Sempre (Sempre 1)

“No, we don’t do a lot of talking,” he said. “She’s not so bad from behind with her face shoved into a mattress, though.”

Dia shook her head as Carmine laughed again. He had no real interest in Lisa, or any other girl for that matter. But while a relationship was the furthest thing from his mind, he’d realized there were benefits to keeping female company. They might not have been intellectually stimulating, but they did stimulate another part of him . . . often.

A silver Audi whipped into the parking lot then, coming to a stop beside them. Dominic hopped out from behind the wheel and Tess, his girlfriend, climbed from the passenger seat. Tess was Dia’s twin sister, but the two couldn’t have been more opposite.

They’d all known one another since they moved to the area in elementary school, but the relationship between Dominic and Tess was new. It was strange—the life Carmine had left wasn’t the same one he’d returned to, and he had a hard time adjusting to the change.

“What are y’all up to?” Dominic asked.

“Trying to get Carmine to see the error of his ways when it comes to Lisa,” Dia said. “It’s not working.”

“Can’t say I’m surprised,” Tess said. “No girl with an ounce of self-respect would want him.”

“I’m not that bad. I’m rich, popular. I have a sense of humor. I’m good looking, and not to mention I have a really big—” They all groaned loudly before he could finish. He shrugged, thinking he’d summed himself up nicely. “Besides, it’s not like I plan to date her. The only time you’ll catch me asking a girl out is after I’m done with her, and I’m asking her to get out.”

“See, that’s why you’ll always be alone,” Tess said. “You only think about yourself.”

“So says the vainest bitch alive,” he said. “You better be careful throwing stones in your glass house, Tess. You’re liable to get cut.”

“Enough, you two,” Dominic said, stepping between them. “Carmine’s free to do whatever—or whomever—he wants, so get off his back. But, bro, you better watch yourself, threatening my girl.”

“I didn’t threaten her. I warned her. She ought to thank me.”

Rolling her eyes, Tess stalked off, and Dominic followed behind, calling her name. The routine happened daily: Tess gets mad, stomps away, and Dominic chases her like a dog.

Carmine didn’t see the appeal. “He’s pathetic.”

“He’s in love.”

“If that’s what love does to you, you can definitely count me out.” He couldn’t imagine spending every waking moment of every day with the same person, doing the same shit they did the day before. “That has to be boring.”

“And what you do isn’t?”

He looked at her incredulously. “You think my life is boring? I get what I want, when I want it. I enjoy my freedom too much to give it away for some bitch.”

Dia cringed. “Do you have to use that word?”

“What word?”

She glared at him but didn’t respond. Carmine knew what word she meant, but he didn’t see the big deal, considering it was just that—a word. Whatever happened to “sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me”?

The bell rang in the distance, signaling the start of school. “Here comes Moanin’ Lisa,” Dia said, hopping down from her car. “And yeah, a girl would be lucky to have you, Carmine, but not like this. You’re wasting your time, and it’s not worth it. You need to find something that is.”

She scurried away before he had a chance to reply.

“Hey, handsome,” Lisa said as she approached. She leaned against his car, beaming, but he pulled her away from it. He hated people touching his things. She didn’t notice, though, and ran her hand down his chest, fiddling with the buttons on his shirt. “You look good today.”

“Thanks, but you know what would look really good today?”

“What?”

“Bocchino.” He brushed his pointer finger across her pink glossy lips. “That mouth on me.”

* * *

A sharp pain ricocheted through Carmine’s head as warmth streamed down the side of his face. Every ounce of rationality left his body in a whoosh. He was bleeding. Again.

Unacceptable.