007: The Brothers—Niccolo Amoretti

~~Abigail Darlington~~

So day one of my plan was a bit of a success. I got to meet all three brothers and have a panic attack during dinner with Jade and Chiara because if I do succeed in my quest, I will actually have to sleep with one or three men. I needed to drink to get back into the fake persona I was pulling off.

This confident person was foreign to me.

Today was a brand-new day, though. I had a math class before my class with Professor Niccolo. The mystery. I need to figure out his angle. If he goes for the more intellectual type, or if my body can do the work. The thing is, I don’t want to be smart in his class, or he might tell his brother Romeo, and that would just ruin everything.

I need this first class to analyze.

“You know I’m not really into this revenge idea. Revenge takes selling your soul, babes. What if you don’t like yourself by the end of this?” Chiara was in our room again. She doesn’t live here. She has her own room, without a roommate, because she kept sleeping with them or bringing in so many girls that it annoyed the more resistant roommates. She doesn’t sleep there, though. She spends most of her night in a random bed or in one of ours.

She’ll support anything I do, but she’s been a bit skeptical about me going for revenge.

“Mind your business, Chiara. I think it’s great. Elio keeps saying shit about her; she needs to get him back. Or would you rather have her go back to feeling depressed?”

Chiara thought about Jade’s question for a while, and I focused on getting ready for the day.

Because I’m unsure of what will work for Niccolo Amoretti, I’m choosing to wear something just as provocative as the one I wore yesterday, but not as much. Like, without the fear of popping out my tits.

I chose a white tank top with a scoop neck. It’s simple, it shows the straps of my bra and the color because the fabric is transparent. I wore another short skirt, but this one was denim and maybe not as short as yesterday’s skirt. That was a lot. But it had its desired effect. I paired the simple attire with a pair of knee-high leather black boots, a faux fur oversized warm beige jacket, and a cute black bag.

My hair was straightened and held tightly with a snake pin. It was put into a neat style, with several strands floating loosely at the front.

I’ve come to love dressing up. I’ve been missing out. I shouldn’t have decided that certain outfits didn’t fit my body without even trying first.

My makeup was light once again. Highlighting my cheekbones, my lips, and my light blue eyes. I picked up my phone and took a mirror selfie because I couldn’t believe I looked this good.

I posted it, not adding a caption this time.

I want to say people aren’t shallow, and pretty privilege is fake, but my account that had like ten followers before this break-up has shot up to nine hundred after yesterday’s photo. People just like pretty girls.

I won’t say our society is doomed. I have more faith in people than I should.

I turned to face my best friends with a huge grin. “Soooo what do you think?”

Chiara shoved a bunch of tiny pretzels into her mouth and gave me a thumbs-up. “Hot,” she said over a mouthful. Classy girl.

Jade whistled. “You’re gorgeous, haven’t I always told you that?”

“Thank you. And yes, jade, you’re always right.”

She smirked. “See, this is what my parents need to hear. Jade is always right.”

“Well, your mom will never do that. And your dad is a 50/50. I need to go now—”

“Wait,” she yelled before I could even finish what I was saying. Jade lept from her bed, something she’s been doing a lot lately, and sprinted towards me. She picked something up and dumped it into my hand. “Take my car. Don’t walk.”

“I’m going to my math class. I’ll take one of the carts after.”

“Take the car.”

I handed her back the key, shaking my head. “Nope.”

I left before she could convince me. I know jade she’s good at convincing me to do things. I’m lucky she’s not trying to get me to join a cult.

Walking to my math class wasn’t that hard in heeled boots. My teacher stared at me like a crazy person throughout the entire class, but nothing else was different.

I walked out as soon as the class was done. I’d barely paid attention. Too excited to see Niccolo. I don’t have his class for another two hours, so I wasted it at a cafe next to his building. Same building as Romeo’s class, but on different floors.

I spent my time in the cafe reading a textbook recommended for Romeo’s class. Understanding the theorized version of shifting isn’t all that hard. I’m a nerd. Or I used to be. I read a lot of things out of boredom. With a strong memory, I can quote many textbooks after reading them once.

I circled key points to return to, feeling a sense of ease at doing something I was confident in.

That ease died soon enough when the cafe doors swung open, and Elio walked in with two of his friends. Jackass one is an alpha male. And jackass two is an alpha female.

They took a booth at the far corner, but I still tensed up.

I have twenty minutes to go. I shouldn’t let them bother me. But my brain turned into public enemy number one. Reminding me of all the reasons I hated them.

You see, Elio’s group is divided into three parts. The people who ignore me and look at me with actual disgust as if I were a pile of animal shit. The people who insulted me, which is where Jackass female falls into. Her most colorful compliment was ‘my darling piglet.’ I hated that so much, but Elio said she was just being funny. It didn’t feel funny.

It made me cry. Especially when she’d oink around me.

Then there are the people who got physical with me. Jackass male once shoved me into a wall to get me out of his way. Every time I tried to speak, he would tell me to shut my mouth before he made me. He slapped me once, and Elio suggested I stop hanging out with them if I was going to get so sensitive about a playful touch to my cheek.

Back then, I was blinded by love, so I saw nothing wrong with Elio's defense of his friends. I thought he was being nice and keeping the peace. I loved him for his kindness, and I couldn't see him in a bad light at all. But now it’s clear. His friends were awful, and he supported them.

Fourteen minutes.

I’ll take my leave now. I packed up and got out of my seat. I paid for my coffee and noticed the girl was staring at me. She narrowed her eyes like she couldn’t remember where she saw me. I left before she could put two and two together.

I went straight to Niccolo’s class. I know each teacher has like ten minutes between each class. It’s just how this school functions. Sometimes they have more than that. Depends on the schedule.

His class should be like Romeo’s. People drop out a lot. He didn’t look as grumpy as his brother, so I’m eager to find out why.

The class was empty when I got there, and I was relieved. He was humming something to himself, but he stopped when I shot the door. His eyebrows knitted.

“Have we met?” He looked genuinely confused. Ouch.

“I saw you yesterday at Professor Amoretti’s class.”

“Oh, the blonde girl. Are you taking my class too?”

I gave him a sharp nod. Smiling as I stepped away from the door. His class was neater, cooler. The windows were open, and the cold breeze was moving in freely. There were no stairs in his class. Just a large room with forty chairs and desks.

“What is your major?” He inquired as I approached the front row.

“Instinct mastery and control.”

His eyes widened. “That is a difficult one. Why would you choose it?”

I could have been honest, said that I chose it because it involves studying almost every aspect that makes a shifter a shifter, in hopes of identifying the exact condition my mother has.

But that would expose me. So I chose a lie. “I heard people earn well with that degree. I love money.”

He looked at me with disappointment. “I see.”

Then he went back to humming and pretending I didn’t exist. This man didn’t even take a second glance at my body. Damnit.