Everlance Academy

Chapter 37

A month later

"The tables for the drinks are over there. Just put the cups next to the others. No, not there! Are you colorblind or something? The blue cups belong with the blue cups, obviously! Hey, what are you- Urgh, do I have to do everything myself?", Olivia's brown skin has turned almost red as she sprints after the student who dared to put the blue cups over the red ones.

"Maybe someone should stop her? Before she, I don't know, rips the poor kid's head off?", I suggest, but Addie only laughs.

"Let her be. This is just stressing her out. It's the first school festival she's planned since she was elected school representative, she just wants it to be perfect."

"She did a pretty good job at it," Nora notes. She's right, of course. Like everything Olivia touches, the school festival is going to be amazing.

The tables look like they might burst under the crushing weight of all the delicious food on top of them; fairy lights and balloons are hung up everywhere; and even the weather is playing its part.

It's pleasantly warm for a winter day, although it snowed last night, so the whole school property looks like a winter wonderland.

Soon enough, the parents will arrive, and the festival will officially begin. My hands begin to tingle at the thought of my mother showing up here within the next hour. At least this time, she won't ditch me like on Parents Day.

I hope.

Because after the school festival is over, the term ends and the winter holidays begin. My suitcase is already packed, and Mom is going to take me straight to the airport with her. We're going to spend Christmas in Paris with Samuel and the Cas family. My family.

My father and Chrystal are still on honeymoon (yes, they've been gone for six weeks, no, I do not want to know why), and although they did send me a card, I doubt that they will show up. I wouldn't want them to, anyway. Not my father, at least.

I'm being jolted out of my thoughts when arms wrap around me from behind, and I can feel a warm chest pressing against my back.
"You look like you're plotting something," Nikolai whispers into my ear, kissing my temple afterwards.

"I'm not plotting. Just thinking."

"Yeah? About what?"

I turn around to him and wrap my arms around him as well, so now my face is pressed against his winter jacket. "Just life. The holidays. My family. Your birthday is tomorrow."

Nikolai is not just going home for the holidays. He will fly to the states, where his father lives, and spend his days in a courtroom. His father had challenged his sister's will, but Nikolai's lawyer is confident that Nikolai will get his money anyway. There's only so much his father can do when Nikolai's aunt specifically names him in her testament.

"It's sad that I won't get to spend it with you, though. The next time I see you is in three weeks. What am I supposed to do for three weeks?", Nikolai sounds genuinely upset.

I hide my smile in his chest so he won't notice it. Part of his birthday present, next to a shirt from a band he likes and an annotated version of a book I know he wants to read, is a skiing trip to Belgium with all of our friends. We didn't want him to have to spend the holidays all alone, and so for the last week, we're all going to be in a five-star hotel, living like the rich.

It turns out Noah's aunt from Belgium, whom he so desperately wants to tell us about, owns a spa and grants us all a week of luxury.

Very nice woman and a very nice gesture, considering that we can't all be in the mafia.