Mafia Love

Chapter 4

The next morning when dad takes me to school, he enters with me, so he can see about getting my schedule changed. The final discussion is I'm going to have free study the first five classes of the day to do online college. The school is going to pay for my college classes this year, and I am keeping my last two classes here at the school. The nice thing is I can do the online college classes either here or at home, and if I'm home, I need to be on time to my last two classes. 

Mr. Freeland, the art teacher, took me to the computer lab where I fill out forms, enrolling myself at New York University - NYU, took a placement test, and register for three classes - English 400, Math 502, and World History 400.

Entering the cafe at lunch time, I grab some food, and find an empty place to sit, and I'm completely lost in thought. Picking at the food on the tray, I'm startled out of my thoughts when four chairs are pulled back, and the legs scrap against the floor. Snapping my eyes upward, I find Giovanni, Matteo, Salvatore and Lorenzo sit down with their trays on the table. Smiling softly at them, I continue to silently eat. 

"Where were you this morning?" Giovanni asks with a frown. 

"I've been here all morning in the computer lab," I tell him. "I'm enrolled in online college classes now."

Giovanni frowns at me, and then I realize the other three are, too; "What's wrong?" 

"You're not in classes with us anymore?" Salvatore quietly asks with a slight frown. 

Shaking my head at them confused at their responses; "No, dad talked to the principal this morning before school started."

"Oh," Giovanni replies for them all, and he is actually fucking pouting at me. "That's awesome! See you are a genius?"

"That doesn't make me a genius, a lot of people in high school take college classes," I say with a tiny smile. 

"Have you ever been tested, you're IQ, I mean?" Lorenzo gently asks while we all eat.

"Back in Jersey, I did for an assignment last year for my English class," I reply, shrugging my left shoulder at him. 

"What was your score, Hunter?" Giovanni asks with a smirk, as if he already knows. 

"Um, my score was 142," I say chewing on my lower lip. 

"What's the range for genius?" Matteo asks curiously as he tilts his head to the right.

"Um, the range is between 140 and 145," I reply quietly with a light red blush warming across my cheeks. 

"See, you're considered a genius, and you knew this," Giovanni smirks with a chuckle. 

My blush deepens, and I swear my face is going to permanently stay this color; "Yeah, I just don't like to speak of it, and sound cocky."

"If I had your intelligence, I would flaunt it to everyone I meet," Matteo replies with an arrogant smile; raising my left eyebrow at him, and it doesn't surprise me that this was his answer, but I remain silent. 

"Are you busy after school?" Salvatore asks much to my surprise. 

"Um, I'm going to spend some time with my seantuismitheoiri," I reply without thinking of using the Irish word for grandparents. 

They each have an expression of confusion on their faces, and that's when I realize I said the Irish word for grandparents; "Seantuismitheoiri, is the Irish word for grandparents."

"That's so cool," Giovanni grins at me while reaching over to my tray to snatch a french fry off my tray.

"Hey!" I scold with furrowed eyebrows. "Ná tóg mura dtairgtear é!" 

"Huh?" Matteo asks confused, and the other three seem just as confused. 

"I said, 'Don't take unless it's offered!'" I reply with a scowl; I don't share unless I offer. 

Giovanni pouts at me while rubbing the spot I smacked on the back of his right hand, while his friends look concerned. Why would they feel this way is beyond me.

"Why do you guys look as if he's going to hurt or yell at me for slapping his hand?" I question as I look between the four of them.

"No reason," Salvatore quickly responds with his Italian voice slightly shaking as Lorenzo and Matteo nod in agreement. 

Giovanni looks at his friends quickly before returning his gaze back to me; "They know I don't like being struck. For you, I will let you have a free pass since you didn't know. Plus. you're cute, so that's another thing going in your favor."

My jaw drops slightly in shock at his response; "I'm not cute."

Giovanni smirks at me as he says; "Yes you are, Hunter, and don't argue with me on this since I'm always right."

"Sure you are," I smirk at him just as the lunch bell signals, making us leave the cafe. 

Back in the computer lab, I order the books I need for the college classes, and thankfully it's only one book that I need as the other materials can be printed. I start my classes tomorrow, so I print off what I need for tomorrow's classes. Once done, I make my way to the art room to see if Mr. Freeland needs any help. Knocking on the door frame of his classroom, I wait for him to give me permission to enter since this is his planning hour. 

"What's up, Hunter?" he asks while I step into his room nervously.

"I have nothing to do right now, so, I was wondering if you would like me to do anything?" I quietly ask, fidgeting between my feet. 

Mr. Freeland smiles softly at me; "I don't need anything done at the moment, but you can use a canvas to work on when you have some free time."

Brightly smiling at him, I eagerly nod; "Yes, please!"

"Alright, what do you want to draw, and then paint? This will help decide what size canvas to use," he asks standing from behind his desk to walk toward the cabinet where he keeps the canvas'.

"Um, I'm thinking I want to make a Celtic themed Shamrock. Maybe an 8x8 or 10x10 canvas?" I reply, chewing on my lower lip in thought.

"Alright, sounds good. Is there a meaning behind this idea?" he curiously asks, taking a 10x10 canvas from the cabinet, and hands it to me. 

"Um, I'm going to give it to my seantuismitheoiri or my daidi," I reply taking the canvas from him with a tiny smile. 

Settling down on a stool in front of an easel, I secure the canvas on the easel before sketching out my idea. I have it completely sketched out a few minutes before the start of my art class, so I clean up my area, and place the canvas on a shelf in the back.