VOTE & COMMENT

ACT 1

FRIENDS OR FOOLING?

"yeah I don't have a quote,"

The moment Talia had reached the large double doors, dried tears of her pain were now the last trace of her troubled relationship with Mikhail.

Talia knew that if she had even hinted anything that would damage her image with Mikhail from anything but being a harmonious couple, rumours would spread like wildfire that would somehow find their way all the way to her parents. That was just the last from what she needed with her relatives criticizing her every move of anything short of perfection whether it was playing a single note wrong, a mark from having the perfect score or if she showed the slightest appearance of tardiness and be the new headline of her family's gossip. Adding on she was toppled with Mikhail's needs, the wedding to not her likes but to both families, a nagging mother, and now investigating whether is Gianna's secret longtime partner was up to her boyfriend's standards. 

Wiping off the last of her tears and blinking, she practised a smile as she put on her glasses and let herself in. As she walked down the halls of the building she was greeted as she smiled at them.

Keep your act together, almost to the room.

As she walked to the East wing,  at the end of the hall was her's.

"Lorenzo!" she halted by the giggle coming from Gianna's room.

What? Talia leaned to the door as she listened to the conversation, she cautiously turned the golden knob as she opened it slightly to her emerald orbs to get a peek. The ebony-haired female observed her friend lying on her stomach as she talk to someone on the phone in Italian.

"Aww I love you too," she heard her cooed.

That must be him. as she listened, have to get that phone as he pulled out hers.

Talia knocked on the door as Gianna jerked, the female hearing her say goodbye. 

"Come in," she called out, switching to English as Talia went in. 

"Hey, Tala. Someone had been missing this entire weekend," she smiled as Talia had walked into Gianna's room that had captured and was inspired by one of her friend's favourite movies the Great Gatsby's Tom's lounge suite, complimenting her friend's personality with its glitz and glamour with a beautifully designed crystal chandelier that had replicated the suite lounge, Gianna's cream suede silk sheets and the bed was inspired by the furniture, the alabaster linen curtains from Tom and Daisy's suite were now hung around her four-posted bed, and if you still hadn't recognised the painfully great resemblance from the movie then the sunset pink plush lounge furniture, the same carpet, and the recreated design of the exotic woods, porcelain white orchids, geometric and smooth patterns would have got you there. 

"Mikhail called me in to attend a meeting," she lied her personality switching like a switch.

"Uh-huh," Gianna grinned slyly.

"Well then, we went ice-skating at his house and we... kinda got carried away," she facaded a blush as Gianna laughed, duping her, "You know we can't deny his puppy eyes, the bastard is bloody adorable and charming," she sighed as she sat next to her, from the corner of her eye her friend's phone, resting behind her. 

"So who were you talking to earlier? Did I interrupt something?" she asked in her usual mellifluous tone keeping her eyes in contact with Gianna as she put her phone next to hers.

"Oh, no! I was uh-, talking to some friend... what's his-, her's name!" she tapped her chin as Talia deadpanned in her head.

What a terrible liar. 

"Sienna! That's her name, god. She was that sister of a guy I hooked up with when I was in Florence for the mass processions," she said as Talia rolled her eyes.

"So much for renewing your sins," she laughed as she sighed tiredly, "Hey, I'm bored can I paint one of your bags. I'll probably give it to you on Tuesday,"

"Really! Yeah sure, I have a boring Hermes bag that looks sooo plain," she got up and went to her closet, as Talia waited for her she quickly snatched Gianna's apple phone in her pocket as half a minute later Gianna returned with the designer bag.

"Here you go," she was handed the beige coloured bag. 

"Thank you," Talia got up as she inspected her soon-to-be canvas, "What do you want me to paint?"

"Eh, you know my style, a girl then maybe a brown chiffon neckline would look nice," she suggested as Talia nodded.

"Well, I'll be off then," Talia walked her way out. The moment she closed the door she ran to her at the end of the hallway using the time she had to her advantage. Sitting at her desk she put an adapter to her rose gold Mac drenched in stickers she had printed to her friend's phone.

"Alrighty let's see who you are," as she Talia logged into her phone easily -the password was just 'Florence'- and scrolled through her recent call, "Lorenzo," she read.

Splitting her screen she first clicked onto TakeIt searching up profiles of Lorenzo Corsellini, moving her mouse to the other screen her jade orbs moved along with her lit screen as she hacked into the call. 

"Let's see that pretty face of yours," she mumbled as she was now had vision into the other person's phone, "So bloody easy... come on pick up your phone," she tapped her fingers.

As the black screen, unblurred Talia's eyes looked at the person in front of her that flummoxed her greatly. He wasn't the beautiful tanned males that her friend had scored or did, rather having a palish complexion, with brown tousled hair dishevelled making Talia's face scrunch. 

"What app are you on?" she looked to the corner to see he was on Netflix, "Okiee, now let's scan your pretty face," she tapped her keys as she logged onto her father's program as it searched for his face, popping up onto the adjacent screen.

"Lorenzo Corsellini. Age 19. Virgo. Enrolled in University in Milan for photography," she read as scrolled down, "Family, family, family- mother, father, younger sister," as she twirled around in her chair.

"Come on give me something good," she pressed on his father's profile as she scrolled down. 

What family, what family do you come from? 

Talia's eye brightened as she was glued to the text Owns a restaurant

La Corsellini's she searched as she scrolled through countless pages as she finally found it. Clicking on the website she read the Italian texts of the small restaurant that was located in a small village on the outskirts of Milan. 

"Family restaurant," she mused as she took a screenshot. "Alrighty, where am I gonna find you?" as Talia pinpointed his locations throughout the past week.

"Bingo," she smiled as she screenshotted the cafe as she then heard humming from the phone as Talia watched the male take his phone to the bathroom as she blushed.

"Ew, ew, ew. No. no. no," she turned off her screen immediately right after she heard a flushing noise as her eyes were still paralysed. Then turning off her computer as took Gianna's phone in hand and headed to the door.

"Tala," she diverted her head forward to see the brunette walking to her.

"I accidentally took your phone," Talia chuckled waving the device in the air.

"Lol, here," they switched the phones as Talia bid the female good night. 

"Why on earth does she like that guy?" she shook her head.

---

Talia languidly sprawled under the midnight duvet, the female's call had been accepted as she heard the male on the other end.

"It's done," she simply stated, "I'm sending you the details," she scrolled through her photos as she messaged the photos.

"Thank you, милая," he said in a loving tone as Talia only kept her monotonous expression as she gave a soft hesitant smile.

"Goodnight, dear," she. turned her lampshade off.

"Goodnight, милая. I love you милая... I mean it," the genuine tone clutching her heart as she ended the call. 

---

Talia's snoring escaped her lips, as well as a drop of salvia dropping down and damping the white metallic sheet of her pillowcase. Her hair a mess, her arms flanked out in odd positions, and an air pod still in her ear. 

"Talia Adelaide Kallista Padilla-Hu!" the matron busted in like a bull in a China store, as Talia groaned pulling the sheets above her head, the tiny woman flicking on the lights resulting in the student groaning irritant. 

"Ms Sprite," she yawned still not opening her eyes, "Please leave a message after the beep," Talia then snored as the matron frowned. 

"get yer saggy body off the bed now!" she viciously pulled the covers off.

"Evil woman," she muttered kept her eyes shut tight.

The matron huffing suddenly thought of an idea. Grabbing her phone, she frantically raised the volume to the loudest it could go as the start of the Circle of Life from the Lion King started blasting its way in the room as Talia groaned.

"Alright, alright! I'm up!" she yelled as the music paused, rubbing her eyes as they adjusted to the light.

"Come on! Yer' late for breakfast," she waltzed at.

---

"Well look what the cat dragged in," Mila smirked as Talia sauntered her way over in her dark red uniform, her hair in a chignon with elegant braids halting in the middle by a pin, her black leather shoes clicking against the wooden floors as she entered the grand hall, with its atrium roof a new development from the old castle that once stood long before the building was a school.

The grand hall was originally a courtyard from its golden days, reborn with the brilliantly designed glass skylight stretching out from wall to wall, the floors built on top of the uneven cobblestone.

As the attendants bowed at adjacent ends of the doors, Talia giving them a smile walking further into the centre as the room's noise dropped graced by her presence as the loud students stood mutely, sophomores a rhythm too late. Talia looking around, familiarised by the dominant smell of English breakfast, the rain lightly knocking on the glass above her, and small armies of terracotta soldiers at their tables standing as the ebony-headed girl nodded as they sat back down.

Sighing she streamed her way to the table where her friends were found, Mila's short hair sitting curled at her dark scarlet blazer, one hand feeding her slices whilst the other was scrolling through her phone, Hiro's long hair out focused and his nose engrossed in the Japanese novel he was currently reading and lastly Gianna glaring at the two of them as she tediously ate her second last fluffy pancake.

"ah finally, another active being," Gianna aimed her look at the two figures as they looked up.

"do we have to stand every morning?" Mila complained.

"You realise we've been doing it since sophomore year," Hiro sarcastically remarked as Mila gave a bored expression.

"future Mrs Kadaskiynov," Gianna joked as the other two glowered at her.

"We know," they chided in in unison.

"So what's been happening?" Talia asked as she sliced her crepes.

"What's happening is that why are you having crepes instead of pancakes?" Gianna looked at her dish.

"Coach wants me to drop my weight to forty-five,"

"Forty-five?!" Mila rebuked, "Is she trying to make you look like a twig?!"

"Yeah, and no lunch for me," she mimicked, "It's either a light broth or soup or cucumbers," she sighed.

"We'll pray for you," Gianna patted her friend's back.

"So seriously, what happened before I got here?" Talia asked as Hiro put his novel down, putting a diminutive fold in the corner of his page.

"Well, bloody matron wants me to take down my skirt. It's too short! It's completely new!" Gianna kvetched, "It was less than an inch above my knee, I have to bring it down and get my seamstress. So bothersome," as Talia put a slice in her mouth nodding.

'Everyone, may I please have your attention' the announcement went off as the students' chatter deceased leaving only the small drumming of the rain. 'Schedules have been posted, please check Exlir and where your classes will take place,'

Students without disinclination, the scarlet sea of students tapped their wristbands as they logged onto Exlir, small holographic screens popping up as each pupil scanned their schedule with further notification displayed on the side.

"So what's your schedule?" Mila asked her table.

"Homeroom, STEM with Bishop, Philosophy with Tan, break- yum their serving scones- then Psychology with Sherzberg, Art with the usual woman, lunch, equestrian, then ugh etiquette," Talia read as she turned to Gianna, "You,"

"Homeroom, Child studies, Philosophy, morning tea, Psychology, Music, History, then etiquette with you," Gianna stated, "The Music teacher changed,"

"Mrs Devonshire is on maternity leave remember?" Mila said.

"Wait really?!" Talia exclaimed as she blinked, "Oh my god I thought she was just going through a phase,"

"Are you that oblivious," Hiro sighed at his friend, "Well, thank God I'm not with Lia for homeroom-,"

"Hey!" Talia pouted, "You love my presence,"

"If were not in the same country sure," he rubbed his temples as his friend glared at him, "then I'm stuck with you again for STEM, fencing, psychology, music, history, then linguistics,"

"You chose linguistics again?" Talia said, "That course was so boring last year, it was no fun,"

"I actually enjoyed it," the male chatised, "What about you Mila?" he asked.

"I'm with homeroom with Gianna, child studies, lit, chemistry, music, history, then etiquette," Mila replied, "Lia who are you with for homeroom?"

"I have the genius," Talia pridefully boasted.

"She has Adya with her," Hiro chuckled.

"She's part of our STEM genius trinity," 

"Well, we are, your just kinda there," Hiro snickered as Talia smacked his head.

"I'm-, alright. Just because I can't calculate as fast as you guys, doens't mean I'm dumb," she huffed, "But besides that I'm Bishop's favourite pupil,"

"No your not," they all said in unision.

"Pfff, I am," 

"Adya is, she asks questions in class," Hiro informed, "And Mr Bishop literally said that to us first thing when we were sixteen," he recalled.

"Shhh, hush child. But did Adya dance on a wobbly table and sung Pi to a hundred digits wearing a tutu in sophmore and make Bishop laugh that coffee went up his nose?" she flicked her hair.

"Lia-chi you fell off the table, that's why coffee went up Bishop's nose,"

"I still have the video," Gigi snicked wiping tears in her eyes.

"We were having a lecture next door and all you can hear is Talia singing and people clapping then a crash," Mila sighed.

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