CHAPTER 8 : LEADER OF THE ALFONSI CLAN

Nat's POV

"Nat!Nat!" Nina whisper-yells and shakes me from my peaceful slumber.

"What?" I groan and say.

"Mrs. White is looking at you!" Nina says and pokes my stomach.

"Miss. Nat!" Mrs. White calls me.

"I'm awake! I'm awake!" I yell as I stand up.

"Principal's office! Now!" she says and points her finger towards the door.

"I'm sorry ma'am," I say and get out of her class.

I stretch myself and stifle a yawn.

I hardly slept last night.

The thought of Alfonsi clan looking for me made me anxious which resulted in no sleep for me.

I go to the Principal's office and wait outside.

"You can go in now," the teacher informs me.

"Thank you," I say and go in.

"Miss. Nat! I'd never thought I'd see you here!" Mrs. Dwight, my principal, exclaims in horror.

"Me too," I sadly reply.

"What did you do?"

"I was sleeping in Mrs. White's class"

"Why?"

"I'm not really well ma'am"

"Well, if it's getting harder by the second why don't you see a psychiatrist ?"

"I could"

"Here," she takes out a card from her drawer and places on the table, "she's always ready to help. Plus she's super good too. Use my name and you'll get a discount"

"Uh--thanks Mrs. Dwight"

"I'm always happy to help in such matters," she says and smiles at me.

She's an angel too.

"You can go home. You look tired. Get good sleep!" she says and dismisses me.

She really is an angel.

"Thank you, Mrs. Dwight," I say and leave.

I look at the card in my hand and fiddle with it.

I stare at the card and continue walking.

"Oww," I say and rub my forehead after I barge into someone.

"I'm sorry," I say and look at the person--

"Nick?"

"Nat?"

We both say each other's names in unison.

"What are you doing here?" I ask him.

"I wanted to meet you," he replies.

Meet me?

"Can we talk?" he asks me.

Talk?

"Yes," I say and follow him.

I'm probably the dumbest person again for allowing him to talk to me but when you're in love, you do the dumbest of things.

"What is it now?" I ask him.

"You're in danger," he grimly says.

"Am I now?"

"Yes"

"From the Alfonsi clan," he says.

"I know. Not from you though?" I ask him.

"Everything I did was for your good"

"My good?! You've got to be kidding me?! How could you even say that! Did you slice my wrist for my good? Did you try to shoot me for my good? Did you break my heart again and again for my good? You blame me for Luca's death for my good? Seriously?!"

"Yes"

"You're impossible, you know that don't you?" I say with a snort.

"Yes"

"The hell you do!"

"Nat, please calm down. You're overreacting"

Overreacting?

"Don't tell me what to do!" I yell at him and he tries to shush me.

"Ti odio," I say with venom laced in my voice.

"No, you don't"

"Yes, I hate you," I say and he steps back as though my words physically pushed him back.

"And don't ever try to keep me safe. You'll end up killing me," I say and step away from him.

I should have done this a long time ago.

He's toxic.

He's always been.

The bell rings signaling that school is over.

"Nick! OMG! You're here!" Katherine screams when she comes out of the class which happens to be right behind us.

"Ugh, Katherine," he says in a low voice but I hear it.

"Katherine! Nick just told me how much he was missing you!" I say to her and she starts grinning like crazy.

She is crazy.

Nick looks at me with a pleading look in his eye.

He deserves far worse than this.

"I knew you would come back for me!" Katherine says and hugs him.

She's clearly delusional.

"Nat!Hey!" Nina calls me when I pass her class.

"Hey"

"I'm sorry I didn't wake you earlier--" she starts to apologize but I cut her and say, "It's ok."

"Want to go to that booth again?" she asks me.

And see the members of Alfonsi clan again?

No thanks.

"No. Let's go to the library instead. I have some catching up to do," I say to her with a smile.

"I'm leaving!" she says and runs.

She still doesn't like studying.

I get in my car and go to the library.

I stay there for two hours after catching up on everything I've missed. Luckily there was no homework today.

As I am about to go home, I see Mario. The guy who killed Nick's brother Luca.

What are all the members of Alfonsi clan doing here anyway?

Are they all seriously here to find me and kill me?

This is worse than I thought it would be.

This matter was over.

Both clans called a truce so why are they doing this now?

Is the truce over?

Then I'm done.

We all are.

Mario is coming towards where my car so I duck behind my car.

He leans on my car and takes out his phone from his pocket and starts dialing someone's number.

At times like this, I wish I had a gun.

The person picks up the phone and before he or she could even greet Mario, Mario starts talking.

I know I shouldn't eavesdrop but they're probably talking about me so I stay still.

"I heard you're in America? You could at least tell me! Anyways, I know you asked us to find that Nat but the only one we found was the one who is your neighbor. If you let me meet her, I can tell you in an instant that if she's the same Nat we're referring to or not--"

"I already told you!" the person on the other side exclaims.

Why would Mario put his phone speaker?

And why does that person sound like Leo?

"Told me what?"

"That it ain't her! Just for your sake, I'll let you meet her. Happy? And pay more respect to your leader!"

"Leader? Leonardo Alfonsi you've been appointed the leader?" Mario dumbfoundedly asks whom I now recognize the other person as Leo.

"Yes. Ciao," Leo ends the phone.

Mario groans and moves his body away from my car.

"I hate you, Leonardo Alfonsi!" Mario exclaims before leaving.

Leo's not only the member of that doomed clan but also the leader?