CHAPTER 5

Alessandro

She stepped forward and students parted.

Another step and I could see every inch of her.

Too fucking much of her.

I’d saved this bitch for my senior year and made sure the school knew it. No one else would spread those legs before me. Hell, I wasn’t sure her legs deserved spreading so I just might take her from behind the first time. It would also keep me from looking into her lying Rossi eyes.

I turned my gaze to my crew. Lust dripped from them even though they cast the occasional look in my direction. Rossi never came to these events. The two of us were rarely in the same room and watching her from across campus was as close as I got.

Dark thoughts filled me as I studied her and revenge swirled in my head. My father made it clear I was to stay away and leave the revenge to him. Until this year, I’d done as he demanded, but the waiting was over. I planned to take something from her family that they would never get back just as they took from me. I think one princess’s virginity verses my mother’s life was a poor trade, but it was in the realm of revenge I could get away with.

My father hadn’t gone after Rossi over the death of my mother which infuriated me. When it was my turn to lead the family, I would handle Rossi myself. His daughter was simply the prequel.

My eyes were on her when Romano stepped into my line of sight.

“Oh no, he fucking didn’t,” I said under my breath when I realized his target.

Tossing the pen to the table, I was off the couch before I thought about my actions. The rustle of movement behind me let me know my crew had my back as I walked toward the enemy. The slight buzz I had didn’t help what happened next.

****

Gia

The senior hall was the height of ostentatious vomit with its antiques and artwork. Even the Victorian wallpaper screamed wealthy assholes. It was connected to the main school whereas the underclassmen had a more updated freestanding structure on the main campus hidden in the trees behind the larger buildings. This monstrosity with its grand ceilings and columns said welcome to your kingdom, seniors.

I hated every inch.

I felt like an idiot in Maria’s creation and my heart raced uncontrollably. She gave my hand a quick squeeze and reassured me before I went into my role.

“You are the Rossi bitch and never forget it.”

The Rossi bitch served me well. When you were shy and pretty, you appeared stuck up. It fanned the jackals. I was no longer shy because I’d learned the art of role play and could become anyone I wanted. Rossi bitch was just one of my many faces and I stole it from a character of a sitcom on television. She owned her world and when I went into her role, I owned mine.

Maria also had my back. She made it clear early on that she didn’t take shit from anyone. She wasn’t someone who pulled your hair in a fight. She’d been trained by her father and brother. Others thought her loyalty to me absolute because of our families. That wasn’t it. Maria knew I wasn’t the tough-assed bitch the others saw. Even though I’d recovered from shyness, I could not get past my soft heart. All it would get me in life was a swift death.

Between Maria’s protection and my family name, most left me alone, and that was exactly how I wanted it.

Maria was my best and only friend. I’d shared my dreams with her and only her from an early age and she never laughed. We both knew I would do my family duty when the time came, but she didn’t think me crazy for the fantasy world that lived in my head.

The other girls at school were of no interest to me. I never wanted to play their social games or know they were sleeping with my future husband or someone else’s. I was here to adjust to my life and dismissing the other students was a simple act of rebellion against my father who forced me to Rochester. If I came across as too good for everyone here, so be it.

On days where holding the Rossi princess head up was too heavy, my dreams got me through. I spent hours of my free time studying film and mimicking actors. Tonight, I played the Rossi bitch.

The instant hush in the room was caused by my appearance at the party. I didn’t do parties even when Maria did. The whispers followed and eye movement shifted from me to someone across the room. I didn’t need to look to see who it was. My skin crawled. That was enough.

Why hadn’t I considered that he would be here? Of course, he would.

I straightened my shoulders and curled my lips into the perfect condescending smile. My bitch face. I slid a leg forward so the material slipped off and miles of bare skin showed. Even if I would never be an actor, I was the best fucking one here because no one but Maria knew I was shaking in my four-inch booted heels. She also knew I would throw up at least once tonight due to the stress. Hopefully I would be drunk enough by then and “Gia can’t hold her liquor” would be the consensus.

I knew when his eyes landed on me. The weight of his visceral hatred almost pushed me to my knees. I mentally pushed back. He could intimidate Gia but not the Rossi bitch. My back straightened infinitesimally. Alessandro Brambilla would never see me sweat, cry, or least of all, break.

“Incoming,” Maria hissed at my side.

I looked in the direction she was turned and watched as Matteo Romano swaggered our way. I didn’t like him. He was one of those guys who activated my creep factor. He was inhumanly cruel and I’d known it since my freshman year.

Matteo and his friends tortured a dog and I found them with the evidence. It was too late to help the dog. The guys looked at me with contempt when a tear tracked down my face. Maria had stayed late in her classroom to talk with a teacher and I was alone.

She came around the corner and took in everything at once.

“You killed a dog?” she screamed loudly.

It surprised even me until she started crying uncontrollably and wouldn’t shut up about the dog. It was an act to protect me. Maria didn’t care that she was talented in the acting department, but I saw her potential. Sadly, it wasn’t her dream and I couldn’t live vicariously through her.

The theatrics saved me from a fate worse than death. No one remembered my wet cheek. They did, however, remember the trouble Maria caused. Matteo and his crew were locked down for two weeks. Maria and I made plans for the blowback that never happened.

Matteo pretended it was old news but we knew the truth. One day, Maria would pay. His creepy vibe kept us away from him even when he said bygones were bygones. Until tonight, we’d managed to stay clear.