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"Dinner is gonna be fun,"
"Aw, you'll be okay," Damon came around and sat next to me, slinging his arm around me. He kissed my cheek and when I looked up he had the slightest hint of a smirk while staring at my brother's table.
It really alarmed me the thrill he got by pissing my family off.
"Stop it," I smacked his arm.
"What? What are they gonna do?" I glanced back and Melvin looked about ready to jump up. Surprisingly Marcus was not the one who tamed Melvin.
Theo, dressed in all black, hair slicked back, wearing a cross chain around his neck, lifted his hand and stopped Melvin. It was beginning, the shift in power.
Marcus never wanted the responsibility, our time without our brothers proved as much. Theo's arrival took the burden off his shoulders. It had been an appropriate amount of time for them to start staking their status in the Family.
"Oh god," I breathed.
"What?" Lexi asked, eyes glued to the table as well, locked with Melvins.
"Nothing," I cleard my throat. That information was of no use.
The weird power struggles plaguing my family were of no interest or importance to anyone else.
"Definitely something," Damon breathed in my ear.
"Dumb family stuff," I brushed it off.
The bell rang and i packed up my stuff. The glares of my brothers were almost unbearable, I was happy to get out of there, I didn't want to sit in a car with them, the silence would kill me.
We walked towards my fifth period, the door was closed, so a swarm of us stood in front of the door waiting for the teacher to grace us with their presence.
"Who's that?" A girl whispered. Her tone was hushed but curious. I looked up to see Theo walking towards me with Melvin following slightly behind.
"He's a new Tonelli," Another voice whispered back,
My heart dropped to my stomach, their target was clear, there was no one else of interest in this class. I tried backing into a clump of people close to the wall to avoid being seen. Unfortunately I had been spotted. The clump wordlessly separated, leaving me exposed. Upon seeing me Melvin and Theo stopped.
Theo advanced and left Melvin behind.
Coward! I thought. Having Theo do his dirty work, Melvin was aware I wouldn't be able to talk back to my cousin, we weren't close enough for me to be able to say anything I wanted or yell at him.
My cousin came towards me with a look of disappointment I knew all too well.
"Lydia."
"Theo."
"Ti manca sempre il pranzo con la vostra famiglia?" Do you often skip lunch with your family? He asked.
"N-no," I stuttered.
"Mm," He rubbed his chin, "And today?" He switched to heavily accented english.
"I was upset with Melvin and Marcus," I tried to keep my voice steady despite my cousin's intimidating figure towering over me.
"You sit with someone who is not your family, because you are upset? Tonelli's do not do these things," He took a step forward, standing less than a foot in front of me. I stood up straighter and raised my chin, I would not be intimidated, my stubbornness allowed me at least that.
