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“I’m the quarterback, tesoro. I don’t kick field goals. And it’s running plays, not playing runs.”
“Oh. Well, go quarterback.”
He laughed and let go of her. “Don’t let that cafone make you do anything you don’t wanna do.”
“Okay. It’s only a week, so I’ll be fine.” She wasn’t sure who she was reassuring more with her words, him or herself.
He ran his fingertips across her cheek, and kissed her one final time before standing. “I’ll see you later.”
“Good-bye, Carmine,” she said, the words making his steps falter as his shoulders tensed. She thought he was going to turn around and say something to her, but he simply walked out, shaking his head.
She sat quietly in the family room as he grabbed his stuff and headed for the front door. “You’re definitely going to be late,” his father said from the foyer.
“I’m going. Isn’t that enough?”
* * *
Carmine’s bedroom was quiet that night without his presence. Haven tiptoed inside and snatched his favorite pillow off his bed before running to her room. She crawled into bed and snuggled with it. His familiar scent lingered, surrounding her like a warm shroud.
Haven closed her eyes and pleaded for sleep to come quickly.
nt sat back and pushed his glasses up on his nose. “Now?”
“Well, not right this damn minute, but soon.”
“Depends on what you want it for,” Vincent said. “We could have one made for her, but it might not pass a strict vetting process.”
What was the point if she didn’t learn anything? “I’m talking about her earning one.”
“Oh. I suppose it wouldn’t be too difficult. She’ll need some documents and a driver’s license for proof of identity, but I can pull some strings and get her the stuff. All you have to do is make sure she’s ready to test.”
“Seriously?” That simple? “I wish I would’ve known sooner.”
“Don’t get any ideas,” Vincent said. “You made it this far; you can finish high school. She wasn’t afforded the opportunity, but there’s no reason she can’t test for a GED if she wants one.”
Haven glanced between them. “GED?”
“Stands for General Education Diploma,” Carmine said. “Or General Equivalency Diploma. I don’t know.”
Corrado shook his head. “General Education Development.”
“Whatever, it could stand for Goddamn Endocrine Disorder for all I care,” Carmine said. “It means the same thing.”
Vincent laughed loudly. “You just wished a hormone deficiency on the girl.”
“Oh, we don’t want that,” Carmine said. “I mean a diploma.”
Haven stared straight ahead. “Diploma?”
“Yeah,” Carmine said. “It’s just a piece of paper, but it means you know enough to complete high school. You can get into some colleges with it.”
Her eyes widened. “I can get one of those? A GED?”
“Yes,” Carmine said.
“If you want one,” Vincent said. “It’s up to you.”
Haven blinked back tears. The man who controlled her life—her master—just told her something was up to her. She tried to speak, but no sound came out when she opened her mouth, so she nodded instead.
