Eli POV.
It was already dark outside when I threw myself on the bed. It was way too soft, compared to the ones I was used to. I couldn't help the memories coming back. It had been so long since I'd seen those eyes, and even tho I knew they weren't hers, my dumbass brain connected Alessandro's to those grey eyes I learned to fear.
I was going to sleep soon, so dug out my phone and once again called my little brother.
"Hey E!" Diego called as he saw my face.
"Hiya little D," I called back with a smirk.
"Shut up," he said pouting.
"What's it like there? You haven't run away yet have you?" Diego asked half-joking.
"Still very much here," I answered with a groan.
"By the way, when I said they were loaded, it doesn't even begin to describe this shit," I said turning the camera around to show Diego.
"Holy shit!" he screamed with a huge grin.
"Yeah, you aren't leaving that place. When can I move in?" he teased with a smirk.
"I hope I won't have to leave, but I still feel bad about leaving you, you know?" I said with a sad smile.
"We went over this you whore! You didn't have a choice," Diego said in a serious tone.
"I know. It's still so fucking stressful. I have no idea what they want me to do or say, and I really need a smoke right now," I rambled.
"Check your backpack's inner pocket," Diego grinned knowingly.
"You didn't!" I exclaim as I ran to my bag.
Sure enough, in the inner pocket, there were four blunts, six pills, and a pack of ciggies. I was in heaven, even tho I didn't take pills so much anymore.
"Dude I love you so much right now," I said scrambling to find my lighter.
Diego just laughed, as I threw the context of the bag all around the room. When I found it he started talking:
"Take a long drag, it's the good stuff..."
I gave him a deathly glare.
"...or so I've heard, and relax, go to sleep and call me tomorrow," Diego ended with a playful smirk.
Of course, I knew he smoked. He was a fucking drug dealer, but I didn't like it. that's why I made sure he only had to sell in emergencies. I sent him enough money for him to survive, but I knew he still had to do that shit.
"Bye-bye," I said with a blunt between my lips and a grin on my face.
"Goodnight," he responded making a heart with his fingers, which I returned, before ending the call.
I opened the glass door to the balcony and stepped out. It was a bit chilly, but I knew that the smoke would warm me up.
I climbed on the railing and let my feet hang over the yard. I could see New Yorks's lights somewhere over the woods, as I brought the lighter to my lips.
I slowly pulled out the burner phone I had gotten from Carlos. I would keep it under my mattress for situations just like this.
The phone rang three times before a familiar voice picked up.
"Waddup Eli," Carlos called from the other side of the line.
"Hey, can you pick me up?" I asked.
I could almost hear Carlos' smile drop as he immediately answered:
"I'll be there in ten."
It took me fifteen minutes to get to our meetup place, with my injuries. Even tho mom made sure I wouldn't bleed to death, I still wasn't entitled to painkillers.
Carlos waited in the alley with his trusty black bike and an extra helmet. He saw my limb from afar and ran to help me walk. He knew I didn't want to talk, so he didn't say anything, just lifted me onto the bike and started it.
The familiar hum of the engine calmed my nerves a bit, as I clung to my brother's shirt. My long dark hair flew with the wind as we rode through downtown Chicago.
We parked in front of the building and waited for just a while. After a few minutes, someone opened the door to go for a walk with their dog. We almost let the door close, before Carlos stuck his foot in the gap. He mouthed a dramatic groan earning a chuckle and a smack to the arm from me before we walked him.
We rode the shitty elevator to the roof, every second fearing, that it'd fall.
It was the best place in the whole world. Every time... life wasn't ideal I would think of that place. We could see the whole neighborhood in all its lights. It was just a couple of blocks from Carlos' house, and it had an amazing kebab place on the ground floor.
There we sat, playing footsies over the railing, with blunts on both our lips.
"You wanna talk about it?" Carlos asked me after a long comfortable silence.
I stayed silent taking another drag. I then held my hand out, and Carlos just chuckled. He knew what I meant just from the smile on my face.
"I'll pay you back when I can," I said as I popped the pills that had appeared on my open palm.
"Nah, bro. These are on me," Carlos said with a wave of his hand.
"What would I do without you?" I asked teasingly.
"Die," Carlos said seriously with his eyebrows lifted.
It was a joke, but we both knew it to be true. The last time he tried to cut me off, I ended up spiraling with my suicidal thoughts and I jumped off the Skyway Toll bridge.
After a few more drags, I had my head on Carlos' chest with an emotionless face. The numbness I felt was the best thing I had ever found. It was the only reason I was still alive. Drugs can be fucking amazing. They never talk about it, but they really are.
"You could come live with me and Diego," Carlos suggested.
"You, my friend, have had too much weed," I joked taking the blunt away from Carlos and placing it next to my own before taking a long drag from both of them.
"They'd find me. I'd have to run somewhere pretty far," I said giving a pouting Carlos his blunt back.
Carlos truly was the best friend you could ask for. He was always there when I needed him, and he knew my boundaries and didn't try to go over them. He truly cared and did whatever he could to help, which I returned. He looked after me and I looked after his little brother.
Our nightly sessions always ended with us cuddling on the roof high off our minds talking about aliens or some shit.
We had a plan. In four years, Carlos would be eighteen and he could legally adopt me and Diego. We would leave and be happy. I'd be sixteen, so I could get a job somewhere and we'd be just fine.
Too bad we never go to see that.
After I put out the blunt, I jumped back into my new room and threw myself on the bed. The warm smoke rolled around in my lungs as it started to really hit me.
I love Carlos, he's my brother, but sometimes I hope I wouldn't remember him. I know it's selfish and all, but it just hurts a lot. The five months I spent at home after he died, were the worst time of my life. I was high off my mind all the time and visited his small grave every day. Those first weeks were really hard for Diego. He lost his brother, and me at the same time. After a while, I came back to my senses and realized I'd have to take care of him. He was just ten when Carlos died, and eleven, when I left. Speaking of which, his thirteenth birthday was coming up, and I knew I had to do something special for him this year.
After a while of tossing and turning, I got up and grabbed the bedroom bench. I knew it was a bit sad, but it was a lot more familiar than the huge bed. Soon enough, I fell asleep on that small bench, ready to fall back into a nightmare.
Antonio POV
I was going to check if Eli wanted a snack before bed, but I walked in on them sleeping on the little bench at the end of their bed. I guess they fell asleep there accidentally, which, I had to admit, was really cute. I walked a bit further to see if they were really asleep. Then I smelt it. Someone had just smoked a blunt in there. I didn't think anything of it until I realized they were only sixteen.
I frowned, not really sure of what to do. For a few moments, I just stood there contemplating my options before I decided to ask them about it in the morning. I'm not a fucking snitch so I wouldn't tell my brothers, but I really didn't like the idea of them smoking that shit.
I ran to my room, which was next to theirs, and grabbed a small table fan, which I kept just for these situations. I brought it over to Eli's room and turned it on to blow the smell towards the window. I then went into the bathroom and grabbed the smell stick thingy, and brought it in front of the fan. I opened the door up a bit more and threw another blanket on Eli.
I wasn't a big hugger or shit like that, but I showed that I cared like this. Covering up for their bad habits, I guess.
After making sure everything was alright, I returned to my room to study. I don't think my brothers realize how much I actually study. I know they think of me adjust a fighting druggie, but I really did work hard.
Eli POV
I woke up on the bench, not knowing where I was so for a few moments I let my heart race, trying to figure out what had happened. Then, like a baseball bat to the head, it all hit me. I had five fucking brothers, they were loaded, and I guess I was living with them.
I groaned as I realized, where I was, and reached for my phone. It was four forty-five, which meant I had time to do my morning routine before they woke up.
I jumped up and opened my bag. I hadn't unpacked and probably won't for a while, because I'm a lazy piece of shit. Also, I didn't want to get too comfortable, just in case, I'd have to leave.
I dug out some sweatpants and a hoodie and put on my trusty sneakers. I took my shoes off in the room, cause I wasn't cleaning that shit. I guess the boys didn't care for that, but I did.
I untangled my shitty-ass headphones and quietly made my way downstairs.
The house was a fucking maze, but finally, I found the kitchen, where you could get to the backyard.
I put on some music from my playlist: 'Arson.' and started running.
I didn't go far, because I didn't want to find out, what the punishment was for breaking their rules, and I didn't tell anyone where I was. To be fair none of them were awake.
I ran in the woods for a bit, subconsciously figuring out places to run or hide, if I had to. I knew I could jump from the window in my room and make it to the woods quickly enough.
After I got back, I took a quick shower and changed into another hoodie. I knew Diego wouldn't be awake, so I just texted him good morning before I started looking for work close to where we were. It would take me about two hours to get to downtown New York where I knew I could find someplace to work. I could take the train and bus, or I could find a bike somewhere. Preferably motor-, but I wasn't going to complain.
Matteo POV
It was Sunday, so I woke up at seven ready to make everyone breakfast.
Even Alessandro had a day off today, so we were all home. Normally, someone would have to work, but we all made a conscious effort to be home to get to know Eli. On the first day, they were really open and funny, but I could see how they'd dance around subjects. I had grown to be really good at reading people and I wasn't sure if my brothers caught on, but I could see Eli subtly changing the subject when it got even a bit personal.
They also had this thing, where I had no idea how much they meant what they said. All I could do was try to find little pieces of information within their comments, but I never knew which ones were for real.
I've never met someone, who was at the same time really open and closed off. They told us about which car they would be in Cars, which one was the best Disney princess, and how to make origami, but nothing about their own life. Gabriele got the closest. He told us that they made music, but none of us knew if that was a thing they did a lot or just casually, or anything else.
I was deep in my thoughts when I heard some noise coming from the kitchen. I immediately readied myself for an intruder knowing, that none of my brothers would be up for another hour or so and the workers didn't get here until noon. It was only when I heard some low humming, that I realized who it was.
I turned the corner to see Eli making pancakes for everyone. As soon as I stepped into their vision, their head snapped to look at me with a tight smile.
"Hi," they simply said getting back to flipping the pancake in front of them.
"It will take me a bit more time to get them all ready, but I can make you a plate from the ones already done," they said turning to reach for a plate.
"Why are you awake so early?" I asked lifting the pan off the stove.
"I wake up early," they simply shrugged while stacking pancakes onto a plate and pushing it towards me.
"Thanks, but you know you don't have to cook for us," I said eyeing them as they started making another one.
They just turned to look at me with that look, where they try to read your soul.
"I just did it because I was already awake," they said turning their eyesight away from mine.
That was the first lie I was able to catch.