The Mafia Brothers

Chapter 3-Back to Basics

I kept thinking about Sean all day and wondered why he seemed so mysterious.

Being lost in my thoughts, I didn't realize when my dad yelled dinner was ready.

Seconds later, my sister waved her hand in my face, trying to revert my attention to her.

"What?" I looked confused.

"We're done cleaning the house, so let's go eat. And what were you thinking about?" She giggled, placing her cleaning utensils away, and I did the same.

"Nothing, just nervous about school tomorrow," I told half the truth since the last thing I wanted to say to her was that I liked a guy so she could tease me about it for the rest of the week.

That annoying habit of hers was why I kept most things to myself, especially when she didn't know how to keep a secret.

"I'm sure things will be fine. And maybe you can meet a hot guy to befriend," She teased, which made me roll my eyes at her, annoyed.

"I think I'm fine being single since boys are always trouble," I sighed. I was glad she didn't know about my run-in with Sean the other day.

"Yeah, most are, but you have to date smart to find the good ones," She led the way toward the kitchen while I followed her.

"Whatever, "I mumbled as she laughed, knowing she was right.

Soon, we met our dad, who already set our meals on the table as he eagerly ate some of his.

I felt weary at the thought of what the meal could be since my dad was a mediocre cook.

My mom wasn't with us yet since she was busy shopping for groceries and house supplies to stock up on the items we needed for the week.

"Do you guys want me to ride you to school tomorrow?" Dad asked when we sat down to eat.

"No, we're fine since after dinner. I plan on picking up the car from the auto shop," I reminded him, relieved that he no longer dropped us off at school.

Being in the car with him for just five minutes would drive anyone crazy since he always wanted to tell boring stories about his college and just give a long lecture on random stuff. I rolled my eyes at the thought.

This past weekend, before school started, my dad got my sister and me a brand-new Toyota Camry, which was detailed and clean when we brought it.

But sadly, because Sophia was a reckless driver, she drove it into some random neighbor's mailbox and damaged the front a bit.

After a long lecture from my dad about us both needing to be more responsible, he paid for the car damage.

I was confused about why I would get a lecture since I was already the responsible sister who made intelligent choices and always drove safely.

However, my sister was the one to pile up car tickets for my parents to pay and drove while texting, sometimes even on the highway!

I did not mind sharing a car with my sister since we did not do anything besides go to similar places together, like school or the mall or hanging out with our school friends after school, but I would be the designated driver behind the wheel.

"Well, that's good to know, and please, Sophia, I suggest that you let Chloe drive for now until you complete your driving school course again," He advised earnestly.

"Driving school? I don't need more driving lessons since that time was three days' worth of practicing," She rolled her eyes with attitude.

"Yeah, you say that now, but that mailbox could have been a random human being you injured. And even worse, they could have been on life support if the accident were a serious one. So I truly do mean you retake some driving lessons...." He said, wearily as if he was tired of her protests against driving school again.

I chuckled a bit, and Sophia threw daggers at me with her eyes.

We both knew she struggled to pass driving school to the point where this would be her fourth time retaking the course.

I did not understand how she passed the third time since she was a horrible driver, but I guessed luck was on her side that day she was given her license.

"But-"

"No buts, so this weekend it will be the first day for you to start your driving school course, which is not cheap to pay for," He said thoughtfully.

"Fine, but if I fail again, then it's not my fault," She replied when he gave her the warning look.

Suddenly, my mom walked in on us having dinner, and her facial expression looked unsettled when she noticed the slight tension between my dad and Sophia.

"What's going on here?" She asked with her mom's spidey senses acting up.

She wore a blue cashmere sweater and jeans with her tied up in a bun.

My mom used to model for small gigs during her early years but did not pursue it once she and my dad were in a serious relationship.

Once she got pregnant with me, she decided to be a stay-at-home mom and raise Sophia and me as she gave us her unprovided love, care, and attention.

It was also during that time when my mom was pregnant with me, and my dad was going through a divorce with Sophia's mom, Maria.

For long months, he was fighting to have legal sole custody of raising Sophia since Maria was both financially and mentally unstable in raising a child.

Sophia and my mom grew highly close over the years, and my mom treated us both equally.

However, Sophia had a strained relationship with Maria since, in the past, she tried to mend their relationship plenty of times, but Maria disappointed her.

This led her to stay away from Maria since she seemed too busy for her due to moving on with another man and even having more kids.

Thus, my mom informed us of the unsettling news of Maria marrying into a new family when she ran into her many years ago.

But whether Maria was an unfit parent or not, my sister already had us by her side.

"Oh, nothing, dear, just reminding Sophia about her driving course this weekend, which I will ensure that she attends and learns a lot from," He smiled at her, and she returned it.

"Well, that's good to know, and shouldn't the car be ready by today?" She asked as she checked her watch.

"Yeah, I was planning on going after I ate, and I just finished eating," I chuckled a bit as I looked down on my plate.

Even though I barely ate my meal, it was due to the horrible taste of my dad's horrendous meatloaf meal.

I preferred eating my mom's meals since at least she knew how to cook better.

"Well, if you want, I can drop you off at the auto shop," Mom suggested nicely.

"No, it's fine, Mom, you can rest. I just looked up the auto shop location on Google Maps, and it's like 15 minutes away with walking, so I'll be fine," I told her as I got up to walk to the coat rack, grabbed my jacket, and placed it on.

"Are you sure, honey?!" She called out from the kitchen.

"Yes," I said, quickly slipping out of the house so my mom would not forcefully drive me there.

I wanted to get some fresh air and enjoy the weather, which was a windy afternoon.

While on my way to the auto shop, I couldn't help but think of Sean, the hot guy I met earlier. Just from chatting a bit with him, I knew there was a high chance that he would be in trouble.

Either way, I was a highly driven and motivated senior who needed to avoid trouble since I had high hopes of attending an Ivy League college next year.

Indeed, I didn't have time for distractions, and bad boys like Sean were precisely that.

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