The Psycho Mafia

Caroline ***** I stayed in bed until eight. The house kept me company for hours, soothing my insomnia with its settling creaks. At the sound of beeping in the kitchen, I roused myself from beneath the warm sheets. Once I'd moved the chair back to its place, I padded out to the kitchen. The delightful smell of hot coffee tickled at my nose. I relaxed a bit when I realized it was only Freya in the kitchen. She smiled at me and set her phone down. "Coffee, kiddo?" I nodded with a small smile. While she poured the black liquid into a mug and fetched milk from the fridge, I debated whether to tell her about Valentina. I didn't want to offend her but I decided she should at least be aware. "Thanks," I said as she handed me the mug. "I, um, think I have something to tell you." Freya raised her brows and blew on her steaming mug. "What's up?" "Well . . . I . . . Valentina . . ." I swallowed. This was harder than I thought. Why couldn't I just tell her? Now my cousin was frowning. "He

Caroline*****I stood at the full-length mirror behind the door and glanced over my outfit. Skinny cut jeans and a black turtleneck sweater and tall leather boots. My hair was tied into a ponytail at the crown of my head and the long blonde strands fell over my shoulder. Sighing, I adjusted my glasses and turned away from the mirror. As I walked down the hall towards the living room, I could almost hear Uncle James talking to me. He'd be sitting in a robe in his recliner with the newspaper on his lap and a mug of black coffee in hand.Peering over a pair of bifocals, he was saying, "Those jeans are awfully tight. Are you trying to get boys to look at your ass? And what is that under your shirt? A push-up? Go change."The memory hit me so strongly that I was startled at the sight of Freya leaning against the kitchen island. She was tapping away on her phone and shot me a quick smile."Coffee's in the pot and there's milk in the fridge," she said.I walked past the brewing machine and

Caroline*****I kept my head down as I hurried home. If he was following me, I didn't want to know. Or did I? He did proclaim himself as my stalker. I mean, I should have been scared, right? There was no soul behind those eyes. They were hollow, dark, abysmal.And yet, looking into them, I didn't feel afraid. The darkness in them couldn't scare me. I had no idea what my stalker's intentions towards me were and even I had to admit that they probably weren't good. He was older than me. Old enough to have a trace of dark stubble along his chiseled cheeks. Old enough to have multiple very nice vehicles.So why? What business did he have stalking me, some nobody high school girl? He had to be a pedophile. Granted, I was technically legal but what else could a guy like him want from me? It's not like I had anything to steal but my virginity.That should scare the shit out of me. I've never been intimate with anyone, much less an older guy. If he wants to hurt me, I should be running for th

Caroline*****Mr. Mysterious didn't make an appearance even once the entire weekend. I constantly was checking the windows or taking walks, watering the bushes or washing Freya's car. I knew she thought I'd lost my mind. Maybe I had. What was I even doing? Waiting for him to come around? Fuck that. I wasn't going to wait for anyone. Not after what I'd been through. By Sunday evening, I was hating myself for wasting the weekend thinking about some creepy stalker. I tramped out to the living room and sunk into the recliner. Valentina and Freya were curled up, surrounded in a cloud of smoke. They'd been like this all weekend, not that I could judge."Wanna order a pizza delivery for dinner?" asked Freya. She was turning down the volume of the Seinfeld episode they'd been absorbed in. Valentina whined and tried to grab the remote, to which my cousin just ignored her."Sure." I sat up. "What do you guys want?""Pepperoni," Valentina moaned."Just get the meat trio or whatever," Freya sai

Caroline*****Monday was pretty dull, as to be expected. Greg stopped by during lunch to get his sweatshirt but he didn't linger for conversation. I had to study for an exam so I didn't take offense. The only things keeping me going were the thought of my stalker making an appearance and starting my shift at the gas station. That was only exciting because I was ready to make money for myself.I would have gotten a job sooner but I didn't have a car and Uncle James forbade me from working. He said my focus should be on my studies and that he paid for everything, so why should I work?Freya was indifferent about my decision but I could tell she was proud, in some way. I was happy to get out of the house, just in case Valentina popped up, and start saving. Maybe if it was enough someday, I could go to school. I wasn't going to set my hopes too high, though.Once last period was out, I went to my locker to grab the gym bag with my uniform in it. It was actually just a collared shirt in t