I didn't like Mr. Aeros, the World History teacher.

He made me stand and recite a passage from the textbook in front of the whole class because I was five minutes late. "Thank you, Miss Morena, you may take your seat now. Don't be late for my class again."

I nodded, face flushed, burning. World History was my only class without any of my friends. I took a seat in the back of the class, next to the window. "Now, each one of you will need to write a final paper before the semester ends. It must be 1500 words, double-spaced, and highly sourced. You must pick a single event that has a lasting effect on society today. June 9th is the due date, no extensions."

Some of the class grumbled but I smiled.

I loved writing.

Mr. Aeros began to hand out sheets of paper, ordering the students in the front to pass them back to the ones in the back. "I am handing out a further guide to writing as well as the rubric ... also, you will give a 10-minute presentation to your classmates. There's a rubric for that too ..."

A presentation? Ah crap.

I hated public speaking. How will I get through this? My anxiety blew through the roof, my heartbeat quickening. When the bell rang for lunch, I scrambled out of my seat and packed my books and pen, hightailing it out of the classroom. I breathed a sigh of relief, leaning against the wall, trying to calm down.

"Hey, you okay, Alina?" Damien asked, coming to a stop in front of me.

I nodded and smiled. "Yeah, I'm okay."

"Come on, let's go meet the others for lunch."

Damien and I walked through the halls and I appreciated his presence because I still didn't know my way around. We entered the circular cafeteria and I searched the tables for our friends. Friends. The word was still unfamiliar but welcomed.

"Alina, over here!" I looked in the direction of the person calling my name and spotted Tabitha, who was waving her hands frantically. I chuckled and glanced over at Damien.

"My brother made me lunch, so I'm going to sit down. See you in a minute." Damien nodded and I left him at the line, striding to where the table when someone stepped in front of me.

"Hey there, sweetness." Someone suddenly stepped in front of me, a towering bog with dark hair. "Want to come sit with me and my friends for lunch?"

"She's with me, Jonah." Damien. How's he get over here so quick? "Don't ever talk to her again."

Jonah's eyes widened and he nodded. "Yeah, won't happen again." He backed off, leaving me with Damien.

"What was that about?"

"Nothing. What did he say to you?"

"He asked if I wanted to sit with him and his friends?"

"Look, I won't tell you who to be and not to be friends with, but be careful of him," Damien said, his eyes hard. "He's not a good person."

"Noted," I said, following Damien, though I gave him a questioning look.

"He bullied Tabitha in middle school and freshman year," he said, quietly. "I don't know a lot of details, since I wasn't here, but apparently, Jonah got his girlfriend, Samantha, to shove her, with no clothes, into the storage closet for an entire night."

I ducked in a breath. "That's horrible."

Damien nodded. "Jonah and his group of friends are not good people to hang around, I'd stay clear of them. Don't mention it to Tabitha unless she talks about it first, it really messed her up."

"I won't mention it."

+++

Lunch ended quicker than I would have liked. Tabitha and the others made an effort to include me in their conversation, which I appreciated. I liked having friends.

"Where's your next class?" Noah asked, walking beside me as we filed out of the cafeteria.

"Italian."

"Why Italian?"

"She's Italian, Noah," Zoe said, rolling her eyes. "We have the same class, Alina. I'll show you the way." Zoe and I left the group, heading to the language arts building.

"Good afternoon -" the woman stopped when she noticed me, the new student. "Ah, you must be Alina. I'm Mrs. Rossi, your Italian teacher. We don't have assigned seats, so please pick a seat."

"You can sit with me, if you want." Zoe walked to the first set of desks in front of the windows. I smiled and took the seat next to the window, taking out my notebook and pen.

Class went by smoothly. I learned quite a lot, pulling together sentences to ask Mrs. Rossi questions. I wanted to learn to speak fluently to talk with my family. Zoe smirked at me. "Damn, you're pretty good."

I shook my head, packing up my things as the bell rang. "Not good enough. My brothers go to Italy every holiday and I want to be able to speak fluently."

"Ooh, that's cool, So, I have P.E. but do you know your next class?"

"I have a free. I'm going to talk to Coach Robinson. I'll see you tomorrow?"

She smiled. "Definitely. Hey, I'm having a small pre-party this Friday. After that, we're going to Alexis Hollands birthday. You're invited."

"I don't know Alexis."

She waved her hand. "Don't worry, she's okay with it."

I bit my lip. "I'll think about it."

+++

Killian had his arms folded across his chest, leaning against his car. When he noticed me walking down the steps, navigating through a crowd of students, a small smile graced his lips. "Why are you here?" I asked, tilting my head. "Where's Christian?"

He scoffed. "Good to see you too, bambina. How was your day?" I let out a laugh, handing my bag to Killian as he reached for it.

"I'm sorry, I'm just surprised to see you." My brother opened the car door, gesturing for me to get in. I slid into the leather seat, glancing up at him.

"I got done work early and figured I'd pick you up and get doughnuts. Unless you'd rather go home-"

I held my hand up. "No, no. I want doughnuts."

"Good ... todays been shit, I need something sweet."

We drove to downtown New York, Killian speeding the entire way. Somehow, no police were in sight or I'm sure he would have been arrested. "I guess you really want those doughnuts."

He smirked. "Shut up, brat."

We walked into the shop, Killian making me duck under his arm to enter. "I've got to use the bathroom. Be right back."

Once I finished in the small bathroom, I washed my hands, glancing into the mirror. I barely had time to look myself in the eye when the door creaked open and a man stepped in, his eyes narrowing in on me with a predatory glint.

"Well, hello sweetness." The smile he gave me made chills run up my spine. I backed away from him, my back hitting the wall. "Don't scream." He pulled out a knife from his pocket, the light catching the blade.

"No, you don't ... you can't ..."

He sneered, "I can do anything I want to you, sweetness."

I needed to call my brother, I needed him. "Help," I screamed, "help me, please."

The man smirked, shoving me harder against the wall. "No one will help you, girl-"

Killian appeared, the door swinging wide open, his eyes darkening with fury. He had his hand wrapped around the bastards throat before I could blink, pinning him to the wall. The knife he had clattered onto the floor.

Abel walked in after him, the flash of metal catching my eye as he pulled a gun from his waistband.

"Abel, get this mother fucker out of here before I kill him on the spot."

"Let's go, you disgusting pervert," Abel seethed, slamming his head against the wall on their way out. Killian's body blocked my view as he bent down to be eye level with me.

"Are you hurt? Did he touch you?"

I shook my head, "no, no. He just scared me - I thought, he wanted," I broke off my sentence, bile rising in my throat.

"We've got to get you home," he murmured,
"Are you sure he didn't hurt you? Did he say anything to you?"

Killian gently guided me out of the bathroom and into the cafe where everyone glanced my way.

"Killian, you're being a mother hen," I whispered, a small smile creeping on my lips. "I am okay, I promise. He just frightened me a bit, but I am okay."

He took a deep breath and searched my hands and face for injuries. "Okay, okay," When he was sure of wasn't hurt, he took a few steps back. "I'm so sorry this happened to you."

I didn't know what to say to him, because it wasn't his fault and it wasn't okay. Instead, I gestured to the counter, to the doughnuts we didn't touch. "Can we eat? I'm actually starving."

He chuckled, nodding. He grabbed the coffees from the counter and followed me to the small table in the cafe, my eyes traveling to the small lake out the bay window.

My older brother sits down across from me, grabbing my hand as I try and pull away into the window. "Do you want me to make you an appointment with Finch?"

I shook my head. "No, I'm okay. He didn't hurt me. Are you okay?"

He raised his eyebrow in confusion. "Yes ... why wouldn't I be?"

"You nearly strangled that man."

"He deserved much worse than that," he muttered, his eyes dark. Something told me that this man wouldn't be getting away scotch free. I don't know where Abel took him, but I don't think it was somewhere pleasant. "If anyone ever touches you again, I want you to come to me, understand?"

"Okay, fratello." I bit into the chocolate glazed doughnut. My brother narrowed his eyes. "I will tell you, if anyone ever touches me like that again."

"Good. I will kill them."

"You can't kill anyone."

"Watch me."

"Killian."

He grumbled incoherent words. "Fine, fine ... I won't kill anyone in front of you, I promise."

"Maybe we should stop talking about killing people in a public place."

"You're right. How was school today?"

"Good ... except..." I trailed off, realizing how embarrassing it was to admit I had a fear of public speaking.

He tilted his head. "Except what? You can tell me."

"It's embarrassing."

"You have nothing to be embarrassed about. If it upsets you or makes you uncomfortable, that's okay. You are allowed to feel however you want, but I will never make fun of you, bambina."

I set my doughnut down and fumbled with the napkin, folding it multiple times. "I ... I have a fear of public speaking and I have a presentation in like, a few weeks."

My brother nodded. "You know you'll do great, Lina. Though I can understand that it can be really difficult to stand up in front of a crowd. I'm not sure if this will help but you can practice with me. Angelo and Soren will help you too."

I smiled, appreciating his kindness. "Thanks Killian."

"There's a quote I really like. It's "if you can't beat the fear, do it scared". It's about doing things despite your fear, being courageous. You are one of the most courageous people I have ever met. You can do it."

"I ... I will try."

"Good, that's all you can do. Anything else bothering you?"

"I want to do competitive swimming."

"That's great. Did you speak to the coach?"

I nodded. "She wants me to do summer meets."

"What's the problem? I ... please don't be upset but I looked you up. You were in the newspaper. You're a champion swimmer."

I chuckled. "Ah, thanks. I want to swim but ... It's ... it's my scars. Everyone would see them. I don't want that." I ducked my head, not wanting to see his reaction.

"I'll see what I can do."

I glanced up. "What do you mean?"

"I've got some connections in the cosmetic world. I'll see if there's anything that might help with covering your scars. Something that's waterproof. Would that be something you'd like?"

"I would love that, thank you." Maybe this could work, Swimming became something I fell in love with, something that became my escape. "Where did Abel take that man?"

"Probably outside for a ... chat."

"Okay." I nodded, biting into the chocolate doughnut. "What kind of doctor are you?"

"A general physician. I work in a private clinic, but sometimes take shifts at the local emergency rooms." He smiled, tilting his head. "Have you thought about what you want to do after graduation?"

I glanced down. "I don't know. I haven't thought about it."

Killian reached out and squeezed my hand. "You don't have to figure that out now, Alina. You've got another two years. We'll support you in whatever you do."

"I do know I want to go to college, I just don't know what I want to do."

He shrugged. "You have plenty of time to-," he was cut off by his phone ringing. Sighing, he fetched his phone from his jacket pocket and answered. "Yeah?"

I heard the other person speaking fast on the other end. In Italian. Killian ended the call and glanced over at me with a sigh. "We've got to go. Work emergency."

"Okay. I had fun today, well besides the ... well, the incident in the bathroom," I trailed off and glanced down. Killian guided me out to his car and we travelled back to the house. He dropped me off at the front door.

"I will be back tonight. Angelo already knows what happened, Abel told him. He'll be here shortly. I love you, bambina." He leaned to kiss my hair before I got out of the car, grabbing the package of doughnuts and hurried inside.

+++
Thank you for reading.
What do you think about Killian and Alina in this chapter?
Killian's my favourite.
- Charlie 🧡