Enzo

After spending two fun-filled days at the hotel, Papa and I headed back home. We had a blast during our trip, and I managed to take a bunch of photos of us together at the beach. I even learned how to surf! It was tricky at first since I'd never done it before, but once I got the hang of it, it was really exciting.

Throughout the trip, I noticed that Papa seemed even happier than I was. He was thrilled just to be spending quality time with me.

When we got back home, it was already late at night. I found out that Papa (Gerardo) had returned from the hospital earlier and had been looking for me. I wondered why he wanted to see me so badly. A part of me couldn't help but think he wanted to punish me for supposedly giving him a heart attack. But his health issues weren't my fault. He always finds some reason to beat me for things.

I was relieved when I heard he had already gone to bed by the time we got home. I wasn't in the mood for a conversation with him. Papa (Gerardo) feels like a stranger to me. I don't care about him, and we don't have any kind of close bond.

When I got back to school on Monday, my friends were all curious about where I'd been.

"Hey, Enzo! Where the heck were you?" they asked, gathering around me.

I couldn't help but grin as I pulled out my phone. "I went to the beach over the weekend," I said, scrolling through the photos I'd taken to show them.

"No way, that's awesome!" Elijah exclaimed, his eyes lighting up. He was the biggest travel buff in our group, always jetting off to some new and exotic location. But even he seemed impressed by my little getaway.

Diego, on the other hand, looked a bit surprised. "Wait, so your Papa actually let you go somewhere?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

I shrugged. "Yeah."

I didn't mention to my friends that it was actually my brother Pedro who let me go on the trip, not Papa. Pedro has custody of me now, but I felt too embarrassed to admit that to the guys. How could I tell them that my Papa (Gerardo) hated me so much that he gave me to my brother?

"I even tried learning how to surf," I added.

"No way, dude! That's so cool!" Noah said, looking at the photos.

"How'd it go? Did you manage to stand up on the board?" Diego asked, curious to hear about my experience.

I laughed, remembering my clumsy attempts to balance on the surfboard. "Well, let's just say I spent more time wiping out than riding the waves. But it was still a blast."

Diego was scrolling through the photos when he stopped on one that showed the inside of the hotel room where Papa and I had stayed. "Is this the room you were in?" he asked, zooming in to get a better look.

Noah peered over his shoulder and let out a low whistle. "Damn, that's a crazy fancy room. How the heck does your Papa have so much cash, Enzo? Is he into some shady business or something?" he asked jokingly.

The question caught me off guard, and I felt my cheeks flush with embarrassment.

"Shut up, you idiot. Do you seriously think the only way to be a billionaire is by dealing drugs?" Diego snapped, giving Noah a sharp look.

I stayed quiet, unsure how to react. What if Papa (Gerardo) actually did those things?

The truth was, I didn't know all the details about my family's business dealings. I knew the Perez empire was vast and powerful, with holdings in everything from real estate to technology. But there had always been whispers and rumors about the darker side of our success.

After the chat with my friends, I went to find Mia. As soon as I saw her, I could tell she was upset with me.

"Are you cheating on me, Enzo? If you're seeing someone else, just be honest with me," she said, her voice tight with anger and hurt.

I sighed, not wanting to get into an argument first thing in the morning. It was way too early for this kind of drama.

"Mia, come on. You know I would never cheat on you. I just went on holiday over the weekend," I said, trying to keep my tone calm and reassuring.

But she wasn't having it. "Do I? How can I be sure when you just disappear for days without a word? What am I supposed to think?"

"I'm not cheating on you, Mia. Like I said, I was on holiday over the weekend," I repeated firmly, looking her straight in the eye.

She still wasn't letting it go. "Then why couldn't you send me even a single message or call me just once?" she demanded, her voice rising with each word.

I shrugged, feeling my frustration growing. "I didn't have time for that," I said.

Her face crumpled, and I could see the hurt and insecurity written all over her features. "You don't actually like me, do you?" she whispered, barely audible.

Something inside me snapped.

"Of course I like you, Mia! Do you seriously think I'd be with someone I don't have feelings for? Are you really that dense?" I said angrily, my voice harsher than I intended.

"Then why didn't you call me over the weekend? You always do this. Disappear without telling me. Enzo, is it that hard to tell me you're going on vacation?" she said, her voice a mix of hurt and frustration.

I sighed, feeling my patience wearing thin. "I just told you, Mia. Sometimes I'm busy. Why are you so needy?" I shot back.

Her eyes flashed with anger. "Oh, so it's needy for your girlfriend to want to talk to you? Is that it? I can't go a day without hearing from you, but you disappear for two days without a word. How do you do that, Enzo? I was worried for two days, not knowing what happened to you."

I could feel my own temper rising, and I knew I needed to end this conversation.

"You know what, Mia? You're ruining my mood. I don't want to talk about this anymore," I snapped, turning on my heel and walking away.

Mia

Enzo can be really rude and selfish a lot of the time. I've noticed that he usually only cares about what he wants. Once he gets what he wants, he stops caring about the other person. If he wants me to message or call him, that's what he expects. But if I want the same thing in return, he thinks it's annoying. These little things always make me sad. Even though I've tried to explain this to him, he's not willing to listen. Sending just one message or making a quick call isn't that hard. But he won't do even that simple thing for me because he's too proud.

After Enzo walked away, saying I ruined his mood, I couldn't hold back my tears anymore. I found a quiet spot and just cried by myself. Being with Enzo feels like a pain sometimes. Falling for him seemed like such a dream at first, but now it's turning into frustration. I never thought loving someone could hurt this much.

No wonder my parents didn't want me to start dating until I finished school. Every time Enzo hurts me, it messes with my studies too. I can't focus on my work when I'm feeling so sad and worried all the time. He could make it better with just one phone call, but he never even tries. Why is he like this? Are all boys this way, or is it just him?

Enzo isn't always bad. Sometimes he can be really sweet. But other times, if he feels like I want to spend more time with him or talk to him more often, he turns into a different person. I've never told anyone how much Enzo hurts my feelings sometimes. I've never cried in front of other people either, because I'm too shy to show my emotions to others. I don't know why I'm like that, but there are times when I wish I could share my feelings with a friend. It's just not that easy for me to open up.

I don't want people to think badly of Enzo either. If I tell others about the way he acts sometimes, they might judge him harshly, and that would hurt my feelings even more than what he does. I just can't bring myself to do that to him, no matter how much he upsets me.

Ava

After searching high and low at home, I still couldn't find my project. There was no way I had time to start from scratch and make a new one at this point. I was already swamped with a ton of other homework and stuff I needed to get done.

When I told Franco that my project was nowhere to be found, he said he'd have to give me a zero. I couldn't believe it. He claimed it wouldn't be fair to the other students who turned theirs in on time if he let me submit mine late. I was absolutely stunned. In all my years of school, I'd never gotten a zero on anything—ever. I was so furious I couldn't even think straight. I stormed off to a quiet corner and just broke down, sobbing. But these weren't tears of sadness—no, I was crying out of pure rage and frustration.

A few days later, something really gross happened. Enzo walked up to me with his buddies. I swear, he gets better looking every single day. He's even a bit taller now and looks more manly than before. And of course, he had the top buttons of his shirt undone like always, which looked sexy as hell.

"Oh, hey. Here's your project," he said, handing it to me. There was nobody else around, just the two of us.

"How the hell did you get this?" I asked, totally shocked.

"Doesn't matter. Just don't go spreading rumors again, or more stuff like this could happen," he said, then turned and walked away.

"Enzo... Enzo!" I yelled after him, but he didn't even glance back.

What a jerk.

"Mr. Franco, I think Enzo stole my project," I told him, my voice shaking with frustration.

"What makes you say that, Ava?" he asked, looking concerned.

I explained everything that had happened, from losing my project to Enzo mysteriously handing it back. He listened closely, then called Enzo and his friends into the classroom.

"Lorenzo, did you hide or take Ava's project?" Mr. Franco asked, his tone serious, eyes fixed on Enzo.

"Why would I do something like that?" Enzo replied, his expression the picture of innocence. I couldn't believe it—how could he pull off looking so innocent? It was infuriating.

"So you're telling me you didn't return the project to her just a few minutes ago?" Mr. Franco pressed, his eyebrows furrowing.

"Sir, we found it in the library," Enzo explained, sounding calm and almost too confident. "We went there to find a book, and that's when we saw her project. We thought we'd be nice and give it back to her. But now she's accusing us of stealing it? This is why I hate helping people," he added, shaking his head like he was the victim.

I couldn't believe my ears. What kind of liar was he? How could he twist everything like that and act as if he was doing me a favor?

"They're lying through their teeth! Why are you doing this? He even told me not to spread rumors again," I shouted, my anger reaching a boiling point.

Mr. Franco sighed, turning his attention back to Enzo. "Lorenzo, be honest with me. I know you've done this sort of thing before. You even cleaned out my cupboard," Mr. Franco said, and I felt vindicated for a moment—it should have been obvious that's how Enzo got his hands on my project in the first place.

But Enzo, always quick on his feet, shot back without missing a beat. "You're the one who told me to clean it, dude. Was it a trap? You asked me to clean your cupboard and now you're accusing me of stealing her project? What the hell, man? Do you have a crush on her or something? Or are you guys dating?"

I saw Mr. Franco's face tighten with fury, his hand clenched into a fist. If no one else was in the room, I wouldn't have been surprised if he had punched Enzo right then and there.

"Watch your mouth, young man," Mr. Franco warned, pointing a finger at Enzo with deadly seriousness. But Enzo wasn't backing down.

"Oh yeah? Or what?" Enzo challenged, his own anger flaring.

"I'll have no choice but to deduct points from your project grade if you're not being honest," Mr. Franco threatened, his patience wearing thin.

"Then I'll tell everyone you hid Ava's project because you have a crush on her," Enzo responded in a low, threatening voice.

"Lorenzo, why the hell are you like this?" Franco asked, a mix of anger and disbelief in his voice.

"Maybe because you two are trying to accuse me of something I didn't do," Enzo shot back, almost sounding righteous. I couldn't believe it. He was so good at this—acting like the victim, twisting every word to make it sound like he was telling the truth. And the worst part? I started to remember the times I did similar things at my last school to some students... but no, this was different. This wasn't fair.

"That's not true! I was the first one to hand it in, and you told me that you took it because I spread a rumor," I screamed, barely able to contain my frustration anymore.

"Enough with the yelling, Ava," Mr. Franco interrupted sharply. "I'll accept your project, but you won't receive full credit. That's the best I can do given the circumstances."

"But he just admitted that you had him clean out your cupboard. Isn't it obvious that's when he stole my project?" I said, exasperated. It felt like I was the only one seeing what was right in front of us.

Franco sighed again, clearly frustrated with the entire situation. But it was clear I wasn't going to get the justice I wanted, not when Enzo was playing his cards so perfectly.

"Without concrete evidence, there's not much I can do," Mr. Franco replied, sounding like a complete idiot. It was obvious he got scared by Enzo's threats. What a loser.

"Why the hell would I even want your stupid project, Ava? You think I care about your grades? Oh, wait—are you trying to get my attention by doing these pathetic things? Do you have a crush on me? Ew," Enzo sneered. Before Mr. Franco could even dismiss them, Enzo and his cronies turned and strutted out like they owned the place.

"I see what's going on here, Mr. Franco," I snapped, my voice shaking with anger. "Enzo's rich, so you're too afraid to stand up to him. You know this is all your fault, but because he's got money, you just let him get away with it!" Tears burned my eyes as I stormed out, my voice cracking as I threw one last accusation at him.

"What an attention seeker," I heard Enzo mock as I left, his friends' laughter echoing down the hallway. I couldn't believe how awful they all were.

"Lorenzo!" Mr. Franco called after him, trying to regain control.

"I can't. I'm done," Enzo said, brushing him off without even a backward glance.

"Lorenzo, get back here right now!" Mr. Franco shouted, his anger finally boiling over.

"Bye," Enzo replied casually, not even bothering to stop as he walked away.

"Son of a bitch," I heard Mr. Franco mutter under his breath.

Enzo

It was hard not to engage with Mia because, honestly, I was kind of addicted to her, even when she was being irrational. So, I went to hang out with my friends at our secret hideaway, where we smoked cigarettes and had a bit to drink to calm down. We were just messing around, having a good time. It was during Miss Sam's English class period, but that class was pointless—everyone already spoke English fluently. I've been speaking English since I was a kid, and my grades in it are always high without me even trying. Diego's English is just as good too. That's why we decided to ditch before Miss Sam showed up to teach another useless lesson.

"You four, get over here," Miss Sam's voice rang out suddenly. Luckily, we'd already finished our cigarettes and drinks, though we were all feeling a bit tipsy. Standing next to her was Ava—that snitch.

"Why should we?" Noah shot back, a smirk on his face. Miss Sam looked uneasy. She's only three years older than us. She thinks she can boss us around, but how dumb is that? She practically looks like she could be a student here herself. None of us were intimidated by her.

"Because I'm telling you to come here," she repeated, trying to sound tough.

"That's not exactly the best way to ask four guys to 'c*m,' Miss," Elijah taunted, and we all burst out laughing. She shifted uncomfortably before stomping off.

"I bet she's going to get Mr. Franco," I said, feeling the alcohol making me a little sleepy. "Noah, you brought some strong stuff this time," I told him, my head starting to swim.

"Yeah, didn't realize it was this strong," Noah agreed, sniffing at his flask.

"We should probably bail before that Franco guy shows up," Diego suggested, glancing around.

As we tried to slip away quietly, we spotted Mr. Franco marching in our direction.

"Run!" I hissed, and we took off, stumbling a bit drunkenly.

"Stop right there!" Franco yelled after us.

Of course, we ignored him and kept running, zigzagging across the school grounds. Did that idiot really think he could catch all four of us by himself? Apparently not. He'd gotten two other male teachers to help him.

"Oh shit, he was prepared this time," Diego muttered as we ran.

We bolted across the school, but I could tell Franco was mainly chasing me. It was clear he had a personal grudge after what I said earlier.

"Stop, you four!" one of the teachers shouted after us.

We ran until we were exhausted, but those teachers wouldn't give up. It felt like they had been training for months just to catch us. Eventually, they did.

We were all drenched in sweat and out of breath. Normally, I could tolerate my own smell, but with everyone else's body odor mixed in, it made me feel dizzy and sick. I pulled out my emergency cologne from my coat pocket and started spraying it everywhere to cover up the stench.

"Give me that," Franco demanded, snatching the cologne bottle from my hand. He looked like he was about to throw it away, but then he paused, staring at the bottle closely. Strangely, his cheeks turned red as he examined it like it was something precious. There was this awkward silence before he snapped out of it and, instead of tossing it, slipped the cologne into his pocket.

What the hell was that about?