- A m a r a R u s s o -
I stared at Salvatore, blinking at him with an incredulous expression.
Did he just ask what I think he asked?
"So..." he trailed off awkwardly. "Are you?"
Without my consent, my cheeks flushed red, and I found myself trying to look away from his piercing steel-blue eyes.
"Uhh," I cleared my throat, not understanding why we were talking about this.
"Look, it's fine if you are." he sighed. "I just need to know."
I couldn't help myself. "Why?" I blurted.
"Because this is in regards to your health." he said simply. "Anything related to your health, I need to know."
"Why?"
"Because I need to make sure that you don't die on me."
It wasn't lost on me that Salvatore used the word 'need' instead of 'want', almost as if without the information, he might go insane from worry.
But, I'm not going to die from this. Or at least, I'm pretty sure I won't. I never listened in health class, so... You get the idea.
I let out sigh, the familiar feeling of my heart tugging in my chest overwhelming me
"Fine. Yeah, I'm on my period." I admitted through puffed cheeks. I felt my face flame, the heat radiating out of my cheeks.
"Why didn't you tell me?" he frowned, and I felt my voice get stuck in my throat as I tried to look for an answer.
"Uh, well, you see," I stammered, racking my brain for some type of explanation that would seem realistic.
He raised a brow, patiently waiting for an answer.
I swear, why did he have to do this when I just woke up. Fuck my life.
"Well, first of all, just talking about it to you guys... It's weird." I started, my eyes flitting around the room nervously as I bit my lip subconsciously.
"And?" he prompted.
"Uh, so like." I gulped, his presence washing over me in waves and causing me to go into a nervous breakdown. "And like, you weren't here in the morning, so I couldn't have told you."
"Well why didn't you tell Salvestro?" he questioned. "You know he's a doctor, even if he's still in training. And even so, he could've helped you."
"It's awkward." I replied, shrugging my shoulders. "And imagine what Sandeo, never mind the twins, would do if I told them."
I shuddered just at the thought, and Salvatore seemed to be thinking the same thing as me as he silently agreed with my thoughts.
"Yeah, I can see why you didn't ask them for help." he nodded. "But why not Salvestro?"
"I mean, it's just that he's a guy." I mumbled. "And since he doesn't y'know, deal with the same thing as me, I thought that it'd be better if I asked Stella for help."
Salvatore nodded slowly, kind of understanding where I'm coming from. However, he still had a confused look on his face, which led me to heaving out a breath.
"It's just weird, talking about your period to guys, especially to your own brothers." I tried to explain, and although Salvatore still seemed utterly lost, he accepted my answer nonetheless.
Thank God for small mercies.
"Okay..." he said slowly, "But I still don't understand."
Never mind.
I swear, my brothers are so nosy. Not that I'm not as well.
~
"I never thought that periods would be this painful." I groaned, facing Ophelia with a pained look on my face. "I don't want this."
It's been a few days, and at the moment, I was hanging out in her room, holding my lower abdomen.
"You can say that again." Ophelia agreed. "I'm sure none of us want periods."
"Definitely." I muttered, shaking my head. "Why do we go through this again?"
"Because we give birth to kids." she answered simply, letting out a sigh of annoyance.
"Why do we even give birth to kids though?" I asked, already knowing the answer.
I just wanted her to tell me differently to make me feel better. Is that bad?
"No idea." she told me, doing exactly what I wanted her to do.
"This sucks." I mumbled. "And I'm bored."
"Well I'm going to go make dinner in a few minutes." she said out loud. "You can join if you want."
"When do periods end?" I asked instead.
"Usually takes about three to seven days." she shrugged.
"So I technically don't even need to have it anymore." I stated.
"No, it varies depending on the girl." she sighed. "I have it for four days, and from what I'm seeing, your period is going to last for last least six days. It seems like you are heavy."
"That sucks."
She nodded empathetically. "It truly does." she commented as if it helped. "I'm going to go now. Wanna come?"
"Sure." I grumbled. "Why not. It's not like it would hurt."
"Great!" she exclaimed. "Then let's go."
With that, she was dragging my fourteen year-old body towards the kitchen, her rambling on and on about what she was going to cook for us today.
"You do know it's only five in the evening, right?" I raised a brow, and she gave me a nod.
"Don't worry." she assured. "I know. I just need to start preparing. Prepping takes up the longest amount of time as you have to wash the food, cut them, marinate the meat if needed, get out the ingredients, and more." she explained while towing me to the kitchen.
"It's also probably the most crucial step when cooking." she continued, "If you don't have the ingredients prepared, how are you going to cook? You can't expect me to cook a full cow, can you?"
"So is this 'prepping' the most important part of cooking?" I questioned, genuinely curious.
She shook her head. "No, all steps are as equally important as the other, but... How do I explain this?" she muttered to herself.
I waited patiently for an answer even as my feet stumbled over one another.
"Alright. So, prepping for the meal you are about to serve takes the longest amount of time. If we prepare the ingredients ahead of time, it will help us speed up the process when we start making the actual food."
She looked at me, raising a brow, silently asking me if I understand. I gave a nod.
"Furthermore, it makes it easier for us to cook because you already have the ingredients ready. Makes the process so much faster, and helps keep the food warm." she added. "The entire preparation process takes about an hour for your family cause I do it myself. Stella helps out from time to time."
"Oh."
"Yep." she nodded. "Lots of work, but it's fun."
"It's fun?" I repeated incredulously. "Cutting things for an hour everyday is fun, to you?"
She tilted her head to the side. "Now that you mention it, not really. But with hard work comes reward, right?"
I didn't necessarily have an answer to her question, so I opted to stay silent.
"Anyways, wanna help me cut and prep?" she asked me.
I frowned. "I have no idea how to handle a knife."
"Well, it's never too late to start." she winked.
~
"Don't cut your finger." she ordered. "I'm gonna get killed if you get hurt."
"Well you are the one who asked me to help you." I retorted, equally as frustrated as she was.
At the moment, she was trying to teach me how to handle a knife while she chopped her onions without a care in the world. Her focus was solely on me while her hands did the cutting for her, making me more concerned for her fingers than my own.
Whereas I had two eyes on my own hands, she had none.
"Why don't you pay attention to your own cutting." I suggested.
She shrugged. "I'm fine. I'm more concerned for your fingers than my own. I have much more experience, while you have little to none."
Not going to lie, that hurt my pride even if it were true facts. I did have little to no experience with kitchen knives and how to cut vegetables. Hint hint, wink wink, nudge nudge.
"Yeah." I muttered. "But you staring at me like that is making me feel self-conscious."
"Really?" she asked, incredulity filled in her tone. "How?"
"You do know that having a chef breathe down your back-"
"I'm not behind you."
"-and watch you try to handle a knife is scary, right?" I continued, pretending like I wasn't interrupted in the first place.
"It's not supposed to be." she frowned.
"Oh, well is watching me handle a knife fun?" I asked, raising a questioning brow.
She grinned. "Yep." she nodded. "You should definitely come here more often. I'll teach you how to use one of these."
She motioned for me to come over, a wicked smirk on her face even as her face brightened up with barely restrained excitement.
Hesitantly, I set down the things I was holding and walked over to her.
"What?" I asked.
She shook her head, pulling out a drawer.
My own eyes widened at what I saw.
In that one wooden drawer lay many, and I mean many different knives.
"What the hell?" I exclaimed, stumbling back in shock.
"Cool, right?" she giggled, picking up one of the larger, rectangular shaped ones. "This one is used for cutting meat with bone in it. This one," she picked up a thinner blade from the pile with her other hand. "Is used for cutting fish."
"What's the difference." I deadpanned, literally trembling in my undies. "They're all knives. Can't you just like, have one?"
"Well unless you want to have meat taste in your vegetables." she shrugged.
"Then two knives then."
"Each and every blade has its own purpose." she told me. "The blade is designed differently because its purpose is different when used in the kitchen."
"Oh."
"Yep."
"That's... Cool?" I said, my voice raising higher in the end.
She shook her head, a grin on her face. "You have no interest in this, do you."
I grimaced, a sheepish expression on my face. "Uh, would it be bad if I said yeah?"
"Not really." she shrugged. "It's an opinion, nothing to be angry about."
I nodded, the slight tension in my shoulders relaxing as I went back to my cutting board, continuing the tedious process of cutting chicken into perfect, cube sizes.
Five minutes later, I was still trying to measure out the size of each cube when Ophelia came over to me.
"What's taking you so long?" she questioned, looking over my shoulders.
"It's the stupid chicken." I grumbled, frustration leaking in my tone. "It's so hard to cut."
"Chicken isn't hard to cut though." she said, brows furrowed in confusion.
"That's easy for you to say." I retorted. "You've been cutting things since you were what. Three?"
"Four and a half." she corrected, a small smile on her face. "It's been a couple of years."
"A couple?" I repeated, raising a brow.
"Fine. It's been loads of years." she admitted, a cheeky grin on her cheeks. "And start cutting. I want to see how you are cutting the chicken."
"Why?" I demanded, feeling extremely self-conscious.
Not going to lie, having an experienced chef breathe down your back is extremely nerve-wracking, especially if you have no clue as to what you are doing.
"I just want to see how you are doing." she replied simply. "To see what's taking so long."
I nodded slowly, my shaky hands gripping the knife harder than necessary.
This is more stressful than school, I swear.
Trying my best, I slid the knife over the piece of meat, trying to make the slices as equal in size as possible even if it was near impossible.
"Okay, Amara." she chuckled. "The cubes don't have to be perfect, y'know? Just because I said that they have to be similar in size does not mean they have to be perfectly aligned with each other."
"Well I can't help it." I defended. "I have an eye for detail."
"I can tell." she stated, giving a pointed look at my perfectly cut and chopped chicken laying in a bowl just a few inches away from the cutting board. "It's probably your art side showing."
"What's that supposed to mean?" I pouted as she took the blade from my hand, doing the chopping by herself.
"Go wash your hands." she ordered, completely ignoring my question. "We're going to do something else now."
"Like what?"
"More prepping." she winked, flashing me a toothy smile.
I literally groaned out loud.
"Can I quit?" I asked out loud. "I don't want to do this."
"Well, technically you don't have to." she hummed. "But do it for your best friend." she pouted.
I didn't answer her, going to the sink to wash my hands to get rid of the smell of fresh and raw chicken.
Ophelia was definitely not my best friend. I didn't have one. But if things continue the way it has, I had no doubt that she'd definitely become one soon.
~
I sat at the dinner table, taking in spoonfuls of the baked macaroni that I made with the help of Ophelia.
Oh, who was I kidding?
She was the one who made it. I just spectated and helped spread out the cheese where she told me to do so.
"Did you make this?" Sandeo asked through a mouthful of food, causing Salvestro to slap him upside the head.
"Where are your manners." he scolded, "Imagine if Salvatore were here right now. You would not be speaking like this."
"Salvatore's never here." shrugged Sandeo. "It doesn't really matter."
"He's not here because he's trying to provide for the entire family. Don't think like that." retorted Salvestro. "Remember, I'm not working."
"You don't?"
"I'm still in medical school, Bambina." he chuckled. "It takes years to become a doctor, and I'm only in the starting process."
"But then when you said you go to work..." I trailed off, my voice expressing my befuddlement.
"I did go to work. And I did work in hospitals." he nodded. "But I barely get a paying job there. I quit a week ago, and I'm now unemployed."
"You technically can work for Salvatore, can't you?" Santino questioned, a look of confusion placed on his face.
"Nope." Salvestro shook his head. "We may be brothers, Santino, but our majors are completely different. I may have experience in the field of business because of our other profession, but I can't just work for Salvatore. Not without a degree, that is."
"But if Salvatore were to die-"
"Then I would take the position as Boss and give up my path on becoming a doctor." admitted Salvestro, interrupting Salvino's question.
"But you can't work for him." I stated incredulously.
Salvestro chuckled. "Don't worry too much. It's way too complicated as there are too many rules to explain right now."
I looked down at my lap, trying my best to not think about it. "So," I licked my lips. "You're still in medical school? Then how did you even find work?"
"Good question." he nodded. "I have no idea."
This is so confusing.
"Look, I technically don't have a licence yet, which is why I technically can't work in hospitals." he explained. "But I was able to get a job for some unknown reason."
"Did Salvatore bribe them?" Salvino questioned, and Salvestro blinked at him, before erupting into laughter.
"No way." he laughed. "Salvatore wouldn't do that. You know why?"
"Why."
"Because he wants all of us to work for what we want." he sighed, though a content smile appeared on his face. "We may be rich, but he still wants us to know that nothing comes for free, and that we have to work hard for what we want."
"Right." Santino drawled, tone disbelieving.
"Obviously, there are some situations where he would step in and use his influence." he shrugged. "But stuff like this. He wants us to figure it out for ourselves. Think of it as a learning experience that he wants to give us."
"I'd rather not have that learning experience." Salvino said wryly, and I couldn't help but agree.
Salvestro closed his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest as he heaved a breath. "Be grateful you are getting a chance for a learning experience. Even if you screw up, Salvatore would never let you fail in life."
I couldn't help but think that there was a deeper meaning to his words, and that nagging feeling was literally digging into my chest. It was annoying.
What was Salvestro trying to say here?
"Anyways," Salvestro sighed. "Yes, I'm still in school, Bambina, and I have many more years left before I can become a full-fledged doctor with a full-time job."
"Sounds like lots of fun." I finally spoke up, sarcasm dripping in my words.
"It is." he nodded emphatically. "Not sleeping for days in a row is definitely fun for me."
"It's your fault." Santino told him bluntly. "You're the one who wanted to go for one of the hardest fields."
"Yeah." his twin agreed. "Salvatore-"
"You guys don't get it do you." he said, shaking his head. "You have to stop relying on Salvatore for everything you do. He has enough on his plate, and doesn't need us bothering him without school problems.
"And just think about it. You would feel so much better about yourself, if you yourself know that you worked hard for what you want to achieve, taking the hard route when you could've taken the easier one."
Not going to lie, he has a point there.
"This is heavenly." Sandeo suddenly commented, and my attention was split in two as I stared at my third eldest brother. "You made it, right?"
I blushed. "No, not really." I mumbled. "I just helped out."
"Well you still did something." shrugged Sandeo, taking another bite out of the spoon.
I swear, I had a sneaky suspicion that he didn't even bite or try to break down the food before swallowing it down, letting his stomach do the work for him.
"This is one of the best macaroni's I've ever eaten." he complimented, swallowing as he took a sip of the glass of milk set in front of him.
"Oh, um thank you?"
"You're welcome." he nodded, before holding up an empty plate. "Are there any seconds I can steal?"
"Don't know. You'll have to ask Ophelia." I shrugged. "She plated it, not me."
"Yeah sure. I'll go to the back and ask." he said, before walking towards the back, plate in hand.
"Anyways, about Ophelia..." the twins both turned to Salvestro who had an unreadable look on his face.
"What about her." he asked flatly.
"We noticed that you seemed to be getting abnormally close to our friend." Salvino grinned slyly.
"Wanna spill some tea?" Santino continued, a wicked smirk on his face.
"Ophelia and I will never be a thing, Salvino. Santino." Salvestro immediately shot down. "Don't think too much of it. Even I know nothing will come out of it."
***
AHHH I'M SO DUMB, THIS IS ACTUALLY EMBARRASSING 😭
So, this chapter was actually supposed to come out on Thursday at midnight. But I apparently published the wrong chapter, so it wasn't even published at all. I was barely on Wattpad the past few days thanks to a butt load of homework (I only came on Wattpad to reply to comments), so I didn't even notice.
It was only when I started writing the next chapter (which is today) when I realized that I didn't even publish it... And that makes me feel like an absolute idiot, lmao. I'm so sorry for making you guys wait, that's my bad.
But anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I have a little rollercoaster ride for us planned, but don't worry. It will be very small compared to the main plot of the story, haha. Nothing extreme :)
I hope you all have an amazing rest of the day, and remember to stay safe!
~ CRAZY40429 💋
QotC: How does one go from being a friend, to a best friend?
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