" You can really tell today is special. She even had her hair straightened. She hates doing her hair." Another round of tiny giggles followed the statement. When Claudia shot them a pointed look, they only snickered harder.
" Come on, tell us where you're going. Please, we won't tell anyone, promise." Valentina asked, widening her brown eyes in the most comical rendition of puppy dog eyes known to man.
" Yeah, please tell us." Arabella whined, attempting to also give the same puppy dog look which was just as funny as Valentina's.
Claudia bit back her amusement at her little sisters' antics as she straightened the last portion of her hair. Laughing would only encourage them.
" I don't know what you want me to tell you that I haven't already. I'm getting ready for class." Claudia said without turning back to glance at them. She sat in front of the big mirror on her dresser so she was able to see the knowing looks her sisters gave each other. She could also see that her little sisters had climbed up her freshly made bed and were now laying down on their stomachs while lazily kicking their feet in the air.
Claudia wasn't lying, she was getting ready to attend classes. It was who she was meeting up with after classes that made today special and worth getting dolled up for. But she couldn't really tell her sisters especially when Arabella was still yet to master the skill of keeping her mouth shut.
She knew it had been a bad idea to unlock her bedroom door for them when they came to see her right after she got out of the shower. They hadn't stopped snickering to themselves ever since.
Her sisters, Valentina and Arabella were only ten and eight, the fact that there was a ten year age gap between her and Valentina always amused Claudia. In comparison, Valentina and Arabella were closer in age which meant they were closer to one another than anyone else in the family. They were like twins with the way they did everything together. They often finished each other's sentences. They shared the same toys, clothes, a sense of humor and more times than not, they both seem to share a single brain cell.
They were like the floating angel and devil on Claudia's shoulders, except instead of one devil, there were two and they were both laughing at her.
Claudia grabbed a tube of lipstick and applied a fresh coat of her favorite red lipstick to the soundtrack of her sisters giggling in the background.
Grabbing her purse, Claudia headed for the bedroom door but paused when she swung it open and caught a look at the person standing in her doorway.
Aurelio had his hand raised, ready to knock and was surprised when the door suddenly opened before he could. He looked her over from head to toe while shoving his hands back into his pockets.
Claudia and Aurelio shared the same father and that was where their similarities ended. They were nothing alike. Aurelio's mother, who was their father's first wife, unfortunately died due to childbirth complications. Their father married Claudia's mother three years after that and had Claudia, then many years later Valentina and Arabella. From the photos Claudia was able to gleam, Aurelio looked like an equal mix of his columbian mother and their Italian father. He was tall like his mother too. Claudia, on the other hand, looked just like her Spanish mother.
" Do you need a ride?" Aurelio asked but Claudia was already shaking her head. She had a task to accomplish today and she wouldn't be able to with Aurelio in the way. He would only make the car drive to school much more awkward and unbearable.
" No need, Elio can take me." Claudia said, pushing passed him. That was the extent of their interactions with one another.
Outside, Elio, one of her father's guards was already in the driver's seat, with the engine running, waiting for her to finish getting ready. He smiled at her when he saw Claudia approaching, leaning forward to wind down the window so she could hear him probably.
" For someone who was so eager to go out today, you seem to be running awfully late."
Claudia gestured dismissively at him which only widened Elio's grin.
Elio was only a couple of years older than Aurelio and yet somehow wasn't afflicted with the patriarchal notion that almost every mafia man seemed to have. He still took orders from her father and other male higher-ups but still understood that her family shouldn't have the right to control every facet of her life. She turned twenty a few months back and was well past the age to have started making her own decisions.
She liked Elio because he was kind and discreet. A true friend and ally.
Elio didn't bother getting down to open a car door for her this time around, he finally learned how much she hated it when people did that.
" School?" Elio asked.
" Yes, school first." She met his gaze through the rear view mirror. " And he is in town."
Elio didn't need to know who the 'he' in question was. She expected him to scoff or chuckle at her like he would in previous situations like this but he frowned instead.
" You are risking far too much for a man who has never once done the same for you."
Claudia swallowed the lump that formed in her throat. She didn't let her smile drop, she wouldn't let Elio see how much his words had truly affected her.
" Good thing I'm strong enough to face the consequences of my actions. I'm a big girl, remember?"
Elio quirked a brow and a few seconds later, the sound of his deep chuckle filled the car. " How could I ever forget?"
She didn't mind the fact that he was laughing at her. It was better than him poking and prodding at her with words like that.