Family: Out of Business

Slipped

Claire's pov

My lackluster reply didn't go unnoticed by my boyfriend.

"What's the matter? You don't like Camilla?" he asked, genuinely surprised since everyone loves her.

"No, it's not that. I like her, it's just that..." I stopped my sentence short, realizing I'd sound like a moron if I told my boyfriend how envious I am of her because she's so perfect, that he should be with somebody as awesome as her instead of a schlub like me. They could have supermodel, professional athlete babies with IQs in the mensa range and live happily ever after in their soccer ball shaped mansion on the coast.

"What?" Dante asked, wrinkling his forehead as he looked so seriously at me.

"No, it's nothing, I uh, just thought I heard my uncle coming upstairs for a second but I think it was just one of the maids," I lied, trying to save face.

"Oh, okay," he said, looking away from his phone, like someone else was talking to him. I heard him yell, "Alright, Alex, I'll be down in a minute." Turning his attention back to me, he smiled brightly. "I gotta go, Claire. Camilla's here and I can't wait for her to teach me her secret to performing the perfect Cruyff turn. She is so awesome at it, I'm totally jealous."

"Me too," I replied softly, to myself.

"What?" Dante asked hurriedly, clearly already distracted and checked out of our conversation.

"Nothin," I replied, feeling kinda sad now.

"Ok, later," Dante said, quickly ending our FaceTime call before he heard me dejectedly eek out my goodbye.

I sighed, slumping down on my bed, feeling sorry for myself. I wish Dante got that excited when I came over. Maybe if I practice and get really good at soccer Dante won't need to hang out with the beautiful, talented Camilla as much, or at all. Feeling energized now that I had a plan to keep my man, I decided to grab my soccer ball and put the wheels in motion.

Almost as quickly as it began, my plan of action was shot down as I saw the pouring torrents of rain coming down while passing by the living room windows.

"Shit!" I cursed aloud. Dante's brother Sergio will probably take him and Camilla to the indoor field to practice but there's nobody here who'll take me. Now what am I gonna do? I thought to myself as I spun the soccer ball on my fingers. Losing control of the ball momentarily, I had my answer as I chased after it, while watching it roll effortlessly across the hardwood floors.

I'll just play inside. What could possibly go wrong? There's plenty of room here, it is a mansion, afterall. I pulled up some tutorial videos on YouTube of soccer moves so I could practice and hone my skills in order to impress my boyfriend. I was doing pretty well too until I tried to do a Rabona. I got a little more height on the ball than I intended and soon after heard the sickening crash as the vase hit the floor and shattered.

"NO! NO! NO! Dad's gonna kill me," I cried, bending down to pick up the pieces. I was so consumed with worry over my impending doom, I didn't even notice my uncle had entered the room.

"What the Hell happened here, Francesca?" he growled, roughly grabbing me by the arm, yanking me up to a standing position. Slapping my bottom hard, he said, "What are you doing? Don't try to pick that up with your hands, you'll cut yourself."

I looked at my uncle with tears in my eyes. I didn't say anything. I didn't need to say anything. He could piece the puzzle together quite easily, seeing my soccer ball on the floor in midst of all the broken porcelain shards of what once comprised my father's most prized possession; a stunningly beautiful one of a kind monochrome red Ming vase from the early 1400s rumored to belong to the emperor Hongwu.