Blood is thicker than water

Chapter 26

Adelina POV:

School. Next week I am expected to be attending school. 

In reality, it's not something huge. It's not something I could fight or avoid, not something I could outsmart and certainly not something I could change. Sure I don't want to go, but then again I need to see this as what it truly is. 

An opportunity. 

An opportunity for what exactly is still to be determined but the fact remains it is still an opportunity. Maybe I'm feeling frisky... maybe I'm in the mood for chaos. Being put in a rich kid private school with Valentino and Valerio certainly won't be the end of the world. 

A weeks time and I will be stuck back in a school, only this time it's different. This time I'm the new girl. My place isn't established quite yet, but it will be soon. 

I might be overconfident but it's who I need to be. I haven't won every fight, I can't say that I've never gotten my shit rocked. I have and damn proud too, because it just the represents the strength I had to use to keep my head up. 

No matter how I got there, I was known as the bitch not to be messed with during the two years I was left friendless. I was miserable and everyone left me to be. 

Either way, I intend on walking into my new playground with my head up. We can't have the crown falling. 

Valentino was excited about the news. His large grin was paired with a mischevious glint in his eyes. I could tell we were on the same page without having to make even a sound. The others seemed to sense this aswell as an assortment of emotions passed over all of their individual features. Amusement laced mine. 

Valerio's reaction was better than expected. It was neutral, complete indifference radiated off of him. He barely spared me a glance but I felt the improvment in his behavior towards my presence. Perhaps he's done testing me. 

The lunch Angelo had taken me to was primarily wordless. Silence seemed to be the one doing the most talking. It was better that way, at least on my part, and I couldn't help but feel he knew that. 

The restaurant was in the middle of the city. I'd thought to observe the new place I'm living when we took a short walk after eating. 

There was lots to see. Coming from where I do, there wasn't anything like this. It was a smaller town, where nothing was too far but nothing seemed too close either contrary to the large concrete buildings towering over me. 

Fleeting faces of passerbys came and went. There was never enough time to analyse a person before they disappeared back into the sea of bodies and another appeared. 

Though there was one familiar face that never seemed to stray far from the both of us. The one became two and the two became three. I picked up my pace slightly, going unnoticed by Angelo, once I felt their gazes linger on us. 

I was about to move on to another strategy once my first hadn't worked until I noticed the brother's subtle movement out of the corner of my peripheral vision. A nod. He nodded to them. 

I returned to my leisurely pace. I understood that their presence was wanted by Angelo and well, even if I don't trust the people I am now living with, the situation no longer seemed threatening. 

I pause for a moment. I no longer deemed the situation threatening... 

My thoughts are interrupted by the sound of a text. My eyes steer away from the scenery visible from my bathroom window and I release a last puff of smoke and watch as it escapes through the opening before grasping my phone.