"How's the case going with the Taylors?" Talia asked.
Elaine swirled the spoon in her cup of coffee. "Not good. I only glanced at the contracts yesterday because I had to go to court but Nora and Phillip will be coming to see me today to discuss our course of action."
"I hope they get the company. Richard and Nora worked really hard to build it."
"Yes but he did sign a contract and with his will gone, even his houses and apartment, everything might go to Craig. I'll try my best but it's not looking good."
Talia scrolled through her phone. Elaine looked at the screen.
"Since when are you into photography?" she asked.
"I'm not. I just want to know how much those bratty kids have to pay."
"Talia, I can always buy you one. There's no need to fight."
"That might not be the case this time," Talia said. She told her mother what happened with Nicolai.
"So they just broke his camera for no reason?" Elaine asked.
"No. They had a reason. They knew how much he liked that camera. That's why they broke it." Talia's grip on her phone tightened. "I hate people like that. You should have seen the look on his face."
"Those are the kinds of people who light ants on fire with a magnifying glass. Psychopaths."
Talia smirked. "Says a lawyer."
Elaine tapped her on the forehead. "There are far worse people in the world than lawyers."
"Don't I know it," Talia muttered.
"What?"
Talia shook her head. "Do you still think I shouldn't fight?"
"The rule is no unnecessary fighting. Just try not to kill anyone," Elaine said.
"I make no promises."
Elaine laughed and kissed her forehead. "I'll see you this evening."
"I'm coming to your office. I want to see Phillip," Talia shouted after her.
"I'll let him know you're coming."
When Mrs Wilson dropped Talia off at school, Nicolai was already waiting on her in the classroom. Juniper's tail started wagging again. Talia couldn't understand why she liked him so much when he barely paid her any attention. He held out another brown bag.
"Burrito," he said.
"You don't need to do this," Talia said. She didn't even like burritos and her mouth was watering at the smell.
"I know but you have to taste this. I've eaten three this morning."
She reached into the bag and took out another slip of paper with the carbs written on it.
"You're pretty good at calculating this. I had no problems yesterday." Unlike when she went to stay with her grandparents when she was ten and ended up in the hospital. Not something she enjoyed and why her parents still wouldn't leave her alone with them even though she was seventeen.
"Bolus from now so you can eat it before class," Nicolai said.
"When we go inside. We still have math to work on."
"I memorized the rules."
"Good."
Maya and Hadley hadn't reached as yet.
Talia took out a new book from her bag. "This is what you're going to work in when I tutor you."
"Why a new book?"
"Because this one is only for our eyes and to make sure, I'll keep it. Try the first question and remember the rules."
He took out a pencil and concentrated on the first question. Talia noticed that he'd loosened his school tie again and was rubbing his chest.
"How's that?" he asked.
"Correct and you did that in less than two minutes. Try the next one."
He smiled and started on the next one, still rubbing his chest every few seconds. He kept swallowing.
"Nicolai, is your chest hurting you?" she asked.
"It's fine."
She watched him for a few more minutes then stood. "Leave the book and come with me," she said.
He looked confused but did as he was told. She led him down the corridor and to the nurse's station.
"I told you I was fine," he said.
Her shoes squeaked on the tiles but Nicolai's didn't. She could barely even hear his footsteps. She should find out what brand they were. She hated squeaky shoes.
"I don't like it when people lie to me," Talia said. She took out a key and put it in the lock.
"Why do you have the key to the nurse's room?"
"I sometimes help out in the mornings when I'm not tutoring. Not that I need it. I can open it without the key."
"You can pick locks?" Nicolai asked.
"Nothing quite so technical." She opened the door and went inside.
"What about the security cameras? Wouldn't someone think it's strange we're in here so early?"
Talia looked at his face. "What security cameras? Those are fake." He tried to look surprised but he couldn't hide the amused twinkle in his eyes. He already knew the cameras didn't work. Strange. That wasn't exactly something a lot of people noticed.
She opened the fridge and took out an icepack.
"Take off your shirt," she said.
"I'm not undressing for you in a closed room," he said. "I'm pretty sure that's illegal."
"Sorry Nicolai. You're not my type and since we're both minors I don't think it is. Now take it off."
"I can do it myself."
"Just like you can take care of it yourself, but didn't. I'm not a fool Nicolai. Take it off."
He didn't move for a moment then took off his tie. "If anyone asks, I objected and was forced to do that at knifepoint."
Talia rolled her eyes. "The nurses won't even reach for another two hours."
"What happens if someone gets sick on dorm?"
"There are different nurses there. Now take it off."
Nicolai unbuttoned his shirt and crossed his arms. "This is as far as I'm going."
"Just sit and move your arms so I can see."
Nicolai turned his head and lowered his arms. The bruise went from his left side, across the center of his chest and to his upper chest in one long, purple and yellow line.
"How did you get this?" she asked.
"I fell."
"Do you really expect me to believe that?"
"Whether you believe it or not doesn't change the fact that that's the truth," he said.
She decided to drop that for now. "We're supposed to rub the ice for fifteen minutes and hope you didn't crack your sternum."
"Are you trying to become a doctor or something?"
"No." She held up her phone. "I Googled it. Did you know you can get a medical degree online?"
"Now I know why my parents never want to go to doctors."
She grinned and placed the icepack on his chest. He hissed and flinched away. She checked her phone and slowly moved it down his chest avoiding the golden chain around his neck.
"Is that a baptismal medal?" Talia asked.
"Yes. My grandmother gave it to me when I was christened." He held it up. "Saint Nicholas."
"Is that how you got your name?"
"No. Well, not really. My mother said she always liked the name Nicolai and their names were already Nicoli. My grandmother was the one who chose this."
"Saint Nicholas fits in well with your family," Talia said smiling. She lifted the icepack and started from the top of his chest again. Her hand hurt with with coldness. He held her hand.
"I'm pretty sure this is worse for me than it is for you," he said. "I can do it."
"Thing is Nicolai, I don't trust you to do it," Talia said.
"I only asked you to tutor me. This was not part of the deal."
"You wanted me to help you get higher grades. I cannot tutor you effectively if you're sick and injured. You're not concentrating and you won't make much progress until you feel better. Grades don't matter as much as your health. Trust me on that one."
"They matter more," Nicolai said.
"Whoever told you that is a liar and probably hates you," Talia said. She looked him in the eye. "Ignore your health and I won't tutor you anymore." Her phone beeped. "Maya and Hadley are here." She placed the icepack in his hand. "I don't want to see you for the next fifteen minutes. I want you to come back to the classroom still shivering as you are now with cold hands."
"I don't think that's healthy."
"The ice won't kill you and the sun is hot. You can go stand outside after." She headed to the door, then turned and tossed him the key. "Lock up when you leave."
She closed the door to the nurse's room. She had assumed that Nicolai was just one of those skinny kids that always got picked on because they were weak. He was slim for sure, but it was for lack of fat not muscle and his reflexes were good. Did he play sports somewhere outside of school? Miranda got bruises a lot from TaeKwonDo practice and a bow staff could have made the bruise on his chest. She didn't think that was the cause but she wasn't sure what else it could have been.
She opened the group chat for her, Miranda and Carter.
Talia: I need a favor.
Carter: Shoot.
Talia: Well, not me. Davis and his friends were harassing Nicolai yesterday. They said that they would come after him today. We need to keep them away from him.
Miranda: They're always targeting him.
Carter: We'll help.
Talia: Don't make it obvious.
Carter: Obvious might be more effective.
Miranda: He's right. Once they know he has backup they might leave him alone.
Talia: Nicolai won't like it.
Miranda: He doesn't have to like it.
Carter: Don't worry, Talia. We'll take care of him. I take payment in cupcakes.
Miranda: You're supposed to be on a strict diet.
Carter: Cheat meals are allowed.
Talia turned off her phone before they could continue that argument and went back to the classroom.
"Where's Nicolai?" Maya asked.
"He has something to do. What homework do you have?" Talia asked. They showed her. They were both in the same Biology class and had the same homework. Talia explained to them what the teacher was expecting. They were doing cellular reproduction and had started genetics.
Talia remembered the burrito and tasted it. She wasn't sure if she liked that or the calzone better. This was more filling with all the rice and meat and she was glad she'd only had a bowl of cereal before she came. She wondered how Nicolai had fit three into his stomach. Must be a guy thing.
"Talia, I've been meaning to ask," Maya started, "are you sure you want to be tutoring Nicolai?"
"He asked for help and I don't refuse people when they need it," Talia said. "Why did you ask?"
Maya glanced at Hadley. "He's strange."
"You like peanut butter and cheese sandwiches. Should you really be calling anyone strange?" Talia asked, smiling.
"Not strange like that," Hadley said.
"Then like what?" Normally she would keep her nose out of other people's business but she was curious.
"Last year when we just started he was fine and got along with most people, even if he was a bit quiet," Maya said.
"A few girls even had a crush on him. It's the accent," Hadley said.
"Then one day he just blew up and attacked Bradley in the middle of class. After that we didn't see him for three weeks and then he came back and refused to talk to anyone," Maya said.
"Then there are rumors that his parents are in the mafia and that's why they're gone so often," Hadley said.
"And it continues to be a rumor because dumb girls like you insist on spreading lies." Nicolai stood in the doorway. He walked toward them and sat down in the chair he'd been in before. "My parents are not in the mafia. If they were, then some people would have disappeared already."
"Then what do they do?" Talia asked.
"They deal with the acquisition and distribution of art and antiques and it's not like anyone else in the room has parents who are always at home. Business trips are sometimes necessary," Nicolai said. He looked at Talia and forced on a smile. "What do you think about the burrito?"
"I have no idea how you can eat three of them, though I wish I could," Talia said.
"Tomorrow I'll bring you a trapizzino to taste or a calzone with a different filling."
"You shouldn't be giving me all the food your mother left you."
"The fridge is so packed I couldn't finish half of it by the time they come back this weekend."
"Since when do you talk so much?" Maya asked.
Nicolai looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "I've always talked a lot. I just choose who I want to talk to."
"I still don't trust you," she said.
"Is this about that idiot Bradley?"
"He didn't do anything to you and you jumped him in the middle of class."
"Like hell I would do that! That was the part you saw. That was not how it started. No one ever asked me for my side of the story."
"Then why did you two fight?" Haley asked.
Nicolai didn't say anything for a moment then picked up his pencil and went back to his notebook. "That was last year. We're here to study. Let's stop talking about things that don't matter."
Maya and Hadley shot him glances throughout the rest of the session that he ignored and left once the warning bell rang.
"Why did you fight him?" Talia asked once they were gone. He looked up at her through his glasses then looked back down at his notebook.
"He was harassing me all term. That day he broke my glasses and emptied milk in my backpack. I know that doesn't sound like much but I guess I just snapped. A person can only take so much."
"They suspended you for three weeks for a little fight?"
Nicolai shook his head. "I was only suspended until the end of the week. My grandmother died so we went back to Italy for the funeral." That would also explain why he hadn't been talking much afterwards.
"Did you tell the teachers what he was doing?" Talia asked.
"Yes. They said I was wasting their time with silly pranks and that I won't have them to complain to when I got older and that I should learn to deal with it myself. So I did and he stopped and I was the one who got in trouble. They told me I shouldn't have done that. Honestly, I'm confused. I don't know if they want me to handle things on my own or not."
"And then the others started?"
He shrugged.
"Why don't you just transfer schools? The principal of Northwood High is a friend of my mother's. She can get you in."
"No. Then I would feel like I'm running away."
"You're not doing any better right now."
He stared at her for a long while. "I'll be the last one laughing. It isn't my time yet but I have a plan."
Talia raised an eyebrow. "In that case, good luck."
His eyes sparkled. "Shouldn't you be telling me not to stoop to their level? That I should just ignore them?"
"Sometimes fighting back is the only solution. Sometimes it's the best. The fact that you thought about other solutions means that you're not making a decision based purely on emotions which is good. I just hope you're ready to deal with the consequences of your actions," Talia said. The second bell rang. "Stay out of trouble and don't forget to ice your chest."
Nicolai handed her the notebook and stood. "And risk losing my tutor? Not a chance." He shot her a wink and left.