Mina's parents have worked hard to hide their dark past from their daughter. But, what happens when Mina collides with Enrico: the ruthless heir to the most powerful Italian-American Mafia?
YESTERDAY NIGHT, Zeke had told Mina that he would drive her to school the next day. She protested, reassuring him that she was fine with walking, but he insisted. However—now that she was ready to leave the house with him—he was nowhere to be found.
"Mum, where's Zeke? We were supposed to go to school together," she asked, peering out of the window, only to notice that his car was missing.
"He left half an hour ago, love," she replied, her attention fixed on the television.
"I'm off," said Ava, shoving her phone into her bag. She wore a printed t-shirt which was tucked into black jeans and her brown curls were tied in a half-up bun.
"Drive safe!" Her mother called as the door slammed shut.
Mina left the house after her sister and made her usual way towards school. The air was warm and humid with only a slight breeze to keep her cool. She wore a white jumper tucked into her jean skirt and her soft, tight curls bounced down her shoulders in bunches.
As she walked through the hallways, she peered through each classroom, searching for either Tilly or Robin. But, the classrooms were empty as students were still making their way towards their first lesson. She continued to walk with her head facing the opposite direction, glancing around for her friends one last time.
Her body collided with a larger one and she quickly whipped her head back around to face forward. A pair of hands grabbed onto her shoulders to steady her, fingers brushing against her bare skin. She looked up, her eyes meeting a pair of blue ones that belonged to Enrico. He winced as he looked down at her, his lips parted and his brows furrowed. Everybody else rushed passed them, as though the two of them were a wall planted in the middle of the hallway.
"Sorry," she apologised quickly, smiling nervously up at him as she took a step back, his hands releasing her.
"Don't be," he said calmly as his eyes raked her lazily. There was a cut on his bottom lip, a deep scarlet red line which wasn't there yesterday, and a faint purple bruise painted along his jaw. Her eyebrows knitted together as she stared at it, before unwillingly peeling her gaze away.
"I should've watched where I was going," Mina continued—no longer nervous. Her desire to talk to him returned, and she let the words tumble out of her mouth.
"You didn't hurt me." He shrugged stiffly, as though it hurt to move his muscles. But, his face hid any pain.
"I could have."
"But, you didn't."
She stared at him, her eyebrows pinched together. It was difficult to work out whether he always spoke so unenthusiastically or if he simply wasn't interested.
"I'll take back my apology then, if that's what you want." She said awkwardly, before shuffling passed him and walking away, leaving him staring at the back of her head before she disappeared into the crowd.
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Mina sat at her desk, doodling in the corner of her page when Enrico slid into the seat beside her; she had forgotten that they sat together now. He smelt of Winter air and soap, his presence radiating onto her. Without looking up, she continued to scribble.
"Good morning, everyone," Mrs Appleby greeted the class as she stepped into the room, "I have something great planned." She stood in the center of the classroom and smiled.
"You got a date?" Asked Jayden, grinning towards Mina's direction. Mina sat there blankly, before realising that he was not grinning at her, but at Enrico who was sat beside her. She turned to look at him. He shook his head at Jay, his lips curled up as though he was forcing away a smirk.
"No, Jayden," she sighed, "I meant something planned for your lesson, not my personal life. Now, as you know—" she broke off suddenly, anger rising in her eyes. Everybody followed the direction of her burning gaze. It pointed to Stefan. He slouched in his seat, his arm dangling off the chair and his head dropped back. His eyes were closed, his mouth hanging open—wide enough for somebody to shove their fist into it—as he snored.
Abruptly, Mrs Appleby marched towards his desk and slammed the book in her hand onto the table, the sound so loud and sudden that it startled everybody in the room—even Enrico. Stefan jolted up and tumbled out of his seat, onto the floor. A loud mixture of laughs burst through the room.
"You better wake up, Stefan, or I'll give you and your partner an immediate F!" She shouted, her eyes burning through his skull. He sheepishly scratched his neck as he mumbled an apology.
"Partner?" Camari interrupted, as she looked away from Stefan who was seated beside her.
"Yes. We're studying poems of the theme of power. I thought it would be a great idea for you all to read them out—"
"But, we've already read them." Dawn shrugged. Jay leaned towards her and playfully grinned, to which she shoved him away with her elbow, hiding away a smirk.
"It's a good way to understand the message and the emotions by acting them out. Not only that, but it's good practice for your oral exam. So, I will give you and your partners one week to practice before you perform in front of the class."
"Can we pick our partners?" Jessie asked eagerly.
"No," said Mrs Appleby, bursting the girl's bubble, "I have already picked them for you."
Everybody in the classroom groaned as they turned to face their friends with a frown. Mina secretly stole a glance of Enrico, who was sat still, his expression blank, as usual. He always looked as though he was thinking about something deep and meaningful, and if you asked him what it was, he would punch you in the face.
"Your partner will be the usual person you are seated next to."
Before she could say anything else, the classroom burst into a mixture of emotions: Jessie squealed as she turned to face Kelly who beamed at her in return, Jay grinned at Dawn, the blonde haired girl who was seated beside him. She shrugged, she didn't mind working with him. Somewhere on the other side of the classroom, Camari huffed as she glared at Stefan, the short boy who sat awkwardly in his chair. He looked at her gingerly, before immediately averting his gaze. When she stubbornly crossed her arms and turned away, he groaned, clearly irritated with the fact that he had to be partners with her.
Mina felt somewhat frightened, she didn't even know how to start a conversation with Enrico and now she had to work with him for one week.
He turned to face her, noticing the deep frown on her face. "Don't look at me like that," he said, "I mean, you're only stuck with me for one week." He grinned boyishly at her, his lips tugging up to one side. He slouched in his seat as he turned back around, stretching his legs out beneath him as he absentmindedly tapped his pen onto the desk. The persistent sound of his pen hitting the desk would have normally irritated Mina, but she was too busy controlling her breaths because of her burning skin where Enrico's arm brushed against hers as he leaned towards her.
She sat there, dumbfounded. As she stared at the back of his head, she chuckled. Maybe he won't be so bad after all, she thought.
