"Please. I am begging, do you hear me? I am kneeling and I am begging, okay? What more do you want?"

Nicolai, true to his words, was kneeling in front of Isabella, who was currently sitting on the couch with a notebook in her hand. It's her journal because Dmitri told her that she needed to write her feelings and what she did throughout the day.

"It's therapeutic." He had said when he gave her a big notebook.

Her brothers were behind her, trying not to eavesdrop but they're obviously eavesdropping. Rafael looks at Nicolai in pity while Dmitri was too busy leaning towards Isabella to look at her written words, trying to decipher what Isabella was writing in her notebook.

"Bella, you shouldn't--"

Before Anthony could finish his sentence, Isabella spoke up. "You do know that I don't like going to school, right?"

"You don't go to school." Nicolai couldn't help but sound sour. He couldn't help but be rude to his best friend. He's very annoyed and he couldn't help but be brutally honest with her because he wants to win a conversation for once. Isabella always wins an argument because she's so good and stubborn and determined that he couldn't help but waver under her scrutiny. "So, I don't know why you're so against this when you haven't been around kids your age."

Isabella narrowed her eyes at him. That would have scared anyone if they saw it but Nicolai wasn't. This was his best friend. He never liked fighting with the girl but she's sometimes stubborn and insensitive that he couldn't help but get annoyed.

Don't get him wrong. They rarely fight and Isabella isn't always like this and he loves her to bits. He'll do anything for his best friend and she'll do the same.

The reason why Isabella's so spiteful was because Nicolai had this thing in school where it was 'Bring Your Best Friend to School Day' and of course, his thoughts immediately went towards Isabella. Isabella's his only best friend. Nobody can take her position. But, he's classmates were probably waiting for him to ask them to be his best friend to take to school.

Isabella and Nicolai stared at each other for a moment before Isabella grumbled, looking away.

Dmitri, finally finished with reading Isabella's notes, piped in. "Miss Gem just doesn't want you to get hurt, kid."

Isabella looks at Dmitri in betrayal but she didn't deny anything. She was just avoiding the boy's gaze.

"Why would I get hurt?" Nicolai was looking between Dmitri and his friend in confusion.

"Because you're famous, Nicolai. That much is obvious with how often you come here with some bruises here and there because some of your boys in your class are 'jealous.'" Rafael said in a matter-of-fact tone. "If you were to bring Isabella, they'd probably get jealous again because you didn't ask them to be your... I don't know, uhm... Friends? Best friends? They'd probably get jealous because you brought Bella, an outcast, someone who doesn't even go to your school, as your best friend."

"But she is my best friend!" Nicolai stood up abruptly. He was getting upset. He wants to take Isabella to school and he wants everyone to know that she's his best friend. His only best friend.

"Kids are fuckin' idiots." Lucius butted in. He looked at everyone and shrugged. "What? It's true, isn't it?"

Anthony glared at his brother. "Don't say that, Luce."

"I'm serious, Tony! They fight over this shit? That someone didn't pick 'em as their best friend? Are you fucking kidding me? And then when they didn't get picked by the person that they thought were going to pick them, they beat their asses out of spite." He laughed, like the idea was funny. "And who even thought of that event? What if you don't have a best friend to take?"

"If you were a kid, you're probably the only one who doesn't have a best friend to take to school." Elois commented with a snicker. "Because you're a shrimp."

Lucius was going to suffocate someone tonight with a pillow.

"Okay, enough, guys." Isabella sighed, closing her notebook. She looks at Nicolai with a desperate look on her face. "If I go, you make sure that nobody beats you because of it, okay?"

"Is that a yes?"

Isabella rolled her eyes. "Promise me that you won't get into any fights and I mean the punching and kicking kind of fight unless they initiated it first, okay? You don't get to start a fight but you get to finish one."

"Fighting is absolutely normal in school." Dmitri said, shrugging. "Why, I fought all the time when I was in highschool." He mused like an old man.

Rafael winced at the thought. "Teachers must have loved you, huh?"

"Oh, I'm their favorite, no doubt about that. I was absolutely adored and loved because I was a good student." Dmitri beamed at him, causing Rafael to snort before rolling his eyes.

"Well, I agree with Dmitri on this one." Lucius agreed with the doctor with an evil grin on his face. "I miss highschool."

Elois cringed. "I don't miss anything about it at all. Especially when I see you beating someone to de--"

"Okay, no more violent words in front of Isabella." Anthony said sternly, causing everyone to listen to his words.

"So, Tony and Eli were the non-violent ones and the rest, even Nico, are killers when they were in school." It wasn't a question.

Everyone agreed with her statement without any doubt.

Isabella sighed before looking back at Nicolai's hopeful gaze. She glared at him. "You better promise me."

"If I promise, will you come?" Nicolai sounded excited and happy.

Isabella couldn't help but nod. "Yes, I will come for goodness sake."

Nicolai jumped towards her and hugged her tightly. "Mmm, I love you so, so much, Izzy! You are the best."

Isabella couldn't help but roll her eyes again but she hugged him back just as tightly as his. "I'm doing this because you're my best friend."

Nicolai nodded happily.

Lucius commented after a moment of silence. "Ew, romance."

**

After a week later, it was time to go to the boy's school. Dmitri, as usual, would guard Isabella and Rafael opted to come with them for safety measures. Her brothers, however, were very unlucky. They couldn't come due to work.

They boarded in the car with Dmitri as the driver and Rafael sat with the kids.

Isabella held Nicolai's hand as her friend's head laid on her shoulder. She was nervous and she couldn't help but think of the worst.

"I could hear you thinking, you know?" Nicolai piped in lazily. He brushed his thumb over her knuckles, a gesture that he'd always do whenever she's nervous or scared. Isabella calmed a little bit at his sweet gesture.

"Sorry..." She answered sheepishly, laying her chin on top of his head. She whispered to him, low enough for Rafael to be unable to hear it. "I'm nervous, Nico."

"You think?" He said in amusement before snuggling closer to her. "You know that you're just...going to stay beside me the whole day, right? It's like show and tell. You won't even have to talk if you don't want to."

He feels bad for forcing Isabella to do something that she's not comfortable with but he's desperate. Nicolai would want someone he knows best to come to school as his best friend. Plus, it would feel wrong to not bring Isabella with him when it's literally 'bring your best friend to school' day.

"I know..." Isabella's soft answer made him melt. "I just don't know the point of this, that's all."

"It's supposed to be be like getting to know the friend who shaped you into the person you became today." Nicolai said but he sounded unsure, heart flipping nervously at the thought. He knows how Isabella shaped him to who he became today. They're always together after all. They know each other like the back of their hands.

Their relationship was only theirs to have. Like holding hands, hugging or laying their shoulders on each other's were theirs only to have. And it's about showing affection, sure, but it's also about comfort. Their lives aren't normal, they noticed that once they grew up a little and noticed the little things like the guns that their parents hid, the blooded knuckles on some of their guards' hands. They need the comfort. They aren't used to that violence, that danger, and whenever they see one, they just need someone normal. Someone who understands them and their situation.

And they understand each other's.

Isabella chuckled, snapping him out of his noisy thoughts. "Don't get sappy on me." She said when she saw the look on his face.

He elbowed her, causing Isabella to laugh.

"Hey!" Isabella exclaimed, huffing indignantly. "You should never hurt a lady."

He scoffed. "You're hardly one."

Isabella shoved him playfully. "You," she pointed at him accusingly, "are a rude butt."

He raised an amused brow. "Butt?"

Isabella shrugged helplessly. He laughed, ruffling her hair, making her whine in annoyance.

"I'm sorry I called you a witch." He said after a while. He still had this stupid grin on his face. "And cruel."

She smiled cheekily at him. "I called you a butt. I think we're equal now, huh?"

Nicolai scoffed, rolling his eyes.

Rafael would never admit hearing a single thing. The two were hilariously adorable and he'll never admit that to them.

**

When they arrived in school, Nicolai looked at Isabella worriedly but was surprised to see her all calm.

She noticed his reaction and she quirked her lips in amusement. "What? Do you think I'd just let them see how nervous I am about all of this? Heck, no."

"Well, I was expecting it." Nicolai mumbled in embarrassment before sighing, running his hand through his hair. Maybe he's the nervous one.

"Don't be nervous." Rafael said encouragingly at Nicolai. Nicolai! Not Isabella but Nicolai! "You can do it."

"Why am I nervous?" He looks at Isabella desperately. "Tell me, why am I nervous?"

Isabella shrugged helplessly. "I dunno, dude. You tell me. I'm not the one who's nervous here."

He glared at her. "You're supposed to me my best friend."

"And what? What do you want me to do? Do you think that best friends magically know why their friends are nervous?"

"Uh... Guys?" Rafael said but Nicolai spoke up, ignoring him completely.

Nicolai looks at Isabella, dumbfounded. "You know why I'm nervous."

"Excuse me--" Rafael tried again but he failed.

"Yes! And you know why I'm nervous too so stop being nervous because you're making me more nervous." Isabella hissed in response.

"Bella--" Rafael called out but he was cut off by a slightly shouting boy.

"Stop ordering me what to do! It's making me more nervous!" Nicolai was panicking now.

"It's a lovely morning, everybody!" Dmitri declared, opening the door for them with a bright smile on his face. "It's an absolutely wonderful day to just have fun and relax! I hope everyone's having a good--Why are your faces look like somebody was accidentally killed? Did I accidentally ran someone over and I just magically didn't see or hear it screaming?"

Dmitri looks at the wheels of his car in panic. "I don't see no blood on my tires. I don't see chopped off organs or heads. Was it a ghost that I just hit then?" The doctor looks genuinely confused.

"Dmitri!" Everyone said in unison, causing him to jolt in surprise.

Dmitri huffed, crossing his arms. "What? Well, alright, all jokes aside--"

"If you actually ran someone over, you would probably take that as a joke." Rafael deadpanned, causing Dmitri to beam at him

"All jokes aside, little nervous balls of energy," Dmitri repeated, giving Rafael a pointed look. "This is just school, okay? It's just 'take your best friend to school' kind of thing. It's about showing off who...chained you."

"Dmitri, who hurt you today?" Isabella asks, giving him a look of pity.

Dmitri smiled charmingly. "No one but you three, little gem. You three are giving me a headache with how much you're panicking over such simple things. Out of the car, now."

"Now you're sounding like Anthony and it's scaring me so stop it. I'm begging you." Rafael said, going out of the car first.

Dmitri couldn't help but chuckle. "Well, it is my role to be caring and suffocating today--Like Anthony's mother henning for example."

"Hm." Rafael hummed but said absolutely nothing back.

Dmitri looks back at the kids expectantly. "Well? I would want to know if you two want to skip this event or not. We could all go home and just forget that this ever happened."

"I need to do this 'cause it's a requirement." He sulked, angry at his teachers for making this so hard on him.

Isabella patted his shoulder in sympathy before getting out of the car. She held out her hand for him, the way that he usually does for her. She smiled at him softly. "Hey, it's okay to be nervous. We'll be fine, okay? We'll try to be fine."

Nicolai nodded, getting a little emotional at Isabella's words. "Okay..." He whispered to her.

"Okay." She repeated. "Hand, Nico." She ordered softly, the way that he always ordered her to do whenever he helps her get out of the car.

Nicolai couldn't help but roll his eyes and smile at the familiar word but he nonetheless took her hand in his and jumped out of the car without much effort.

She beamed at him.

"You two are so adorable." Rafael said, unable to keep his mouth shut. Both of them looks at the man in amusement. Rafael just raised both of his hands in mock surrender. "I'm just saying."

"We are adorable." Isabella declared, sounding proud much to Nicolai's embarrassment.

The boy blushed before looking at the ground. "We're not adorable."

"You definitely are when you're a blushing boy like that." Dmitri mused.

That made him blush even more.

Students were looking at them curiously--Well, looking at Nicolai curiously. There's no doubt that Nicolai's a pretty famous boy. Isabella could obviously tell with all judgemental looks given to her. That just made Isabella slightly more challenged.

Isabella held Nicolai's hand, glaring secretly at anyone who would give her the stinky eye. She could never afford being hesitant. This is her best friend she's talking about. Her best friend who's looking at her softly. "You got this. You're fine."

Nicolai looks at her hopefully. "Will we be really?"

Isabella chuckled. "You're Nico. You can do this."

Nicolai smiled at her and he held her hand tightly in his. Her encouragement made him feel brave. If Isabella could be brave for him then he'll be brave for her. "If you say so."

"Oh, she knows so." Dmitri and Rafael said, almost in unison. Isabella laughed at that.

"Well, adults can't be in school. Rules are rules." Dmitri sighed, looking slightly annoyed. He probably doesn't like his job getting hindered by rules that he could easily break. His job is to protect Isabella but if adults can't go in, then he'd have no choice but to protect her from afar.

"We'll be here. There's also guards standing close so you won't be in any danger, okay?" Rafael asks before kneeling down in front of Isabella. He smiled reassuringly. "But...if you're in danger, all you've got to do is call for us and we'll come running, okay? Holler if you need absolutely anything."

"I know, Rafy. I know that you won't let me get hurt." Isabella nodded, giving the man a reassuring grin.

Rafael melted at the familiar nickname. He brushed some strands of her brown her to the side. "Okay, sweetheart."

"I can protect her!" Nicolai huffed, looking annoyed at being brushed aside.

"Ah, ah, ah, young master, you must remember your promise." Dmitri scolded lightly, shaking his index finger out on him.

Nicolai, immediately remembering his promise on Isabella, sulked.

Isabella grinned. "I'm gonna protect Nico!"

"Izzy!" Nicolai said, scolding her for saying it out loud. He blushed again in embarrassment. He doesn't need protecting from his best friend. He wants to protect her, not the other way around.

Dmitri nodded happily. "You can do it." He encouraged. "You're his knight after all."

"Oh, please shut up, old man."

"I am!" Isabella declared jovially.

"Oh, jeez." Nicolai groaned, facepalming. "Great."