Cortello - D'Angelo

c h a p t e r n i n e

𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚: 𝖳𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝖻𝗈𝗈𝗄 𝖼𝗈𝗇𝗍𝖺𝗂𝗇𝗌 𝗆𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝗈𝖿 𝖽𝗋𝗎𝗀 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖺𝗅𝖼𝗈𝗁𝗈𝗅 𝖺𝖻𝗎𝗌𝖾, 𝖺𝗌𝗌𝗎𝗅𝗍, 𝗏𝗂𝗈𝗅𝖾𝗇𝖼𝖾, 𝖽𝖾𝖺𝗍𝗁 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖼𝗈𝗇𝗍𝖺𝗂𝗇𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗆𝖾𝗌 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗋𝖺𝖼𝗍𝖾𝗋𝗌 𝗂𝗇 𝖺𝗌𝗌𝗈𝖼𝗂𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝖫𝖦𝖡𝖳𝖰𝖨𝖠+ 𝖢𝗈𝗆𝗆𝗎𝗇𝗂𝗍𝗒. 𝖨𝖿 𝖺𝗇𝗒 𝗈𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗌𝖾 𝗌𝗁𝗈𝗎𝗅𝖽 𝖻𝖾 𝗍𝗋𝗂𝗀𝗀𝖾𝗋𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗈𝗋 𝖽𝗈 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝖽𝗈 𝗇𝗈𝗍 𝖺𝗀𝗋𝖾𝖾 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗆, 𝖨 𝗐𝗈𝗎𝗅𝖽 𝖺𝖽𝗏𝗂𝗌𝖾 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗍𝗈 𝗌𝗍𝗈𝗉 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽𝗂𝗇𝗀.

𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘕𝘪𝘯𝘦 - 𝘉𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘯

adrian

The car ride was awkwardly silent. I was constantly fidgeting in my seat, twiddling my thumbs and tapping my legs up and down. I was nervous. Every few minutes, Ryder or Elijah would give me warning looks in the rear-view mirror and I would stop fidgeting for five minutes before I'd start all over again.

Both of them hadn't said a word to me since I got into the car and I'm guessing it's because Avery, Blake, Kaden and Hayes told them what I said to Kaden this morning.

The worst possible thoughts were floating around in my head and I couldn't stop them. Are my brothers planning on sending me away? Are they going to ditch me again? I don't think I would be able to handle it they sent me away. If my own family would send me away, my brothers, who I haven't seen in twelve years. Would they send me away after not having seen me in twelve years? After they left me for twelve years.

The ride home seemed to be taking forever. When we finally reached the black gate with the initials C - D on the front of the gate, my fear, my anger, my hurt, all of it was bubbling over.

I was scared, nay terrified, that my brothers were going to send me away. I was angry at them for leaving me in the first place, I was angry at them for talking about me like I was burden to them, I was angry that they didn't want anyone at school knowing they're my brothers. I was hurt that they left in the first place, hurt that they left me with my abusive dad and the demons roaming around inside my mind, I was hurt that they thought of me as a burden, as a little orphan girl kissing ass so my brothers, me legal guardians, wouldn't send me away, I was hurt that they were ashamed of me, that they didn't want anyone at school knowing we're related. In the end, the hurt, the emotional pain I was feeling over-powered every other emotion I was feeling. It was clawing at me, wanting me to explode. Want me to let go and let everyone know what I was feeling, but I couldn't. It didn't deserve my tears. It wasn't worth the pain I was feeling.

I swallowed the lump I was feeling in my throat, blinking my tears away. My eyes were still red, my cheeks still flushed and my throat still felt constricted so I focused all of that on something else.

Anger.

They said I don't belong here. They called me a little girl. They said there was no place for me here. They called me a little orphan girl kissing ass so I wouldn't get sent away. They told me to pretend I don't know who they are. They made a tear slip past my eyes and roll down my cheek. They made me fear them. They were controlling me. They were no better than my dad.

I followed behind Elijah and Ryder into the house. Elijah opened the door and the three of us stepped in.

"Go to your room. We'll call you down when Darius and Luciano are back home." Ryder's voice was more emotionless than I have ever heard. It was scarily calm like Darius. He was being like Darius. He was hiding how he felt.