I narrowed my eyes. 揥hat is that??
He shrugged with a triumphant smile.
I stared. If I gave him a stronger reaction, he抎 only annoy me more. After the argument with Santino yesterday, I wasn抰 in the mood for his games.
揑t抯 from France.?
I perked up.
揂 fashion institute.?
I jumped off my chair and rushed toward Leonas. 揋ive it to me!?
His smile widened and he lifted the letter over his head while he held me at arm抯 length with his other hand.
I struggled to get the letter but Leonas was taller and stronger than me. Gone were the days I could kick his scrawny ass.
揕eonas!?I hissed.
揑 want something in turn.?
I stopped fighting with him and crossed my arms. 揝pill.?
揑 want to attend Clifford抯 eighteenth birthday bash.?
揇ad forbade you from any parties. You don抰 know when it抯 enough.?
揟hat抯 why he won抰 find out. You抣l sneak me in.?
揝antino and Clifford will recognize you, you moron. Then it抯 only a matter of time before Dad knows too.?
揂h ah,?Leonas drawled, wagging his finger before my face. I had the nauseating urge to bite it off. 揥e both know Sonny and Cliffy eat out of your hands, sis.?
I leaned against the doorframe across from him. 揂ll right.?
揂nd Ricardo and RJ.?
揘o way!?I growled and lunged at him once more, trying to finally wrangle the letter from his hand. I punched his stomach, which made him choke-laugh. He pushed me to the ground and sat on my stomach.
揙kay, okay. I抣l bring you three potheads to the party, but I won抰 go down with you if you get caught. And I don抰 want you to follow me like lost puppies.?
揘ewsflash, sis, we can entertain ourselves without your help.?
As if I didn抰 know it. Those three were the bane of my existence.
揋et off me.?
Leonas jumped to his feet and dropped the letter on my belly. I sat up and ripped it open with shaking hands then quickly read it, then another time to make sure I understood it right. My French was good, very good, but I was too nervous to trust my brain.
揟ell me what it says,?I pressed out, holding the letter out to Leonas with a trembling hand.
Leonas cocked an eyebrow and took the letter, then groaned. 揊rench, really??
揜ead it!?
He scanned the letter, surprise spreading on his face.
My heart was racing.
揑t says that you抮e accepted in their undergraduate program for fashion design.?
I howled in excitement and stumbled to my feet, hugging Leonas. He gave me a worried look, as if he thought I was losing my mind.
揧ou want to study fashion in Paris??
揥ant? It抯 been my dream for years!?
I hadn抰 told anyone about my application, not even Luisa or Sofia. I抎 felt insecure for even daring to dream about studying fashion in Paris. And now that my dream could actually become reality, a new fear set in, what if I wasn抰 allowed to go?
Leonas handed me the letter back. 揇ad won抰 ever agree, Anna. He won抰 let you move to another city, much less another country.?
I swallowed. Leonas was right. He voiced my fears. Getting accepted into the institute was only the first battle. The harder one was yet to come: convincing Dad to let me go. It was why I hadn抰 told him or Mom about my plans to apply for the program. With me already being accepted into the program my chances of convincing Mom and Dad had grown exponentially because now they would be taking something away from me. I could play the guilt card if necessary.
揑 can be convincing.?
揈ven you can抰 be that convincing. For years, you weren抰 even allowed to attend school because our parents wanted to make sure you抮e protected, and you expect Dad to say yes to this??
揟he war with the Camorra has been dormant for a while. Nothing major has happened since Serafina was kidnapped.?
揟ell Dad, not me.?His voice made it clear he didn抰 think it would work.
I turned on my heel and headed downstairs, but not toward Dad抯 office梙e probably wasn抰 even home梑ut toward Mom抯 office. She mostly worked at home so she could spend more time with us, especially Bea who still needed her more than Leonas and I. If I wanted a chance to convince Dad, I needed to convince Mom first.
I knocked and waited, my fingers leaving imprints on the letter. I couldn抰 remember the last time I抎 had sweaty hands.
揅ome in,?Mom called.
I poked my head in with a sheepish smile. 揇o you have time for a talk??
Mom sat behind her desk, a modern white piece of furniture that was supported by only one diagonal leg. It was a design masterpiece. Mom and I had picked it together. She smiled warmly. Mom always made time for me, no matter how stressed she was. I抎 miss having her close.