The Slap That Ended Us

Sally and I were childhood sweethearts. We met when we were three years old.

His parents and mine had been close friends for years. The Morelli family and the Vitale family were two of the oldest powers in New Yiz. We had been working side by side for decades, living on the same private estate as next-door neighbors.

I had been in love with Sally for as long as I could remember.

When I was in school, I was always getting picked on by the other boys. One of them was the worst. He sat behind me and pulled my hair, stuffed disgusting things into my backpack, and cornered me on my way home from school.

I went to my teacher in tears. She talked to him about it, but then turned around and told me with a smile that he only did it because he liked me.

I did not believe that for a second, and the boy did not change.

I went home and told my parents. They were furious.

Don Tony Morelli, Sally's father, happened to be visiting our house at the time. When he heard what was going on, he called Sally over and told him to protect me at school from now on.

"... like you would protect your future wife," Don Tony said.

I thought he was joking, but when I turned to look at Sally, the tips of his ears had gone red. And just like that, I felt my own face flush too.

…

The very next day, Sally dragged that boy out and beat him to a pulp. He had always been tall for his age, tough by nature, and his father started training him to fight, shoot, and manage territory when he was only seven.

He left that boy and his friends with blood all over their faces, and before he walked away, he turned to warn the rest of them. "Anyone who messes with Gia Vitale is making an enemy of the Morelli family."

That was the moment I fell for him.

From then on, I became his little shadow, glued to his side wherever he went. Family gatherings, dinner parties, and even internal meetings that were no place for a girl to be… I shamelessly tagged along to all of them.

Sally did not like me following him around. He had been raised to be tough, to be a leader, and in his mind, being seen with a girl like me, someone who cried at the drop of a hat, made him look weak.

Still, I never gave up. I trailed after him day after day, calling out 'Sally' in the sweetest voice I could manage.

A few years of that, and he finally softened. He stopped pushing me away.

I started to notice things. His gaze would linger on me a little longer than it needed to. He would lock eyes with me and then lose his train of thought, or jolt like he had been shocked, stammering and turning red before changing the subject.

Don Tony said that since the two of us were so close, they might as well have us married when we were older.

Sally did not say a word, but he held my hand tight. I saw his ears turn red again.

My heart felt so full it could burst. I announced it loud and proud for everyone to hear. "Sì! I'm going to marry Sally when I grow up!"

Everyone laughed, even Papa.

However, everything changed after Fiona came into the picture.

The Lanza family was from the West and expanding their reach into the East. Fiona had a stunning figure and a striking face. She carried herself like she owned every room she walked into.

The first time we met, she stared at me for a long moment, then burst out laughing.

"Oh my God, I can't. Where did this pink princess come from? Everything on you is pink. Aren't you a little old for this? Are you doing this on purpose? This is so embarrassing."

Every pair of eyes at the party followed her gaze straight to me, and my face went scarlet on the spot.

I loved pink. I always had. For as long as I could remember, almost everything I owned was pink. Pink bags, pink water bottles, pink hair clips, pink t-shirts, pink sweaters, pink phone cases, even my little keychains had to be pink.

It was not like I had never heard comments about it before. I had run into plenty of boys who called me high-maintenance and prissy, and girls who said I was trying too hard to be cute.

Still, most people were kind about it. More girls than not told me I was adorable and that pink suited me perfectly.

This was the first time someone had mocked me so openly, so shamelessly, right to my face and in front of everyone. I stood there, caught between confusion and humiliation, wishing the ground would swallow me whole.

"Sorry, sorry, I'm just really blunt like that. Don't be mad, Principessa." Fiona winked, playful as ever.

"Enough. It's your first day here, so keep it down." Sally's voice cut through, sharp with irritation.

I turned to see him frowning at Fiona, visibly annoyed.

Fiona raised an eyebrow and looked him up and down. "Oh? The Princessa's knight in shining armor?"

"What did you just say? What's wrong with you?" Sally snapped and got to his feet, stepping in front of me. Everyone rushed in to break it up, pulling him toward the pool and steering Fiona off to the garden.

I did not know if it was a coincidence, but after that day, Fiona started showing up around Sally more and more. And somewhere along the way, without me ever noticing, they became very close friends.