We were all seated in the grand dining room having dinner like we usually do once a week. My father, the Don at the head of the table. To his left, his wife, my step mother Isabella. Beside her was my step sister Bianca who was giggling at her phone. Across from them was my older brother Tony and I. And next to me was Alfred the consigliere. The rest of the ten chairs were filled with capos and cousins who worked for my father.
"Bianca put that down and eat something." Isabella ordered.
Bianca sighed as she put her phone down and looked across the table to me. She gave me a bitchy smile which made me scowl. She had always rubbed me the wrong way ever since my papà brought her and Isabella home 8 years ago. But we were family so I learned to ignore her as kindly as I could. She however loved to pester me like how I assumed an older sister would.
"So what are we doing about the lawsuit that has all of our businesses shut down right now?" A capo bravely asked loud enough to be heard over the small talk at the table.
Angelo, my father shot Tony a look while slurping up some soup from his spoon. Tony stood up and put a hand to his tie to flatten it down. My brother didn't look like an underboss with his lush gelled back hair and muscular physique under his professional attire. You'd think he was an honest hard working millionaire, but he was the underboss and he was the best at everything he did. I didn't bother to look up at him next to me instead I focused on a tiny thread coming loose from the table runner. I could feel my father's gaze falling to me occasionally noticing my disinterest in the subject matter.
"We have hired a new lawyer. He's working on this as we speak. We should be back up and running in a few days. For now if you need additional funds you can contact Alfred or myself." Tony sat back down and reached for his phone as if he had business to attend to.
Angelo reached for his wine glass and lifted it. Everyone else including myself followed.
"Famiglia." He cheered his glass to the air. In unison echoes of Famiglia followed.
I took a sip of the red wine and put the glass back down.
After dinner I hung out with my cousins Frankie and Peter. They were half brothers the same age as me. It always brought me a smile when they had to explain how their papà knocked up two women at the same time.
We were hanging outside in the garden passing around a blunt. I didn't usually indulge but tonight I took a few hits.
"I think Rosa's looking at me." Peter grinned and winked at the blondie across the yard.
Frankie and I looked over to Rosa smiling and giggling to her friends. They were in their own little clique. Rosa was the daughter of a capo who worked for my father. She had been like a leech trying to squirm her way onto my arm after I let her give me a blowjob in the 10th grade. She wanted me badly but I found no interest in her.
Frankie turned to slam the back of his hand with the blunt in between his fingers right into Peter's stomach.
"She's looking at Gino you dumbass." Frankie chuckled and it made me smile.
Peter frowned and took the blunt from his hand and then took a hit.
"Fuck, I don't want to go back to school tomorrow." Frankie stated.
Their spring break was coming to an end and soon high school would be over too. The past four years were a bore and I was not looking forward to the next chapter of my life.
One of my father's body guards approached us.
"Gino, the Don wants to meet you in his office."
Fuck. I thought as I tapped Frankie and Peter both on the arm before leaving.
When I arrived at the door of my papà's office I knocked once before he called me in. Already seated with his legs crossed was my brother who was still texting on his phone. Angelo stood in the corner with a cigar in one hand. The room was slightly fogged from the smoke.
I went to take my seat next to my brother who snuck me a quick look before putting his phone away into his pocket.
"Gino, you are graduating high school in 3 months, what are your plans for your future?" He said calmly before taking a drag of his cigar and puffing it adding to the fog.
I squirmed a little in my seat while raking my hand through my curl locks. It was the same question he had been asking me all year. I had the same answer every time.
"Well-"
"Cut the bullshit kid. You'll either go to college like your brother did or you will run a business like a capo for the famiglia."
As the second son I would never be able to move up higher than a capo not with my brother around at least. He was next inline to be Don and he would be fucking fantastic at it. But who said I wanted to be part of the mafia anyway? I barely knew what I wanted to do for entertainment this past year let alone for the rest of my life.
"Uh college I guess?" I despised school. When you are basically a prince of the largest mafia in New York you could get anything with money and power. Even a college degree.
I could go to college to avoid my papà for a few more years but my life would always belong to the Gravano mafia. The 'G' tatted on my left wrist in a fancy newspaper letterhead font always reminds me. I got it with my brother a few years ago when we got drunk together. It was my first time getting wasted. He had a matching one somewhere on his chest in the mix of other tattoos. It was a dumb idea. My idea.
"Tony, make sure the kid is enrolled for the fall at NYU."
"Are your grades good enough to get in?" He chuckled at me.
No, but I'm a Gravano. I smirked almost busting out in laughter back at my brother.
"Gino, go get your gloves and meet Henry in the gym."
That was my papà's way of saying he was done talking to me and I had annoyed him. Henry was my sparring teacher for 10 years now. I hadn't been able to beat him until I turned 16. Before then I was getting pounded constantly.
The next day James, my driver, dropped me off at the front of Browning Private School. The top private school in New York. Also owned by Angelo Gravano my papà. The student body was made up of 90% mafia related members. The top staff were the only ones who knew of me and my family. The rest had some idea but never snooped around due to their large salaries.
I was late like usual, one of the perks of being a Gravano prince. My cousins sent me a text to meet them in the gymnasium. They were having a pep rally for one of the few sports Browning offered which was Basketball.
I walked into the packed gymnasium which was so large you'd think it was for a college team not high school. My cousins and I sat in the same section for the past 4 years, right in front of the cheerleaders. We usually just watched the girls jump around ignoring the principal and other students.
I climbed up the steps passing Rosa and her gang not looking at them but feeling all of their gazes on me as I slid in next to my cousins. I clasped each of their hands in a dap noticing they didn't bother to turn to look at me. Their eyes were glued to the court and their mouths open practically drooling. A corner of my lip jerked up at their stupor assuming the cheerleaders were not in their usual uniforms but in some other scandalous costume which they wore only a couple times in the year depending on the event or time of the year.
I turned to look at the view in anticipation but was confronted instead by a familiar blonde instead. Rosa. She flashed a smile at me covered in light pink gloss. I reluctantly smiled back and tried to peek around her but she stood right in front of my view.
"Hi Gino, I really enjoyed having dinner with you yesterday." She said as if it were an intimate dinner just between us two.
"Hi Rosa." Peter said, turning his view from the court to the blonde in front of me. She gave him a sweet smile which I knew set him soaring.
"You're blocking my view." I said as she opened her mouth to speak. I diverted my gaze but I could see the frown as she slowly walked back to her gang and sat down.
I scanned the cheerleaders directly in front of me. I knew it. Insead of in their usual cheer uniforms they had on a crop sport bras and tight little spanks matching the school colors green and white. They had just started a cheer.
Wait, who's that? My mind shot sparks when I noticed her. There was a new girl. She had long brown hair that cascaded around the sides of her large breasts which could barely be contained in her sports bra. Her waist was slim with just the smallest amount of belly peeking out from her tight green spanks making her thighs look plump. Turn around. I desperately wanted a peak of her ass.
She suddenly dropped down into a split waving a sparkly pom pom above her head flashing a cute bright smile. That's when Peter stood up and put two fingers into his mouth blowing a whistle so loud everyone turned to look at us. Her eyes darted to us in the stands and our gaze met. I must have given her a devilish look since her smile disappeared and her full lips slightly parted. For the rest of the pep rally my eyes were glued to her and I craved a closer view.