GiaI waited all afternoon with my girly bits neat and tidy. After several hours, I came to the conclusion he’d never planned to return. I fell for his game and knew I was a complete idiot.Maria checked on me several times.“He owns my V-card,” I finally told her after I figured out he wasn’t coming back and had gone into full sulk mode.“You think I didn’t know that?”Of course, she did. She wasn’t stupid. Tears built behind my eyes but I wouldn’t let them fall.“It was great,” I told her.“Why are you upset then?”“He said he would spend the day here.”“Maybe he can’t. We’re on lockdown.”It surprised me she made any excuse for him. Maria didn’t live with the guilt I had about Alessandro’s mother. She didn’t think I should be held responsible for her death. It was the price for the world we lived in and the biggest reason she planned to leave it behind after high school.“He could have called.”Her mouth twisted slightly. He could have called.We decided to spend our lockdown watch

AlessandroI left her with her coffee and walked out.I may be half in like and all in lust with Miss Rossi. She would never know it though. She expected my cold heart and I delivered. She would be safer and that was all that mattered.The shift in my feelings about Miss Rossi made no sense and once again, I didn’t care. Our intimacy brought out my protective instincts and it would probably be that way with any girl in danger due to being with me. I’d tell myself that until my nuts dropped off because the alternative would drive me mad.Marino stayed behind and waited for Gia to leave, following her to the dorm.“Do you really need to keep fucking with her?” Marino asked when he returned.My gut tightened and I didn’t like it. I had to realign my thoughts quickly. Marino would never step on my turf. He simply had a soft spot for her. Hell, he had a soft spot for every underdog at the damn school.“Matteo will come after her now. She can’t stand up to him alone.”“You’re doing this to

GiaThere was a knock. It had probably been no more than ten minutes, but Maria hadn’t moved and I didn’t know what to do. She was still breathing.“Miss Rossi,” Mr. Caleb said from the other side of the door and I jumped up.He entered, the school nurse trailing behind him, carrying a bag. I stayed back when the nurse went to her knees to examine Maria.“Have you checked your rooms?”“No.”I hadn’t thought about danger since hanging up from the call with Mr. Xavier. Stupid and right now I didn’t care.Mr. Caleb marched off and checked the dorm. I even heard him opening our closets and bathrooms. Maria still hadn’t moved. The nurse took a cardboard contraption out of her bag and started bending it until it formed a neck support. She placed it on Maria.“An ambulance is on the way,” she told me. “I’ve stabilized her neck and I’m going to start fluids. You found her like this?”“Yes, ma’am. I was—” I stopped talking and realized it didn’t matter how much trouble I got into, I had to tel

AlessandroI lasted two hours. I was going crazy with worry over Gia. She would think I had this done. She would think my friend capable of doing this to hers. I had to see her.I didn’t bother trying the roof. If Xavier said it was locked, it was locked. What I did was trickier but my crew and I had done it before on a dare. I hadn’t broken my neck then and I would keep from breaking it now.The old buildings had three-inch ledges below the windows. After putting on athletic shoes, I climbed out my window and looked around. The sun hadn’t hit the horizon but it would soon. Senior suites were on the fourth floor of the main dorms. I didn’t need to go up or down a floor, just cross two buildings, each with a different set of problems.The first crossing had an old tree. There was a main branch that I had to jump for and then hike myself up and use weaker branches to gain the ledge of the next building. Tree bark ate into the palms of my hands when I caught the branch and swung myself u

Gia“Your friend kicked him in the balls so badly, he couldn’t rape her, though she said it was his plan. He beat her after that, and at some point she lost consciousness. That’s all she remembered. He told her he was going to kill her and she thought it was over.”Poor Maria. She was all alone and had to be so scared. Knowing her, she was relieved I wasn’t there and he couldn’t hurt me. We’d waited for the revenge for so long and he hadn’t struck until we’d let our guard down.Matteo was a sick bastard.“What will happen to him?” I asked, wanting it to be so horrible people would hear his screams for miles.“No one knows. His entire crew has been removed from the school. They won’t be returning.”“So, he’ll be a rumor from here on out.”“Not if I can help it. Being permanently expelled is too good for him.”I was okay that San wouldn’t get a chance for revenge. Just the word made me sick to my stomach. He tipped my chin up.“You’re mine,” he said softly. “Neither your father nor mine