Chapter 1

    " Logan DeAngelo is a feared, ruthless and notorious mafia boss who most of the time ranked first among the most popular and richest Mafia bosses in the entire world. And he was the very first when narrowed down to Italy....... " I sighed again, trying to give Maddy a hint that I didn't care about her lame mafia story. Seriously, she has got to stop doing this. "....... Owning powers over his family's companies and numerous power plants wasn't enough. He wanted more and everything he could lay his hands on. He's rumored to be known as the second coming of the devil himself because of his cruel ways of dealing with people below him...... "

    

    " Ah, Maddy? " I called, hoping to catch her attention this time. The last thing I wanted was actually spending the rest of my two hours of shift listening to her lame mafia story. 

    

    Maddy's eyes crosses mine, a sheepish grin crossing her lips this time before she slowly shifted on the bar stool she sat on across the bar table from me.

    

    " You know I'm not buying your mafia story anymore , Maddy, especially not tonight " I told her, stuffing the next wine glass on the line with the cleaning towel. Just whip the damn glasses and be on your way, I told myself.

    

    " It's not a story, Layla! I keep telling you that! I can't believe you haven't heard of Logan DeAngelo, the popular Italian Mafia boss! " Maddy went on again.

    

    Slamming the towel on the table and hissing for her to shut up, I caught sight of Emma walking in through the door. I quickly looked back at Maddy who was still wrapped up on the customer stool outside the saloon.

    

    " Why don't you wanna hear about him tonight, huh? Is it because of the little fight you just had with Lorena? Ah, you're so sensitive! " Maddy went on, my eyes going over the door to see Emma again. He had his hands tucked into his jean pockets, his long button down shirt falling off one shoulder.

    

    But as I watched him, my mind was wondering back to the little fight I'd had with Lorena two hours ago. She would always pick fights with me over the littlest things. When rich men without use for their damn money comes in here and gives me extra personal tip, she would find a way to relay it to the manager who in turn would give me an ear full. Tonight, she had an issue with how skinny my jeans were and I told her to go to hell.

    

    

    " I told you to leave before me, Maddy, I can go home myself " I told her as I continued to clean the glasses, getting ready to go home for the night.

    

    Maddy was supposed to leave two hours ago but she offered to wait till my shift was over so we could take the bus together. The bus was a few minutes ride to our neighborhood. I liked having Maddy around, she was literally my only friend but sometimes, she just didn't understand that I need some quiet time alone. The last few months has been rough for me and she knew that. Maybe all she was doing, telling me stories and trying to keep boring conversations going was her own way of cheering me up and I appreciated that. Sometimes, I just wanted to be alone.

    

    I couldn't stop peeking at Emma as he walked towards us. My eyes catches his for a second and I tried to smile at him but couldn't. I just looked down instead, hoping for a miracle that would teleport me from here this very minute.

    

    Emma was my ex boyfriend. It hurts to label him as my ex now. He was the main reason why I've had such terribly rough days these past few months.

    

    I'd fallen in love with Emma the first time I'd laid eyes on him, the first time I'd joined Millans highschool. He was the right guy for me. He was what every girl in highschool wanted and I'd kept my feelings up my throat for four years. Until final year, seven months ago, when he'd told me he liked me. He said he'd always liked me but thought I wouldn't like me back if he'd told me. It felt like my dream had finally come through for a girl whom nothing ever seemed to work out for. I was on top of the skies. We usually did things couples do all the time. We'd hang out, kiss, talk about the future together, talk about the colleges we wanted to go together, talk about prom, our dream jobs. Everything seemed so perfect.

    

    But three months into the relationship, when I felt entirely attached to him, I caught him kissing Bridgett at Austin's party, one of his friends. The scene didn't justhurt my feelings, it hurt my entire being. Later on news had it all over the school that they had been sleeping together before that party night. And he didn't deny it, not one bit. He apologized afterwards, but I couldn't. I couldn't bring myself to take him back even though it's hurting every single minute not being with him like I used to. Seeing him everyday and not being able to talk to him, be with him, kiss him, I felt like I was slowly dying.

    

    I mean, this is just your regular high school story, isn't it? He's this really hot rich school jock and I'm just the regular poor girl who sits at the back of the classroom everyday, acting tough to those mean cheerleaders sometimes, while dying inside.

     Typical.

    

    I just wish he'd stop coming to my place of work every night. I knew it was hard but he didn't need to make me feel even worse. We all graduated last month and he had completely ruined the prom I anticipated so much - not that I'd expected much from it anyways. So we're good now!

    

    He stops at the front of the bar, right next to Maddy and waved a hand at me, his usual lip lined smile on his lips. I felt my breath stop as I watched him. I'm still not over him. I never will. He was the first person I'd ever truly loved. Remembering what Maddy had told me some weeks ago about him getting together with Bridgette made me feel worst about myself each time I saw him. He was a constant reminder of all the miseries in my life.

    " What's up, Layla? " Emma said as soon as he stops in front, sitting down.

    

    I tried to smile, the same fake smile I gave him every night and replied " great. Here for a drink? " I asked the same question again. I'm really getting good at this.

    

    " Um...... No, " he replied awkwardly " I actually came to see you. "

    

    I breathed sharply.

    

    Emma had been to high school severally. What I meant was that he wasn't the brightest student any school could have and for that reason he was always getting transferred to schools and each time, the school asked him to repeat a class. He looked bigger than a couple of the boys who attended our schools, due to his regular work outs of course and he was also older. Just a little bit. But he always managed to walk his way up to the popular rich kid ladder at every school he went, everytime.

    

    I guess he managed to climb up the ladder to my heart. I heard myself scoff inside. I wished I could tell him to stay out of my life for good sometimes. But I just couldn't. Even though he was with Bridgette now, seeing him everyday, talking to me made me feel better sometimes.

    

    " Hey Maddy " he said to Maddy.

    

    " Hey, Emma! So good to see you! What are you doing here!? " Maddy said excitedly, pretending to actually be glad to see him but we all knew she was dying to give him the smack she claimed to owe him since Austin's party.

    

    I scoffed. Typical Maddy.

    She didn't let him reply before throwing another question " aren't you supposed to be out of town already? "

    

    Emma had told me that after graduation he'd be leaving for Tokyo. He hadn't told me exactly when but I knew that was what came right after graduation. But he did tell me he was going to stay for a while with me before going. I guess there's no reason for him to stay any longer now. He'd told me that while in Tokyo, when he gets accepted into the New York university, he'd call to tell me. And when I get accepted too, we'd meet in New York. Together.

    

     Well, shits happened and I wasn't able to write an entrance exam for the university and there were no scholarships available then. I didn't tell him this though. Now I'm glad I never wrote the exam. Asides from not seeing him everyday, my parents couldn't afford it. I'd just wait on a scholarship. Hopefully, one comes my way soon.

    

    " Yeah, I'm planning on...... "

    

    I turned my back on them as they continued to talk, arranging the glasses on its shelf. I walked through the back door and entered into the bathroom where I fetched my bag and took out my red hoody. I knew it was really cold outside.

    

     Walking back out, I came across the manager's office. He saw me through the glass door and I waved him good night. He returns it with an unpleasant groan which didn't really bother me. What bothered me was the fact that I had to wait for another nineteen days before getting my pay check for this month. It was agonizing, really.

    

    I saw Emma and Maddy still talking at the bar table. 

    

    " Maddy? Going? " I called, causing them to look at me. Maddy quickly grabs her bag which had been standing by since the last two hours and hurried over to me.

    

    " Hey, " Emma called as I tried to walk out through the door " can I have a minute? "

    

    I wanted to talk to him but I couldn't risk that, so I replied " I'm sorry, it's getting really late "

    

    " I'll see you at home in the morning tomorrow then, Maddy told me you're on evening shifts now " he said.

    

    I nodded, before practically running out of the place. Maddy joined me and we walked together till we got to the bus stop. After a while, our bus arrived. Throughout the ride home, I couldn't stop thinking. 

    

    " How are you holding up, Layla? " Maddy breaks the silence that had built up since the bus dropped us off and we took the sidewalk that led to my house.

    

    I knew what she was asking. " I'm fine, Maddy. I just need a long rest "

    

    " Maybe we can go eat some place tomorrow? Before my shift " she said, her attempt to cheer me up. Soon I saw my house coming into view.

    

    " Okay. "

    

    Maybe we could finally get some time to talk about normal stuffs. Like how her application to the state's university was going. I knew admissions didn't start until the fall of next year but I wanted to know everything. Would be great to feel the fears they felt now, the agitation of getting picked by your dream school.

    

    Maddy waves me good night as we got to the front of my house before crossing the street, her house a few blocks away. I cornered into our driveway, too distracted by my talk with Maddy earlier to notice the black SUV parked right in front. I didn't know if we were expecting a visitor that I wasn't told about but I knew it was very unlikely to have such a car parked in front of our house.

    

    I proceeded up the porch, pushed the door open and removing my sneakers like I always did and proceeding further into the living room with my socks on. The first thing I noticed was that my parents were oddly seated on the couch, their faces trained on the wall in front of them, as if they were completely unaware of my presence. I walked to their front to discover the horrified look on their faces, the kind of faces you'd see on

someone who had a gun pointed at the back of their heads. The look that told me to run.