My Tragic Mafia Life | ✔️

71

Josephine let the realization eat her up throughout the night. She could hardly remember what she thought about, only the feelings of self-worth and utter betrayal as she thrashed in bed. Then stilled. Then thrashed again. The cycle continued throughout the night. In the end, she had never felt more empty and alone.

She couldn't focus at school. She stared at the walls. She stared at the floor. Even when Serenity tried taking her out of the bubble she was in with a trip to the mall after school, the opportunity passed. Josephine was anchored. If anything could have distracted her, it should have been Dante. But it didn't. It only made everything worse.

So she stopped replying to Dante's texts. He knew something was wrong, as he always knew, but didn't ask why. And she couldn't tell him. Even when she caught a glimpse of him in the hallways of school, it sent her into a frenzy of dread.

School ended. She didn't care. She wouldn't have bothered but from within this drowning sensation, there was something pooling at the bottom. Something that willed her to move, willed her to find.

Houston was in the alley with other people. Students, their faces blurred. It didn't matter.

She stalked towards him, wild-eyed and angry. That urging sense to set the world on fire threatened to overcome her senses. He had lied to her. He had killed Hugo. And now Valentina was dead because of him.

Noticing, Houston cocked his head as she approached. "Wow, look who it is? Her highness has arrived."

Josephine looked to everyone else who was there. "Get out." Her voice was a sharp order.

Their stances turned uncomfortable as if the words didn't register. Houston's look grew shrewd. "What are you talking about?"

Because they didn't move, she went right up to their faces. "Get the fuck out."

Now they took steps back in unease. Knowing that what was in front of them was not a sane girl.

Houston said, "What's wrong with you?" He gave a sympathetic look to his friends. "She gets this way sometimes. Someone forgot their strawberry lipstick at—"

"Houston, you wanted me to talk to you, right?" Her breathing was uneven. "Tell them to leave or I will drag you out in front of them."

He swallowed, both confused and unsure. Then nodded towards his friends. "You heard her." And because they were hesitant to do so, he added. "We'll be fine."

They left. And Josephine was left with a howling wind inside of her as strong as a tornado.

Houston licked his lips. "What that fuck was that about? You could have just texted me if something was wrong." A pause. "Oh, right! You've been ignoring us for two months, haven't you? You think you can just walk up to me and act like everything would be the same?"

Josephine's jaw clenched. "I was right. About everything."

He said, "What are you talking about?

"You killed Hugo."

Houston stared at her as if she told him the ocean was red. He drew a short breath. "This isn't the place to talk about this." He reached for her hand.

She slashed it away with as much vicinity as she felt. "Don't you ever touch me again." The snarl tore out of her. Hostile, raw. School was safe and now she didn't want to be alone with him ever again.

Now Houston was unsure of what to say. "Listen, I don't know what's been going on, but if you're still unconvinced after everything we can go through the facts again. I'm sorry, but Valentina killed Hugo."