Mafia Princess

Mafia Princess

Chapter One

A Somewhat Regular Day

“What time is it?” Destiny Marcello continued to panic as she paced up and down the foyer. She could hear her mom down the hall in the kitchen. She was most likely staring at the slow and incompetent coffee maker.

Destiny knew that her mom hadn’t gotten hardly any sleep the night before. She was helping Destiny’s dad with some case for the firm. Sure, Hope could rule any board meeting, but to say she liked doing it would be a lie.

Destiny and her parents were from Italy. Destiny was born there, but when she was four they moved to the United States because of her father’s career. English was her second language, but since she learned it while she was young she was pretty fluent, although; she did keep an English-Italian dictionary with her at all times, just in case.

“It’s going on 7:45.” Destiny could hear the clatter of the coffee pot. Her mom must have been on her eighth cup by then. Hope loved her coffee like others loved chocolate. It was practically her life source. Her favorite brand was Brazilian coffee and she never loved anyone more than her husband, Derek, when he brought her some when he came back from his travels. “You’re going to be late if you don’t hurry up.”

Destiny finally stopped pacing. She hung her head for a second and then looked up in the mirror that hung in the foyer. A few strands of her long brown hair had fallen from her ponytail and were now curving around her face. “I know, but Damien was supposed to be here by now.”

Damien Ettore was 19 years old and had been Destiny’s boyfriend for two years. Technically he and Destiny had known each other for years – practically their entire lives. Damien’s father was Derek’s right hand man and the Ettore’s had moved with them to America all those years before. Most of the time Destiny thought of Damien more as a bodyguard than a boyfriend, since before she could remember he had always saw it as his job to protect her.

“Do you want me to drive you?” Hope walked out of the kitchen and came down the hall. She was holding a steaming orange coffee mug. She was still decked out in her pajamas, complete with fuzzy slippers. Her shoulder length dark brown hair was still curled from the night before and Destiny could see a faint line of eyeliner that Hope must have left on when she went to sleep.

“Would you?” Destiny hated herself for asking. She knew that her mom should still be in bed, and not be trying to solve everyone’s problems with only four hours of sleep.

“Just give me two minutes.” Hope set down her mug before taking off for the stairs.

Destiny rolled her eyes before she could stop herself. “You’re never just two minutes.” A small grin twitched at the sides of her lips.

“I heard that!” Hope yelled back jokingly. Destiny heard her mother running up the stairs and towards the master bedroom.

Destiny sighed to herself and went into the parlor. Unlike most of the rooms in the house it screamed elegance. The drapes were tan and full of frills. The mantel was red oak and had a few knickknacks that had no obvious meaning or purpose, but were pretty to look at. The picture above the fireplace was the family portrait. It had been taken two years before. Hope and Derek were standing while Destiny was seated in a dining room style chair. They were in fancy clothes, ones you wore to a luncheon or tea, and had polite smiles graced upon their lips. The two sofas were a shade of dark cream and weren’t comfortable to sit on. There was a coffee table in the center of them. To top of the room there was a drink cart in the corner that held all of Derek’s guest scotch and wine.

There were no plants or personal touches around the room.

Nothing about the room said Hope. You could also tell that no one really used the room. It was really just there for show, and for when Derek’s important business clients came over for dinner.

“Mom, hurry up!” Destiny called up the stairs as she walked across the parlor. She leaned against the stair banister, while knowing she was going to be late.

“I’m hurrying as best as I can!” Hope’s voice was closer than it would have been it she was in her bedroom. Then she made her appearance at the top of the stairs, now fashioning a pair of dark blue jeans and a ‘Sorry, did you think I was listening’ bunny t-shirt.

Destiny smiled at her mom’s choice of shirt, “Thanks for driving me.”

“No problem. It gives me a chance to pick up donuts and coffee before heading into work.” Hope smiled brightly at the mention of coffee and the freshly made donuts that Dunkin’ Donuts made.

Hope owned her own bookstore. It doubled as a hang out for teenagers because of the atmosphere and the free internet access that she offered on the computers.

“Lets go!” Hope grabbed her keys off of the table beside the door and they headed outside.

Destiny wasn’t wearing anything that fashionable. She never really cared what people thought of her. She preferred to be comfortable. She was wearing worn blue jeans, a plain green tee, with a black best over top. Her converse shoes were tied with neon green shoelaces and had Italian written all over them in permanent marker. The one piece of jewelry she wore was a silver necklace that spelled out ‘Aussie Girl’ that her father had bought for her on his last trip down under.

They walked around the house and into the garage. There were two cars parked inside, and they took the dark green Jeep Liberty.

As soon as the car started up the stereo came on. Metallica sang from the speakers and both of them relaxed.

It took all of fifteen minutes to get to the school parking lot.

“You be good, and don’t get into too much trouble.” Hope winked at her daughter as Destiny hopped out of the car.

She shut the door, “I’ll try my best.” She did a mock salute. Then, laughing, she headed inside the high school.

In reality Destiny never got into trouble. She mainly kept to herself now, and did her own thing. Most of her friends were already out of high school, so she didn’t really hang out with too many people.

Destiny wasn’t really any honor student. She wasn’t one for getting straight A’s. She got plenty of A’s but always got a C in Algebra. Her talents were in history, language arts, and gym. She couldn’t be perfect in everything, and her thing was math.

“Hey Des!” Lisa ran up to Destiny. Her red hair was cut short, showing off a pixie cut, and her eyes were like gold. Today she was wearing a red tank with a pair of pale jeans with beaded roses running down the sides.

Destiny smiled at her friend, “Hey Lisa, how’s your day been so far?”

“Very dull, let’s not talk about it.” She casually linked her arm with Destiny’s. “Let’s talk about the night. There is an amazing party happening tomorrow night. Do you think you can come?”

Destiny hesitated slightly. She had never been much of a party girl. The most partying she had ever done was a concert in New York and going out for pizza afterwards. Other than that she attended business functions that her dad was obligated to go to.

“Um, I’ll have to ask my parents.” Destiny told her truthfully.

“Wonderful.” Lisa smiled, “It’s going to be so much fun! If you can go then I’ll do your hair. We can curl it or something.” She studied Destiny. “You always seem to be doing the same thing with you hair.”

Destiny laughed, “That’s because I do.” She felt comfortable with her hair in a ponytail. It didn’t get in the way.

“How long is your hair?” Lisa asked curiously. Her hazel eyes were soft as the sun reflected off of them.

They walked up the stairs and came into the main hallway of the high school.

“To about here.” Destiny drew a line across the middle of her back.

“Whoa.” Lisa gaped.

Destiny smiled, “Yeah, I like it long so I can put it in a ponytail.”

“Why not just cut it off? Like mine.” Lisa suggested being her usual laid back self. She swung her backpack over her shoulder and the two sidestepped around the crowds that had formed in the hall.

“I had my hair cut short like that once.” She grimaced, “It’s not for me.”

Lisa laughed, “It’s not for everyone.”

They paused when Destiny reached her locker. “I’ll see you at lunch then?”

Lisa turned to face her, “Maybe not. I have this Shakespeare study group during lunch period and I can’t miss it. So I’ll see you afterwards, in Spanish.”

“Kay. Have fun.” Destiny told her and laughed hard when Lisa made a face.

Lisa was an environmentalist. She wanted to save everything and everyone. She wanted to go to school for natural sciences and to travel across Africa to help whoever she could there. Lisa’s truly amazing, just not in Shakespeare class. She was all about science, while on contrast, Destiny was all about literature.

Destiny got all of her books together and started towards her homeroom. She wasn’t as late as she thought she’d be, but she didn’t at least her usual seat was open. She was probably the only teenager in the school who actually tried and wanted to get in the front row.

MP

Finally it was lunchtime, and Destiny was sitting alone at a table in the center of the cafeteria. She had a thick novel sitting open on top of her food tray and her MP3 player beside her. That was normal for her. She’d eat her packed lunch while reading and listening to music while the rest of the student body yelled and ate their food like they hadn’t eaten in days.

“Can we sit?”

Destiny only heard a faint muffled voice, because of her head phones, but she glanced up anyway. She slipped her earphones out of her lobes and frowned at the sight before her. There were three, very tall and very hot, jocks standing around her.

“Can we sit?” He repeated. His name was Bryant Cornet. He was the star of the football team and didn’t care about anything else. He stood at 6’5 and had dark wavy hair and blue eyes.

Destiny nodded to the football players and then silently turned back to her book.

“What’s your name?” The blond of the group asked as he sat down beside her. He was wearing casual jeans and a Chicago bears football jersey.

“Destiny.” Destiny told them politely. She glanced at the blond, who she knew was Leo Crowe, and then turned back to her book. No one had ever really sat with her at lunch, unless Lisa had the same lunch period as her, and it struck her really weird that these popular guys had chosen her table. It was almost eerie.

“Cool name.” The other brown haired boy commented. He was sitting beside Bryant on the other side of the table.

Destiny nodded her head.

“Do you usually sit here?” Bryant asked after a short pause.

Destiny looked up at him and nodded. “Almost everyday since freshmen year.”

He nodded slightly, “I’ve never really noticed you before.” He didn’t say it in a mean way. It’s more like he’s talking more to himself then to Destiny.

“Well I normally don’t mingle during lunch.” She said gently and hoped that they got the message and would either leave or stop talking.

It wasn’t that she didn’t like the jocks or other clicks in the school. She just didn’t belong to any of them. She preferred Lisa and their mutual friend Lindsey, and Damien and his crowd.

The guys nodded again and turned their attention to each other and their food.

Destiny smiled to herself and put her headphones back on. She turned the page of her book and forgot about everything around her once again.

She didn’t even notice when her cell phone rang.

Suddenly a piece of paper dropped onto her book. Her head snapped up, but she didn’t see anyone who could have given it to her. She frowned slightly, but opened it up none the less.

Stand up. Face the cafeteria doors. Take three steps forward. Stop. Take five steps forward. Stop. Turn left. Take seven steps forward. Stop and wait for further directions.

By the handwriting she could tell it was from Damien.

“Got yourself a secret admirer there?” Leo asked teasingly. Even though they’d only just met, Destiny liked Leo. Not in a romantic way, but she could see him as someone to talk to. He, at least, had some more brain cells than some other jocks she’d met.

Destiny shook her head, “Something like that.” Her eyes cloud over with annoyance as she proceeded to follow the directions.

“Leave it to Damien to do something like this.” Destiny rolled her eyes as she finally came to the end of the obstacle. She was standing in the corner of the cafeteria, by one of the open windows. She could tell that a lot of the students were watching her; mainly because Bryant and the guys were watching her.

Destiny leaned casually against the wall and crossed her arms.

Outside, in the hallway, Destiny heard a faint crash. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw the teachers heading out of the cafeteria to where the scene had been caused. She watched them with narrowed eyes. Something wasn’t right.

Suddenly a guy climbed skillfully through the window. He was wearing dark slacks, a black t-shirt, and a leather coat. His black hair was gelled and naturally tousled from all the times he ran his hands through it, and he had dark brown eyes.

“What are you doing here?” Destiny hissed at him. Her eyes darted around the room in panic. The students watched them with interest and curiosity. Obviously no one recognized the older and sensual man standing before her.

She pushed herself off the wall and turned back to face him.

Damien was smirking mischievously at her, “Don’t I get a hello?”

Destiny rolled her eyes. She took a slow deep breath and finally met his gaze, “Hi.”

“Buongiorno.” (Hello) His Italian accent rolled off his tongue as he stepped closer to Destiny. His eyes were locked on hers and held a spark of longing in them.

“Non pensare che l'italiano parlante li ottenga dovunque.” (Don’t think that speaking Italian is going to get you anywhere.) Destiny shyly crossed her arms in attempt to hold her ground.

Destiny watched Damien with an innocent gaze. She had her body shyly tilted away from him and her arms crossed protectively in front of her. She was willing herself not to melt at the sound of his voice.

She could see him coming closer. It was as if he’d moving at the speed of light, because suddenly he had her pressed up against the cafeteria wall with his lips on hers.

Destiny gasped slightly but quickly melted into his kiss. He pulled her flush against him and snaked his arms possessively around her slim waist.

She closed her eyes and wrapped her own arms around his neck. She played with his hair as he deepened the kiss.

After about three minutes they broke apart. Both of them were gasping for air. Damien pressed his forehead against hers and grinned at her. “How’s school been?” He asked, somewhat breathlessly.

Destiny grinned, her eyes still closed, “It’s been very boring.”

“How about we go out tonight, seite?” (seven) He lightly ran his hands up and down her back before stepping away from her.

“Sounds good.” Destiny followed him with her eyes.

“I’ll pick you up.” Damien was about to swing his legs over the window sill.

“Oh sure, I believe that.” Destiny scoffed. Damien turned to her and frowned, confused. “You were supposed to bring me to school this morning and you didn’t show.”

Damien nodded his head in recognition, “I had some work to do.”

“What work? You’re taking the year off.” Destiny almost laughed.

Damien was a year older then Destiny, 19. He was supposed to be in college, but he decided he wanted to go to school when Destiny went, so he took the year off. It had taken a while to persuade his dad, but with the help of Destiny they had finally gotten him to agree.

“Listen, I’ll be waiting for you outside this hell hole at three o’clock sharp. Will that regain your trust in me?” He jumped the rest of the way out of the window and leaned against the sill. His eyes were serious, but a smirk was playing at the edges of his lips.

Destiny leaned against the sill so their faces were barely an inch apart. “I suppose.”

Damien smirked, “Good.” He bent forward and they engage in one last passionate kiss. When he pulled back he kept his eyes closed.

“What are you doing?” Destiny asked.

“I’m memorizing your kiss.” He told her. He snapped his eyes open and smirked once more. “It’s going to have to last me three whole hours.” He said melodramatically.

Destiny smiled, “Till then.”

“Arrivederci.” (Goodbye) He smiled at her and started away from the school and towards the parking lot.

“A presto!” (I’ll see you later) Destiny called after him. He turned and winks at her over his shoulder and Destiny laughed to herself as she straightened up and headed back over to her table. She didn’t even notice that about half the senior class was staring at her in shock.

MP

“Señorita Marcello, cuenta a diez en español por favor.” (Ms. Marcello, count to ten in Spanish please) Señora Elliot was standing in the front of the class facing the black board. She wore a knee length black dress skirt and a button down white top. Her heels are respectable and look comfortable to walk in, or at least the most comfortable you can get for heels.

Destiny gulped to herself as she tried to distinguish what her teacher had asked her.

“Count to ten in Spanish.” Lisa whispered urgently.

Destiny gave Lisa a grateful smile and turned to Señora Elliot, “Un dos tres Quattro cinque sei sette otto nove dieci.”

Señora Elliot turned around to face Destiny. She opened her mouth to say something but the bell cut her off. “Alright class, I’ll see you tomorrow. Finish pages 250-255 in your workbook tonight as homework.”

Destiny followed everyone else’s lead and stood up. She gathered all of her books in her arms and was ready to make a break for it.

“Destiny, can you wait for a second.” Señora asked. She sat down at her desk and placed the piece of chalk that she had been holding on her desk.

Lisa smiled gently at Destiny before taking her leave with the rest of the class.

“Yes Señora Elliot?” Destiny walked slowly up to the head of the class. It was like the walk of shame. She rested her books on the edge of her teacher’s desk.

Señora Elliot smiled gently, “Destiny you are a great student.” She started. Destiny sucked in a strict breath as she waited for her to continue, “But you keep mixing Italian in with Spanish.”

Destiny hung her head and sighed heavily, “I know. It’s just very frustrating.” Her accent thickened with each word.

“I know it is. Spanish and Italian are very similar.” Señora Elliot nodded her head more to herself then to Destiny, “I think you should think about having a tutor. You made it through the first marking period fine but if this continues you’ll suffer.”

Destiny closed her eyes briefly before nodding, “Okay.”

“I’ll make the arrangements myself and then you’ll have Spanish tutoring during study hall.” Señora Elliot smiled, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Bye Señora Elliot.” Destiny grinned weakly and headed out of the door.

She practically ran to her locker. All she wanted to do was get out of this building and get home, where she could blast Collective Soul and forget all about foreign language.

“Did you see that guy that girl over there was making out with at lunch today?”

“Yeah, I wonder who is was.”

“He was totally hot.”

Destiny frowned to herself as she shut her locker. She glanced around the hallway. Most of the students were already heading outside to the buses, so she has a clear view of the three very popular and very stuck up girls who were gossiping about her across the hallway.

Destiny swung her backpack over her shoulder and went passed them to the doors.

“I thought we agreed on three o’clock sharp?” Damien was leaning against the concrete stair railing. He had on a pair of black sun glasses and a deep scowl across his face.

“I know. I’m sorry.” Destiny continued down the stairs and waited for Damien to follow her.

“I have been standing out here for five minutes. Do you know what it feels like to be checked out by freshmen girls as they walk by?” Damien’s face didn’t soften as he continued to rant.

Destiny stifled a giggle, “No, and quite frankly I’m glad that I don’t.”

“Well let me enlighten you. It isn’t pleasant.” Damien took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down.

Destiny shook her head to herself and started towards the parking lot. Damien grabbed her arm and gently pulled her around so she’s facing him again.

“You really don’t like saying hello to people do you?” He smirked.

Destiny forced herself to smile and gently pecked him on the lips, “Hello.” Then she returned to being depressed and they walked further into the parking lot.

“What’s wrong?” Damien casually draped his arm over her shoulders.

She shrugged and stared down at her shoes.

“Talk to me.” Damien whispered huskily into her ear.

Destiny grinned lightly at him, “I have to get a tutor for Spanish.”

Damien nodded, “Well that’s better then failing, I guess.”

“Like you would even care. You got a D in Spanish both marking periods you took it.” Destiny stopped when they came to the motorcycle that was taking up two parking places. She frowned, “Why did you park like this?”

“I didn’t want anyone scratching my bike.” Damien told her as if it were obvious.

Destiny nodded again, “I don’t want to fail.”

“You aren’t going to fail.” Damien massaged her shoulders before they both get onto his bike.

Damien waited for Destiny to put on her helmet before starting up the engine.