things in our business. We do not believe in torturing or killing innocent people. Just the people that wrong us."

"Did Jakes family wrong Dad?"

"Yes, I don't know who Jake is... but if he says Dad killed his family, chances are his family crossed paths with ours." I nod understanding. He looks at me with concern. "What did this Jake guy do to you?"