Borgata - Book II #wattys2016

Chapter 35: His Equal

 CIAO, BABY PIRATES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

HAHAHAHAHAHA WOW IT HAS BEEN A MINUTE (It's been 75 years meme)

THOU CREATOR HATH brought you a SPICY A-meATBALL for being patient!! 

You're not dreaming. This is your life now.

I slipped on leggings, sneakers, and a sweatshirt and we left the Vitali estate before the sun even woke up. Hulk hauled my luggage out of my room and carried both my giant suitcases down the grand stairs.

"What did you pack in here?" he complained. "Dumbbells?"

"All the essentials."

"Same," Ben chimed in, stepping past us with only a small gym bag strapped to his back. "A change of underwear and a box of extra-large condoms for all the Gina's I'll be fucking in Italy." Smirking, he propped a hip on the front door and ushered us out like a butler. "Queen and Hulk, your cart awaits you."

I rolled my eyes and smooshed Ben's face with my hand was I strut past him.

Being away from the estate felt strange, like I was entering a different reality. Must have been because Fucko kept me entombed in his mansion for so long. Healthy. In the limo, Hulk and Ben both played a car racing on their phones, and Fico was nowhere to be seen which made the car ride a total snore. When we arrived at a private airport, there were three jets lined up with men in suits boarding. I was surprised to discover the jet I was taking was the size of Air Force One.

"Take a seat somewhere in the back," said Hulk, as I boarded. I'd never been on a plane before, but this was incredible. It was split into two parts, divided by a curtain. Realizing I was about to be thousands of feet in the air, I felt my stomach drop as I took my seat at the far back of the plane, alone.

"First time flying?" Ben asked, parting the curtain and slumping in the seat beside me. He took out an brightly colored bag and popped a few Takis chips into his mouth.

"First time anything, besides being on the ground," I said, nervously checking my seatbelt and the window again.

"Really?" He crunched on another Taki. "Not even a roller coaster?"

I shook my head. Kids who grew up like me didn't have the luxury of going to an amusement park, let alone a guaranteed meal at home.

"It's a piece of cake, you'll see," Ben said. "Once you get over a twenty-thousand feet in the air and you're just gliding." He glided his hand outward as emphasis. "We'll be there before you know it."

Twenty thousand feet?! "How long are we going to be on this plane exactly?"

"About nine hours," Ben said.

My eyes widened and threatened to pop out of my skull. "Nine hours of this shit? No, thanks. I'm out."

"Too late now, sunshine." Ben started to laugh, and then reached up to push a button on the ceiling for a drop down television. "Let me get a movie on for you. You know, one time, someone fucked Fico over really bad, right? So we took that guy out for a little fly on this very jet and showed him what it feels like to skydive without a–"

"Is this you being productive, Benjamin?" Fico's chimed in, slamming the television shut. He looked like a pleasant nightmare in another all black suit, and I came to life. Startled by his voice, Ben leapt back and banged his head against the window, choking a little on a chip. "You're supposed to be working on the assignment I gave you."

"Oh, shit," Ben wheezed, hiding the bag of Doritos behind his back. "I'm so sorry, sir. I was just having a snack."

Fico's jaw ticked and Ben rushed to add on. "They're called Doritos. Food, sir."