Brianna realized right after the fight that so much of her life was tangled with Tino’s. Usually they’d be cramming for this test with him. He’d be agreeing with Carina over history being useless, but Brianna would make them keep studying, and they would get good enough grades to pass like they did every year.
“If he doesn’t study, he’ll fail. Actually fail,” she added, because even though Carina said she was failing, Brianna knew she was passing the class. Barely. “Jasmine said he could get a scholarship, but if he doesn’t study—”
“He dropped out of dance.”
“I’ve been thinking about that.” Brianna closed her book, because this seemed so much more important than a history test. “He can’t ruin his life just for a fight with me. You should talk him into coming back to dance. Jasmine helps us get into some of the best performance colleges. He could get a scholarship. Jasmine said he has a real chance. He could actually do something, Carina.”
“He hurt you,” Carina reminded her.
Brianna couldn’t hide the way hearing it stole her breath, but she fought down the urge to cry because she’d been crying for a week, and there came a time when she was done.
“Yes, he did.” Brianna took another hard breath. “But I don’t want him to ruin his life because of it.”
“You’re nicer than me,” Carina said with a roll of her eyes.
“That’s a given,” Brianna couldn’t help but point out. “And everyone knows it.”
Carina laughed, but then a knock had her looking toward the door. Another knock, and they both turned to the window. For one crazy, insane moment, Brianna’s heart soared. Tino knocked on the window like that because he didn’t like going through the house to see Carina.
Then just as quickly, Brianna was mad at herself for missing him as much as she did. She squinted into the darkness, seeing Nova there instead of Tino, and disappointment settled down to the dull ache that had been her constant companion since the fight.
Carina rolled off the bed and pushed open the window. “What?”
“Do you know where Tino is?” Nova asked.
“He could be rotting in hell for all I care.” Carina shrugged. “And you can tell him I said that.”
“No, I can’t, princess,” Nova snapped at her. “’Cause he’s not home. Are you sure you don’t know where he could be?”
“He’s probably off fucking his rave girlfriends.” Carina tugged the window down, but Nova caught it before she could close it, and Carina huffed in annoyance. “What?”
“His phone’s off. If he calls you—”
“He won’t,” Carina assured him. “I haven’t talked to him in over a week.”
“If he does,” Nova went on, “please tell me.”
“Fine.”
Carina pulled the window shut and turned away from Nova glaring at her. She fell on the bed next to Brianna and said, “Sorry.”
Nova left, and Brianna sat there for a second, watching Carina read before she asked, “You think he’s okay?”
“Yeah, he’s fine,” Carina said dismissively. “He stays out late all the time. Nova’s just paranoid.”
Brianna nodded. “Okay.”
She went back to reading, but she couldn’t shake the edge of nervousness in her stomach. Even after they were done studying, and sharing Carina’s bed to get a few hours of sleep before school tomorrow, she was left staring at the ceiling, listening for the back gate to open.
“I haven’t heard him get back,” Brianna whispered into the darkness, before she turned to look at Carina’s nightstand, seeing it was past three in the morning. “Have you?”
“Bri—” Carina sighed, sounding half-asleep. “Just let it go.”
“What if something did happen to him?” Brianna went on. “How would we know?”
“I’m sure he’s at someone’s house.” Carina sounded hesitant. “He probably fell asleep and didn’t know his phone died.”
Brianna took a long breath, because she understood what Carina didn’t want to say. Tino was at a girl’s house, and Brianna was sitting here worried he was lying dead in the street somewhere.
“You think I’m stupid.”
“I think you’re naive.” Carina rolled over and hugged Brianna. She rested her head on Brianna’s shoulder and said, “But that’s why I love you.”
Brianna knew Carina was right, so she fought to push down the feeling of dread and closed her eyes rather than fail her history test.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Honestly, Brianna forgot about it.
Tino did stay out a lot, and she knew enough about Cosa Nostra not to ask why. He wasn’t in school, but she assumed he’d slept late after partying.
She had a test in history and a pop quiz in calculus. She was busy all day, and it wasn’t until she noticed she’d left her dance bag at Carina’s that it came up. She caught a ride with Daniel, who drove Carina to and from school. Her plan was to grab her shit and hightail it to the subway. The back gate was the fastest way to Carina’s room, and it would save Brianna from walking through the kitchen.
She could sneak in through the pool bathroom and be out before anyone knew she was there. That worked for Carina too, because no one wanted to avoid her mother more than Carina did.
Except the second they opened the back gate, Carlo nearly jumped on them. He huffed in disappointment and shouted toward the garage, “It’s just Carina!”