Bellissimo Lotta (Beautiful Struggle): Companion Novel to Bellissimo Fortuna (The Family Trilogy Book 2) Read Free Page B

whenever I need them.”
    “All you had to do was ask for my number, Bianca.”
    “So you’re that easy?” She sticks her tongue out at me.
    “You’ll never know.” I grab her phone and see she had me plugged in as ‘North.’ “What the hell is that?”
    “My brother likes to snoop. So I played on your name.”
    “Why not South?”
    “Oh, who’s getting ahead of themselves now? You have to work up to the going south part. I’m not that type of girl.”
    “Are you ever serious?” She is a handful. I feel bad for Bronson.
    “Not if I can help it.”
    Texting with her is a nightly routine. I see her enough at the house, but we avoid each other. Bronson’s protective of her, and I’m not sure what I feel, or what she’s after. I have come to learn she isn’t ever serious. Or at least that is what she likes to portray. She cares.
    About everything.
     
    Bianca: Is it wrong to wish that Callie wasn’t their child?
    Me: Yes.
    Bianca: One reason…
    Me: You’d never know her.
    Bianca: I’d sacrifice that as long as she had good parents.
     
    And she would.
    I know she would give up anything and everything for Callie. The feeling is mutual. She would sacrifice that friendship in an alternate world for Callie not to deal with what she deals with on a day-to-day basis. I can’t imagine what that girl goes through. Her father, Frank, is a dick. Controlling. Manipulative. Mean. He’s Satan himself. It drives Bronson nuts, and from the feeling I get during conversations with Bianca, he doesn’t know half of it.
     

     
    The first semester of school flies by. Bianca turns sixteen this weekend, and instead of a big party like her mom wanted, she wants all of us to go to Busch Gardens in Tampa. All four of us.
     
    Bianca: You good for this weekend?
    Me: The parental units said okay.
    Bianca: Maybe I can change you to South this weekend.
    Me: Bianca . . .
    Bianca: Or not. Your loss, pretty boy.
     
    I’m still unsure what her end game is. She blatantly flirts with me, tries to be seductive, but does it all behind her brother’s back. I want to know the real her. I want to see the girl underneath the smoke and mirrors. I want to know who Bianca Agosto is, and I have a feeling she will stop me at every step. That doesn’t interest me. I don’t want the many different personas she hides behind. I want someone real. Someone I could have brought home to Dana. Until she decides to be comfortable in her own skin, I’ll continue keeping her at bay.
    She and Callie were like toddlers on the rides. Screaming, throwing their hands in the air, riding the same rollercoaster over and over. More than once I had to cool Bronson down when Bianca was flirting with the attendant so she didn’t have to get off and stand in line for another ride. Just another way she plays her games . . . manipulation.
    “Why are you irritated?” she asks as she catches up with me from the last ride.
    “I’m not.”
    “Bullshit.”
    “Who are you? Do you even know? You flirt with me; you flirt with that guy, any random guy. You have no clue what you want.”
    “Why does that bother you? You aren’t my boyfriend. You have no interest in me besides Bronson’s little sister, and you’ve made that abundantly clear. So what, I like to flirt. What’s it to you? And I know exactly what I want. I want to break free. I want to find out who and what I’m supposed to be without the restrictions of guards, big brothers, father’s business associates. I want to be able to royally fuck up and not worry about how my father’s business will perceive it. I want to be the girl that lies down every night without worrying that her house is going to be raided by the Feds, or another rival family. I want all of that, but you know what? I’m smart enough to know that’s not my future.” She turns abruptly and drags Callie to the restrooms.
    I think being that real with me scared her shitless. I’m sure she’s never said all of that out loud. It’s