Alessandro leads us across the road and into a narrow lane. About a hundred meters in, he stops in front of an Italian restaurant called Mama Leones.
The building was a shade of brick red with a few cracks on the wall. Must've been an old place. The place was wide and open, not crowded tourists or anything. On the other end of the restaurant, there was a small garden. It was beautiful. Clusters of daisies were peeping through both sides of the fence, and the sun was shining through the trees. There was a welcoming of scents in the air as we walked inside.
I stood and gazed at the building before me in awe. It radiated a warm feeling that made it seem like you were eating at home.
The room was split into two big tables of eight chairs. Everyone moved steadily around the room and took their seats while I stayed standing and hesitating. Unlike the rest, I didn't have any friends here while everyone had their individual groups.
I decided to wait for all the seats to be taken and just sit on the spare chair that nobody sat on. I could feel the employees staring at me as I remained standing by the entrance. Probably noticing the lack of friends I had.
"Maya!" a voice hollers out. I turned around to see Ethan looking at me. It wasn't just Ethan, but now, it was also everyone around him. Some had a confused look plastered on their faces at why he was calling my name. To be completely honest, I was just as confused as them.
I finally managed to control my legs as I tentatively walked over to the seat he saved for me.
"Sit here." He said and pulled out the chair for me.
She instantly narrowed her eyes at him, like she was sending him a warning. Ethan realized immediately, but he looked utterly unaffected by it. His hands were still on the chair, and his face was holding a slightly crooked smile as he waited for me to sit down.
I took my seat and turned to Ethan. "Are you sure they're okay with me sitting here?"
"Why wouldn't they be?"
"I don't know, birds of a feather flock together?" I said.
"You and your phrases again," he smiles, "just so you know, we all have very different personalities."
Ethan continued. "Plus, we're not that shallow, you know."
I silently scold myself for having such selfish and stereotypical thoughts. Great, now he probably hates me.
"I didn't mean it like that," I muttered out, trying to hide my anxiousness.
"They aren't that bad once you get to know them." He looks at me and tries hard to cover up his half-smile. I guess he cares about his boys. What I didn't understand was how could someone like Ethan, gentle and caring, associate himself with such a group of assholes.
"I don't think that'll ever happen." I awkwardly laughed.
He gave me a disapproving look before shaking his head vigorously.
"Hey everyone," he called out, "this is Maya."
Their eyes were all on me as I swallowed the last of the water in my glass before smiling back at everyone.
His friend grinned back. "Yeah, we know dude. She's in our literature class."
My immediate reaction was to hang my mouth down in shock that he actually knew who I was even though I've always sat in the back. But I protested against that and let out a giggle instead.
When Leighton put her phone down, she sat for a few seconds before turning her head over to me. "Why aren't you sitting with your friends?"
A cheeky smirk grew on her friend's face. "Wait, isn't Leah your only friend?"
"Why aren't you sitting with her?" Leighton asked.
"Are you guys in a fight or something?" Another girl butts in.
I suddenly felt like they were interrogating and mocking me at the same time. It was a natural instinct of mine to stay silent and look down. Leighton's eyes roamed around the room then landed back on me. "Oh, that explains why you're sitting here. She's in the other group."
Her friend butts in again. "Don't you have other friends?"
They clearly knew I didn't and was trying to embarrass me in front of everyone. I frowned, trying to think of an appropriate reply but nothing came to my mind. I was too busy worrying about what everyone else was thinking at this moment as Leighton and her friends turned my non-existent social life into a laughing stock.
"Obviously not." One snickered quietly, but still loud enough for me to hear.
My mind wonders about Ethan. He must feel embarrassed that he invited a friendless loser to come to sit with him. I was definitely not the cool, smart Maya that aced every class. More like boring, old Maya who has nothing else to do but study on the weekends.
They said a few words to each other that I couldn't catch, but I knew it was something negative about me. She took a sip of her lemonade with her perfectly manicured nails on display.
I would've started drinking my water to ease out the tension and awkwardness that I felt, but my cup was empty. I didn't know what I was more disappointed at, myself, or the fact that I was never going to be enough to be with someone like Ethan. He was in a completely different world from mine. He was Hercules, walking around the school like a God. And I was Meg, the femme fatale. Except I wasn't attractive nor seductive.
If only I had Leah's confidence. If it was her, she'd probably tell Leighton to write it on a piece of paper and shove it up her ass.
I felt Ethan's arm brush against me as he shifted his position, now facing Leighton and her friends.
"Don't you have anything better to do than be a bitch all the time?" He replied darkly.
Leighton's smile turned into a straight line. I could tell she was doing her best not to shoot lasers out of her eyes at me. As for her group of minions, they all had the same surprised expression plastered to their faces. His friends glance from one to another but don't say anything.
Ethan was looking at her with adamant seriousness. I bet she never once felt threatened by him until today. The fact that he swore at her was enough to make her stay quiet for the rest of lunch.
I couldn't help but grin as relief washes over me. Though being in the same class with him for years now, I've only heard him swear a handful of times. This must be one of the very rare occasions where he feels the need to. Ethan has been nothing but nice to me ever since we started talking, and I have to admit, it feels great to have someone be there for you.
The boys still looked shocked that he was defending someone he barely knew and also at the fact that he cussed at Leighton. I couldn't blame them. I was just as shocked too.
I gave him a grateful smile. "You didn't have to do that."
"But I did." He said stubbornly.
"Thank you."
His mood lightened as he laughed lightly. "You have to admit. I was quite intimidating."
I chuckled. "Whatever you say."
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about it."
"Don't listen to what Leighton says. You do have a friend here."
I stay quiet, trying to think of who he could be talking about. As far as I knew, the only person I talked to was Leah.
"It's me," he says, "I'm your friend and I won't let Leighton and her friends speak ill of you. It was uncalled for."
I gave him a small smile and thanked him once again.
Conner stood up and came over to talk with us about the Colosseum as we waited for the food to arrive. With my head tilted forward slightly to listen better, I was amazed at how I could engage in a conversation with Ethan and Conner without much difficulty.
Our convo of three turned into a whole table discussion, excluding Leighton and her girls as they talk about the next outfit choice. Connor was speaking more freely and enthusiastically than the rest, but that was probably because he was the Student Council President and was used to public speaking.
It wasn't long until the food came out and onto the table. Everyone's mouth was watering from the delightful smell and taste of the food. From saucy pasta, potato gnocchi to calzones that melted in your mouth, I felt like I just died and went to food heaven. The Caprese with the tomatoes and mozzarella had a fresh and light taste to it. To top off our fantastic meal, they gave us free ice cream as dessert. It felt like eating in my Grandma's kitchen.
"This is so good," I said, taking another bite of the calzone.
"You say that after every bite you take." He chuckled
I feel the heat rising around my cheeks while raising a smile. "I just have an undeniable love for food."
"Is that so?"
"I have another phrase for you," I said, "live to eat, not eat to live!"
He looks at me with a big smile on his face. "You are one interesting girl."
To say I didn't think much about what Ethan said was a lie because I thought long and hard about it. No matter how hard I tried not to, I just couldn't. I was definitely becoming crazy. Replaying and evaluating his every move and searching for small signals.After we finished lunch, we went back to the hotel for some free time. Once again, I sat alone on the bus. But this time, every time I was caught staring at the buildings that we passed, Ethan would occasionally give me friendly grins as our eyes met.Leighton hesitated at first but decided to sit next to Ethan, even after his sudden outburst. She apologized with a pout, and he said it was okay — it wasn't — but I wasn't going to say that out loud. I mentally curse at Ethan for being way too kind and forgiving her way too quickly.I was currently sitting alone in the lobby, waiting for Leah to come back. The bright light in the room acted as the perfect reading light as I tried to escape the loneliness by burying myself in Gone wi
Maya's P.O.V"Does everyone know which role they're playing?" Gabe asked.He was also part of the football team, playing as the left tackle. His job was to protect the quarterback's blindside, which was Ethan, to prevent him from getting tackled. Being almost 6'5" tall, everyone referred to him as the mountain.His hair was an unusual mix between a light brown and dirty blonde, slightly ruffled, but he didn't look like he cared. Gabe was reasonably quiet compared to the rest of the team, always did his own thing and minded his own business. He was one of the bearable ones."We can't win if our team is unsynchronized. Everyone needs to know precisely what they're doing." He repeats.The team nods as he goes over the roles of each person again, probably for the fifth time now. Once he's done, he huddles us close together for a final pep talk before the real thing begins."The New England Patriots wouldn't have been able to win so many games if their team didn't know what they were doing
Maya's P.O.VIt was currently two in the morning, and I was standing by the balcony, watching the glint of starlight and the radiating moonlight. Nobody was here to accompany me, not even the wind. The streets were quiet and empty, and not a single person was outside. Damn, this is what loneliness must feel like.here were a lot of things I enjoyed doing alone, such as reading, listening to music, or going to the park. But despite my introversion, this very moment made me realize that although I liked being alone, I don't fancy being lonely.The only sounds that filled my eyes were the sound of chirping crickets. It was like they were mocking me because even they had someone to accompany them. Leah was fast asleep after spending hours comforting me. I found it quite amazing that I didn't even have to tell her that something bad happened. Just with one look at my face, she could automatically tell that something was off.I was too busy crying to remember what she said to me accurately,
Maya's P.O.VOnce our curfew was up, Ms. Wilson came by all of our rooms to check on us before wishing us goodnight. We both pretended to lie in our beds with our pajamas, telling her to turn off the light to make it seem like we were going to sleep.As the door shuts, my eyes go wide open as Leah hops off her bed.I had spent hours going over in my mind about my outfit choices, wondering if the night of freedom was worth the risk of being caught. As the goody-two-shoes I am, breaking the rules was a big no-no for me.I knew people judged me for being the way I am, but it was nothing new. It bugged me at first, but Leah would tell me to ignore any opinions that didn't come from someone who cares about you. At this point, I've gotten used to the constant criticism and was now letting it roll off my shoulder. Not like I needed that negativity in my life anyways. As they say, misery loves company.Digging through my suitcase to find something appropriate to wear, I mentally cursed at mys
Maya's P.O.VInstead of deciding to go back to the hotel, I stayed and waited for Leah as she prances around the dance floor, arm-in-arm with Connor. They looked like they were having the time of their lives.Meanwhile, I've decided to kill as many hours as I can by sitting at the bar alone and drowning myself in drinks. It's kind of funny that although I'm sitting in this crowded nightclub, it hits me that I still feel immensely alone.I guess that's what you get for being insecure. I've always lived in fear of judgment, avoided meeting new people, and never thought that I was good enough for anyone, even my best friend. I've never done anything exciting, stuck by the rules, and always did what I was told.Leah, one the other hand, learned how to not give a fuck since forever. She got along with everyone, and her confidence radiated through everything she did.Maybe if I were a little more like Leah, I'd be easier to handle, and I'd be a better company.I grab the drink in my hand, s
Maya's P.O.VBeing my second night in a row that I'm unable to sleep, I'm surprised I even had the energy to stay up after tonight's hectic event. By the time we stepped foot into our room, Leah immediately jumped onto the bed and passed out. Meanwhile, I'm sitting on the couch and having a quarter-life crisis about a boy that I barely even knew. What the fuck was wrong with me?It was almost three in the morning when we got back, which meant I had no more than three hours of sleep before we had to get up for breakfast. There was no point in sleeping, especially when I had the urge to throw up every fifteen minutes.I go to the toilet to check myself in the mirror. Unlike how I looked like when I left the place, my hair was bundled up on one side of my head, and mascara was streaking down my face.I decided to take a shower to wash off the nasty scent of alcohol and people, which I thought would be the first step in solving my problems. After a good fifteen minutes of drowning myself
Maya's P.O.VIf anyone told me I would be waking up to the thought of Ethan Morrison, I wouldn't be as surprised as that happened way too often. But waking up knowing that I was somewhat dating Ethan Morrison?Never in my wildest dreams did I think that would ever happen. If you asked me before this trip, I would tell you that there was a higher chance of Earth getting invaded by zombies than Ethan liking me.Since it was the last day, Ms. Wilson decided to give us free time to explore the the places that we wanted. We all got some rest before changing our clothes. Leah wore a cute t-shirt dress that was incredibly soft. We planned to meet up an hour later to hang out and explore Rome before we head off to Paris tomorrow.After a quick shower, I wore my standard summer wardrobe that consisted of a light and breezy summer dress and a pair of flats. I retrieved all the things I needed for our afternoon exploration session."You look cute," Leah complimented."Thank you," I smiled, "so d
Maya's P.O.VThe sunny weather slowly faded, and the cold droplets of rain started to pitter-patter around me. The sky that was once bright yellow was now grey.When the gloominess takes over, everyone seems to take it as some sort of discomfort that the rain brings along. But for me, I love the rain. It gives me this excited and high on life feeling. Something is refreshing and soothing about the sound of the rain.Lucky for me, Ethan didn't seem to mind walking under the rain with me either. Any sane person would have taken shelter as soon as the rain started to get heavier, but Ethan kept his coolness and continued to accompany me around the mark et without one single complaint.Seemingly hours later, Leah and Connor emerged from the market and through the huddles of people crowding under their umbrellas. Despite us all getting rained on, it was dawning on me that we all still had so much fun.Finding a cab to go back to the hotel, we sat in soggy clothes and what felt like inches