Page 26 of Matteo
“Would you prefer I throw a fit?” I asked.
“No, of course not,” Mom chimed in. “I’m just worried about you.”
“Besides, throwing fits is my job,” Hannah reminded them. We had just finished our breakfast with the Vitales when they excused themselves. I had to resist rolling my eyes at the blatant look ofYou might want to clear the room while we break it to herthat my parents gave the Vitales.
“I knew this was coming, so let’s just end this conversation, get my Jeep, and then get to D’Arc so I can focus on my studies.”
The boys turned to our father. “Don’t worry, Dad. We’ll keep them safe.”
Unfortunately, they meant it too. They were four years younger than Hannah and me and two years older than Gianna, but they had always acted like they had authority over all of us. They could be overbearing—especially since Gianna’s kidnapping—but they meant well.
That was partly the reason I worked so hard to get away from D’Arc and insisted on transferring to Yale to finish the last year of my master’s degree.Way to fail less than a month in, Arianna.
“I’m happy I’ll have you closer,” Gianna murmured, taking my hand under the table and squeezing it gently. “I didn’t like beginning college without you. And yes, I know. I’m a big girl, especially starting college a whole year later than most of the kids.”
Guilt pierced my chest. She believed I was her hero when in reality I was anything but.
“Thanks, Gianna.”
I couldn’t help but notice that our parents struggled to let her go. What happened to her had left a mark on all of us, but with our guidance, she was eventually able to break down their protective walls.
“It’s the parents’ job to protect their children,” Dad reasoned, putting his big hand over Mom’s in an effort to ease his own worries. “And that will never stop, regardless of how old you are.”
“That’s right. And Cassius and I are here to help,” my brother declared, puffing out his chest. When Hannah rolled her eyes, he added, “Yale sucks anyway.” As heirs to Dad’s mafia empire, he and our other brother rarely stepped out of line. Either that or they never got caught, unlike Hannah and me. “You can study stars anywhere, and trust me, they’re the same at Jean D’Arc.”
I pushed my chair back and stood up. “Well, let’s not waste any time, then. I’ll have to find a room at D’Arc and start unpacking.”
Dad’s hawk-like gaze slid over my face, scrutinizing my expression—or lack thereof.
He got to his feet too and ruffled my hair, a warm smile grazing his lips. “You make us so proud, Arianna.”
I snorted. “You won’t be saying that for long. You know how Hannah and I can be when we’re together. We’ll probably end up in jail.”
Dad laughed. “And I’ll be there to bail you both out.”
The door shut behind my parents and I exhaled, slumping back against the bunk beds of our little corner in this large dorm suite. I shared a glance with Francesca. Since the two of us had the brilliant idea to relocate to Yale, we’d lost our old rooms, but thankfully not our places in this suite.
There was a huge shared living space, a kitchen, and bathrooms to afford each of us space and privacy when we needed it. And needed it was—that many girls in one space was chaos on cocaine.
“I thought your parents would never leave,” Francesca muttered.
“It’s going to be crowded,” I remarked, looking around the suite. When Francesca and I left for Yale, our space was assigned to Gianna and Anya Santos. With the two of us back, and only one bedroom to spare, D’Arc had to improvise. Since Francesca and I shared a bedroom at Yale, we said we could make do with one room and the bunk beds.
“At least we get along with the girls.” It was in the same compound we shared last year with my sister Hannah, my cousin Penelope DiMauro, Skye Leone, Amara Brennan, and Anya Santos. Our families went to great lengths to keep us together with the girls we’d grown close to over the years.
“Yeah, but let’s enjoy this quiet because it will be the last of it for a while.” The girls were either in their respective classes or, if they gave the summer semester a miss, they were probably at some social event or another and would be back in a few hours. “Let’s unpack our shit.”
An hour later, our new—or rather old—roommates began trickling in like a pack of kittens.
The first to appear were my cousin Penelope DiMauro and Skye.
“Welcome back.” Penelope ran over to me and hugged me. “We missed you.”
I grinned. “We’ve been gone barely a month.”
“A month too long,” Skye signed. She was deaf but was proficient at reading lips for the most part and had been part of the gang from the day we all met. Every one of the girls in the dorm had been learning to sign in hopes of communicating on her terms. It had always been important to the rest of us that she felt included. “Welcome back, Francesca and Arianna.”
“Did you two meet any hot boys while at Yale?”
