I was practically bouncing as I left my dorm room. I had my purse thrown over my shoulder, and a jacket clutched to my chest. I was headed out to meet my friends so we could hang out.Not Alicia and Caroline. They’d pretty much ignored me after I refused to tell them about Luca, and when I tried to talk to them, they wouldn’t even acknowledge me.Lucky for me, I managed to find some new friends. Ones that liked me for me, for who I was and not the benefits they got when they hung out with me. If we went out and I treated them, then they made sure to treat me back. They didn’t ask me for expensive things or borrow money from me when they wanted to buy something. Also, they studied instead of playing around, so I figured I’d be better off paying more attention to them for my future at the school. After all, I didn’t go there to fail.“Hey, guys!” I called out when I saw them.We were in different rooms, but we all lived in the same dorm building. They waited just outside the door for me

I saw Luca’s message while I was still in class, and it made me frown. We were supposed to meet up and do something, and I wondered what it was that made him so busy.There was a quick lunch break before I had to go to another class. Only, my afternoon class was canceled, and I ended up with free time on my hands. I didn’t know what Luca was busy with, but maybe I could see him for just a little bit?I was about to call him and ask, when my phone rang in my hands. It was Mom, and I smiled in pleasant surprise as I answered the call.“Mom, hey!”I realized it had been a while since I spoke to my mom, and felt a little ashamed of myself. Since it was just the two of us, we were pretty close, and before Luca and I started seeing each other regularly, I’d made sure to call her once a week, sometimes several times a week. She called me back just as much, but recently, I’d been busy. She had her friends and a few things she did to keep her busy, but I knew she missed me just as much as I m

Friday morning found me seated at breakfast with Mom and my new stepdad. If I hadn't deliberately woken up and made my way to the hotel, I would have wondered what I was doing there. I barely said anything, I just watched the two of them chat. Mom would occasionally throw a question my way, and I would murmur or nod at appropriate moments, but I didn’t say a word.Apparently, we were waiting for one more person. From what Mom had said, he was at my school, too, and I couldn’t help but wonder who it was. Either way, I knew it would feel awkward if I ran into him at school again from now on.Have I met him before? Do I know him? Is he in the same age as me, or older?Neither of them gave me a hint, and I felt too awkward just to ask outright.The food had come already, and Mom and Greg were already eating, but I could only pick at my food, occasionally nibbling on a muffin, or taking a sip of my quickly cooling hot chocolate.“Honey, you’re not eating,” Mom said, proving that she was st

When I got back to the dorms, I did exactly as Luca suggested I should do. I completely ignored everything, including the fact that I still had classes that day. I didn’t even change my clothes, just got underneath my covers and closed my eyes. I don’t know when I fell asleep.I woke up hours later. The room was already dark, but not the pitch black that would mean it was night time. It was around six in the evening when I checked the time on my phone. My stomach rumbled when I realized I felt a little hungry. Luckily, tomorrow was Saturday and I could be as lazy as I wanted to be. I didn’t want to go out, just in case I walked into someone I didn’t want to see right then, two people in particular, but I really was hungry. So, I used the bathroom and then went out to buy something I could take with me back to the dorms. When I got back, I ate quickly before getting right back into bed. It took longer to fall asleep this time, but I didn’t have anywhere to go.When I woke up on Saturd

It had been two weeks. Two long weeks where I didn’t even get to see Natalia, so when she kissed me and I had her in my arms again, it was like a dream. I couldn’t hold back, as I wrapped my arms around her and brought her in for another kiss, this one longer, deeper. She whimpered against my lips, and my arms tightened reflexively around her.“Natalia,” I breathed her name against her lips. I wanted to kiss her again, but as she panted for breath her chest pushed against mine, and I groaned in need. I wanted to feel more of her. “Damn, Natalia.”She initiated the kiss again and kept her arms wrapped around my neck to hold me close as she took the lead. Natalia nibbled on my lips, nudged them apart with her tongue, tasted me inside. I sucked lightly on her tongue and felt her weight settle even more against me.“I’m not sure I can stay standing if we do this,” she breathed out.I paused, but only for a moment. Then, I was walking her backward until her back hit the door. I loved the w