Alek

Chapter 39: Alek Russo

Chapter 39: Alek Russo

The first time I fought with Lorenzo was a month after my mother died. It wasn't his fault, it was mine. I blamed him, though I shouldn't have, but I did it because I was grieving and I needed someone to blame.

My father was only to blame.

Lorenzo was young, and so was I. He'd said he wanted to be with me because he knew I was sad and I yelled at him to leave me alone. Lorenzo had flinched and I'd felt a sense of satisfaction. I hated that I felt satisfaction, but I felt it anyway. But he didn't leave me alone. I yelled at him again and it wasn't because I didn't like him, no. It was because I was conflicted. Confused. In pain.

And a fucking idiot.

But that's the thing about Lorenzo, he never gives up. He never stops fighting. When he wants something he gets it.

But now he's gone.

____________________

"Do you think father will care if I join the book club after school?" Lorenzo asks me. "I could always lie about it, but it never feels good."

"You mean, it doesn't feel good to keep looking over your shoulder," I snort as I lean over the counter, watching Matteo making us lunch across the table.

Lorenzo sighs into his cereal, "Alek, you're supposed to advise me, it's what older brothers are for."

"That's it?" I roll my eyes. "That's a horribly boring fucking job-"

"Stop swearing," Matteo mutters, slapping our lunches onto the counter in front of us before turning to me. "And Alek, stop beating up Jared Karrigen please, my God-"

"Tell him to stop pissing me off," I snatch my lunch off the table and began making my way towards my school bag. "He keeps snagging my girlfriend-"

"You mean your friend with benefits," Lorenzo gives me a snicker.

Lorenzo being fourteen years old had just gotten to grade nine just when I was in my last year. He began to see things he'd only heard about, like me breaking Jared's ugly nose for the tenth time throughout highschool or finally getting to attend prom when once it was only a dream.

Matteo sighs loudly through his nose as if he's had enough of our immaturity, "I don't care what or who she is. Stop beating up Jared, I'm tired of saving your ass from dad."

Matteo was the only one of us three who called father 'dad.' I'd never asked him about it, but it was strange.

"I'm leaving," I say loudly, dropping my lunch into my bag and making my way out the kitchen. "Enzo, are you coming or not?"

Matteo doesn't like being ignored. Not when he knows he's right. And he's always right. Or so he believes.

"Alek, get your ass back here," Matteo yells as I disappear out of the kitchen. "I swear on-"

"Don't!" Lorenzo rushes after me.

I need to get out of here before Matteo begins to give me one of his long lectures that will probably make me late for school.

"Matteo I'm fucking seventeen not seven, leave me alone. You're only two years older than me, not twenty."

"Yeah well, if dads not gonna look after us, who will?" Matteo stops before me just as my fingers brush against the door knob of the front door. "But you're never going to listen to anything I say, are you?"