Mafia Runner

Chapter Nine

9.

I tugged at the forest-green gown, bored out of my mind as I listened to the principal drown on and on about the future of the students and the fantastic improvements we release in the world. I entertained myself by watching the guests daze off with glassy, unfocused stares or succumb to disrespect by playing with their phones.

I personally thought graduation would be a bit more exciting than this.

Tony was sitting in the back, our last names clashing on opposite ends of the alphabet. Still, he was in the prime position that every time I glanced back, he made a face.

The administrative staff were eyeing the students with hawk-like focus. They were all but circling, making note of the students who misbehaved and caused disruption. And if they found students who did misbehave, they would do the unthinkable and withhold their diploma.

I shuddered at the thought.

I couldn't imagine having to repeat a year. Although, I don't think I would mind sitting on these bleachers for the rest of the night. After the ceremony was over, my parents were throwing me a graduation party back home. But the prospect of a party wasn't the worst of it. My relatives were coming.

Italians seemed to have a lot of children, or, at least in my case they did. All my grandparents had at least four children, and in turn, they had children. All bred with the dark hair, dark eyes, and olive skin of the Conti family gene pool. If I felt out of place with my own family, I definitely wouldn't feel comfortable with my cousins, uncles, and third cousins crowding my backyard.

Thinking of Italians had my thoughts turning to Lucian.

I hadn't seen Lucian for a week. The distance and radio silence bothered me a bit, but then I remembered we weren't really... friends or... whatever he'd like to call us. We kissed once and then Lucian was absent for days without a word. Not that the kiss meant anything to him.

Or to me.

Hell, I wasn't even good at lying to myself.

The kiss was incredible and Lucian was... something else. He made me feel both comfortable and anxious at the same time. Regardless, the whole situation conflicted me.

A few days ago, I had reluctantly come to terms that I was attracted to men, Lucian in particular. That realization hadn't sat well with me. I didn't know if I wanted to be in that sort of relationship with Lucian despite the man's clear intentions of making us a—a thing.

Could I accept a relationship with an underboss? Someone who was gone several days at a time doing god knows what? It may have been selfish on my part, but I wasn't going to stand around and wait for Lucian. I wanted someone that was there and available, someone I wasn't worried about constantly.

I bit the inside of my cheek. My thoughts brought me to my college dilemma. The deadline choosing between Harvard or UCLA was steadily approaching. And unlike earlier in the year, when I was all for UCLA, I was starting to doubt my decision. Harvard was starting to sound just as appealing.

I was completely torn.

I didn't want to leave Tony or Emily. And although Nick seemed like a stranger to me now, I was having trouble imagining not seeing him for a whole year. And my parents. Ever since Lucian had a 'talk' with my father, both my parents were extracting more effort in being involved with my life instead of dictating it.

When Marcello got his job back at his law firm, there were occasions he watched me pensively, undoubtedly trying to understand the sway I had over the mafia underboss.