C7 School can wait

Jordan Miller

~•~

It had been hours. I didn't know how many hours, but I knew it had been hours. I couldn't even tell the fucking time because when I patted myself for my phone, I couldn't find it. I didn't realize it when Alessandro took it.

All I could do was sit on the cold ground, trying my hardest not to freak out when I saw white everywhere I looked in the windowless room.

I was bored, I was hungry, I was thirsty, and most importantly, I was going out of my fucking mind. My throat was scratchy and parched. I'd screamed a lot when I realized that Alessandro had actually locked me in this room.

I closed my eyes and tried to imagine various colors. That was what I'd been doing for the past hours. Had it been a day already? I couldn't tell because the room had remained the same since I was thrown in here.

I looked over my body, gritting my teeth. I didn't realize it, but I'd been scratching myself, and I'd retained bruises from the scratching. It wasn't something new, but it wasn't something I particularly liked. Laying on the cold ground, I curled myself up in a ball and tried to think happy thoughts.

I didn't how and when I'd fallen asleep, but I woke up to someone patting me softly. Instinctively, I backed away from the person, accidentally hitting my head on the wall.

I groaned at the contact, weakly bringing up my hand to massage the back of my head. Slowly, I opened my eyes to see Patrizio squatting in front of me.

"I'm not here to hurt you." He assured me, but I looked at him suspiciously. He was loyal to Alessandro, and I wasn't in his best books at the moment. "I promise, I don't have any intentions of hurting you. You haven't wronged me."

"But I angered your boss."

My voice came out shaky and tired, making Pat's eyes soften. "Sorry about him, although you should be thankful you're still alive. What did you say to him to make him that mad?"

I shrugged and he pursed his lips.

"Come on."

I allowed him to raise me and let him support me as we walked out together from that hell Alessandro called a room. He'd known he wouldn't just be punishing me physically, but mentally as well. I blinked to rid the image from my mind forever. Hopefully, I could. "How long have I been in there?" I asked tiredly.

"Thirty-two hours."

If I had the energy, I'd have screamed a dramatic, "what??" But I didn't, so I just settled on hating Alessandro silently. I hadn't eaten for a whole day and more. I hadn't even drank water. It wasn't a wonder now why I was so fucking tired.

"Come on, don't sleep on me. You need to eat."

My eyes were barely open as he scooped me in his arms and carried me all the way to the kitchen. He finally dropped me on a stool at the kitchen aisle. How come he was so kind? Wasn't he in the same mafia as Alessandro? Wasn't his boss cold-hearted? Wasn't he supposed to take after his boss?

He patted my cheek gently, making sure I was awake before placing a huge stack of pancakes in front of me. My mouth watered at the sight, my stomach growling instinctively. I couldn't even find it in me to be embarrassed. I was too hungry to care.

Patrizio hadn't finished pouring the syrup on it when I started eating. "Okay, then." He chuckled, dropping the bottle of maple syrup next to my plate. "I'll just go." I waved him away and he laughed. "I'll be back to take you to your room though."

I choked.

"Shit!" Patrizio cursed as he quickly brought me a glass of water, rubbing my back as I downed it immediately. I continued coughing violently before it finally died down.

When I was sure I was alright, my head whipped to Pat. "What?"

"What?" He repeated, confused.

"You said something about taking me to my room." I reminded him as I resumed eating. I was consuming large portions at a time, as opposed to usual. I didn't care though.

"Yeah, you need to brush, take a bath, no offense, and change clothing."

I shook my head furiously. "That's not what I'm pointing at." Pat gave me a blank look. "The fact is that I have a room here." He nodded slowly, still apprehensive from my reaction. "Why and how?"

His expression portrayed realization as his mouth formed an 'o'. "Alessandro, of course. He ordered the guys to set up a room for you."

I scoffed inwardly. "What makes him think I'll stay here? I have an apartment. I have school."

Patrizio sighed. "Word of advice, Jordan. Don't try to go against Alessandro. You'll always fail."

"I'm not staying anyway."

"You will." I paused, suddenly losing my appetite at the sound of his voice. I turned around and saw him nursing a glass of wine as he watched me carefully. I wanted to scratch his eyes out. I wanted to poke his eyeballs. I wanted him to go through the torture I went through for thirty-six good hours. Judging by how long I was locked up in there, it was around seven in the morning. Who the hell drank wine so early anyway? "You'll stay because I said so."

I was sure the hatred in my eyes was obvious even if he only seemed amused by it. "Fuck you."

His eyes darkened and he took slow and calculated steps towards me, Patrizio watching with interest. He wrapped his hand around my neck and for a moment, I believed he was going to choke me to death this time, but he merely caressed it. "Say that again."

My breath hitched. His words held a promise. I knew angering him so early in the morning will make things even worse. He'd prepared a room for me. Did I really want to lose it if he kept me captive here?

Alessandro smiled wickedly. "Good girl. You're finally learning."

As soon as he released me, I scrambled from the barstool, approaching Patrizio. "Take me to my room."

It wasn't like I wanted to stay. I just wanted to get rid of the clothes on me; I'd been wearing them for forty-eight hours now. Plus, I didn't really have a choice here. Maybe, if I played my cards right, I'd find a way to get myself out of this mess. The only way to do that was to act like an obedient little girl.

Pat released a breath, as though he'd been scared I would fuck up again. "What about your food?" He inquired.

"I'm full." I lied. I knew he didn't believe me, but he didn't question me any further. Instead, he led me two floors up and to a door that looked much like every other door in the hallway.

When Patrizio opened the door, he step to the side to let me in first. The room was bland, much like every guest room would be. There was only a huge bed with two nightstands guarding it. "Do you like it?" I shot Pat a pointed look and he rolled his eyes. "That door leads to the closet and if you walk further, you'll find your bathroom."

I nodded, absorbing the information. "How long will I be here?"

"That's up to Alessandro and you know it." I sighed. I knew it was up to him, but I was kind of hoping Pat would be able to change his mind, seeing as the underboss' opinion was crucial in a mafia family. "Don't try to piss off the men around the house though. Not a lot of people are happy with your visit."

I looked at him incredulously. Visit? Seeing my expression, he only shrugged before backing away from the room and leaving me alone.

Great. Not only had I been kept here against my will, but some guys weren't happy that I was kept here at all. And it wasn't like I even wanted it! Fucking hell!

Wanting so bad to take a shower, I walked towards the door that Pat had pointed out as a closet, my jaw dropping when I push the door open.

I didn't know if I was hallucinating, but half of my clothes were hung in the closet. There were other unfamiliar clothes that looked like they could fit and I was very sure it was all Alessandro's doing. Did he really send his men to raid my house again? Fucking bastard.

Hesitantly, I opened the drawers in the unnecessarily huge room, sighing in relief when I saw unfamiliar underwear. That meant they didn't pack the ones I already owned. But who's to say they didn't go through them?

Still irritated at the invasion of privacy, I marched to the bathroom that looked just as exquisite as the closet. It had a bathtub that could comfortably fit four people; it was that big. The shower stall was also wide for no good reason. I wasn't complaining though. If I was going to be kept here, I'd love to have my own space even if it seemed like Alessandro didn't give a fuck about my privacy.

Taking a much-needed long shower, I towel-dried my body before stepping out into the closet, picking out my usual home attire—a huge shirt and loose shorts. I put on my fluffy flip-flops —what didn't these guys go through— and exited the closet, yelping in fright when I saw a figure laying on my bed.

I walked closer to it, my heart beating even faster when I realized it was Alessandro. I wasn't in the mood to see him nor did I want to be in the same room as him alone.

"What are you doing here?" I ask, my breathing shaky.

His eyes turned to me, taking my form in. His eyes raked across my body slowly, making me want to shield myself from him. I felt naked before him as he looked at me like he could see what was underneath my clothes. "This is my house." He reminded me.

I chewed on my lip. "What do you want from me?"

Alessandro sat up on the bed. "You came to me for help."

"And now I want to leave."

"Except you can't," his eyes twinkled dangerously. "You wanted a job right?" I didn't know if it was a trick question, so I stayed quiet. "You'll get it. You'll just have to wait until I think of something."

I gritted my teeth and amusement swirled in his eyes. He really was crazy. He was only keeping me captive for his sick entertainment. He had no real reason to keep me here, and sadly, there was nothing I could do about it. I could feel my eyes brimming with tears at the realization. But I wouldn't cry. I hadn't cried in a long while and I wouldn't do so because of Alessandro. "What about school?"

"Now, you care about school? I thought all you wanted was a job."

The words fell from his mouth in a sickly sweet way. I hated that he was mocking me, but I wasn't in the mood to entertain him. "I only need the job because of school."

"It can always wait."

"And my friends?"

"They'll miss you, but I'm sure they can survive without you for a while."

That made me think of Professor Mark. He was showing quite an interest in me before all this. Would he notice my absence too? Did he even like me as much as he claimed? "My phone?"

Alessandro stood up, as though informing me that that was my last question. "I don't trust you yet, sweetheart. If I do, you might get your phone back. You aren't missing anything though."

That was code for 'nobody has called you yet' and as Alessandro left my new room, for the time being, I realized that I was utterly alone.