My World Came Crashing Down: A Nico di Angelo Fanfiction

Prologue

My name is Nico di Angelo.

My dad left when I was young. He never wrote letters, he didn't call, we never heard from him. And it didn't bother me, honestly. I mean, yeah, sure I wanted to meet him. Of course, I'd never pass up the opportunity to meet my dad, the guy who left his wife and kids alone for 14 years. My sister, Bianca, tells me not to be angry with him. My mom says the same-or at least, she used to. Before she died in an explosion when we moved to New York from Italy. And guess who didn't come to the funeral? Bianca tells me that it was because Dad married another woman. Someone prettier than Mom. I find that very hard to believe.

So, it was just me and Bianca. After everything that happened, Bianca was the most important thing in the world to me. Since we moved to New York before Mom died, and our granparents didn't have the money to take us in, our only choice was to move in with our step-mom, Melissa Jenkins, who had also been left behind by our dad after they got married.

Melissa was awful. She was rude, obnoxious, and did anything she could to get a drop of alcohol on her tongue. Bianca says that she hates us, because she hates our dad for leaving her. Often when I come home from school, she's sitting in the kitchen, just waiting for an opportunity to beat me up, but it's only because she's drunk. I don't mind it this way. I'd rather go through all of the pain in the world than have Bianca suffer to protect me. I don't dare say a word about Melissa to anyone, though. The consequences would result in much more than my usual black eye.

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When I was 10, Bianca and I were walking home from school one day.

"How was school, Neeks?" she asked, ruffling my hair.

"Good," I replied.

It may not have sounded like it, but I was telling the truth. You know, like when adults ask how you're doing, and your automatic answer is always "good", even if you're like, dying inside. That's how I answer the "How was school" question.

"Learn anything that might help us get revenge on Melissa?" Bianca asked, wrinkling her nose. She started kicking a stone and walking further from the sidewalk.

"No," I said quietly. "You?"

"No," she said with a sigh.
When we stopped across the street from our house, Bianca said,"I'm gonna check the mail. Don't follow me until I tell you there aren't any cars."

"Okay," I obliged. Ha, look at me. I was so obedient.

Bianca walked across the street. Something dropped out of her backpack.

"Bianca, you dropped something," I called out.

"Oh, thanks Nico," she said. She turned around to pick it up.

A car blasting hip-hop music turned the corner and sped down the street we were on. Bianca wasn't watching, because when she bent down, more of her stuff fell out. She was busy trying to organize her colored pencils.

"Bianca! Mov-" I started to warn. But it was too late.

"Bianca!" I screamed, tears streaming down my face. The kids stopped the car. A girl who looked about twelve got out. She had on her back what looked like...was that a quiver?

"Oh my gods!"

Oh my gods??

" You hit the girl! Call 9-1-1!" she scolds.

"On it," the guy said. He had blond hair and tan skin. I couldn't help myself. I punched him in the jaw.

"You HIT my SISTER!!" I screamed in his face while he rubbed his jaw.

"I'm sorry, little man, I didn't see her, and she should've been paying attention."

And he shouldn't have said that.

"Shut up, you idiot!" I kicked him in the groin, and turned back to the girl. "Would you call the hospital, please?"

"Already on the line. I'm so sorry for my brother's ignorance," she said, glaring at the boy.

"Thank you," I say. I sit down with Bianca, being careful to avoid the circle of blood around her head.

"Bianca, please don't die..." I whisper. She stays motionless, not even a flutter of her eyelids followed.

And that was the day that my world came crashing down.