- Ace Moretti -
2 years ago
"You are to go to boarding school for 2 years and I don't want to hear any complaints about it. You need to fix this" my father sat at his desk, ever so elegantly as he pointed towards my end of year report card.
Of course, it wasn't good enough for him. Most of the things I did were deemed as reckless and irresponsible when I was doing most of the right things that most teenagers didn't do.
"But what happens to my sport commitments and- "my father cut me off "your sports commitments are one of the many things that are ruining your grades. You know you have to get a good degree so you can work with us"
He hated that I played sports, and for some reason, it was the only thing that brought me to peace. But with my mother and father, it angered them more and more. They had never been to one of my ice hockey games or my football games.
My older brothers played football their entire lives and had good grades, but as soon as I didn't get good grades, I wasn't allowed to do sports. I couldn't even be at home with my brothers.
"Just go pack your bags. You're leaving tomorrow" my father basically finished the conversation. But I wasn't done with it, and I knew that if I continued, I would just be digging a bigger hole. I didn't say a word as I walked towards the door of his office.
I grasped the gold handle in my hand, turning to give my father one last glance, hoping to see some sort of regret with his decision, but I didn't. All I saw was his eyes concentrated on something that was better than his own son.
I then opened the door and walked out, not bothering to slam it shut like I normally would. "What's up with you?" Blaze, my youngest older brother, stopped walking towards the kitchen I presumed, and looked at me. I handed him the piece of paper that I had found on my desk when I awoke this morning.
"Boarding school?" he questioned, and I just nodded. I didn't have the energy to even respond anymore. It was like my life was crumbling around me. I was 15, a freshman, I had friends, I had sports that I loved. I had what I needed to survive at school.
"Why do you sound so surprised? Aren't you coming with?" I questioned, my brows furrowing. If one thing, I didn't want to be doing this alone. Being a new kid at my age and level, it was weird, and I would be outcasted. "No, I didn't" his brows furrowed as well, as he handed me back the paper.
"Could you at least help me pack then?" I questioned. I didn't want to be left alone, fearing what I may do if I had the chance to let my anger and whatever other emotions that were bubbling around me, go.
"Sure" and we walked back down the hallways and up the stairs we used to race one another. It was like I was going to be saying goodbye, but I knew I wasn't. it was just for two years, which I thought was unnecessary. Just make me stay there until I was done with school.
But no, my father always had to make a situation seem difficult and hard for his own son to figure out.
---
"So, you ready for tomorrow?" Lorenzo questioned, ruffling my hair as he walked past the side of the kitchen bench I was standing on. I just shrugged my shoulders. What else could I say? That I was nervous? That I was excited because I wasn't?
I was just a random number of emotions floating throughout my body that I didn't know how to control because I had never felt this way before.
"You'll be fine" Francis then entered the room, giving me a slight shove, before going towards Blaze. The way he walked towards Blaze made me realize what was coming. "I didn't do it!" Blaze practically shouted as Francis took slower, agonizing steps towards him.
"Then who did, huh? Ace can't drive, so it wasn't him. Vin doesn't live here anymore, and Enzo has his own car garage. Vincent is rarely here as well, so I know it wasn't him, so that leaves one person" Francis was practically breathing down Blaze's throat.
Enzo and I were just stood on either side of the kitchen bench, amusement playing in our eyes. We both knew who did it, but Francis had no clue. He had the wrong suspect under his gaze. "You never even allowed me to drive the stupid car, so how could I have done something to it?" Blaze shouldn't have called his car stupid.
If one thing that we all have in common was cars. But Francis, he always took it to the next level. He would spend hours cleaning his cars, and only his cars. He always said that he never had enough time to do anything, and we all tried to convince him that he didn't need to clean his cars every two days.
It was like he cared for his cars more than his own personal hygiene! "Ace!" a girly voice shouted, and before I knew it, my little sister had attached herself to my lower leg. "Hey Ingrid" I greeted the little girl. She was one of the only people that brought a real smile to my face.
"Look what I did!" she excitedly drew my attention down to her fingers which she was constantly moving to show me every angle. I grabbed her hand in a light grip so I could get a decent look at them.
"I love them!" I didn't really understand her enthusiasm around her fingernails as I was never interested in them, but if Ingrid was interested in painting her nails, then I guess I was as well. "Thankyou" she then reattached her arms around my leg as I turned my attention back Blaze and Francis.
"Well, you did it!" Francis shouted, making me cover Ingrid's ears on instinct. It just so happened that having a little girl in the house that was 10 years younger than me, that I didn't want her picking up on our bad habits.
"I don't ever dare touch your cars because of this!" Blaze gestured to the two of them arguing. "Ok, enough! It was Vincent for God's sake!" Enzo then walked out of the kitchen, coffee cup in hand. I knew that he would be staying up all night.
I was lucky to have seen my second eldest brother. I never see my oldest brother anymore, as he moved out 3 years ago. He now lives in a penthouse in one of the tallest most expensive buildings in town.
Sometimes I wished he was home so that I could just stand next to him and feel the comfort and warmth he so effortlessly emitted towards me. He knew I struggled the most with getting along with my other brothers, so he tried his hardest.
But a month before he left, he basically didn't give a damn about me. He left the 12-year-old boy that used to love him, behind. Now I very rarely see my two oldest brothers.
"Oh my GOD!" and with that, Francis stormed out of the kitchen, clearly trying to find Vincent. He didn't know that Vincent had told me and only me that he was going on a date tonight, so that Francis wouldn't be able to find him.
It was times like this that I wished we could stay like this forever. That we didn't have to be trained to be in the mafia, and that I didn't have to go off to boarding school without my eldest brother knowing.
I just wanted things to stay the same way they had been. "You know I love you the most, Ace?" Ingrid questioned, making me look down at the 5-year-old girl. "And I love you a lot too" I responded, smiling down at the little girl as I began to tickle her.
I didn't realize that this would be the last time that the house was encased in giggles and smiles, while we were all at peace with one another, even if what we called peace was still having petty arguments with one another.
---
thoughts?