The finals had begun, and I was quite nervous, I mean, who wouldn't be. I was doing my senior year, and Diego hadn't made anything easy for me.
He was the student who got the highest results in the first and third term examinations. I only got the highest in the second term, which is why I had to crush him in the finals.
Diego Ladrón, he would never let anyone get in his way of achieving something.
"Cece!"He shouted from across the classroom I was in.
"What's up? What're you doing?" He sat in the seat in front of mine and turned to face me. He was in the class next door, but he always made visits to my class every morning.
"Studying." I replied.
"Good job." He smiled, showing his perfectly aligned teeth. I knew that I vowed to hate him, but he made it hard for me to do so, sometimes... I felt a little nervous around him.
"Yeah, why are you here?" I asked, with my attention still on my chemistry textbook.
"Don't be so bitter, I came here to wish you good luck. You better crush me in these finals. I mean, I can't win three rounds when you only win one. Right?"
He took out a chocolate bar, dark chocolate, and put it on my desk.
"Why?" I looked at him. Which made my heart race because his warm brown eyes were already glaring at me.
"I heard chocolate helps with memory, especially dark chocolate. And you love dark chocolate."
He rested his head on my desk with his eyes still on mine.
"Thanks." I looked away before flipping to the next page on my book.
"Cece. Can I ask a question?" He raised his head
"What?"
"Why don't you like me? I like you so much, y'know?" He tapped my forehead.
"W-what?" I looked at him and felt my face heating up.
"Aw, is Cece blushing?" He pinched my cheek, which made me flinch back.
"Shouldn't you be studying too?" I fixed my eyes back to my textbook.
"Diego Ladrón, please report to the principal's office, thank you." The intercom stated, cutting short our conversation.
"We'll talk about this later,okay?" He made his way out.
"And why aren't you two dating yet?" The redheaded girl seated beside me stated.
"Allison..." She was the only real friend I had, that's if Diego was not considered as one.
"It's Al, come on, you've known me for four years!" She whined.
"Fine Al, do you understand the topic on page 256?"
"Oh that ,yes actually...it's pretty easy all you have to know is that..."
***
"How did you write, Cece?" Al jumped in front of me, which made me look down at her.
"I guess okay." I replied, and she followed behind me after I started walking.
"What was your answer on question 6? That one was so challenging!" She whined.
"Stop whining, why do you speak like that?"
I felt a male presence behind us, and right before I turned, he slid his hand around my and Allison's shoulders."Hey Cece, how was the chocolate?" He spoke, so close to my ear yet with a gentle voice.
"Uhm it—" Before I finished my statement, Allison cut me off.
"What's up, Diego?" She smiled and took a step forward, now facing the both of us, which made Diego's arm fall from her shoulder.
"Hey Allison, I heard you came to the restaurant yesterday. Sorry, I couldn't see ya...I had to run some errands."
Diego's Mexican accent always complimente his face. His features... a perfect jawline, short and culy brown hair, his masculine body, not well built but rather fit. He was just slightly taller than me, but the height difference was noticeable.
"Oh, it's okay, I didn't stay for long anyway!"
"Alrighty then." He smiled."Cece, how did you write?"
"Good..." I tried avoiding his gaze because the longer he stared at me, the warmer my cheeks felt.
"So...where were we." He hummed.
I looked at Allison, and with my peripheral vision, I could see my driver waiting for me.
"Oh, Karl is here, I need to get going."
With that, I walked towards the car that was parked in front of the school gate, but I could still feel Diego's eyes on me as I entered the car.
I passed my greetings to my driver as he started driving.
"Good afternoon, miss." He fixed the rearview mirror, which made me see his eyes.
"Come Karl, we talked about you calling me miss..." I let out a sigh.
"I'm just playin' with you, so... I see things getting a little heated between you two." He added a chuckle after that.
Karl was wholesome and funny. He was 24 and was really fun to be around. As young as he was, he had poliosis, which, in a way, made him look older than he was. He reminded me a lot of my sister.
"Pfft, I don't know what you're talking about." I turned to face the window to avoid him seeing the blush on my face.
He just chuckled at my remark and continued driving.
As soon as we entered the gate, I felt the everyday eerie feeling.
It was not the fact we might've been living in a haunted house, but yet the owner of it who gave the uncomfortable feeling. Every time I entered the door, I knew that she was behind it, with her wicked smile across her face, waiting to stab me with her words.
I got inside and found her drinking coffee on the chair across the island in the kitchen.
"Hello." I mumbled before passing her.
"Cécile, get over here." She ordered.
While walking towards her, she took a loud, long sip from her mug. After eyeing me from head to toe, she signaled me to take a seat beside her.
"There's not much to say, so I'll make it quick. In the next five years, you will be at training to manage our family's business." She stated, with her sharp tone.
"But I thought you agreed that I could study whatever I wanted." I replied.
"I said that I would think about it, and I think that idea is absolutely absurd, Cécile." She took another sip.
"But this is my life." I responded.
"I gave you that life, I brought you to this world for a reason since your sister failed to do so." She smirked. She knew that mentioning my sister would have a huge effect on me.
I tried responding, but it felt like words were stuck in my throat, and before I knew it, I felt tears roll down my cheeks.
"Aw, my sweet darling, don't cry. I'm only doing this for you..." She slid her cold hand on my cheek and wiped the tears away.
"I... You're right." I felt more tears streaming down my cheeks.
"There there, come to mommy." She pulled me into a hug and started brushing my hair with her hand.
"You know I love you...right Cécile?" She hummed. "And I always will, I'm sacrificing everything for you, I want you to have the best life in the future, I want you to be at the top. You came to this world for a reason. To surpass and destroy anyone that comes in your way, especially that Ladrón boy."
She was right. I came here to make sure that everyone was below my level. "Yes... especially Diego." I wrapped my arms around her waist to complete the embrace.
