Curveball(28)

Sammy peels away from me, sits down on the mattress, and folds her legs over one another. “Yeah, I’m fine. Same old, same old.”

Even though she’s in high school now, I know this situation with our mom cannot be easy for her. I went through it at her age, and my mother has only gotten worse over the years. She has no desire to quit drinking and probably never will. My only hope is that I can land a big contract with a Major League Baseball team, preferably the Philadelphia Phillies, and petition the court for legal custody of my sister. I would feel better if she could live with me at least until her eighteenth birthday in two years.

I sit on the edge of her bed, my palms flat against my jeans. “How’s school? Is anyone giving you any trouble?”

She shrugs. “It’s okay. This one kid was messing with me until the principal had him removed from my class.”

Speaking through clenched teeth, I almost spit my words. “Who’s been bothering you? Give me his name.”

“It’s okay. Principal Simon took care of it. She said Uncle Luciano came to see her last week.”

“That’s good. But, if anyone messes with you again, I had better be your first call. Got it?”

Sammy nods in acknowledgment.

When I was at the Marchese villa in New Jersey over New Year’s, I mentioned to Luca’s father that Sammy was having trouble with the teachers at her school. They allow the kids to gang up on each other because Philly schools are rough, and let’s face it, they don’t get paid enough to give a shit if the kids kill each other. Most teachers are lucky to make it out to their cars at the end of the day at some of the inner-city schools.

I stand and hold out my palm to Sammy. “C’mon. I bought food. I’ll make you something to eat. What do you want?”

She reminds me so much of my father with her wide blue eyes and long dark brown hair that she pushes over her shoulder as she smiles. You would never know we share one ounce of DNA.

“Eggs, bacon, and toast.”

“Breakfast for dinner again?”

She nudges me in the arm and laughs. “You got a problem with that, big bro?”

“No”—I take her head in my hands and give her a noogie—“little sis.”

On our way downstairs, I yell for my mother, who is now in her bedroom, “Dinner will be ready in fifteen!”

“Okay,” she mumbles through the closed door. “Give me a minute.”

“I’ll make the coffee,” Sammy says, excited, as she practically hops down the stairs. “You make the bacon. I want it extra crispy.”

I mirror her smile. “Whatever you want, kid.”

The expression on my sister’s face alone makes everything worth it.

Now, I have to get Fat Tony to hurry up and get the rich kids from Long Island to come down here and race us. That kind of money could buy a lot more than a quick stint in rehab for my mother. It could buy her and my sister a new life.





Chapter Twelve





Olivia





It took Fat Tony over three weeks to organize a race between the Broad Street Burnouts and the Long Island Lowriders. According to Mark, the crew from New York has some of the best East Coast drivers with trust fund money to spend on premium cars. Considering the name of their crew, I expected to find a bunch of low-to-the-ground classic cars with hydraulics, bouncing up and down like an old-school Snoop Dogg video. I am surprised to find at least a dozen imports—ranging from luxury cars, such as BMW and Mercedes, to souped-up cars that look like prop cars from the Fast and Furious movies. Instead of the crowded streets of South Philadelphia, Tony chose a more secluded location on the outskirts of the city in an industrial park so off the beaten path that I doubt cops would ever find us out here.

With Donna at my side, pounding beers and laughing at the guys as they crack jokes, I am starting to feel more like Mark’s girlfriend. And, while he has yet to put a label on our relationship, he made it clear that I was his the day we fucked in the hallway at the gym. I never wanted to belong to someone as much as Mark. Ever since then, he’s stopped calling me Teach and started using my name. I secretly liked when he called me Teach though.

Tony has his hand inside the back pocket of Donna’s jeans, her petite body pressed into his lanky frame. She pretends that they’re not serious, but he looks at her as if he’s head over heels in love with her.

And why wouldn’t he be?

She’s one of the coolest people I’ve ever met. Every day spent with her is not only filled with events, but it’s also unpredictable.

Mark slips through the crowd, his eyes locking on mine for a few brief seconds, before he wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me against his chest, causing my feet to lift up from the ground before he sets me back down. “There’s my lucky charm.” He gives me a peck on my cheek.

“Your prize will be waiting for you at the finish line, so come claim me,” I mutter against his lips.

He presses his lips to my ear and whispers, “Give me your panties.”

“No way!” I stare at him in shock. “We’re in public.”

“That’s part of the fun. Now, slip your hand under your coat and up your skirt. Then, tug down those panties that I know are soaking wet, and hand them over.”