Sempre (Forever) (9 page)

Carmine had no idea how to respond to that. “So, what? She’s just going to stay here indefinitely?”

“Yes,” Vincent said, putting his glasses back on. “She isn’t to leave the house without my permission, so get used to her.”

“Get used to her? There’s seriously something wrong with the way we live. This shit isn’t normal.”

Vincent shook his head. “I know how you can be, so unless you need more help with your laundry, I suggest staying away from her.”

“How do you know she helped me with my laundry?”

Vincent motioned toward the computer monitor on his desk, and Carmine realized he’d watched the exchange on the surveillance cameras. There were a few in the house, mostly in the common areas. “I wasn’t watching because of you. There still aren’t any cameras in the bedrooms.”

“And it better stay that way,” Carmine said, standing up.

“I don’t want to see what goes on in that pigsty any more than you want me to see it,” Vincent said, picking up his medical journal once again. “Just be mindful of what I said. I’d appreciate it if you were polite and didn’t try to meddle. The last thing she needs is you making the transition harder for her.”

Carmine headed for the door, shaking his head. “In other words, don’t be myself.”

“Precisely, son.”

*  *  *  *

Carmine arrived at school that Monday morning to find Tess and Dominic arguing in the parking lot. He climbed out of the car as Dia strolled over, plopping her ass down on the hood of his Mazda. He pulled her off of it, and she laughed as she instead took a seat on her clunker.

“What’s gotten into those two?”

Dia shrugged while Tess laughed dryly, pushing past Dominic. “What’s gotten into us is the fact that your father is an idiot.”

“Knock it off, Tess,” Dominic said. “It’s not that big of a deal.”

Tess glowered at him. “Not that big of a deal? Dr. DeMarco moved a teenage girl in, and you not only fail to tell me, your girlfriend, but when I find out you say it’s not a big deal?”

Dia leaned toward him. “There’s a girl living with you?”

“Yes, but she’s blowing it way out of proportion,” Carmine said. “She’s just some girl.”

“Just some girl living in the house with Mr. I’ll-fuck-anything-that-walks,” Tess said. “It’s ridiculous!”

“Give me a break,” Carmine said. “Don’t act like you’re upset about it because of me. It’s not my fault you don’t trust your boyfriend.”

Tess gave him the middle finger before storming off, but Dominic stood there, for once not following.

“Well, that was interesting,” Dia said. “You’re not really banging the girl, are you?”

Dominic shook his head. “They don’t even get along.”

“It’s not that we don’t get along,” Carmine said. “It’s just that she runs every time I come near her.”

Dia laughed. “If you’d relax, I’m sure she’d come around.”

“You’ve never met her,” Carmine said. “Hell, you didn’t know she existed until a minute ago. You aren’t exactly an expert on the subject.”

“She's just some girl, right? We’re not that complicated. Besides, I’m not saying you should bang her or anything, but there’s nothing wrong with making friends.”

Carmine rolled his eyes. “No one says banging anymore, Dia. The 90s are over. People fuck.”

“Not always,” she said. “Sometimes they make love.”

He shook his head and walked away, tense and aggravated yet again. He brushed past Lisa, cocking an eyebrow at her insanely short skirt and tight black shirt.

“You want to?” he asked. Lisa smiled seductively. He didn’t have to elaborate. “Come on, then.”

He turned back to his car and slid into the driver’s seat as Dia frowned at him. He ignored her, though, and started the car as Lisa climbed in the passenger seat.

“You want to just do it in the car?” she asked.

“Hell no. We’re not defiling the leather seats.”

“Your house then?”

“No, we’re not going the whole way there.”

The moment he hit an unpopulated area, he pulled over and drove slowly into the woods. Lisa cringed. “Here?”

“Don't be picky—you want this as much as I do.” Reaching over, he opened the glove compartment and pulled out a condom. They walked around to the front of the car, and she reached up on her tip-toes to kiss him, but he turned his head so her lips grazed his cheek.

“You wait,” she said. “One day you’ll kiss me.”

He laughed. “Don’t hold your breath.”

Forty-five minutes later, Carmine was strolling through the school’s corridor toward his second period class when he spotted his brother in the library. Dominic was sitting at a computer, furiously typing away at the keys. Curiosity grabbed Carmine in that moment and he slipped through the glass doors into the room.

“Christ, it's bright in here,” Carmine said, shielding his eyes. His voiced echoed through the silent room, but there was no one around to scold him.

“First time in the library?” Dominic asked.

“No,” he said. “I've been in here for English class. I even checked out a book once.”

“Which book?”

“
Count of Monte Cristo
. I had to do a report last year.”

“So you actually read it?”

“Yeah,” he said. “I read the first page before I rented the movie.”

Dominic laughed but said nothing, too busy pulling up files on the computer. Carmine leaned against the desk beside him, trying to decipher what all the coding meant. “What are you doing, anyway?”

“Just changing your grades for you, bro.”

His eyes widened. “Really?”

“No. I did look at them, though. You’re never going to make it out of high school at the rate you’re going.”

Carmine shook his head. “You have some nerve hacking the school's servers. You're gonna get busted.”

“No, I won’t. I never do. Their system’s so simple that it’s easy to slip in undetected.”

“Do you do that shit a lot?”

“Occasionally,” he said. “It's fascinating. Did you know Moanin' Lisa failed Home Ec last year? It proves the point, bro. You can't turn a hoe into a housewife.”

Carmine laughed. “I can't believe you're sitting here going through people's records like this shit isn't illegal. And they say I'm the one that's gonna turn out like Dad.”

“I don't intentionally hurt people, so you still have me there,” Dominic said. “Besides, have you seen your disciplinary record?”

“I think the better question is have you seen it, Dom.”

“You're damn right I have. It was like reading a true-crime novella. Your permanent high school record is longer than Uncle Corrado's arrest record, and that's saying a lot.”

Their Aunt Celia’s husband, Corrado Moretti, had been arrested more times in his life than he’d had birthdays, but none of the charges ever stuck. Most of the time it just went away, and the few times they’d made it to court, the prosecution failed to prove its case. Whether it was a missing witness, a dirty judge, or a bribed juror, Corrado always found a way out of trouble.

A reporter once dubbed him the ‘Kevlar Killer’. No matter what you tried to hit him with, he walked away unscathed.

“Uncle Corrado’s the Man of Steel,” Dominic said. “Faster than a speeding bullet.”

“Did you seriously just compare him to a superhero?”

“Yeah, guess I didn’t think that one through.”

Glancing at his watch, Carmine pushed away from the desk. “Shouldn’t you be in class, by the way?”

“I have study hall,” Dominic said. “They don’t take attendance.”

Lucky bastard
. “Well, I have to get back to History before Mrs. Anderson sends a search party out for me.”

“Yeah, you do that,” Dominic said. “From what I saw, you’re not passing the class.”

“You’re really not gonna change my grade for me?”

“Sorry, bro, no can do. What does Superman say? With great power comes great responsibility?”

Carmine smacked his brother on the back of the head as he walked past. “That’s
Spiderman
, dumbass.”

*  *  *  *

Carmine drove home after football practice that night and headed into the house in just enough time to see Haven bolting up the stairs. He washed his hands and went into the dining room where dinner was waiting.

Vincent bowed his head, quietly saying a prayer. “
Signore, benedici questi peccatori che essi mangiano la loro cene
.”

Lord, bless these sinners as they eat their dinners.

Carmine started eating before they could say, “Amen.” He didn’t think asking God to bless them or their food was worth the breath it took to say the words, considering his father’s choice of occupation.

Vincent tried to make conversation during the meal, and Dominic humored him, but Carmine remained silent. It was well after dark when Vincent’s pager went off, and he dismissed them, needing to head into work. Carmine made his way upstairs and hesitated when he saw Haven standing in the library, gazing out the window with her palm pressed against the smooth glass.

He expected her to run, but she just stood there and stared outside. After a moment she motioned toward the small flashes of light that sparked in the darkness. “What are those things?”

Carmine turned around to see if someone else was there, taken aback that she was attempting to talk to him. “Fireflies,” he said, strolling over to where she stood. “Some people call them lightning bugs.”

“Why do they glow?” she asked. “Is it so they can see?”

“I think it's how they talk to each other.”

“Wow.”

“You've really never seen them before?”

She shook her head. “We didn't have any in Blackburn.”

“Ah, well, we have plenty here,” he said, shrugging. “They're kinda like flying beetles with asses that light up.”

She smiled at his description. “They're beautiful.”

“They're just bugs. Nothing special.”

“They're alive,” she said. “That makes them special.”

He had no comeback for that. Haven continued to gaze out the window while he watched her, seeing the child-like wonder in her expression. She looked as if she was seeing the world for the first time, like she'd been blind until now but she could suddenly see. He wondered if she felt that way, too, if everything in front of her was brand new.

He tried to think back to when he saw fireflies for the first time, but he could barely recall that time in his life anymore. He supposed he was just as fascinated, given that he'd been a kid. He vaguely remembered catching some in a jar once.

“Do you wanna see them up close?”

The words were out of his mouth before he realized what he was asking. He'd heard his father and knew the rules, but at the same time, he didn't see the harm.

She turned from the glass to look at him. “Could I?”

“Yeah, sure. You want to?”

Excitement sparked in her eyes, the sight of it nearly making Carmine's heart skip a beat. It had been years since he felt anything close to that, and for a brief moment, he wished he could steal it for himself.

“You mean go out there? Outside?”

“Yes.”

“But I'm not allowed.”

He shrugged. “Neither am I.”

Technically true, since he was grounded, but he'd never let that stop him before.

“I'd like that,” she said, pausing before adding, “If you're sure.”

He smiled. She was trusting him. He wondered if maybe she shouldn't do that, but it was a vast improvement from avoiding him. “Wait here, and I'll be back.”

He ran downstairs to the kitchen, grateful his father had already left, and returned to the third floor after finding an empty glass jar. Haven stood in the same place, her hand still pressed to the glass.

“Come on,” he said, motioning for her to follow him as he headed to his bedroom. Turning on the light, he noticed she lingered outside the door. She looked around at the mess covering the floor, and for the first time in his life, he was damn near embarrassed. “Are you coming in? I mean, I know it's a disaster...”

“Oh no, it's not that.” She looked panicked. “I didn’t know if I should.”

“Well, we can’t go out the door, because my father will find out. We have to go out up here.”

Her brow furrowed. “From the third floor? How?”

“You’ll see.”

He watched her locked in an internal debate and smiled when she ultimately took a step into the room. Careful not to trip over any of his belongings, she made her way over to where he stood. Carmine pulled up the blinds before shoving open the large window. It squeaked a bit but gave little resistance, and Haven gaped at it. “I thought all the windows were nailed shut.”

“They are,” he said. “Or they were. Dom disabled this one from the system so I could pry it open and sneak out at night. It’s been like this for a few years. My father’s never caught on since it doesn’t set off any of the alarms.”

He hadn’t meant to tell her that.

Carmine held the curtains aside, motioning for her to climb through, and she stepped out onto the small balcony that wrapped around the floor. Carmine joined her, and she carefully followed him along the balcony. He stopped where a massive sycamore tree stood, thick branches extending toward the corner of the house. It was so close that Haven reached out and touched some of the green leaves, the tips starting to fade to brown with autumn on the horizon.

Carmine tossed the jar down from the balcony, holding his breath and hoping it didn’t break as it landed in the grass with a thud. Gripping the branch closest to him, he stepped over the banister of the balcony and climbed into the tree. He glanced back at Haven, who just stood there. “Come on, it’s easy.”

“It doesn’t look easy.”

“But it is,” he said. “Besides, you’re already outside. Do you really wanna get this far and back out now?”

She peeked over the edge. “I don’t want to fall.”

“You won’t.”

“You swear?”

He chuckled. “All the fucking time.”

She hesitated for a moment longer before taking the plunge, grabbing a hold of the branch like he’d done and pulling herself over the banister. Carmine expertly navigated his way down the tree, having done it dozens of times, and Haven followed his path. A minute after he jumped to the ground, she landed beside him on her feet.