You know this feeling you have when everything's suddenly starting to work out?

Well, I didn't even know it existed.

I was always running around from place to place, from one city to another, and not once did I feel like saying 'alright, I can live like this for the rest of my life.'

Sure, it was liberating and I could go and do whatever the fuck I wanted, but it just wasn't... It.

Don't get me wrong, having five new brothers is such a recipe for disaster. We always clash and fight and, well, sometimes steal each other's underwears because someone was stupid enough to eat all of his sister's chips collection and-

You get it.

I just thought I'll never manage to be a part of a family, especially a part of the family I grew up completely away from. But sometimes my mind wanders off for a few seconds and I find myself laughing and actually enjoying talking with them.

And after I realize that, this feeling I was talking about washes all over me.

It's so nice and yet... Scary.

The days kinda flew by, with school and everything. Oh, and one thing I found out-

It's not that hard when you're actually trying.

Crazy, I know.

I'm doing my best to listen to my teachers and write down the important stuff, but I still have this one thing that somehow keeps distracting me.

I asked Alessandro and Amadeo what to do, and their solution was to 'confront the problem'.

So, like a good sister, I decided to do just that.

"I have to go." I mumbled reluctantly, my breathing's getting faster with every second Carter's lips are on my neck.

I pulled my hand away from his hair and looked at the watch on my wrist, immediately groaning in my head. I'm so late.

"Me too." Carter whispered, but didn't move away. Instead, he raised his hands up and cupped my jaw, deepening our kiss.

He pressed my back even farther onto the wall of the empty storage room we're at, his hands holding my waist tightly.

It was almost automatic, how my body melted and leaned onto his, completely forgetting it's the end of the day and how I'm keeping my brothers waiting in the parking lot.

It's like, when he's around, all my mind can do is focus on his stupidly handsome self. I told him I don't think I'm ready for something serious, and I guess he was fine with it because half an hour later, we're making out.

For the fifth time this week.

"I'd rather be here than at practice though, no doubt about it." he said, amusement clear in his voice as he lifts me up onto the small table next to us.

I broke apart from the kiss and furrowed my eyebrows, looking at him with a small smile. "What do you play?"

"Basketball."

Just when I thought I couldn't be attracted to him any-more.

"Huh." I hummed and wrapped my arms around the back of his neck, pulling him closer to me. "I bet I'm better than you."

Carter's dark eyes glimmered as he looked down at me with a smirk. "You play?"

I clicked my tongue and smiled, slightly shaking my head. My hand fisted his tie, using it to pull him even closer. "I fucking ace."

He grinned, now standing between my legs. One of his hands is playing with the hem of my skirt, while the other's firmly on my waist.

"You're crazy if you think I'll have sex with you here. In a storage room. At school." I raised my eyebrow and removed his hand from my skirt, placing it on the other side my waist.

Carter's hands slithered all the way up to the sides of my neck. He tilted my head up, looking at me directly in the eyes with a teasing smile.

"I'll have sex with you wherever you'll want, blondie."

I couldn't help but laugh, and his own smile widened. I fisted his tie again, slowly closing the distance between us. "How romantic."

He hummed and leaned down, his teeth caging my lower lip. I gasped, and he didn't wait a second before kissing me, his tongue sliding into my mouth.

I immediately raised my hands to the side of his neck, leaning closer to him. It felt like my body was on fire, even though I was only wearing a short shirt and a skirt.

He's driving me crazy.

Just a second before we pulled away from each other to get air into our lungs, my phone started ringing loudly.

"I have this crazy deja vu." Carter mumbled, our chests falling and rising heavily against each other. I closed my eyes and silently cursed my new family, especially the one unknown brother who's calling me.

"I really have to go." I sighed and jumped off the table, picking up my bag from the floor.

I don't fucking want to go.

I didn't have time to fix my skirt or hair, because the next thing I know, I'm pulled back against Carter's back.

I tried to contain my smile as I felt his lips on the side of my neck, kissing me in just the right spots. "See you tomorrow?" he whispered in my ear, sending shivers down my spine.

"Yeah." I breathed out.

He slightly squeezed my waist before letting me go, and I shot him one quick glance before leaving the room.

Why am I feeling so flustered? And he fucking plays basketball? Oh God, I think I'm getting hot just thinking about it.

My phone started ringing again. "What?" I grumbled, not even looking who is it. My mind is still focused on Carter, and I can't decide whether I hate it or not.

"Where the fuck are you?" Rivo's angry voice greeted me. I could hear someone scolding him, but you know Rivo.

"What?" he hissed. "I was patient for the last thirty minutes, leave me alone."

I rolled my eyes and knocked on the front window of Alessandro's car, smiling as I watched Rivo jumping in his seat.

I opened the back door and hung up the phone, sliding in to sit next to Santo.

"Where the fuck were you?" Rivo turned around before I could even close the door, narrowing his eyes at me.

"Why?" I smiled teasingly, buckling myself up. "Were you worried about me?"

Rivo rolled his eyes but didn't respond, making Santo and I exchange smirks. He was totally worried.

"You're done?" Alessandro turned his head to Rivo, looking at him with a raised eyebrow. I couldn't see him, but based on Alessandro's expression, Rivo rolled his eyes.

"So," Alessandro said a couple of minutes before we got home, giving me a quick look through the mirror. "Care to explain where were you?"

"Detention." I answered immediately, straightening myself. "Had to help organize the books in the library."

Alessandro sighed, but what really confused me was the look Santo gave me. "You don't say." he mumbled, narrowing his eyes.

"What do you-"

"You're getting into a lot of detentions lately, Olive." Alessandro said, making me snap my head towards him. "I thought you said you'd stop yelling at your teachers."

"Right. My bad." I forced a smile onto my face. I need to think about a better excuse before Alessandro will decide to call the school and find out about my imaginary detentions.

"Was Kingsley in detention with you?" Rivo suddenly asked, turning around to look at me.

"What? Why?" My body tensed. That's Carter's last name. How the fuck does he-

"I saw him getting on his bike after you got out of school." Rivo answered, and I could feel Santo's eyes on the side of my head. "Was he there too?"

And he even got a bike? Come on.

"Uh, I think. Haven't paid much attention to him." I shrugged, trying to act like I wasn't just making out with him in the past half an hour.

"Good." Rivo nodded seriously, looking at me in the eyes. "He's a little bitch, stay away from him."

"No he's not." I scoffed before I could even stop myself. "I mean, he doesn't seem like one."

Great job, Olive. Please continue defending him and blow everything up.

"But he is, alright?" Rivo shifted again in his seat, pointing a finger at me. "I know how to recognize an asshole when I see one."

I snorted, and even Alessandro tried to hide a smile with his hand. "You sure that's how you wanted it to sound?"

"Shut up." Rivo mumbled, finally turning around to sit straight in his seat. I chuckled, but as soon as I turned my head towards Santo, the smile I had on completely dropped.

His hands were crossed over his chest, and he was looking at me intensely through narrowed eyes.

I stared at him, eyes slightly wide. What's going on?

"You didn't-" he leaned towards me and started to whisper, but stopped himself as soon as Alessandro parked the car. I've never been more happy upon arriving home.

"I have tons of homework." I gave Alessandro a smile and quickly jumped out of the car, running towards the front door.

"Olive!" Santo yelled behind me, but I didn't stop. No way am I finding out what he knows.

I raced past Amadeo straight to my room, but just as I was about to close the door, Santo barged in.

"Get out!" I groaned and pointed at the door, but one look at Santo's accusing expression made me sigh.

"What do you want?" I grumbled, throwing my empty bag onto the floor.

"How was organizing the library?" he asked after closing the door, putting his hands inside his pockets.

I eyed him suspiciously. "It was alright."

"Oh, I'm sure." he nodded, coming to stand in front of me. "We got a nice library in school, don't you think?"

"Yes." I furrowed my eyebrows and walked past him towards my bathroom, not enjoying his little interrogation.

I'll just play it cool.

"Too bad it's been locked for more than a week, only opening up again tomorrow."

I stopped walking and closed my eyes, trying to think about a way to get myself out of this mess. Fucking Santo.

"No it's not." I smiled and turned to face him, slightly tilting my head. "It was very much open today, weirdo."

He looked at me with a blank face, not giving away anything. I stared at him silently for a few moments, waiting for his response.

"No, it wasn't."

"What?" I screeched, throwing my tie onto the bed. "Then whose books did I carry around-"

"Don't even try." Santo sneered, pointing at me an accusing finger. "You had no detention, you liar."

"Fine, stupid nerd!" I groaned tiredly and pushed him out of my way, slumping down onto my bed. "Why the hell do you even know when the library's closed?"

"What were you doing with Kingsley?" he asked and looked down at me, completely ignoring my words.

"Carter." I corrected, throwing a pillow at him. "It sounds better." Santo remained still, letting the pillow hit his face and fall down onto the floor.

"Carter sounds... Better?" he repeated, and as soon as he widened his eyes, I realized my mistake.

"Oh, no. No. Hell no." he shook his head sharply while taking a couple of steps back, and I immediately jumped off the bed, running towards him to stop him from leaving my room.

"Hey! Wow, Santo." I stood in front of the door, blocking it with my body. "I don't know what you're thinking, but it's wrong."

"I swear to God, Olive-" he started, trying to move past me and reach the door handle.

I was slightly panicking, and I had no idea on how to stop him, so I stepped on his foot. Hard. With the heel of my shoe.

"What the hell?" he exclaimed with wide eyes, crouching down to grab his foot. "Why'd you fucking do that?"

"I'm sorry!"

"Stop smiling!" he groaned, now sitting on the floor and leaning against my bed.

I covered my mouth with one hand, shaking my head. Focus. "You can't tell anyone anything, I'm serious."

"So it is true?" he twisted his face while rubbing his leg. "Come on, Olive!"

"We weren't fucking each other, if that's what you're implying." I narrowed my eyes at him, ignoring his groans of disgust. "We were simply making out-"

"Shut up, and just tell me this." He held his hand up, stopping me from saying another word. "It was a one time thing, right?"

"Uh," I furrowed my eyebrows, trying to find the right words. "Remember you asked me like a week ago why am I wearing a turtle neck in August? And I pretended not to hear you?"

Santo looked at me confused for a second, before throwing his head back with a groan. "I can't believe it!"

"Please don't tell them!" I pleaded, kicking Santo's leg lightly to get his attention. "It's not like we're dating or something."

"They'll kill him once they'll find out." Santo whispered and ran his hand through his hair, looking up at me with wide eyes. "I'm not going to stop them."

"No!" I groaned. "You're completely missing the point."

"What point, exactly?" he jumped to his feet, placing two hands on my shoulders. "You're like, four. It's against nature, Olive."

"I'm one year younger than you, asshole- hey!" I yelled, trying to catch his arm before he'll reach the door. "I'm sorry, you're not an asshole, fucking wait!"

I managed to shut the door just before he walked through it. "Alright, alright." I raised my hands up in surrender, looking at his frantic eyes. "What about you'll go to your room, and really think about it, huh? No good will come out from telling them."

"Why on earth would I want to think about-"

"I'll burn your sketch book."

"What?" he exclaimed, and I nodded rapidly, finally getting a reaction I can deal with.

"Yes!" I said, poking his chest. "Rat me out, and I'll burn every single ugly drawing you have ever drawn."

"You wouldn't." he chuckled and shook his head, trying to move past me again.

"Oh, but I would." I whispered, and he froze. He narrowed his eyes at me, assessing my face.

"I'll burn it real good, watch the flames consume all your bad shadows and the weird-"

"I'll just hide it." he hissed, leaning down to my level. "And my shadows are just fine."

"I'll let Duke smell your pencil, and he'll find it in a second." I hissed back. Does he really want to start a war?

Santo glared at me.

"Glad we reached an agreement." I nodded sharply after a few moments and moved to the side, letting him open the door. "Watch your back, nerd boy."

He slammed the door in my face, but I opened it again a second later.

I watched as he pushed Rivo out of his way and entered his room, slamming the door even harder.

Rivo blinked a few times before turning his head towards me, confusion all over his face. "Wha-"

"How badly does Santo like his sketch book?" I cut him off. I know he likes it, but I need to sure he likes it enough to keep my secret.

"He's practically in love with it, why?" Rivo frowned, and I nodded.

That's good.

"Nothing." I smiled and turned around on my heels, walking towards Riccardo's room.

"You're in there?" I shouted and banged repeatedly on his door. "Go away!" I heard him yell a minute later, which only made me knock harder.

"He'll kill you." Rivo taunted from behind me, making me turn around to face him without stopping my knocking.

"No he won't." I smiled. "I'm his favorite sister."

"Not much of a competition though." he commented and raised his eyebrow, leaning against the wall.

"Don't be so jealous." I stuck my tongue out, and almost lost my balance when Riccardo yanked his door open.

"What?" he whispered harshly, squinting his eyes as soon as the light hit him. He was only wearing his black sweatpants, a look I slowly got used to.

He has so many tattoos.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I wake you up?" I gave him a sweet smile and looked over his shoulder towards his dark room.

Riccardo rubbed his eyes. "What time is it?"

"Three PM." Rivo answered, and I quickly turned around. 'Go away' I mouthed but he just shrugged, his annoying smile on his face.

"Why'd you wake me up for, devil?" Riccardo muttered and leaned against his door frame, trying to keep his eyes open.

"Can Duke find something by its smell?"

"What? No." he ran his fingers through his hair, furrowing his eyebrows as if I just told him the craziest thing he's ever heard. "He can barely sit when you tell him to."

I groaned and banged my head on the wall, feeling like punching someone. "Can you train him to do it before Santo leaves his room?"

"Yeah, I mean, no problem." Riccardo shrugged, making me snap my head back up. "Really?" I asked, a surprised smile on my face.

"Sure." he nodded. "And maybe then I'll go hunting unicorns with him."

The smile I had on completely dropped, and Rivo snorted.

"Don't be like that, Ricc-"

He slammed the door shut.

"Thank you." Rivo clapped his hands slowly from behind me. "That was really fun to watch."

I turned around, glaring at him.

I'll just need to trust Santo to hold his end of the deal.

°°°

This is simply the worst.

'I'll kill you.' I mouthed, holding my fork and knife tightly above the table. Santo stared at me, his fist covering his mouth.

"Pass the salad." Rivo grumbled and pointed at the bowl next to me. On any other day I'd make him say please, or at least do something that'll piss him off.

But not now.

I wordlessly handed him the salad, keeping my eyes glued to Santo. He was sitting on the other side of the table, right in front of me.

"You're not going to eat, Santo?" Amadeo asked, and I kicked Santo's bouncing legs under the table.

"Huh?" he snapped his head towards him. "Oh, yeah. Sure."

I slowly slid the meatballs towards him, making sure he sees the murderous glare on my face.

Santo narrowed his eyes at me, his fork stabbing the meatballs repeatedly on his plate.

The son of a bitch is a fucking ticking bomb.

"So," I blurted out after seeing the look Alessandro gave Santo. "How's... Work?" I tried to keep my voice steady, but it sounded more like a screech.

"Why?" Riccardo raised his eyebrow, looking at me from the corner of his eye. "Wanna come to the office?"

"Riccardo." Alessandro slightly raised his voice, giving Riccardo a pointed look. I rolled my eyes. These guys will never take me to see where they work.

Riccardo chuckled and raised his hands up. "I'm kidding, geez." he ruffled my hair. "You've heard the king, Olive. It's not a place for little girls."

"I'm not a little girl-"

"But you are." Santo's nostrils flared as he gritted out. He gripped his glass of water so tightly that I thought it was going to break.

I widened my eyes, my jaw twitching. Everyone turned to look at him. Oh, I swear to God...

"Shut up." I hissed.

"Oh, no... No." Santo shook his head, chuckling bitterly. "I can't do this anymore." He threw his napkins onto the table harshly, looking around the table.

"What's going on?" Amadeo frowned, leaning forward in his seat. "Santo?"

"Shut up." I pointed my finger at him as soon as he opened his stupid mouth. "Santo!"

"Olive's in a weird, fucked up relationship with a guy from school!"

"What?" I exclaimed, dragging my chair back loudly and standing up. My palms were both on the table, giving me enough support to lean down and glare at Santo.

I'll fucking kill him.

"What did you just say?" Alessandro slowly stood up, his voice as sharp and cold as ice.

"No, no!" I said and snapped my head towards him, trying to ignore everyone's intense stares. "That is not- you're a fucking goner, Santo!"

"Sure, let's blame the messenger." he narrowed his eyes, giving me a sarcastic smile. "This is not a secret I'm supposed to keep!"

Amadeo ran his fingers through his hair as he stood up, giving Alessandro a pointed look. "Te l'ho detto che succederà." (I told you it'll happen.)

"Lo ucciderò." (I'll kill him.) Alessandro muttered and scratched his forehead, returning Amadeo's gaze. "Lo ammazzo, cazzo." (I'll fucking kill him.)

This is not how I wanted this dinner to go. At all.

"Hold the fuck on." Rivo's head suddenly shot up, his blazing eyes settling on my face. "Is it fucking Kingsley?"

"Yes, genius." Santo hissed, looking towards his twin. "Yes."

I put the back of my palm on my forehead, trying to block the threats my two oldest brothers are spitting in Italian.

How the hell am I getting out of this?

"I told you to stay away from him!" Rivo exclaimed, looking horrified and furious at the same time.

"Yeah, well," I threw my hands up, admitting defeat. "It was a bit too late."

"He's dead." Rivo looked at me in the eyes, following the others' lead. "He's fucking dead."

"Nobody's dead." I narrowed my eyes, mocking him. "You wouldn't-"

I stopped mid sentence, images of the fight he took part in flashing through my mind. The guy who fought him still walks around with a black eye and a crooked nose.

Fuck.

"You wouldn't." I blinked, swallowing the lump in my throat. "Right?"

"Oh, I fucking would-"

"Wait." Riccardo spoke for the first time, making mine and Rivo's heads snap towards him. He was the only one still sitting at the table, eating like nothing's going on.

Why is he not freaking out like the rest of them?

"What about the other guy from the bar?" he furrowed his eyebrows, tilting his head up to look at me.

I clenched my fists, looking at his amused expression. He fucking loves stirring the pot.

"Other guy?" Alessandro seethed at the same time Amadeo spoke. "The bar?"

"Same guy." I waved my hand in dismissal, trying to get my mind to work. "And we are not in a relationship!"

"Damn right you're not." Amadeo said, his eyes not leaving mine. I furrowed my eyebrows as he walked past me, coming to stand in front of Rivo.

"Excuse me?" I raised my eyebrows, disbelief clear in my voice. "What do you mean, 'damn right you're not'?"

"Exactly what you think it means." Alessandro answered for him, his eyes narrowed. "You're not-"

"Show me your punch." I widened my eyes and snapped my head towards Amadeo, now holding Rivo's fist between his own hands.

Oh, hell no.

"This is bullshit!" I called, anger starting to take over. "He's not going to fight him, Amadeo!"

I walked fast towards them, ripping Rivo's hand away from Amadeo's. They both looked at me, clenched jaws.

"I told you, he's-"

"No, I told you." I cut Rivo off sharply, my heart beating loudly in my ears as I turned my glare to Santo. "We're not in a stupid relationship!"

"Good, because-"

"But we'll be in one if I'll decide to!" I pointed at Amadeo angrily. The hell is this, telling me I can't be with someone. Is this the middle age or what?

"Really?" Alessandro walked towards me, looking like I told him a funny joke.

"Yes, really." I replied, crossing my arms over my chest. "I can be with whoever I choose, alright? It's not like I haven't before!"

I've had a whole other life before coming here, and yes, I've had a boyfriend, even if he's an asshole, and everything that comes with it.

Riccardo blew some air out, chuckling while clicking his tongue. "Now that was a bad move, smartass."

"Shut it." Alessandro pointed at him, sending him a glare. I groaned loudly and threw my head back, trying to suppress a scream.

"I'm not eight, I'll do what I want." I muttered, shouldering Alessandro on my way over to Riccardo. I snatched the fork out of his hand and slammed it onto the table.

"What's your problem?"

"Well, dear sister," he leaned back in his chair with a smile, tilting his head. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm the only one here on your side."

"Exactly." I whispered, narrowing my eyes. "Why?"

Riccardo, the most unstable person in this household is being the most rational one. What game is he playing?

"No, I'd like to know that as well." Alessandro commented, coming to stand on the Riccardo's other side. "What is your problem, hmm?"

"I don't have one." he answered, raising his hands up in mock surrender. "Shit, I'm serious. Got laid for the first time at a gas station when I was fifteen, remember? Can't get worse than that."

"It was a hooker." Amadeo looked at me and crossed his arms over his chest, raising one eyebrow. "And she stole his wallet."

"Fine, so it can get worse than that." Riccardo scoffed. He turned his head back to me, and his frown only deepened. "Oh, so now you're suddenly a saint? Fix your face."

I tried to get rid of the disgusting picture in my mind, and judging by the sudden silence, everyone else tried too.

"It doesn't matter." Amadeo shook his head. "She's-"

"Oh, come on! You're only young once!" Riccardo exclaimed as he left his seat. "You need to do drugs, get drunk and yes, maybe accidentally have sex with a hooker. Or, well, in Olive's case- what exactly are the two of you doing?"

"Do not answer that." Alessandro said sharply, and I closed my mouth in a second. "You are unbelievable, Riccardo. She's your little sister. How can you support this?"

"Cut her some slack." he waved his hands in dismissal and put them on my shoulders, standing behind me. "She's wild, you can't expect her to wait until marriage."

"Well, actually I've-" I started, but squirmed as soon as Riccardo squeezed my shoulders painfully. "Ow!"

"Shut up." he whispered, returning his gaze towards the furious Alessandro. "And besides, I'm sure she's more than capable of kicking the guy's nuts if he tries something funny. Isn't she, Rivo?"

I tried not to smile as Rivo rolled his eyes.

"I'm not happy with this." Alessandro said after a few moments, his fingers running through his usually tamed hair. "At all."

"That makes two of us." Amadeo nodded. The look he gave me was to intense that I had to look away.

Santo, the son of a bitch, was sitting quietly at the table. I'm going to enjoy making his life a living hell.

"It's a part of growing up." Riccardo continued, using his hands on my shoulder to push me towards the hallway.

I stumbled, but quickly regained my balance.

"I'll take her to her room, let her think about what she's done." he sent them a smile, and before Alessandro could reply, he dragged me out of the dining room.

"That was awesome!" I exclaimed excitedly as we climbed up the stairs, giving him a huge smile. "You absolutely rock, Ricci!"

Instead of returning my smile, Riccardo quickly pushed me inside my room.

"Wha-"

"Are you fucking crazy?" he hissed, closing the door behind us. My smile dropped, and I just stared at him, confused.

"Messing around with a merda from your school." (shit) he shook his head, eyes narrowed as he paces around my room. "Fuck no."

"What?" I almost shouted, furrowing my eyebrows. What kind of betrayal is this? "But you just said-"

"I said what was needed to be said to get you out of there." he leaned down, looking at me straight in the eyes. "Now, you and I are going to have a little chat."

I groaned and put my hand on his forehead, pushing him away from me. "Please don't."

The last thing I need right now is Riccardo giving me the talk. No way in hell.

He rolled his eyes and pushed me down to sit on my bed, crouching down in front of me with a sarcastic smile. "Welcome to the Giordano's, a place where one's business is everybody's business."

"Really? Haven't noticed." I smiled tightly and followed him with my eyes as he got up, now looking at me with an serious expression.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me." I muttered, massaging my temples. "I really thought you're on my side here, Riccardo."

"You are a baby, Olive." Riccardo emphasized, making me roll my eyes. "You're my baby sister, and I'd rather let a polar bear eat me before knowing you're with some guy who's not good enough for you. Because newsflash,"

He narrowed his eyes, crouching down againl to my level. "They never are."

I groaned and fell back onto the bed. "You sound just like Alessandro."

Riccardo jogged to the side of my bed, looking down at me with an unknown expression. "Don't ever say that." he said, pointing at me.

I rolled over, not wanting to see his face. I stayed quiet for a few seconds. "But why being annoying now?" I rolled back. "You were alright after you found out I made out with a guy in the bar."

Riccardo huffed, coming to sit down on the bed. "Trust me, I wanted to go back and find him." He put his legs on the bed, turning around to look at me. "But you were so wasted, and I am not Alessandro. I don't fight with drunk people."

"Ugh." I grumbled, pulling the the blanket over me. Maybe I'll get drunk again to forget this day. Well, it's late half. The first one with Carter was pretty fun.

"Hey." Riccardo slightly pulled down the blanket, making me look at him. "They won't stop you, you know? They'll want to kill him, but they'll let you do whatever you want."

"And you?" I asked after a few moments, kicking the blanket off me completely. Riccardo smirked. "I'll offer you a deal."

I eyes him cautiously. "What?"

"I won't do anything, but in one condition." he said seriously, and I nodded for him to continue.

"If he, or anyone else, does anything that makes you feel bad, you come to me first."

I stayed silent for a while, just looking at him. I'm not used to coming to people when I have a problem, no. I'm used to dealing with it by myself.

But come on, we're talking about Riccardo. If I'll tell him someone is bugging me, the worse he'll do is tell them some really unfunny jokes that'll make them leave all by themselves.

Ugh, whatever.

"Alright. Deal." I finally said, shaking his hand. He nodded, his smirk widening.

I furrowed my eyebrows, slowly removing my hand from his. Did I just make a huge mistake?

We both lied in my bed silently, looking up to the ceiling. A shout from outside my room made me close my eyes, and the rest that followed it made me groan.

"D'you really think Rivo's going to fight him tomorrow?" I asked quietly, turning my head towards Riccardo.

He chuckled, shaking his head. "Let's hope your prince charming can fight back."

I moved my eyes back to the ceiling, a smile slowly growing on my face. Oh, I've seen him without a shirt. He can fight back just fine.

Chapter 41!!!

It's tests season unfortunately, but I'm trying my best to still write long chapters for you :)

Love all of you sm! Don't forget to vote and comment!!

See ya next chapter:)