Hello!!! I'm literally crying right now because we just hit 70k reads, thank you, thank you so much you have no idea how much it means to me. I posted this book just under a month ago and people are reading it

I hope you feel fantastic and have an incredible day, beautiful 💓💓

On with the chapter...

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✨Emilia POV

I was sitting in math class staring at the board in boredom, sure I could do math but it doesn't mean I enjoyed it.

The rain kept on whispering to me every minute about how excited she is about getting to know me, she was a little too hyper and energetic for me to keep up with her.

There wasn't long left of the lesson, approximately five minutes left so that's only five minutes left of blabbermouth over here. I should be nice to her but she just won't shut up.

The bell bared through the room and students began gathering their things together and rush out of the room. And I thought I was a nerd, you should never be early to a lesson nor should you be late.

"Come on, we have the same lesson." She pulls my arm guiding us the way next lesson, I didn't even get a chance to look at what it was.

"Can you enlighten me what lesson is exactly?" She was still rushing while pulling my arm, she has one tight grip.

"Art." My ears perked up at the sound out the word 'art', it was the only thing I could use to express myself, I wouldn't be judged for it.

Many people think art has to be realistic to be classed as art, but there are so many styles that people don't know about: cubism, surrealism, impressionism, expressionism, abstract and many more.

If I'm being honest, all types of art are beautiful, kind of like humans; come to think of it, we're like art. We all look different, have different shapes in bodies, have different skin colours etc. But we're all beautiful in the end, we're made to look the way we do for a reason.

"I've heard your apart of the Russo family." She tells me, but no one even knows me here, how would they know?

"Oh yeah, who told you that?" She slowed down her pace a little to look me in the eye.

"Everyone, everyone was talking about your arrival." Okay... weird.

"You're a Russo aren't you?" She asks me. No, I'm a penis, isn't it obvious.

"Yeah, your point is..." I draw out for her to continue.

"The Russo family is a big shot around here, they're loaded and own most of the businesses across London, maybe the UK. I feel honoured to be standing in the same room as you." She tells me like I'm supposed to be impressed by my brothers.

"I'm still not following," I tell her again, I didn't know what she was getting at.

"Oh and your brothers that go here are... well known you could say. People assumed that you were the 'tough guy' because of your name." Emilia does sound like it could send you to Hell. Oh, was she talking about Russo? Haha, no.

"Yeah, you've confused me."

"You'll understand, and then you'll know what I'm talking about."

"Okay then," I swear this girl is talking nonsense, I was supposed to be smart and yet I couldn't comprehend what she was saying.

"You come up with random stuff you know," I tell her, she was so random and bubbly, how much coffee did she have this morning?

"Yeah, I get that a lot." That was the last thing she said before we got to the art class.

The room was a lot bigger than the room at my old school, this room had a tall ceiling with glass panels on the roof emitting light through the room. Plain white walls were decorated with many painting of many different styles of art.

"Umm, Miss...?" The teacher sounded unsure on my name.

"Emilia," I mumble and follow Rain to where she was sitting, I didn't care if anyone was supposed to sit here, I now claim it.

"Yeah, Emilia, could you sit over here, I want to keep an eye on you for this first lesson and then you can move." She pats the table that is the furthest to the front.

Damn it, I wasn't comfortable with sitting next to someone who I didn't know, sure I didn't know Rain well but I knew her better than all of the people in here.

The table was full of boys who were dressed in a plain white shirt and black, smart trousers, like a miniature version of what Axel wore this morning.

"Sit in between Felix and Cole." She opens the seat in between two boys, one which had chestnut brown hair and the other one which had jet black hair.

"Hey, I'm Felix." The one with the black hair pushes his hand out to shake mine; I flinch at first but immediately recover with a smile and a handshake.

"Emilia," I mutter under my breath.

"Yeah, I know." He lets out a small giggle, oh yeah, he's already heard my name less than a minute ago. I hate being feeble-minded.

"Sorry," I mutter again, I was shy around him, probably everyone if I'm honest.

This is because I lost my confidence a long time ago and it's going to take time to build it back up.

"Today class I didn't have a lesson planned because it's the first day back so you can either choose to paint or sketch and then we'll finish it off next lesson."

"Oh, here you go, Emilia." She passed me an art book and I gladly take it from her hands. I still didn't know her name but she looked quite young to be working in a school.

"Thanks," I tell her quietly. I wonder what the boys are doing right now, it kinda feels strange without them here.

After writing my name on the white label, I stand up and go find some pencils, I wasn't in the mood to paint my clothes and skin.

Standing up, I follow the people who were getting pencils and paint until Felix pulls me down in my seat.

"That's for paint, teachers hand o it the pencils." He tells me. His eyes were the epitome of beauty; they were dark green with golden specks inside them, so glassy and shiny.

He had protruding cheekbones and a strong jaw, I noticed he had a dangly earring on his left ear.

"Are you done staring?" I roll my eyes and use my hand to cover up my blush.

"I was just looking at your eyes," I tell him honestly, I'm not sure if I was checking him out but there is nothing wrong with admiring another's beauty, I'm just saying God took his time making him.

"Oh... okay." He says like he's unsure of something before and he starts smiling showing his dimples.

"You sound unsure."

"Mmm, not really, I'm not unsure I'm just shocked." About what? That you just realised that you were living? That you just realised that you're beautiful?

Things like this annoy me, some people don't know they're pretty but when they do it annoys me for some reason.

I don't know if you ever had that friend who would call themselves 'fat' in front of you knowing you felt bad about yourself even though your friend was average weight and also confident they just did it because they're toxic? I had that friend.

I was quite chubby growing up but then I lost it all because of Shawn. If you do that to your friend knowing they have confidence issues then you are the worst person to exist. It messes them up in the head.

I don't know how we got onto this subject but it's good to think about how toxic people are, then that way you know what to expect from them.

"And what are you shocked about? Because I was looking at your eyes? Take it as a compliment because you have pretty eyes." I pat him on the shoulder.

"That's exactly what I'm shocked about, no ones gave me a compliment before." I hope he was joking, he's so pretty I can't even compete.

You see there is a difference is calling a man beautiful/ pretty than calling them hot. Let me tell you, calling. Calling them hot adds to their ego and calling the pretty makes them feel special and God-like.

I would only call a boy 'hot' if I was only attracted to his looks. That's what girls and boys these days do, they don't care about making each other feel special they're just attracted to their body nothing else.

"You're joking right?" I ask him but he shakes his head no, I'm in complete shock.

"Do I look like a comedian?" He says isn't the same tone I did.

"Well, you have nice eyes." He smiles at the compliment and takes the set of pencils that the teacher put at the edge of the desk.

We spent most of the lesson just giving a small talk to each other; I tried being nice to Cole or whatever his name is but he just wasn't having it.

He kept on giving me rude answers but you know what? Two can play at that game.

"Don't you ever shut up? Go suck your mum." Cole complains to me, dang bro why have you got to be like that. I jab him in the arm hard with my sharpened pencil.

Don't talk about my mum.

He lets out whispered profanities and soothes the area, his skin turned purple and pink from where I had stabbed him.

"You're crazy." He tells me through his now gritted teeth. He had green braces that made it look like he had food stuck in his teeth.

"Like I didn't already know." I smile sarcastically at him, I was kinda crazy, I had a bad habit of throwing my food at the people and now stabbing them with pencils? I think I like this method.

"Don't listen to him, he thinks he's too good for this school," Felix whispers to me in my right ear.

"You want to repeat that, Smith?" Felix doesn't respond he just flips him the middle finger.

"Can I see your progress, Cole?" The teacher round our table and gloom is over Cole.

"Yeah, sure." He passes her his book and by the expression on the teachers face she was somewhat impressed.

"That's great, Cole, but you need to do more work in my lessons. I can't keep accepting this amount of work for every lesson." She sighs.

I'm trying so hard not to laugh right now, I always laugh in serious situations, I'd probably laugh if someone fell over.

"What you looking at." He said to me after the teacher left. I let out a small giggle and begin to pack the pencils away, I didn't do much either, all I did was a complex sketch of an abomination of a girl and a monster.

"Class, before the lesson ends, write in your planner that you have to do a partnered work with the person you are sat next to, either a drawing or a painting will suffice." She tells the class just before the bell rings.

"Emilia just before you go I want you to partner up with someone you're comfortable with okay." I nod and head for the door, Felix had waited for me by the door.

"Do you want to do the project with me, Miss 'I don't know her name' told me to partner up with anyone I want." Please say yes.

"Really? I'd like that." He smiles at me, thank the lord, I was scared he didn't want to do it with me.

"What's now?" I ask Felix who was walking down the hall with me, I didn't know where I was going but I was going somewhere.

"Let me look at your planner." I pass him my planner and wait for his response.

"Well you have History while I have Geography but they're on the same floor so I'll take you there.

I give him a small 'thank you' and we begin our journey to History.

I enjoyed history before I was taken out of my old school we were learning about World War 1 and the western front, but I have no idea if you do the same topics in every school. I think you do but we'll see.

I hadn't realised how tall Felix is, he wasn't a giant like my brothers but he was still pretty tall, maybe around 5'8 but that was still tall in comparison to me.

"You're staring again." He smiles and blushes, that makes two of us because I was now blushing.

"It's not my fault, you're a nice person, probably the nicest person I've met in a long time." I look down to the floor so I can avoid his eye contact.

"Thanks." We remain silent until we get to the floor where history is. Let me tell you, this is harder than trying to keep up with my brothers.

There were so many steps to get up I had to stop and take a break. Seriously, who built this school? It was like a workout. I think I had sweat building up on my forehead.

"Trust me, you'll get used to it," Felix tells me before he opens the door to what I presume is the history class, he walks off down the hall and into a classroom. I have to remind myself to meet him afterwards. He can be my tour guide.

I stand awkwardly in the doorway of the history room feeling the stares stab into me harder than a knife.

"Hello, Emilia is it? I'm Mr Raymond, take a seat where ever it feels comfortable." I nod and look around the classroom for a familiar face but none came to the eye. So instead, I opt for the lonely option and sit on the empty desk at the back of the room. I always liked it lonely anyways.

Being lonely for a long time gave me time to think about everything messed up in my life, my life still is messed up. With Shawn still is custody and brothers that barely like me I find it hard to find a sense of belonging so it's always better to stay alone, that way no one can hurt me.

But every time I think of Shawn I feel guilty, I know I should but I feel like I'm the reason why he changed into a horrible man. He changed because I wasn't the best daughter that I could've been.

I know it's stupid to feel guilty over a man who hurt me for almost a year but I can't help but feel like I'm to blame for everything wrong in my life.

"And Emilia is still not tracking this way." The teacher is stood in front of my desk with his arms folded and glasses hanging off the edge of his nose.

I must have been lost in my thoughts, it's not like it doesn't happen to everybody at some point.

"Can you tell me what R.A.M.C stands for?" Damn it, a trick question, I think I learned what this meant in my old school but nothing is triggering the memory. It's coming to me.

"Umm, is it Royal Army Medical... I don't know what 'C' is." I bow my head down in shame, I should've been listening.

"Anyone know the answer?" He turns around to face the class, all of their eyes were glued to me, turn around nothing to see here. Keep your pelican nose out of my business.

Hawk, hawk, mother fuckęr.

"Maggie." He points the girl who had brown curly hair and glasses that were pushed up to her brows. Her skin was a light brown colour and she looked so pretty.

"Corps. Royal Army Medical Corps." She sounds so posh and intelligent. It makes sense, she's lives in London her whole life whereas I lived in Brighton until around a month ago. I mean, the accents were kinda similar but there was still a clear difference.

For the rest of the lesson the teacher kept a watchful eye on me, he watched my every move. It wasn't as if I was going something illegal, I was daydreaming for crying out loud.

When the bell rang through the room, everyone rushed towards the door, me being last out I tried to search for Felix.

"Boo!" I scream at the top of my lungs grabbing everyone's attention. I had dropped all of my things on the floor and everything in my pencils case had scattered across the floor because I was too dumb to zip it up.

In this school, you could see what was happening on other floors because there is a balcony on every floor that allows you to peer up and down. I don't know if that made sense but when I screamed everyone went silent.

Slowly turning around I see Felix stood there sniggering at my fright. This isn't funny, I could've had a heart attack.

"That's not funny!" I push his shoulder back with the palms of my hands, he stumbles but immediately recovers.

"Yes, yes it is funny." He continues to giggle as we crouch down to pick everything up. There was still a few stares from people but they weren't bothering me anymore. I've gotten used to people staring.

**********

I was walking through the canteen with Felix after he showed me where my locker was, the office lady didn't show me my locker, she told me I had to find it myself or something.

"Aren't you getting any lunch?" Oh, it was lunchtime already? That was quick.

"Oh, I didn't know it was that time already." He rolls his eyes playfully and takes us over to the counter, luckily Elijah gave me money in the car this morning.

"What're you getting?" The food looked horrible, watered-down pasta, stale sandwiches and burnt biscuits. Can't forget the pizza that was coated in flour on the crust.

Ew.

"The food looks horrible." I hadn't realised I said that in front of the lunch lady but she glared at me with a deadly look on her eyes. The grossest thing is that the dinner ladies and the dinner men all had sweat built upon their foreheads.

"I'm just gonna get a sandwich, you want the same?" Felix asks me, I nod yes and he hands me a crusty sandwich. I can't wait to feel ill.

"Yoohoo!!! Emilia!" I spot Rain waving her hands frantically at us. I smile at her and wait with Felix for her.

We sit down on an empty table, Rain chats about how she is excited to go get ice cream after school.

I pick apart my sandwich into little pieces trying to avoid the horrible taste of it. It was ham too, I hate ham. It's so disgusting, I can't eat any product form a pig, it makes me queasy to think that I am eating something that had been rolling in the dirt.

"Aren't you gonna eat it?" Rain asks me, I shake my head no and wrap the sandwich back up again and throw it in the bin.

I will never eat a ham sandwich in my life, it's the worst creation of all time.

"Hey, Em, who's this." None other than Blade sits down next to me with a smirk on his face.

"What are you doing over here?!?" I whisper yell at him.

I see Rain's face and Felix's gave turn pale. Did they enjoy scaring my friends or something?

"Just coming to see my little sister." He looked Felix I'm the eye when he said 'little sister'.

I see Felix physically gulp and avoid eye contact with Blade.

"Blade I swear to God I thought we told you to leave her alone." Diego comes rushing over.

"Oh hey." Luca plops down beside me. I was beginning to feel really uncomfortable with them sat there watching me.

"You can leave now," I tell them.

"No, I want to know your friend's name." He points to Felix. I can see how frightened Felix is right now, his leg was bouncing up and down.

"I can't wait to tell Alessandro and Elijah, they're gonna be pissed with you." Blade tells me and walks around the table to my side. Bending down, he whispers into Felix's ear something about him being dead. I could hear properly because he was speaking so low.

"Get up." Blade stands behind me to pull my chair back from the table.

"What? No." I answer back.

"I said get up." He says slower and deeper.

"Blade, just leave her be." Diego tries to reason with him. Thanks but I don't think Mr Muscle is going to listen.

"Get off me you marshmallow!" I command him, he yanks me off of my chair and pulls me by the back of my shirt.

"Get. Off. Of. Me!" He takes me over to a table that was full of meanies and men who looked really intimidating, not a surprise that Jayden and Josh were there.

"Get off of me you fat wasp." I slap his chest multiple times.

"Who do we have here?" A dark-skinned guy who was very handsome asked.