Daughter of the Mafia

the smell of cereal and milk greeting me as I entered the kitchen. I grabbed a bowl and poured myself some Frosted Flakes, watching the sugar float on top of the milk. Simple breakfast, but enough

to make things a lit

t of the bathroom, brushing his teeth, and my mom was at the vanity, combing her long hair. They always seemed so put together, eve

ad greeted me, his voice muffle

nd giving him a quick hug. He taste

e noticed me. She wiped a strand of hair from her face and gave me a

," I said, walking up to her. I wrapped my

pressing a soft kiss to my f

ame, kissing my forehead as well. I could feel the lov

r that, so I took the elevator instead. As I waited

ost instantly:

hind the large oak tree near the fence. I always had to be careful when leaving the house-there were black cars that circled our neighborhood constantly. They weren't just passing by; they were always looking for s

e this, and it probably wouldn't be the last. After a few minutes, I saw the car turn the corner, disappearing out of sight. I gave it

me carefully as I approached

black car to pass," I said with

, shaking her head. "I swear, I

ed walking toward the school. "But you kn

the only sounds were the occasional birds chirping or the rustle of leaves in the trees. I used to love the mornings

ust another repetitive cycle. I didn't really fit in with most of them, and I didn't care to. As I walked past a group of cheerleaders, I

wung open with a familiar creak, and I grabbed my books for the day. I could feel the eyes

w them. Ashto

wanted to be caught looking at. He didn't like people staring at him-it was some weird power trip thing. No one knew why he was like that, but if you got caught looking at him for too long, you could be sure you'd regret it. The boys in his crew had been known to jump

ng. He wasn't the kind of guy to let something like th

she said, rolling her eye

tty obvious we both had been watching

with disdain. "I hate those guys. Espec

nder my breath. "I don't get w

usual sharp tone taking over. "And

h it off. I grabbed my books and shoved them into my bag before

she glared at Ashton and his crew from the corner of

hough I didn't dare look back. There was something unsettling about him, something that made the hai

ng me again. "Focus. We've

classroom when I heard the faintest sound of footsteps behind us. I turned just in time to see a shadow pass

when I turned around to look, there wa

ied, her voice low. "L

forget the unsettling feeling. But some