When it became late and it was time for me to go home, Mr. Tony came up to me as I dumped trash in a bin.
"Come here Lovino and collect your pay," he said smiling.
"Okay, and can I make a request?" I asked quietly.
"Of course, what is it?" Mr. Tony asked.
"Can I get one ten and three fives?" I asked looking down shyly.
"Sure thing kiddo," he said handing me the money.
"Grazie, Boss Tony!" I exclaimed brightly.
"No problem. Now get going before your parents begin to worry about you," he said and I smiled sadly.
"Si," I said and hurried off home. I made sure to put the 3 fives in my shoe and held the ten tightly in my hand. When I got home, Nonno was standing just inside expectantly. I held out the ten dollars in my hand and bowed my head nervously.
"Why ten instead of twenty?" Nonno asked with a slight glare.
"B-Boss said that t-the twenty was because I had s-started working there, but now I'll get a c-constant ten dollars," I said praying to Dio he would believe me.
"Very well now get to bed!" he yelled at me and I scrambled up the stairs to my room. I quickly did my homework before changing into my pajamas. I stared down at the three fives in my hands and smiled slightly.
"Not taking any chances with those BTT," I muttered lightly as I hid them under my mattress and hid myself in my bathroom I eventually fell asleep leaning against the cold, bathroom wall.
The next day I did the same thing I'd done yesterday and rushed outside to go to school. The only difference being that I didn't sit on the bench, I sat on the school steps willing myself not to fall asleep. School started out boring as usual and soon it was time for lunch.
On my way to the library, I ran into the BTT.
"I have your money right here," I said reaching into my pocket to get the money.
"We already told you you have five days grace, well, four days now so there's no need to pay us," Antonio said and I rolled my eyes.
Bullshit," I said and handed each of them a five before I walked away.
As I was almost to the library, my wrist was yanked and I was slammed against a locker.
"So much for grace time," I thought as I opened my eyes only to see that it wasn't the BTT at all.
"What do you think you're doing paying those bastards off?! You should be paying us," James said and I kept quiet as I closed my eyes and braced for a punch that never came. I opened my eyes to see James and his thugs across the hall and the BTT standing in front of me. No words could describe the confusion I was feeling.
"Lovino iz on our payroll so back off," Francis said and James growled in anger but left with his meat-puppets following behind him.
"What the hell is going on here?" I asked sharing my confusion with the three boys standing infront of me.
"Ve already said you have a grace period und since you still vant to pay us, you're paying for protection now," Gilbert said smartly.
"Uh, you're not trying to trick me into trusting you are you? If you are-," I was cut off by Antonio.
"No, of course not. We might be lots of things but liars we are not," Antonio said with a grin.
"If you say so," I said uncertainly. I continued on my way to the library cautiously and went to my special spot in the back of the library to eat lunch.
