"𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕗𝕚𝕟𝕖𝕤𝕥 𝕤𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕤 𝕒𝕣𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕤𝕖 𝕨𝕙𝕠 𝕘𝕦𝕝𝕡𝕖𝕕 𝕡𝕒𝕚𝕟 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕒𝕧𝕠𝕚𝕕𝕖𝕕 𝕞𝕒𝕜𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕠𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕤 𝕥𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕖 𝕚𝕥."

  ⇝  

Ｍａｓｏｎ

It was now Monday, the day I'd, unfortunately, be starting school. Isabella had tried to brief me on how the U.S school system works and although I understood what she was saying, I wasn't so sure I actually got the who gist of it. In England, I had already finished taking my GCSE's and looking into higher education, however, in the states you apparently were in school until the age of seventeen or eighteen, depending on when your birthday was and then you would graduate once you finished what they called the twelfth grade. So apparently, I was going to be attending high school. I had been a nervous wreck just thinking about it. I was, no doubt, going to stick out like a sore thumb with my accent. I was never one that enjoyed having the attention on them. I usually chose to stay in the back and kind of just, blend in. My alarm hadn't even gone off yet and I was still wide awake. I hadn't gotten much sleep anyway if I was going to be completely honest. Nervous thoughts and scenarios constantly flitted through my head. I had seen plenty of movies about American high school, whether they're an actual depiction of them, I didn't know. I did know though, that I was a terrified to find out.

It was still quite dark out when I finally decided to climb out of bed. I still had an hour before my alarm was even supposed to go off but I knew that there was no way I was going to be able to fall back asleep. Goosebumps rose along my skin as the cool air hit my body. Making my way into the bathroom, I cringed slightly at the frazzled state of my hair. As I waited for the shower to heat up, I leaned against the counter thinking about everything Isabella had said to me. She had assured me that the boys would be there if I needed anything but I wasn't expecting them to take the time out of their day to show me around. I'm sure they had much more important things to do and even if they didn't, not everyone likes being seen with the new girl. I also didn't want them to feel obligated to help me just because their mother told them too. 

I sighed, stepping under the scorching water, I enjoyed the feeling of it running over my cold body. I took my time, making sure that I didn't miss any parts on my legs while shaving and that my hair was washed and conditioned thoroughly. Truthfully, I was just trying to drag out the time. When my fingers began to prune, I figured it was probably best I get out. Now came the task of getting dressed. I had absolutely no idea what I was going to wear. Back home we were required to wear uniforms which I had been informed that, that was not a requirement here. I brushed my hair and decided to let it air dry, rather than pulling it up in a messy bun like I usually do. I applied some foundation and concealer along with some mascara before going to search for my outfit. After a good thirty minutes of debating, I settled on a black pair of skinny jeans with rips along the knees, as well as a with a slightly oversized white t-shirt, which I tucked into the front part of my jeans slightly, over top, I pulled on a ripped jean jacket. I slid my feet into my favorite pair of checkered Vans. I slid my phone into my back pocket and grabbed the backpack, filled with supplies that Isabella had kindly taken me to get on Saturday, and slung it over my shoulder as I left the confines of my room. For the most part, I had spent much of my time in here, aside from eating and helping Isabella with cooking and setting the table. Which she insisted, I didn't need to do. Truth was, I did. I needed to do something to keep my mind off the current situation at hand. I needed a distraction and it was the perfect one. I didn't want to be a bother to anyone or burden them with my problems, which I suppose I was slightly already doing by living here. Still, I didn't want to disrupt their lives more than I already had because I simply had no other family that could've taken me in.

As I approached the kitchen, I could smell the familiar aroma of bacon surrounding the room, causing my stomach to grumble. Sebastian and Henry were the only two that were in the kitchen aside from Isabella and they were currently distracted with the Hot Wheels cars that were in front of them as they rammed into one another, laughing as one of the cars flung off the table.

"Good morning Mason." Isabella smiled, placing a few strips of crispy bacon onto an already massive pile. 

"Morning." I smiled back. Over the few days I've been here, I've gotten to know Isabella the most. Now, I wouldn't go saying that I was some type of expert on her but what I did know is that she was incredibly kind. She cared for her family deeply and it was easy to see that she loved them more than anything. She was also an excellent cook. "Do you need any help?"

"You can grab the plates and utensils and set them on the table if you'd like." She smiled, nodding towards the cabinet. After her repeatedly telling me that she didn't expect me to help and me repeatedly telling her that I knew, but I'd like to; she didn't really refuse anymore. I nodded, setting my backpack against the wall.

"Hi, Mason!" Sebastian chirped, just now noticing my presence as I placed the stack of plates on to the table.

"Good morning." I smiled back, quite enjoying his enthusiasm first thing in the morning.

"Hey, that's unfair. Cheater!" He whined as Henry giggled. "You can't knock my car off when I'm talking to someone."

"You should know to always be on guard." Henry chimed, smiling.

"You're a real butthole. I hope you know that." Sebastian huffed, folding his arms over his chest.

"Yeah, well you smell like a butthole!" Henry argued, an adorable scowl forming on his face as he as well, crossing his arms over his chest just the same.

"Yeah! Well, you look like a butthole!" Sebastian shot back, sticking his tongue out.

"Yeah, well-"

"Okay. That's enough you two. You're both buttholes. Now can you please go get your brothers and tell them breakfast is ready." Alessandro said while ruffling their hair. They both grunted and mumbled out an annoyed "fine" as they got up.. "Morning Mason, you excited for your first day?" He smiled, walking over to Isabella and placing a chaste kiss on her cheek.

"Uh, I guess so. Yeah." I nodded, counting out the correct amount of forks we would need. I was lying out my ass but I wasn't about to tell him that.

He chuckled, "You don't sound so sure."

"I'm just nervous is all."

"Don't worry, you'll do great and if anyone gives you a hard time, I'll personally come and beat their ass. Well, as long as they're eighteen. If not I'll get one of the boys to do it, one of the boys who are under eighteen." He assured a wide smile on his face whilst sliding into a seat at the table. 

Isabella let out something between a scoff and laugh. "You're too old to beat anyone up. You'd probably throw out your back with all this talk about beating someone's ass." 

"You wound me." Alessandro feigned hurt while placing his hand over his heart.

"Well somebody's gotta keep your ego in check," she smirked, placing the plates of food in the center of the table. She suddenly let out a squeak as Alessandro pulled her into his lap, arms wrapped securely around her waist.

"I'll show you just how big my ego is." He growled quietly, causing me to look away as my face heated up with embarrassment.

He did not just say that.

"Ew. Guys, Mason is right there." Nico chided, taking the spot next to me. "Morning Babycakes." He smiled, grabbing a plate and placing it down in front of me before grabbing his own.

"Morning." I gave him a small smile back, watching as he piled food on to my plate. Just as he was about to add some to his Alessandro stopped him.

"Nico, wait for your brothers."

"What? You didn't stop me from putting food on Mason's plate." He whined, his hand still in mid-air.

"That's because I actually like her. You, you I'm not so sure about. Now put your little chicken arms down and wait for all of your brothers to get down here."

Nico scoffed, "Chicken arms. Are you sure you aren't looking in the mirror dad?"

"Fuck off you little twit." Alessandro laughed, finally releasing Isabella from his lap.

Another five minutes and all of the boys aside from Alex had made their way downstairs and into the kitchen. Each one of them had said good morning to me as they took their place at the table. Just as everyone had finished getting food, Alex stumbled into the kitchen, sans shirts and rubbing the sleep from his eyes. However, all I could manage to focus on was his naked chest and arms. Which just so happened to be covered in tattoos. Honestly, how does one have so many tattoos and what did Alessandro and Isabella think. Also, why did he have his nipples pierced? Okay, I'm not going to lie, it was kind of hot. I felt a sharp jab in my side, ripping me from my thoughts. I looked over to find Nico smirking knowingly at me.

"You might want to wipe the drool off your chin." He whispered. I immediately wiped my chin which, unlike Nico had said, was free of any saliva. He laughed as my cheeks tinted pink. I elbowed him in the ribs. "Ow, Mase. You've got boney elbows." He whined, rubbing his torso. 

"Good, maybe if you had a bit more muscle there, it wouldn't have hurt," I smirked. That was a complete lie. He had a defined six pack which I had seen because apparently, these boys didn't like to wear shirts that often.

"Your words hurt me, doll face."

Just as I opened my mouth to say something, I suddenly felt someone slide into the empty spot beside me. Holy shit. Please don't be him. It wasn't that I disliked Alex because truly, I didn't. Of course, he seemed to have some anger issues as well as issues over the fact that I was staying here. I couldn't really blame him for that though. I had intruded on his life by coming to live in his home and I'm sure he didn't really have a choice in the matter. My problem with him sitting next to me more lied in with that fact that he was, for a lack of a better word, hot. We hadn't talked since that night at dinner but that didn't mean that I didn't look at him whenever I had the chance to. God Mason, way to sound like a freaking stalker. I couldn't help myself though, not with the stalking, I didn't stalk him, I promise. I meant with the whole looking at him thing, I mean, his brothers were attractive, at least those old enough for me to find attractive but there was something about him. Maybe it was the tattoos, yeah, it was probably the tattoos. I had always had a thing for tattoos. Nevertheless, I knew all this would ever be was a stupid, little crush. If you could even call it that. I found him attractive, I didn't like him. For one, I barely knew him and two, he didn't see to like me that much anyway. Of course, though, it was, in fact, him and he barely seemed to acknowledge the fact that he was even sitting next to me, even though I'm not sure why he would anyway. I don't know. What I did know though was that my body was as stiff as a board and until I wasn't sitting mere inches away from him, I knew that wasn't going to change. I

I managed to eat half of my plate, seeing as Nico had literally filled the entire thing with various amounts of food. I wasn't sure if he thought I could actually eat all of it or if he just wasn't paying attention. "Come on Mase, You can ride with me to school." He smiled, grabbing his backpack off the couch.

"Are you sure? I can always,"

"Yes, I'm sure now come on." He smiled, leading the way. I stopped short as soon as I saw Alex standing beside what I'm assuming was Nico's car. "Oh yeah, we have to drop Alex off at his friends, his car isn't working." I nodded not bothering to ask why he wasn't going to school as well. "Alex, you sit in the back."

"What the fuck? No."

"Dude, seriously. Stop being a little Bitch. You're sitting in the back."

"It's fine really. I can sit in the back." I offered, feeling anxious. 

"No, Alex can be a gentleman for once in his life and sit his ass in the back," Nico assured, giving Alex a pointed stare.

"Fuck this. I'll just get a ride with someone else." he snapped, beginning to walk away.

"What's wrong with your car?" I quickly asked, regretting it as soon as the question left my mouth. He stopped instantly, slowly turning around.

"What?"

"I uh," I swallowed loudly. "What's wrong with your car?"

He scoffed. "Why the fuck do you care?"

"I was just," I cleared my throat, ringing my fingers. "Maybe I could help?" It came out as more of a question, due to my nerves.

"What does a little girl like you know about cars?" He sneered.

I opened my mouth to reply but Nico beat me to it. "It won't start." He answered my question, earning a scowl from Alex.

"Do you mind if I take a look?"

"Yes," he grunted.

"No, he doesn't," Nico answered just after. I looked between the two, biting my lip unsure of what to do. "Come on." He flicked his head towards the garage. I followed after him, ignoring the angered glare I was receiving from Alex.

I pulled the handle, surprised to find it unlocked and leaned down to pop the hood. I slid my backpack off of my shoulders once again and placed against a large metal shelf before rounding the car. Almost forgetting I had on a white shirt, I quickly pulled my jean jacket off along with my T-shirt to keep from getting it dirty, leaving me in my black cami. It only took me a minute or two to figure out that he needed a new alternator. Which, if you ask me, is quite a simple fix.

"You need a new alternator," I informed him, shutting the hood gently.

"What?" Both him and Nico said simultaneously.

"You need a new alternator," I repeated. 

"I'm sorry but I find it a little hard to believe you." He shrugged, "I mean, what the hell do you know about an alternator?" 

"Basically, the alternator turns the mechanical energy of the engine's rotating crankshaft into electricity through induction. Wires within the alternator cut through a magnetic field; this, in turn, induces an electrical current. That current is used to power your car's accessories, which can be anything from headlights to the electro-hydraulic lifts on a snow plow. The alternator also keeps the battery fully charged, providing the power it needs to start the car. So, Since the alternator supplies your vehicle's electrical needs, when it begins to lose its potential, so do the car's accessories that draw on that electricity. When an alternator begins to fail or fails outright the car's battery begins to take up the slack rather than acting as a capacitor for the system by receiving a constant infusion of electrical power from the alternator. However, even the best car battery will run down eventually. Car batteries are not designed for long-term power use. They're designed to provide your vehicle with enough electrical power to start by juicing the starter motor with a surge of power and getting the whole works spinning." I rattled off, reaching into my backpack and grabbing the hand sanitizer I had to clean my hands off before putting my t-shirt back on. Once, I was finished and had put my shirt and jacket back on, I grabbed my backpack, once again pulling over my shoulders and looking at Alex and Nico, who were apparently just staring at me; their mouths open slightly. I'll admit, after a few seconds, it began to get a little bit creepy. I shifted on my feet, looking at the ground for a second and then looking back to them. "What?"

"Holy shit. That was so hot." Nico muttered, causing Alex to smack him upside the hide. "Ow. What the hell?"

"I can fix it for you'd like, after school that is. I can go with you to get the part if you need me to." I mumbled, grabbing the straps of my bag. "Um, we should probably get going if we're going to drop Alex off and make it to school on time," I said after the both of them just stood there.

"Oh yeah. Shit, Let's go babydoll." Nico shook his head and headed off towards his car with me and Alex following behind. I opened the back door not wanting to cause another argument between the two brothers again but Alex slid in before I could, grabbing the door and shutting it. Confused, I climbed into the passenger seat, confused at his change of heart but choosing to keep my mouth shut. "So, how do you know so much about cars?" Nico asked as soon as we pulled onto the main road.

"Um, my dad was a mechanic and since it was just me and him, I spent a lot of my time at the shop with him. I'd always ask questions about what he was doing and why he was doing it and why things worked the way they did, so he just decided to teach me." I spoke quietly, doing everything in my power to not get emotional. I really fucking missed him. 

"That's really cool, babydoll."

"Why the fuck do you keep calling her that?" Alex snapped from the back seat.

"What?"

"Why are you calling her babydoll? You barely know her and unless you two are secretly fucking behind everyone's back, I don't see why you feel the need to call her that."

"Why? You jealous?" Nico smirked.

"There's nothing to be jealous of. She's nothing special. If anything, I'd say a bit below average." He spoke condescendingly, making my stomach drop ever so slightly. 

Okay, that hurt. I gnawed on the inside of my cheek, willing the stupid tears that had formed in my eyes to go away. There was absolutely no reason for me to cry. It wasn't like he had said anything that was untrue. 

"Why do you have to be such a fucking cock sucker?" Nico snapped. It was the first time I had seen him anything but happy.

"Sorry, did I hurt the little orphans feelings?" Alex mutter, seemingly uninterested and done with this entire conversation. 

The car swerved suddenly as Nico pulled off the side. "Get out."

"What?'

"I said, get out."

"Fuck off, Nico." Alex waved him off. " I need to be at Axels in ten minutes."

"Sucks for you. Get out, now."

"What the fuck Nico? You're going to pick a girl you barely know over your own brother? That's bullshit."

"No, What's bullshit is you being a constant dick to her for absolutely no fucking reason. She didn't do shit to you. Hell, she just fucking offered to fix your car and here you are being an absolute fuckhead and I'm not going to sit around and watch you treat her like shit. So kindly, get the fuck out of my car."

"It's like five miles."

"Well like, that fucking sucks for you. Out."

"Fuck you!" Alex spat while climbing out of the car and slamming the door behind him.

"You really didn't have to do that," I said, as soon as we pulled back on to the road again.

"Yes, I did. I love Alex, I really do; but sometimes, he can be such a fucking ass. Like you've clearly witnessed. I know it's hard to believe but he never used to be like this.  I know he's being a dick to you because he finds you attractive but still, he takes it too far sometimes."

I choked on my spit. "He, he doesn't find me attractive." I stuttered causing Nico to laugh.

"Oh yes, he does."

"Did you not hear him? He said I was below average." I deadpanned.

"He just said to try and convince himself that he doesn't like you. Trust me, he wants you."

"I don't think so."

"It's okay. I know so. Anyway, you ready for your first day at Anchorage High?" I looked away from him to find that we were, in fact, parked in the school's car park. My stomach dropped as I realized that I would actually have to go in there. "Don't worry, you'll do great and you're beautiful, so that helps too." He smiled reassuringly. Did he just call me beautiful? "Now come on, I'll take you to the office to get your schedule. You can eat with us at lunch too."

"Oh, you really don't have to do that."

"Of course I do. Mom told me if I didn't I was grounded."

Oh.

"I'm just kidding babydoll. I mean, she did tell us to look out for you but I actually want you to sit with us. Okay?" I nodded and followed him out of the car not enjoying how everyone seemed to stop what they were doing almost immediately, to stare at us.

"Uh, so why isn't Alex at school?" I looked to him, attempting to ignore the uncomfortable stares we were receiving.

"He skips, sometimes. More often then not but he does show up every now an again." Nico shrugged, trotting up the cement steps. I nodded, unsure of what else to say. 

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Authors Note,

I love Nico. He's honestly such a sweetheart.

Anyway, next chapter will be Mason's first day in an American school How do you think that's going to go,

please don't forget to comment & vote! thank you!!

M.