Alexia POV

Pulling into the parking lot of an amusement park sparked a feeling she didn't normally have. Excitement. She'd always wanted to take Leo to a theme park but they'd never had the chance to. Kiara and Thomas would have outright killed her for taking him to a place like that. The arcade in town had been the only place she could take him. And while Leo had enjoyed that, it was no were near this level. As she looked out the front window she saw a car full of people, on top of the closest rollercoaster. She followed it with her eyes as the car finished climbing up the tracks and slowly go around a curve before the car plummeted down. Several people raised their hands up high while some held on tighter. She could hear their screaming from here. A fleeting concern for her broken ribs and bruised body crossed her mind, but if it meant she could have a day like this with Leo, she'd take the pain. They got out of the car and started walking towards the entrance. Alexia knew they had body guards with them, not only because she'd seen them pull out of the mansion behind them but also because they'd been told they couldn't go anywhere without having guards with them. Matteo paid, making sure to get VIP passes which meant they could jump ahead of the line and go straight to whatever ride they wanted. Leo and Marcello were excited and Alexia's heart was overflowing with happiness at seen the bright smile on her brothers face. She didn't think he'd ever smiled like that before. Marcello seemed to have been here before as he was excitedly telling her and Leo about the rides that are the best. He quickly guided them to a huge rollercoaster. As they were getting in line, a car flew by them and started up a steep incline. Alexia followed it and watched as the car did several wavy zigzags in a speed that left the passengers barely hanging on to their seats, before it went down an almost straight fall only for their to be a curve at the bottom preventing them from crashing into the ground. Alexia's stomach turned at the thought of what would happen if that malfunctioned. They only waited in line for about 5 minutes before they got into their car. Marcello sat next to Matteo in the front seats while Alexia and Leo took the back seats. The attendant made sure their safety bars were secure before sending the car off.

The ride was fun but Alexia was glad she had wrapped her ribs up and had learned how to protect them from impact otherwise the jolts would have been unbearable. They went on several other rollercoasters, they did the viking ship where a boat swings from one side to the other going higher and higher. They went on the tea cups where Marcello and Leo spun the cup so much Alexia got dizzy and Matteo laughed at it all. They also did the bumper cars where all the boys decided to go after Alexia before she talked Marcello and Leo into going after Matteo instead. They also did a couple of water rides. Those were Alexia's favorite. Especially the one where they had to sit in a log. Come noon the park had filled up with other guests and it was time for lunch. Marcello was adamant they should eat hot dogs, swearing that it was a stable food in amusement parks. Marcello asked for 2 bacon cheese hotdogs with ketchup and a side of fries. Leo went with one bacon cheese hotdog with a side of fries. Matteo asked for 2 chili cheese hotdogs with jalapeños and raw onions with an order of fries. Alexia was hesitant but under pressure from Matteo and Marcello, Alexia ended up ordering a hotdog with extra sautéed onions and a small order of fries. She didn't think she'd eat it all but the fries looked really good and she didn't think Matteo would have let her order fries only. They got their food, found a table and sat down to eat. "Can we get funnel cake too?" Marcello asked, mouth still full of half the hotdog he had just stuffed in. "Don't talk with food in your mouth." Matteo scolded. "What's funnel cake?" Leo asked making Marcello choke on his food. Leo patted his back while Marcello coughed. "You don't know what funnel cake is?" Marcello asked horrified, when he finally stopped coughing. "No." Leo simply said. "Do you?" Marcello asked turning hopeful eyes towards Alexia. Alexia shook her head no. She had no clue what he was even talking about but she imagined it was a cake shaped like a funnel. Marcello turned his horrified eyes towards Matteo. "Now we have to get funnel cakes!" He almost yelled. Matteo chuckled, clearly finding his youngest cousin's antics amusing. When they were done eating their hotdogs, they went to the funnel cake shop. Matteo ordered 3 and chuckled when Marcello looked at him with horror. "I'll eat whatever Alexia doesn't." Matteo answered his unspoken question. Alexia's lip twitched. The funnel cake did not disappoint. It was the best thing Alexia had ever tasted. Marcello shared that, on his birthday it was what he requested instead of cake. Alexia could get behind that. When they were done eating they did some easier things to let the food settle. They did the ferris wheel, Alexia loved the view from the top. They also found a mirror house which neither Alexia or Leo liked. They did a sky ride that took them around the whole park so they saw it all, they also did a boat ride that had been themed as Jurassic park so there were dinosaurs and and mist coming at them. After that they went back to the wild rides and did that for the remaining of the day. At 6 pm they decided to leave, after all 3 of them had school in the morning. On the way back they stopped at a steak house and had dinner. Alexia's body was hurting and she knew she needed some pain relievers, she debated with herself for a while before finally asking. "I don't suppose you have some pain killers in your car?" Matteo glanced at her. "What's wrong?" "Headache." Alexia shrugged. "And I've used muscles I don't normally use. They are starting to make themselves known now that I'm relaxing." She lied casually. "Cello, grab the first aid kit and take out two Tylenol." Matteo said looking in the rearview mirror. Marcello gave her the pills and she swallowed it with a gulp of water. When they got home all four of them were ready for bed. Alexia bid good night and went up to her room. She considered taking a quick shower but she was just so exhausted she ended up just changing into her pajamas and then go to bed. She'd skip training tomorrow and get into the jacuzzi instead. She plugged her phone and watch in to charge and set her alarm before turning off the lights.

Alexia woke up with a gasp. She'd had another nightmare but at least this one had been one of the mild ones. She got up and went into her bathroom and drew the water as hot as she could stand it and poured in some bath salt that would help relax her body. While she was waiting for it to fill she did her business and brushed her teeth before undressing. She looked in the mirror. Her bruises still looked angry but they were starting to turn dark yellow so that was a good sign. She slid into the water and sighed at the comforting warmth. She sat there for a minute just enjoying the hot water before turning the jets on. When the water turned cold she got into the shower and washed herself off before getting out and drying off. She wrapped up her ribs before putting on the white button-up the school uniform required. She put on white tights to cover up her legs before putting on the, in her opinion, too short dark red and grey plaided skirt. She put on a little mascara and eyeliner before brushing her hair out and leaving it lose. Walking back into her closet she found the dark red blazer and the cross tie she is required to wear, it perfectly matched her skirt in colors and pattern. She looked at the shoes the school required for shoes and frowned. She decided she'd take the mark for not wearing the correct shoes and put her canvas shoes on. She grabbed the backpack the school also required and rolled her eyes. At this point she was surprised they didn't have requirements of what underwear she wore. Walked out she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. She looked like a snobby prep school girl. Quarter til seven Alexia was sitting at the table in the dining room. She'd downloaded a map of the schools layout and was studying it. She didn't have a schedule yet so she didn't know where she'd be going but after she had been to the office she'd know where to go. Marcello and Leo walked in soon after. Each wearing identical uniforms. Where hers were dark red, theirs were dark green and they wore black slacks and a solid dark green tie. Their school didn't require uniformed backpacks so Marcello had a Minecraft backpack while Leo had picked a blue camo backpack. Surprisingly the scrooges came in next. They too were in uniform. Dark red blazer like hers with a white button up and gray dress pants. They wore their school required shoes which just looked like male dress shoes. Their tie marched her skirt and cross tie. The older brothers and cousins trickled in one after another before finally Leonardo and Alessandro came in as well. "Morning." Alessandro said cheerfully. Alexia smiled at him when he looked at her while others mumbled their mornings back. The maids came in with carts full of food and the boys drove in like starved wolves. Alexia took her usual yogurt with fruits, nuts and seeds. "Leo, Alessandro usually takes Marcello to school and whoever is available will pick him up so you will go with them okay?" Their father asked. Leo nodded. "Good. You will be in the same class as him as well so he will show you the ropes." Leo nodded again and smiled at Marcello. "Alexia, you will go with the boys. They usually take turns on who drives but they will let you know." He said looking at Alexia. She groaned inwardly. She didn't want to go with them and she doubted they wanted her with them either. "And I have additional rules for you." He said looking sternly at Alexia. "No boyfriends, no sex of any kind." He said. Alexia watched Leo stiffen out of the corner of his eye before he glanced at her with concern. Alexia ignored it and nodded. She had no plans for boyfriends and she wanted nothing to do with sex. "No fighting." He said sounding cold now. "No arguing or back talking to teachers." He continued. "I won't start anything, but I am also not going to let someone trample all over me." Alexia interrupted him. Her father looked pissed now. "You're a Romano, no one will mess with you." He gritted out. Alexia shrugged. "Then there wont be any issues. Like I said. I don't start shit, but I do finish it." She locked eyes with him. Challenged him. He didn't like it. She could tell. But he didn't say anything about it. "I expect your grades to be at least B's." He continued. "That's not fair." Nico interrupted this time. "We're expected to come home with A's why doesn't she?" He asked with a sneer. "Do you come home with A's?" Stefano, the oldest ginger asked, leveling Nico with a glare. Nico didn't say anything else so Alexia assumed he didn't. "Based off your transcripts I've hired a tutor for you." Her father continued. "She'll be here every day after school so make sure you come straight home." Leo looked at her puzzled. He didn't know how she did at school. Didn't know she slept half the day there and was gone the other half. She'd kept that from him because he'd have insisted he could walk home alone if he knew she left school several hours early so she had enough time to walk to his school and get him. He also didn't know she was always late because she walked from his school to hers in the morning. All he knew was that she was smart and never had a problem helping him with his homework and always knew the answers to questions and if she happened to not know, she'd find out and answer it. "Lexi doesn't need a tutor." He murmured loud enough for everyone to hear making Marco half snort into his coffee, making the coffee come out of his nose while Luca choked on his bacon. All eyes turn to Leo. "What did you say?" Alessandro asked looking at Leo. Leo's cheeks reddened when he realized everyone had stopped what they were doing and looked at him like he'd just solved a long standing mystery. "I said." He started straightening his spine. "She doesn't need a tutor." Leo looked at Alessandro before shifting his gaze to their father. "Lexi is really..." He was interrupted by laughter from the other end of the table. Riccardo started laughing. Dante and Nico quickly followed suit but it sounded forced even to Alexia. She could tell Leo was getting mad so she gently took his hand in hers. "It's okay, Leo. Just forget it." She said. Leo looked at her and she could see the heart break in his eyes over how they treated her. "De fortjener ikke at få det at vide." (Danish translation - "They don't deserve to know.") She saw the resolution on his face before he nodded at her words. Leo looked down on his food and started digging around. She knew he'd lost his appetite. "Eat." She told him. She'd grilled into his head that he needed to eat even if he wasn't hungry, not only because food was fuel for his body but also because with Kiara and Thomas they never knew when food would be possible. Leo looked at her then glanced down at her food before digging into his own again. Yeah, she was a hypocrite in that regard and they both knew it. But as long as he was taken care of that was fine with her. He'd always been and would always be most important. "Do you understand the rules Alexia?" Her father asked ignoring what just went down. Alexia looked at him. "Are these rules... just for me or?" She asked. "They are for everyone." Her father stated. "You and Leo are the only ones that doesn't know." He continued. "They," He pointed down to the scrooges. "Aren't allowed to date or have sex either. It's a rule everyone has had to obey. No sex while in school." He stated. Alexia almost snorted. There was no way in hell her brothers and cousins had waited til after school. She simply didn't believe it. "High school." Matteo whispered to her. That made more sense to her but she still found it hard to believe. "Alright princess." Ricardo sneered. "If you want a ride we leave now."