Lost in Shadows, Found in Family (A Mafia Reunion Story)

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Aspen POV

Curse my science teacher, because that woman wants us to go outside of the school, to the forests surrounding it, and look for living beings. And they can't be human. I trudged behind the class as we walked to the forests, everyone having their species-identifying sheets in hand. The first animal I saw was a frog, so I quickly marked it on my paper and explained its characteristics. As I was minding my own business, Cole, who I learned was the self-proclaimed clown and troublemaker of the class, came up to me, seeming to have a hidden agenda. I internally groaned as I turned to face him. Why do I always encounter trouble whenever Ash isn't with me?

"So new girl, where you from?" he asked. I couldn't detect any malice or bad intentions from the question so I honestly didn't know how to answer. Or more specifically, I just didn't know the answer. I stared at him blankly, and I think that ticked him off a little.

"What, you don't know? Are you some foster kid or sum? No parents?" he probed. No parents. Those words affected me more than I thought they would. I do have a....dad....I guess. But does he even consider me to be his daughter? Am I worthy enough to be his daughter? And then I felt Cole give me a slight push. Not to hurt me, but to shake me out of my thoughts. But I don't like any contact at all. So I slapped his hand away and glared at him. That angered him. Because then he muttered a couple of profanities and tried to get closer to me.

"Cole, what are you doing?" Mave said as he walked towards us with his hands tucked in his pockets.

"This girl thinks she's all-that and it's getting on my nerves," Cole responds. When I tried backing away, he pulled me towards him and I brought my hands up to shield my face. Then almost immediately, Mave pulls Cole and shoves him away from me. I felt a sense of relief wash over me as my personal space wasn't invaded anymore and I was able to breathe normally again. I met Mave's eyes which seemed to be asking if I was alright and I subtly nodded while maintaining eye contact. I hope he got the message that I was trying to say thank you as well. He smiled at me softly and walked away.

We ended up dismissing from the forestry area, and since it was the last period, I had to find my way to the parking lot where Sebastian said their car would be.

"If you're taking the bus, you can follow that girl over there," Mave said as he pointed to a girl, whose name I learned to be Ashley.

"But if you're going to the parking lot, you can follow me," he said and started walking. I was glad he didn't phrase anything as a question and didn't expect me to answer. I silently followed him until we were at the parking garage, where I think only students who drove to school were allowed to park. I looked around for the black Mercedes we came in, but instead, my eyes found Ashton.

"Aspen!" he yelled as he ran over to me. I stepped closer and smiled widely, happy to see him. He gave me a quick side hug and focused his attention on Mave curiously.

"Hey man, what's up?" he asked Mave, obviously confused as to why he was here and with me.

"So turns out your sis and I have fourth period together, and I just showed her the way here," Mave responded while scratching the back of his head. Ashton smiled at him and shot me a glance, probably trying to gauge how I felt about that. I just shrugged.

Once Mave left, we went over to the car and saw Sebastian waiting for us. He didn't so much as look at us before getting into the driver's seat. When we got into the car, I realized the twins were already seated. I suddenly felt a little bad for making them wait.

"What took you so long?" Ezekiel asked with a snarl to his tone. Ashton just ignored him so I decided to ignore him too.

"Hey, answer your brother if he asks you a question," Sebastian said from the front with a steady firm tone. So is Sebastian siding with Ezekiel now too?

"We just had some trouble finding the way here," Ashton responded. I looked at him and noticed he was clutching his hands together, probably in frustration. This was just reminding me of how much of a terrible day I was having, and my mood suddenly turned sour.

"Where's your other sister?" Ezekiel asked again. 'your other sister.' As if she wasn't his sister. Right on cue, the car door opened and Tammie's face came into view. She had a small smile but it disappeared once she saw my expression. She quickly looked around the car and saw Ezekiel angrily glaring at her. She ignored him and sat down. I don't know if he was just nicer to her, but Ezekiel didn't question why she came late even though she came later than us. Either way, I was just happy to see her again. Not happy enough to completely eradicate my sour mood though.

"How was your day?" Tamsyn whispered to me.

"It was...ok," I replied back. "How about yours?" I asked. She shrugged and gave me an 'I'll tell you later' look. The rest of the car ride back home was pretty silent.

~ back home ~

The moment we got home, the three of us debriefed on our days. Tamsyn told us about the friends she made and Ashton gushed about Mave. I decided it was best if I didn't mention my unfortunate encounters.

Our conversation was interrupted by a sudden knock on the door. After a couple of seconds, Everett's head popped into the room with a big smile.

"Hey guys, just letting you know that Ezekiel, Sebastian, and I are going out real quick," he said.

"Where are y'all going?" Tamsyn asked.

"Uuh, just family...business stuff," he said hastily before running off. The three of us looked at each other and just shrugged. I guess it wasn't our problem. Family business stuff after all. We decided to finish our homework and just hang out until dinner. 

If y'all want more updates, pleaseee vote and comment! It'll be really helpful and give me much more motivation :)

Love,

Day Lilac ♡