The winter break was long. Natalia had spent the most of it sitting in her room thinking about Polo.
She was trying to piece together what happened the night of Marina's death and couldn't possibly figure out why he would kill her.
It was the first day of school in the new year and Natalia felt like she didn't have to worry about everything anymore.
She could finally be at piece with Marina's death. She hoped that was the case for Samuel and Guzmán as well.
Lu had previously text her the night before to tell her that her brother had left to go to Chile.
Natalia could barely sleep at the thought that he had once again left her.
Valerio had always told her that he didn't feel like he fit in with the rest of the family and Natalia always related to that.
As for her and Ander, the two hadn't spoken a word to each other, despite him trying to phone her everyday to talk.
Natalia was too upset to deal with him after finding out that he knew who Marina's killer was all along.
Natalia wanted to forgive him but was too stubborn to do so.
The last few days were crazy for Natalia's house.
Her mother had spent most of her time arguing with her ex-husband on the phone about Savanna.
Even though Natalia wasn't fond of the constant fighting, she wished that the two could have argued about her just once.
But no, they never did. Joaquin was still living in the house.
Natalia hadn't had a conversation with him for weeks. She didn't feel the need to.
The man had confessed his feelings to Natalia, and yet he still felt tense.
Maybe he was worried that Natalia might say something to her mother because the two had a rocky relationship.
Natalia walked into the school entrance and hurried past all of the remaining students.
She smiled when she stepped down the stairs and saw Rebeca leaning on the wall, chewing a piece of gum. The brunette stood up and smirked "Hola, princesa."
Natalia smiled "Happy new year!" Rebeca nodded "And to you two." Natalia looked behind Rebeca and saw Ander staring at her.
The girl quickly looked away and kept her head down. Rebeca noticed the girls odd behaviour and looked at Ander. The boy looked away and Rebeca sighed.
She turned back to Natalia "You two still aren't talking? When are you gonna out that behind you?"
Natalia looked up "He knew who killed my best friend and didn't say anything. How can I forgive him, Rebeca?"
She looked behind again and saw Ander staring but realised that he wasn't staring at her but at something beyond her shoulder.
Natalia slowly turned around and saw something that she wasn't expecting.
Polo ascending down the stairs. Natalia tensed at the sight of him.
His mother stood next to him and held him tightly as they walked past the students. If looks could kill, Polo would be a dead man.
Natalia glared at him as he made his way into Azucena's office. She wasn't ready to face Polo after what he had done. Neither was anyone else.
The bell rang and Natalia made her way into the classroom with the rest of the She sat on the table next to Rebeca and Samuel looked at Guzmán "Why the hell didn't we hear he was out?"
Guzmán looked at him "Same reason we didn't hear he'd been locked up. One of his moms is influential. She owns newspapers and magazines. But that won't get him out if jail."
Carla threw her books on her table and sat down. Lu frowned at her "Don't you have anything to say? Or will you say nothing as usual?"
Guzmán looked behind him at Ander who was sitting down on his own "At least she finally talked. Some people knew and never said a damn word."
Lu looked at Ander in shock "Ander? Holy shit! You knew too?" She then averted her attention back to the rest of the group "So, everybody knew but me?"
Guzmán huffed at the girl "Lu, stay out of it. This has nothing to do with you."
Lu smirked "Correction. I have nothing to do with you. I just would've like to have known that the boy sitting next to me was a fucking killer. Creepy."
Cayetana turned around and crossed her arms "Polo didn't do anything."
Lu turned around to face her "You expect us to believe you of all people, Liar Barbie? Should we remind the class of who you are?"
Cayetana rolled her eyes and put her hand out "No need. Thanks. Look, all they have against him is a statement from a jealous ex."
Carla scoffed and looked at the blonde "You don't get it, do you?"
Rebeca stood up from her seat and sighed "So, this whole show you put on was totally pointless, right? Too bad."
Carla scowled at her "Like we needed your opinion, lowlife." Rebeca raised her eyebrows "Excuse me?"
Azucena then walked into the room "Sit down and listen up, please."
She walked to the front of the class and the rest of the students sit down.
"Your classmate has been released on bail. There are charges against him, and he's still being investigated. I told his family that I cannot allow him to come back given the circumstances."
Lu shrugged "So, he won't graduate?" Azucena continued "Fortunately, it seems all this will be resolved soon." Natalia frowned "What do you mean?"
Azucena took a deep breath "The judge has requested a confrontation between Polo and his accuser in two days to compare their accounts and decide whether to pursue or drop the charges."
Natalia looked over to Carla in interest for a second and Azucena kept her eyes on the class "I know it's hard to distance yourselves, but I urge you to do it for your own good. This week, we have representatives from the world's best universities coming to meet you. With any luck, they could offer you admission or a scholarship. This is a crucial time. There's a lot at stake. Stay focused. Don't let the past ruin your future."
Natalia frowned at the fact that she would be leaving school soon but sudden knock on the door snapped her out of her thoughts.
"Good Morning. Merry Christmas, happy New Year, happy holidays, happy everything!"
Natalia's eyes widened when she saw Valerio looking as smug as ever at the door of the classroom. She shook her head and sunk further into her chair.
***
Natalia was standing outside of the school looking at the lake and saw Valerio walking ok his own.
Natalia immediately walked over to him and stood in front of him, blocking his path.
He immediately took his glasses off and looked at the girl up and down. "Fancy seeing you here, gorgeous."
Natalia tried not to laugh and flicked her hair back "What are you doing here?"
Valerio shrugged "What's it to you?" Natalia scoffed "What the hell do you think of me. I still care about you, Valerio. Despite everything. Even if it doesn't look like it."
The boy looked at Natalia curiously and looked down "My mom doesn't want anything to do with me. I had to come back."
Natalia sighed "I'm sorry. Where are you staying?" Valerio spoke in a whisper "my car."
Natalia widened her eyes "Your car? You can't live in your car, Valerio. Why don't you stay at mine?"
Valerio looked up at her "I don't wanna do that to you, Talia. Besides, I'm perfectly fine where I am. Why don't you go to the club with me tomorrow? We could have some fun."
Natalia shook her head "I won't be going clubbing for a while. I've kinda gotten over all of the drugs and booze."
Valerio laughed "Not for long. Excuse me." He walked past her and Natalia watched as he swaggered back into the school.
She sighed and walked over to the spot she once held moments before. She felt calm in the space as she realised that it would be the last time she would ever feel calm again.