Chapter 3

:Future plans

I opened my eyes to the sound of the alarm clock, looked at the time, and sighed. Today I have Mr. Berman's class first thing, and I don't think it's going to go well. That guy is always in a bad mood in the morning, to be honest, he isn't exactly happy the rest of the day either, but his morning lectures are the worst.

I got out of bed, went to the bathroom, and started brushing my teeth. After finishing, I washed my face and applied sunscreen. My morning routine was limited to just that; unfortunately, I didn't have anything else. I really love skincare, sometimes I buy new products, but now I'm being very careful with money.

I don't wear makeup, just a little contour on my lips, which Amelia bought for me and said it would perfectly complement my red hair and pale face. She was right. The cherry color gives my lips a natural and beautiful tint.

I left the bathroom, grabbed a pair of light-colored jeans from my closet, which were rolled up at the waist and loose at the bottom, and paired it with a white t-shirt that stopped just above my belly button. It was the perfect combination.

When I used to look at myself in the mirror, I wondered what it would be like if I weren't a redhead and looked more like my dad. What if I had dark hair, dark eyes, and was tall? Would I be loved the same way my brother and sister are loved? These thoughts always ran through my mind, but now I'm glad I don't look like him. Maybe I'm short with red, pale curly hair and green eyes, but I think I look just fine. I wouldn't call myself beautiful, but I'm definitely cute. Amelia always tells me I'm very cute, and she can never say no when I ask for something with my big green eyes.

It doesn't bother me that I'm not popular with boys; I'm not interested in relationships. What's important to me is my future, and maybe someday someone will fall in love with me, but if not, I have a backup plan: I'll get a big fat black cat and live with it. I think that's many girls' backup plan.

I packed my books and laptop in my bag and left my room.

"Couldn't you go without seeing your face this morning?"

I stopped at the sound of my stepmother's voice and turned towards her, giving her a better view.

"Little bastard," she muttered and continued on her way. I turned and walked out quickly; I couldn't afford to be late.

I barely made it to class on time. As soon as I entered the classroom, Mr. Berman walked in too and looked at me as if he'd seen something disgusting. I did my best to smile softly and sat in the back row, not understanding what his problem was.

After the lecture, I immediately took out my phone and called Lily.

"Where are you?" I asked.

"We're in the library," Lily replied.

"Alright, I'll be there." I hung up and headed to the library.

As soon as I walked in, I saw Amelia, who was smiling and waving at me.

"Good morning, Iv." I smiled back and wished everyone a good morning, then pulled a chair and sat next to Lily.

"You look like you just came back from a war," Amelia said, raising an eyebrow at me.

I took a deep breath and leaned my head back.

"Did something happen?" Noa asked, looking worried.

"No, I'm just a little on edge since this morning. Plus, I had Mr. Berman's class first."

"Now it makes sense," Lily muttered, and Amelia and Noa laughed.

"His class is like a pain in the ass," Noa said, patting my shoulder in sympathy.

"Yeah, and I saw my stepmother first thing this morning." I gave an awkward smile and rested my head on the table, wishing I could escape my life.

"Calm down, everything will be over soon," Amelia said, holding my hand with hopeful eyes.

"Exactly, just hold on a little longer, and you won't have to deal with those assholes anymore," Noa agreed.

"Thank you, if I didn't have you guys, I would've lost it a long time ago." I leaned back in my chair and smiled.

"Alright, where are we going later? Have we decided anything yet?" Lily asked.

Amelia took a deep breath and pulled out her laptop.

"Okay, first of all, I think Italy is perfect for us. I don't think we'll have trouble finding jobs there, plus rent and everything else is cheaper."

"You guys shouldn't worry; you're not involved. I'm the one running away from my family, why are you coming with me?"

The three of them looked at me as if I'd committed a crime.

"Because we're your family," Lily said, placing her hand on my shoulder.

"Exactly, don't ever say that again," Amelia said, giving me a stern look.

I chuckled at their behavior and couldn't stop smiling. I don't even know how to express my gratitude to them.

"Wherever you go, I'll go too," Noa said, and we all burst into laughter, causing the people around us in the library to give us weird looks.

"Next class is in an hour, let's go to the café, or these people are going to drive me crazy," Amelia said, packing her laptop back into her bag and standing up. We followed her.

At the café, we sat at our usual spot, at the back corner with a view of the street. We all loved this place.

"Hey guys, what can I get for you today?"

We all turned to look at Jenny. She's been working here for quite a while now, and though she's actually 30,she always says she's 27. I'm not sure why, but it doesn't matter. She looks great no matter her age. She always has her hair up and red lipstick on, and she always smiles when she sees us.

"Hi, Jenny. I think we'll have burgers," Lily said.

"Got it, Lillian," Jenny replied, patting Lily's hair and smiling at her. Oh, Jenny, not the hair again, I thought.

"Your new hairstyle looks good on you," I said.

"Thanks," Lily smiled slightly.

"Alright, what about juices? Same as usual?"

"As usual," Noa said for all of us.

"Got it, your order will be ready soon," Jenny said with a big smile before walking away from our table.

"If she touches my hair again, I swear..." Lily muttered, crossing her arms and leaning back against the sofa.

"Let it go, Jenny's really sweet," Amelia said, looking at Lily.

"When she touches your hair that you've spent an hour styling, then talk to me," Lily replied.

"It's fine, just bear with it for once," I said. When Lily gets nervous, she's really cute.

"Alright, let's get back to talking about our plans," Noa said, grinning widely, clearly the most excited about Italy.

"Yeah, we still have time, but it's better to plan ahead so we can adjust if anything changes," Amelia said, nodding in agreement.

"Right, we also need to figure out which city in Italy is best to live in and where to rent an apartment," Lily added.

"True," Amelia said, narrowing her eyes as she started typing something into her computer.

"If we choose Milan, I found a three-bedroom apartment for a thousand euros. It's early, but we could always find a similar apartment at that price or maybe add a little extra and get something better."

"Milan is beautiful, so it's worth considering," I said.

Amelia smiled at me and returned to her computer.

"As for Rome, it's a bit more expensive, but not so much that we couldn't afford it," Amelia continued, taking a deep breath.

"That's true, no matter what, we're four people," Noa said, grabbing Amelia's hand and kissing her.

"Baby, we're going to Rome," Amelia almost shouted and hugged Noa.

"Is it just me, or are you all happier about being far from our hometown than I am?" I said, teasing them.

Before anyone could reply, Jenny brought our order, and once she left, Lily began speaking again.

"I'm already tired of this place. I talked to my family. They weren't thrilled, but they agreed as long as I'm happy."

"I talked to mine too," Amelia said, her mouth full of food. After swallowing, she continued, "My mom freaked out at first, then cried, then didn't talk to me for fifteen minutes, but later hugged me and told me I needed to build my career and become a successful woman. Oh, and by the way, Noa, my mom said if you get me pregnant before I'm successful, she'll cut your dick.

Noa almost choked on his food, and both Lily and I burst out laughing.

"Noa, you better watch out," Lily said, still laughing.

Noa barely managed to breathe and looked at Amelia.

"Your mom can be scary sometimes."

"Yeah, when it comes to me, she's willing to kill for me."

It's true that a mother would do anything for her child, but not all mothers deserve that title. My biological mother definitely proved that.

Lily's and Amelia's house is more comfortable to me than the one I live in. Whenever I go there, their parents always greet me with smiles and treat me as if I were their daughter. I'm so grateful for that because it's the closest I'll ever feel to being part of a big family with caring parents.