Scarlette
“He told you that he loved you! In front of the entire school!” Macy squealed, as she ran up to my locker.
By the end of the day, everyone was talking about what happened at lunch. I was still in shock by it all.
Tara’s attack.
Ason’s declaration in front of everyone.
Telling me that he loved me.
Did I love him? Yes, I knew that I was in love with Ason, but this was all happening so fast.
“Keep your voice down,” I chastised her.
“Are you serious? Everyone knows. You all are going viral,” Macy cheers, shoving her phone in front of my face.
I watch as a video of Ason on the cafeteria table plays in front of me. Cringing, I hate how bewildered I look. My heart flutters as Ason’s words ring through the air.
“This is all happening so fast,” I tell her, grabbing my backpack and shutting my locker.
Ason has baseball practice this evening and I need to just go and relax. Something tells me though, that Macy isn’t going to leave me alone.
“Scarlette, you deserve this. Enjoy every second of that glorious looking boy,” she teases.
We walk out of the school as everyone smiles my way. I feel like I am in the Twilight Zone. No one has ever cared about me and now, I am the center of attention. I guess falling for the savage mafia boy has brought more changes to my life than I thought.
Over the next few weeks, my life has become a whirlwind.
The school has gone absolutely crazy over the news of mine and Ason’s relationship. What is crazier, is how the girls can’t seem to get over the fact that Ason finally has a girlfriend. The guy who was known for quick hook-ups and only one-night stands, now has a serious girlfriend. Some girls are rude and glare my way when Ason isn’t looking. Others are overly nice to me in fear of what Gabby may do if they are caught doing anything but smiling at me. The attention I am receiving feels weird. Part of me misses when I was ignored and a nobody. However, I wouldn’t trade anything for how Ason makes me feel because now, I feel alive.
Valued.
Important.
And those are feelings I don’t want to lose.
Even his friends; The Elite, have warmed up to me. They weren’t sure about me, an outsider, coming into their world, but with each day that passes, they are being nicer. Gabby even sat near me in class the other day! Then, Ason met my parents and I officially met his dad.
The world I have found myself thrust into is nothing like I expected. I wasn’t sure what I imagined the mafia to be like, but from what I’ve seen, they are just a very tight-knit and close family. Images of Scarface and The Sopranos filtered through my mind and I was so nervous about being around all of the Elites and their infamous family members. I still hear the rumors of the Antoni Mafia Family, and I know Ason’s fears about being a made man, but honestly, their world is kind of nice. I don’t harp on what Aason’s family name means because his story isn’t about the mafia. It’s about him and the man that he is on his own.
“Hey, beautiful,” I hear from behind, as Ason’s arms wrap around my waist.
“Hey,” I say, turning in his arms so that we are now face-to-face. I throw my arms around his neck and pull him in for a kiss.
We are supposed to be having one of our tutoring sessions, but the last few times we have met here in our library conference room, not much studying has gone down. Instead, we spend our time devouring each other. Somehow, though, Ason has managed to get his grades back up. Things have been going great and even Tara has seemed to leave me alone. Though, her scowling continues, she hasn’t tried anything on me again.
“I have a family meeting tonight, so I can’t stay long,” he drawls out, looking upset.
“It’s ok, I have a paper to write anyway,” I tell him.
A deep sigh escapes from him and something feels wrong in the moment. As I study him, I see his jaw tense and he looks stressed.
“Are you ok?” I ask, pulling back a little.
He runs a hand through his hair and looks away for a moment. “Yeah, I’m fine. I just have some things to talk to my dad about,” he begins, but I still feel like there is something more.
I have learned with Ason that when he gets like this, not to push him. When he is ready to talk; he will. I guess that’s why we have become so perfect together. Separately we are broken, but together we are perfectly imperfect. We complete one another and accept the other for who they are—faults and all.
“Will you call me later?” I ask.
“Of course, I will,” Ason says, finally smiling.
I push him away and sit down in my chair. He flops down beside me and as we begin to try and get some studying done, neither one of us can help but to flirt with and touch the other. Our time together is precious and I know that these days are going to be forever implanted in my heart and mind.