Belonging Season

05

Stella and Ambar descended the grand staircase, their school uniforms perfectly pressed and tidy. They spotted their mother and grandfather seated at the breakfast table, sipping coffee and engrossed in the morning newspaper.

"Good morning," Stella greeted, her voice cheerful as she took a seat at the table.

Ambar echoed her sister's greeting and sat down as well.

Sharon looked up from the newspaper to offer a warm smile. "Good morning, my beautiful girls," she said, her voice tinged with affection.

Grandfather Alfredo lowered his newspaper and added, "Good morning, my granddaughters. You both look lovely in your school uniforms."

Stella, glanced around, noticing Rey's absence, "Is Rey going to drive us to school? I was hoping he would."

Sharon shook her head gently. "No, Rey is not our chauffeur after all. Tino will be dropping you off."

Stella's shoulders slumped slightly upon hearing the news. She had grown accustomed to Rey's presence and enjoyed his company, especially during car rides. She attempted to hide her disappointment and merely nodded, "Oh, okay," she said softly.

Sharon, noticing Stella's disappointment, reassured her daughter and placed her hand on hers. "You'll see him after school," she said gently. Though Sharon didn't fully understand the depth of their connection, she recognized that Rey held a special place in Stella's life. Despite not having a close relationship with the mansion's staff herself, she acknowledged the importance of Rey in her daughter's life, at the end of the day he has been more constant in her life than her own father, and Sharon, despite being known for her cruel parenting methods, couldn't take that away from her.

As Ambar and Stella walked through the kitchen, they spotted Luna frantically gathering her things, a look of mild panic on her face. Ambar glanced at Luna and chuckled, "Poor Lunita, always in a rush. Come on, girls, Tino is waiting. We need to get going."

As they arrived at the school, Ambar quickly pulled Stella by the arm, pulling her away from Luna. "Come on, I have to introduce you to my friends," Ambar exclaimed, practically bouncing with excitement.

Meanwhile, Luna scurried away in the opposite direction, eager to find her best friend, Nina.

As they weaved through the crowd of students, Ambar quickly spotted her group of friends standing near the entrance to the school. "There they are!" Ambar said, tugging Stella by the arm and leading her towards the girls.

Ambar led Stella to her group of friends, a smile on her face. "Stella, I'd like you to meet my best friends, Delfi and Jazmin," she said, gesturing to the black haired girl and redhead standing beside her.

As they approached them, Stella observed Delfi's reserved demeanor and Jazmin's outgoing and cheerful personality. She noticed that Jazmin had her iPad in hand.

As if on cue, Jazmin lifted her iPad, pointing it at Stella and declaring, "Oh my gosh, guys, this moment has to go on the blog!" Delfi chuckled while Ambar rolled her eyes, used to her friend's constant need to document everything.

Feeling a bit unsettled by the camera's presence, Stella turned to Jazmin, her voice polite but firm. "I'm so sorry, I would prefer if you didn't film me, if that's okay?"

Ambar chuckled and rolled her eyes at Jazmin, "Stella, this is Delfi and Jazmin. They're my best friends. You guys, this is my sister Stella."

Delfi smiled kindly at Stella, while Jazmin looked up from her iPad and gave a friendly wave.

Ambar continued the conversation, her excitement returning as she steered the topic towards their plans for the day. "So, what's on the agenda for today? We have a ton of things to do," Delfi declared, looking expectantly at her friends.

As Ambar and her friends continued their conversation, they were interrupted by a familiar voice. Matteo and Gaston approached them, grins on their faces. "Apologies, ladies, but we're here to collect our girl," Gaston declared, gently tugging Stella's arm to pull her back towards him and Matteo.

As soon as Jazmin lifted her iPad to film the interaction, Stella instinctively leaned into Matteo's chest, seeking a sense of comfort. Matteo, immediately sensing Stella's unease, shot a stern look at Jazmin. "Jazmin, stop. Stella doesn't like being filmed without her consent," he said firmly, his tone carrying a hint of protection.

Jazmin, realizing her error, lowered her iPad, a slight pout on her face. "I was just trying to capture a cute moment for our blog, how do you know each other again anyway?" she inquired.

"We grew up together, and then Stella left to study in Italy, but now we have her back, and we're not letting her escape again." said Matteo with a smirk.

"That's so sweet," Jazmin smiled warmly, "but what about—" Jazmin continued but was interrupted by Ambar "We should get to class, don't you think?"

"Yes we should get going, come on Stella." Matteo gently tugged at Stellas arm, gesturing for her to come with them.

Ambar rolled her eyes in frustration as Matteo took Stella by the hand. "Stop stealing my sister, you jerk!" she playfully protested, though a hint of possessiveness was underlying her words.

Matteo squeezed Stella's hand gently and said, "Let's go, mia cara." The Italian term of endearment slipped effortlessly from his lips, further solidifying their connection in front of their friends.

As Stella and Matteo walked away, hand in hand, Luna happened to glance in their direction from a nearby corner. She caught sight of Matteo holding onto Stella's hand, a pang of jealousy and confusion flickering across her face.

As Luna shared her concerns with her best friend, Nina listened intently, her own worries mirroring Luna's. "It's not just Matteo," she confessed. "Gastón seems completely entranced by her as well."

Luna expressed her thoughts, "She's Mrs. Sharon's daughter, Ambar's sister, and it seems like they've all been best friends since they were little. Apparently, she moved away and is now back. I guess that explains why Matteo, Gastón, and the other guys are so drawn to her."

Luna continued, her jealousy growing. "I don't know what it is about her, but they were so fixated on her," she sighed. "It's almost as if they've forgotten about us entirely."

Both Luna and Nina, although kind and considerate, were known to become shy and self-conscious around their boyfriends, a trait that made them even more vulnerable in the presence of Stella, who seemed to effortlessly captivate the attention of their partners.

Luna determinedly declared, "I'm going to talk to Matteo after practice today. I need to get to the bottom of this."