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My teacher, Mrs. Springer, was nice enough, but I could tell she feared my last name. Her movements were jerky and careful, like I was made of glass. It was the same way I held the plates when Mamma would make me wash them. I always worried I'd drop them, then we wouldn't have anything to eat on anymore.
Most of the day, I ignored everyone around me. They weren't going to be able to help me, and a few of them looked as rough as my father.
At recess, I sat on the grass under a tree off to the side of the main play area. I was out of sight of Mrs. Springer and finally felt like I could relax.
That was up until a group of kids came over to me. The four boys made a circle around me blocking me into my spot.
"Yo, Romano," the biggest of the group said to me.
I looked over at him. His name was something hard to say. I'd never heard anything like it.
"Yeah? That's me."
"There's rules here. You need to learn who the boss is around these parts." The way he spoke reminded me of a show Mamma used to watch late at night when she thought I was sleeping. It was filled with cowboys who sometimes did bad things to protect their family. I didn't understand it, but Mamma loved watching it.
Confused at his words, I asked, "I don't know about any rules. Will you tell them to me?"
The smile he gave me was the only warning I got before a fist hit my face. I fell back onto the dirt, the pain so strong I nearly said the bad words Mamma sometimes let out.
"That's rule number one. And he's rule two." His foot came down on my stomach. More pain moved through me.
The others with him joined in. I couldn't breathe, couldn't scream for help. All I could do was wait until they had their fun.
"Enough!" A voice said. It sounded more like a roar, but that was probably from all the hitting and kicking they did. It felt like I was in a tunnel, like all the sound and color was muted.
There were more words said, then through blurry eyes, I watched as the new boy fought off all four of them by himself. He was big for our age. I couldn't tell much else because my eyes kept closing.
I hoped that when I woke up, this would all be a dirty, rotten dream. My father showing up, the Nanny, my new school — all of it.
* * *
I wasn't so lucky.
When I woke up, it was to find my father's face leaning over my own. "Sei una vergogna," he whispered.
I knew enough Italian to know what he'd said.You are a disgrace.I wanted to cry, but that would only make it worse. I didn't need any more trouble.
"Is he going to be ok?" A voice on my other side asked.
I turned my head slowly to find an unfamiliar face. But wait... I did know him. He was the one who saved me.
"You?" I asked.
"This is the boy who had to come save you. Your enemies are great here, Dante. It seems you cannot be without guards. I will make the arrangement." My father stomped off before I could reply.
I tried to look around the room, but my head hurt too much. "Where am I? What happened?"
"Well, after Ivan and his idiot friends tried to beat you up, I showed them all it wasn't fun to be on the other side. Mama calls it an ass-whooping, but I’m not really supposed to say it. Don't tell anyone, ok?"
Something about keeping a secret for him made me feel good. It made it feel like we had something we could share, just him and me.
"I promise I won't. What happened next?"
The boy shrugged, then leaned closer to look me over. "After that, Mrs. Springer came running over screaming for me to stop. I did once all the others were knocked out. Then we called for an ambulance because you weren't really breathing well. I asked to go to the hospital so I could keep you safe, and then your dad showed up."
"They just let you leave school like that?" That didn't seem right. Not unless he was also powerful in some way.
"Yeah. I told them I witnessed everything and that your dad would probably want to hear it from me." He gave me a grin that told me he knew how to get in and out of trouble anytime he wanted.
