"They were the wave of fresh air that my brother and I needed to live again. "
Shouts, insults, the sound of the dishes breaking and Niccolò holding her tightly against him.
Niccolò, he had always been the one to take everything on his shoulders. He may have been born after her but he was always the one to take care of her first. Even though the persistent arguments of their parents were because of her. After all, she had denounced their mother.
Now their family was broken. They had been in their room for several days now. The arguments had become far too much to handle for them.
They could go out only when one of their parents left the room. And even then it was not enough to stop the fury of their two parents. Their mother had scratched all their father's vintage cars with her keys this afternoon. The last time, their father had scissored all the provocative dresses of their mother.
It had been going on for years now and that did not seem to stop. At this point, the twins had been exposed to far more violence and bad words than necessary.
They did not recognize their parents anymore.
But what was even worse than seeing their parents tear apart was to feel the lack of their love. They no longer paid attention to them or even listened to them. And to be honest, they were not sure they wanted to get their parents' attention. Otherwise, they would eventually notice how much they had changed in the last five years.
Five years, it had been five years since they had tried to live with this heavy secret. Five years they displayed a false personality to suit the standard of high society. Five years that they were pretending with the Nuniers when they could hardly contain their rage at the sight of the man at the origin of the ruin of their family.
A sudden violent slamming of a door made Alba jump, leaving Niccolò tighten his grip on her shoulders as he whispered against her ear."Shhh ... it's okay. I'm here. I'm here, Alb."
Alba sniffed, rubbing her tears down her cheeks before glancing over Niccolò over her shoulder."I'm sorry, Nicco. If I had known- "
"Hey! Don't say that !" Niccoco hissed suddenly, shaking her slightly to hold her gaze."I forbid you to say that!" Alba held his gaze for a moment clearly frightened before nestling her nose in the crook of his neck as he hugged her against him."Shh ... I promise you everything will work out."
"How?" Alba insisted in renewed energy and indignation."How could it be arranged? Aren't you tired of playing the comedy every day? To pose as a united front when we are all but behind the walls? Our family is broken, Niccolò. Broken."
"We owe it to dad, Alb." Niccolò recalled in a tired sigh. It was not the first time they had this kind of conversation. "And then, Marina and Guzman are our friends."
Alba swallowed at the mention of the two Nunier pre-teens. Indeed, they were still their friends.
Unfortunately, Alba had arrived at a stage where she felt trapped. She could not stay friends with them anymore. Besides, were they really friends when she had hidden this heavy secret from them all these years.
Yet they could not find the strength in them to ruin their innocence as their parents had done for them.
However, there was one thing she could do to break free. Despite her young age, Alba knew she was not happy. She had once been happy. Now she was displaying a false personality. A personality who didn't look like her. And if cutting bridges with her supposed friends was the price to pay then she thought it was cheap to pay.
"Nicco ... I can't go on like this anymore." Alba breathed as she lifted her eyes to meet his gaze. "I don't want to be sad anymore. I want to be able to smile without forcing myself."
Nicco raised his eyebrows as he curved his lips in a small smile. "So you force yourself to smile at me?"
"Don't be silly. I'm serious." Alba breathed, hitting his shoulder lightly with her fist."I want tired of lying."
"Alba, we can't tell them anything." Niccolò objected at once in an authoritarian tone.
At the age of twelve, Alba rolled her eyes petulently before giving a bored look at her brother."Why ? Why should they live a perfect life and not us, right? Huh? Why ?"
"Do you really want Guzman to feel the same way as us? Or Marina?" Niccolò retorted with raised eyebrows in defiance.
Alba immediately turned her eyes away, crossing her arms over her growing breast. She let a sigh leave her lips as she wiped away the tears from her cheeks before shaking her head clearly trapping again.
She was silent for a moment before finally turning to her determined brother, "So I'm going to stop pretending. "
" Ah yes ? And how are you going to do?" Nicco asked in a breath of laughter.
"Stop laughing !" Alba warned, pointing at him before giving him a haughty look."I'm going to stop being friends with them."
Niccolò immediately stopped laughing at her statement, letting her support his gaze as he gradually lost his smile." You're not serious ? "She raised her chin in sign, fierce."Okay, how are you going to do it?"
"It shouldn't be so difficult." Alba answered with confidence.
-------------------------
This time, a little catchy music was lying on her headphones as Alba was strumming along her Mac keyboard. After her little meeting with Christian on the stairs, they had separated to go to their respective class. She was now in the cafeteria with her headphones and laptop as the only company. A company that was enough for her.
However, she was not slow to be disturbed as her own half suddenly removed one of her headphones before settling in the chair in front of her."I already told you how much I loved your emo phase?"
"I guess you think you're funny?" Alba replied, rolling her eyes to her twin.
In response, Niccolò left a smirk only reserved for her."You seemed in the mood to laugh earlier, I thought I'd try myself too. But obviously, I'm not as talented as the new one."
"What is it supposed to mean?" Alba retorted at once, giving a suspicious glance at her stupid brother.
The latter raised his eyebrows with mischief."I don't know, do you have a little crush on the poor classes?"
Alba took a deep breath in boredom before closing in the eagerness of her computer cover to give a flat look at her twin idiot."You know what, Nicco?"
"No, but you'll tell me, right? "
Unfortunately, Alba did not really have time to answer since her name was suddenly hailed throughout the cafeteria. All the groups gathered around the room turned to her in response, leaving Alba to cast a murderous glance at Christian as he made his way in an excited leap to their table.
"Alba, Alba, Alba, mì Corazon." Alba's eyes widened at Brown's nickname as he sat down on the chair next to her before waving his hand at his friends who were a little further back."Come on, she's chill."
"Mì corazon." Nicco repeated clearly hilarious before getting up as Samuel and Nadia settled around the table. "Go ahead, go ahead, Alba needs friends anyway."
Alba gave him a grimace at once, raising his middle finger with annoyance. "Go to the hell, Nicco."
To their surprise, their little fraternal demonstration drew smiles on the faces of the new ones, leaving Nicco to address the trio."Try to stay alive. And the new, nice Hijab."
Alba shook her head following her brother's flight before raising her eyebrows as she watched Samuel and Nadia settle into discomfort.
"Don't pay attention to him. He's not really used to socializing." Alba apologized to the brunette muslim.
However to her surprise, she merely shrugged a little uncertain. "No, that's fine. I think it's the first nice thing I've been told today."
Christian hastened to take advantage of it to plead Alba's case as he turned to Samuel."See? I told you. They're really apart. "
Samuel turned to Alba somewhat skeptical before sharing a look with the muslim girl.
Alba followed the exchange in silence, clearly curious as to their next move before supporting the gaze of the jet-black boy as he spoke."Sorry but I think I have the right to doubt it. I see absolutely no difference between them and you. "
"See?" Alba said, giving Christian a look before signing Samuel with a sign of her chin."In a few days you will be like him."
"How's that?" The brunette with the hijab asked at once, letting Alba turn and shrug her shoulders.
"Realistic." Answered the brunette before pausing in a socializing effort."Listen, these people ..."She gestured towards the groups far away. "...aren't so horrible. Deep down. But they're far too blind and privileged to realize that they're snobbish and haughty."
"But not you ?" Samuel quipped with a dark brown arched eyebrow.
"My brother and I had an education different from theirs. While we're as rich and privileged as they're in some areas, we have learned values, a sense of work and respect for others."
"You work?" Christian mocked, dubious.
"Yes, believe it or not. Our father makes us work each summers, my brother and me, on his wine lands." Alba explained, shrugging her shoulders again phlegmatically.
However, at the sight of Christian's slight frown, Alba knew immediately that he obviously didn't understand what she was talking about.
"Wine-growing ?" She turned to Nadia and Samuel with her raised eyebrows, letting the duo look at her in turn before laughing."Alright, alright, go ahead, mock me!"
Alba caught her breath, shaking her head before taking pity on the dark boy's ignorance."My father produces wine."
"No, no kidding?" Exclaimed Christian with wide eyes of excitement."I didn't even know you could get rich by drinking alcohol."
Once again, Alba was forced to hold back a sneer. Instead, she reopened the lid of her computer with the intention of working a little more.
Only, Christian called out their attention again as he turned to them looking incredibly serious."Anyway, who pulls the strings in this high school?"
"You don't want to mix with these people, Christian." Alba warned without raising her eyes from her screen.
"Alba is right." Said Samuel leaving Alba to glance at him with a small, barely perceptible smile."You should worry about something else. For example, how you don't speak a word of English."
"C'mon, I can speak in English. A little but." Christian defended receving a snort of Alba."I planned everything. Alba will pass me her notes in English and I translated it thanks to an automatic translator."
"In your dreams, casanova. "
"Well, I'll take Nadia's." Rectified Christian receiving a response identical to that of Alba.
Except that she continued with a bit more bite. "You shouldn't even be here. You take the place of someone who deserves to study in this school."
"Do you think I came here to study?" Christian replied in disbelief before shaking his head restlessly."No, no, I came here to know people who have power. And it's not by having good grades that I will get there. It's rubbing shoulders with the right people."
Alba just wrinkled her lips, shaking her head as Christian suddenly jumped out of the table intending to walk towards the others. It was probably his biggest mistake. She could already imagine the disaster coming up for miles. And still a part too much accustomed to herself, forced her to ignore the disaster to come. She looked back at her screen, hoping for the best.
However, Samuel did not delay in calling her as they heard Christian approach Carla and Lucrecia asking about the party. Probably Marina's birthday.
"On a scale of 1 to 10, what are the chances that it will end badly?"
This forced Alba to take her eyes off her screen just to see Lucrecia make fun of Christian in English. She grimaced in response before catching Guzman's expression on the side.
She found herself swallowing despite herself. "Your friend's insurance for assault and battery?"
She watched as Christian totally ignored Guzman further annoying him. Alba narrowed her lips knowing already that it was going to end badly. Even worse, she watched Lu violently push Christian's touch as he tried to touch her phone.
She does not really think about her gesture as she immediately leaps to her feet to prevent Christian from being beaten on his first day.
"Don't pay attention to my friend." Said Carla forcing Alba to step up at the sight of Guzman approaching Christian.
"So about this party..."
"Christian!" Intervened Alba interfering between Guzman and Christian intentionally. She grabbed Christian's wrist and looked at him impatiently."Enough."
"But look at that, it looks like the ice queen has woken up." Insulted Lu letting Alba unconsciously squeeze her grip on Christian's wrist."It had to be said that it's the poor who make you the effect."
"Shut up, Lu." Guzman said at once, letting Alba frown before looking at him over her shoulder.
"No you shut up, Nunier." Alba replied clearly annoyed now before turning to Lu."Is that really all you can do, Lucrecia? I guess Nadia's presence is already shading you."
Lu did not really have time to answer since Guzman immediately put his hand on Alba's shoulder with the intention of bringing her to his side. Only Christian hastened to grab her hand to pull her at him.
"You're seriously starting to annoying me." Guzman hissed as he stepped toward Christian."The ball of the beginners of my sister is private. Just like our conversation."
Alba rolled her eyes before glaring at Polo as he hurried to get close to Christian with his hand on his shoulder.
"Christian, come on." Alba tried again.
The brown immediately turned to her, shaking his head before shrugging his shoulders to remove Polo's arm. He then turned to Guzman boldly."To whom should I speak to be invited to this little party? You will not be disappointed if I come."
This time, Alba was content to let go of Christian before shaking her head in abandonment. He had clearly signed his death warrant. It was not her problem anymore.
"I'm giving up." Alba whispered, turning on her heel with the intention of turning around.
However, Guzman's intervention stopped her in her footsteps."It's on you that the high school roof has fallen, right? You must not over-capture the innuendoes because of this blow to the head. So for you to understand I tell you in English. Goodbye."
"What if I don't want it?"
"Okay, stop!" Alba exclaimed as she hastened to intervene again between the boy duo before pushing Guzman dry with a wave of the hand. She gave him a dark look as a warning before turning to Christian."Come with me. Now."
This time, she did not really leave him the choice as she put all her strength to pull him away from the upcoming clash.
"Are you really going to take their side?" Hailed Guzman in indignation after them as Alba rejoined their table.
She paused as she took a look at Christian, taking a deep breath before turning abruptly on her heels to turn around. She made her way back to Guzman with a quick step before standing up to him.
"This little act of alpha male only works with your little pet shop, okay? And I certainly don't use it." She ignored the outraged looks of the group behind him before giving him a haughty look at the sight of his tight jaw."I can't wait to see the day you're dethroned from your pedestal. And with the arrival of the new ..."She gave a look at the trio before giving a mean smile on the smoking blond."... something tells me it could happen sooner than you think."
Since Ander probably knew the breaking point of the blond, he was quick to come forward to hold him back. "Guzman, let's go."
Alba raised her eyebrows arrogantly before making her way back to the trio's table. She was greeted by mixed looks of Nadia and Samuel while Christian tried to hit her hand with enthusiasm. Alba just rolled her eyes before returning to her place.
She did not know how or even why, but she had just started a new war with the Nunier boy.