Page 6 of Marcello DeLuca

“I’ll be back tomorrow. So, yeah,” she agreed, and with that, she turned and walked to her car, leaving me standing there feeling lost without her already.

I watched as she hurried to the Chevy, her uncle’s gaze never leaving me and mine never leaving Lanay. She opened the door and slipped inside, giving me a quick, apologetic smile before they drove off. I stood there, the noise of the street fading into the background as I replayed the encounter in my mind.

I didn’t know the complicated girl who flinched at the mention of family, but I knew she was worth every bit of persistence that led up to the moment I introduced myself to her. And that included receiving a glare of insanity from her uncle.

As I watched the Chevy disappear around the corner, I knew one thing for certain: I had to find a way to make her mine.

I didn’t notice Altoni, E-Smooth, and Romeo approaching until they were almost on top of me.

“Yo, Marcello!” Altoni’s voice snapped me out of my reverie.

I turn to see him grinning broadly, with E-Smooth and Romeo right behind him.

Altoni, always the joker, nudged E-Smooth and pointed a thumb in my direction. “Looks like someone’s got a crush on the theater girl.”

E-Smooth laughed, his deep voice rumbling as he folded his arms. “Man, you should’ve seen your face when she walked off. Like a kid who just dropped his ice cream.”

“Ha, yeah!” Romeo chimed in, his tone light and teasing. “We were just talking about it. Never seen you so shook over a girl, Marcello. What’s her name again?”

I shook my head at their banter. “You guys are hilarious. And my girl’s name is none of your business.”

“None of our business, huh?” Romeo raised an eyebrow, his grin widening. “Unless we decide to make her our business. You know, with a little friendly competition.”

I scowled. “Yeah, we could have a friendly competition over her. If you’re ready for your life to end, that is.”

“Oh, damn, DeLuca is serious,” E-Smooth joked, clapping me on the shoulder. “Don’t wanna mess with a man’s girl when he’s like this. She’s got him twisted already.”

Romeo chuckled, his eyes glinting mischievously. “Yeah, Marcello. I was just messing with you. We’re players out here in these streets. You’re supposed to be the one doing the head-turning, not the other way around.”

I laughed off their jokes, but I was serious when I said, “Don’t worry about me. I know what I’m doing. And as long as no one gets in my way, joking or not, there will be no problem.”

Altoni shook his head, still chuckling. “Alright, lover boy. Just make sure you remember who you are. Don’t go soft on us.”

“Never that,” I assured him, my voice firm. “But trust me, this one... she’s the one.”

The teasing continued for a few more moments before the conversation shifted to our master plan to become self-made millionaires after graduation. Since my father had the know-how of the luxury car business, starting a dealership was high on the list.

But even as we talked business, my thoughts kept drifting back to Lanay. I’d never been one to believe in love at first sight, but after meeting her, I was starting to wonder if maybe, just maybe, it was real.

Chapter Three

Safia

Survivor’s Remorse

“Boom!”

Every morning, I was thrust out of a bad dream at the same time. The dream always started the same way, with the soft hum of a normal day.

I see my father at the kitchen table, his eyes glued to the screen of his laptop, fingers moving swiftly across his keyboard. My mother is at the other end of the table urging him to leave his work at home. Stephanie beams with anticipation of finishing breakfast so we could leave our home in Auburn to travel to Destin. The dream feels painfully familiar and hauntingly serene.

Then, the dream shifts. We arrive in Destin and my father makes an unplanned stop in a beautiful, newly developed part of Destin. My mom, sister and I go inside a market. My dad, preoccupied by a phone call, stays by the car.

I run into Lucy, feeling a rush of joy at seeing her. We hug and start catching up. Lucy and I trail behind my mom and sister, still talking and laughing. We stand by the door, watching as everyone gets into the car.

After saying my goodbyes, I take one step toward my family, who are all sitting in the car, waiting for me. I notice an SUV creeping by before it speeds off. Then, the sound hits me—the deafening roar of an explosion.

I see the car engulfed in flames, the force of it throwing me to the ground. I scramble to my feet, my heart pounding in my chest. “Mom! Dad! Stephanie!” I cry, my voice lost in the panic around me.

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