Contemporary Milan, Italy.
In the dazzling world of Vincitore Academy, Margherita, a half-Korean firebrand from humble beginnings, ignites a clash of wills with the P2, the city's elite quartet of dazzling and infuriatingly entitled boys.
Yet, privi...
On the next morning, Margherita waited till six for the custodian to open the pool building, and when she finally got in, Lorenzo was already asleep on a chaise. He must have had a key.
She ignored him, changed, and swam almost nonstop for the best part of an hour, but all she could see, underwater, out of the water, in the locker room, was the spot against the wall where Re had kissed her.
When she finally took a break, Lorenzo was stirring.
"Morning," he said, stretching.
"Morning," she answered from the starting block. "How did you get in here?"
He winked. "We kinda own the place."
"So unfair."
"Ludo said you did not RSVP." Apparently, Ludovica had emailed her an invitation for her birthday party, this Saturday. "Check your spam folder."
Marghe shrugged. "It's okay. She won't miss me; I'm sure."
"I might," Lorenzo smiled, sweetly.
Margherita turned to mush, instantly resenting his duplicitous hot-and-cold act. "Well, suck it." She jumped out of the pool.
No one had ever told Lorenzo Tristante to suck anything. "Are you mad?"
"Yes!" She turned, dripping water on the tiles. "Why do you flirt with me? I have nothing to offer, and you have the best girlfriend in the world!"
He shrugged, smiling. "I like flirting with you. Anyway, you should come on Saturday. Ludo wouldn't have invited you if she hadn't cared." He stood, stretched a bit more, and went into the men's locker room, probably to shower. He looked like he'd slept at the pool the whole night, but wasn't Ludo around, now?
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Margherita avoided Vincitore at school, which wasn't hard. He'd been everywhere before the incident, but he'd disappeared since.
She checked her spam folder after classes. Indeed, the algorithm had surmised that Ludovica Zampieri's invitation to Margherita Pescatore was most likely a phishing attempt. Unexpectedly, the invitation was very personal.
It read, "Dearest Margherita, it's been a pleasure getting to know you a little in these past few months. You've been a breath of fresh air, particularly for Luca and Lollo." Marghe assumed that Lollo was her nickname for Lorenzo. "The P2...they've had a hard life..." Margherita scoffed. "...and have never made friends easily—or at all outside of each other. Luca has changed so much since meeting you, and Lorenzo is finally opening up a little. This Saturday is my birthday, and I have a big announcement to make. Please come, I'd love to have you there, and feel free to bring your friends." Her signature, address, and party time followed.
Margherita looked for Mauro in the library. He was at their usual spot, a C-shaped, plush, leather couch by a coffee table.
