Marci Wellington's POV

This has to have been one of the most stressful sessions in my life. Finals were beating my ass, but I had my lucky black pen to write them.

"You pumped for tonight's game?" Giá asks me as we make our way from the Home Management class to our lockers.

I shrug and turn the dial. "I'm not sure. My mind is on the upcoming disaster dinner I'm going to have with my parents and Lucas' family."

"Buena suerte."

Translation: Good luck.

I dump my backpack and put my phone in my back pocket before slamming the locker shut.

"Thanks, I'll need it."

She closes her locker and leans on it while observing my unmoving form. Her eyes shift from my face to my body continuously before she speaks. "Mind telling me how you feel?"

"As I said before, I'm not sure."

It's still hard to believe that my dad survived the bullet injuries with only minor physiotherapy and a heavy dose of meds every night. Since our former home resembles a crime scene, he rented an apartment near the studio.

Like I said before, I believe my mom is slowly losing her mind. So she somehow convinced my dad to come and live with her in her place. I know this is what I've wanted since the year started, but now that I have it, I'm not sure it was worth the hassle.

I mean, getting over the divorce has been my major goal for the year. The fact that they may have rekindled their spark and later file for another divorce is not something I can handle again.

Lucas wheels Nate to us, both of them frowning.

"Who pissed in your cereal?" Giá directs her questioning gaze from me to them.

"The Gym is free and ready for our use. In related news, I don't want to dance because the game is going to suck ass."

I roll my eyes at the Cynic. "You really should come up with better excuses."

"My dad is going to be there; that reason is more than enough."

"What got your panties in a twist?"

Nate answers Gia's question with a sigh. "Abuelo is reluctant to allow me to change my aspirations until he sees my scores for the session."

I rest my hand on his shoulder to offer him silent support. Nate has spent the last month staying awake and overdosing on his meds, so the lack of rest won't affect his healing rate. The appearance of dark circles around his eyes makes him more acquainted with the rest of us.

We all look like shit. Grim stone might be a public school, but the teachers hand our asses back to us with their exams after making their lives shit for most of the session.

We can scratch being a high school teacher from my aspiration list if being a fashion designer doesn't work out.

"Come on guys, the sooner we finish the last bits of the routine, the sooner we can binge-watch movies at the house," Giá tells us and wraps her hand around my shoulder.

She forces my legs to move to her accord as we leave the lockers and walk towards the gym.

"I wonder if I can convince Abuelo and Abuela to adopt me," Lucas mutters from behind us.

Giá barks out a laugh. "You'd have more luck at being positive."

"If that's what it takes, I'll pass. But I want to sleep at your house one of these days."

"Sounds doable. If you can convince my brothers, then you won't have much of a problem."

I hum to OneRepublic's counting stars as we pass teachers and students and climb three flights of stairs. Nate and Lucas use the wheelchair ramp, so we are walking in a single file. We pass the AP classrooms where the brightest minds of the school were having extra classes for the upcoming summer contests.

That's gonna be me when I'm a senior.

As we pass the senior classrooms and lockers, we make it our duty to use our palms to cover our eyes and ears. Lucas doesn't have this golden opportunity because he's the one wheeling Nate. Nate uses his palms to cover his eyes and Lucas' as we enter the sea of America's future leaders playing, 'who can start a family first?'

When we make it to the front of the gym, we let out a sigh of relief.

"You know, if you want to get Diego and Mateo to agree to that sleepover, you could try blackmail." Nate offers.

I cock a brow. "Since when did you join the dark side?"

In case you missed it, Nate's the nice guy in our little family. Whenever Lucas and I plot something sinister, he always tries to talk us out of it. I find it hard to believe that he is the one instigating it this time.

Lucas grins and pats Nate's head. "You, my friend, have the right idea."

"If you plan on blackmailing my brothers, use something light. The last thing I need is covering newspaper bruises on their faces." Giá says before opening the door to the school's gym.

If blackmail was what Lucas was looking for, then he came to the right place.

I could hear the collective sound of jaws dropping in the semi-quiet gym. Safe for Jade's moans as she rides Diego on the basketball court, this place could rival a graveyard.

"Would it be bad if we took a video?" I ask my comrades.

It stupefied the boys that they couldn't offer coherent words while my bestie resorts to rubbing her eyes as if she is seeing things.

"Yeeesss. Fucking hell! Yes." Jade throws out moans that mix with the Spanish curse words falling from Diego's lips.

The sight would have been cringeworthy and a golden opportunity to get deals from Diego, but the unmistakable perfume of a certain Editor wafted the air.

The things I do for my family.

"Oi Pornstars! Might wanna cover it up unless you plan to show the full school how to go bull riding with pompoms and sports shoes." I shout at the pair.

Jade screams and presses her front to Diego for cover at the same time he sits up.

Way to work the sex hair, Primo.

"Head Editor at six 'o'clock. Might wanna hide." I tell more like yell at them as the clicking of heels gets closer.

Diego scrambles to his feet, holds Jade firmly pressed on him and holds her cheer top in the other hand. He ducks behind a wall on the other side of the gym, avoiding the Head of the Editorial crew.

Xena walks into the gym with a purple bun on her head, clipboard in hand, and a forced smile on her face.

"Is there anything you guys need for the practice?" she asks.

"Your absence please," Lucas whispers loudly.

Her eyes twitch, but the smile remains.

"We're good, Xena." My boyfriend tells her, "You can leave the speaker for us on the bleachers."

She nods and drops the speaker on the front row of the bleachers.

"Remember, the school ground closes at six-thirty. The AP students leave at seven and I suggest you join them unless you want to have a sleepover on the last day of finals." She says before leaving.

When her footsteps fade away, I call to the duo hidden behind the wall. "You can come out now."

They come looking prim and proper as if they weren't acting like animals less than five minutes ago.

Diego places his hands on his waist as he regards us with a cool gaze. "Out with it."

Nate tilts his head to the side. "Out with what?"

"Yes, cousin, what exactly are we hiding?"

Diego grits his teeth, clearly not enjoying my sarcasm.

"You guys won't allow us to walk out of here with a promise to keep your mouths shut. So let's not kid ourselves. Tell me what you want in return for your silence."

Lucas asks, "Can we have a sleepover in Giá's room?"

"Okay," Diego answers hesitantly, "I was expecting something more demanding, but I can work with that."

"I have one. If you don't want your sexual escapades leaking, would you do the honours of talking to Xena?"

Diego glares at me and raises a brow, silently asking me to explain the reason for my demand.

I wouldn't say it out loud, but I don't want Xena to end up like a bitter hag. Miss Harper already foots that bill nicely. She might have put her nose into my business, manipulated me and almost made me lose my marbles this session, but she is leaving.

I won't see her next session and I sure as hell won't be forced to act like a dancing monkey for the school. I know I wanted to dance for the sports games but of my own free will.

She misplaced her priorities, but her goal was clear from the start. She wanted her friends back, hell she wanted to have people to call her own as she left this hell hole we call school.

"Been there, done that, next demand." Diego dismisses my demand.

"I'm serious Diego. I know you'll hate me for this later, but you four need to talk. Graduation is days away and y'all are going off to college in a couple of weeks. The least I'm asking is for you to listen to her motives."

I stand by my pact to the very last, just like a Lealtad.

We glare at each other, waiting for the other to back down. The air should have been wafted with tension, but the residue of their actions still lingers in the air and it helps me drive home my point.

Jade places her hand on his arm, which makes his glare soften. He sighs and looks to the heavens before facing me.

"Fine, I'll talk to her." He tells me before turning to his sister in time to miss my victorious smile. "I assume you want something too?"

Giá shrugs, "I'm good, Hermano. It's Jade I want something from."

The cheer captain raises a brow. "What do you want, Giá?"

"For the last sports game of the year, I want to dance with my friends, without my cheer outfit."

Jade grits her teeth and nods begrudgingly.

"You want anything, Nate?" Diego directs at my boyfriend.

Nate blushes from the attention but speaks after adjusting his glasses. "If you could get Abuelo to let me change courses after he sees my result, it would be nice."

Diego huffs before swinging his hand around Jade's shoulders. "Is that all?"

"Correctamundo. Do we have a pact?"

"Deal." He says and walks over to the door that leads to the field. "You guys should leave by six thirty."

"Right back at you, cousin."

The moment the doors close after them, we burst into laughter. I laugh so hard that I clutch my hand on my stomach to stop myself from falling to the floor. Lucas is hunched over the handlebars of Nate's wheelchair while Gia rolls around on the floor.

After our laughing fit, I plug my phone into the speakers and allow the beats of Alan Walker to flood the room.

-

The stadium is rowdy as the students hype up our dance crew. I'm locked in a freeze position while Lucas does more flips than a guy on steroids. Giá joins him in the middle of a flip and they both land beside me.

I unfreeze and start pooping to Alan Walker's mixtape. They join me and we stop once the music flips to 'Who woulda thought' by ArrDee.

The song adds static electricity to the cold air, making our movements coordinated. Break dancing has always been my strong suit and to say I'm enjoying myself would be an understatement.

We polish the song by doing a backward flip and landing with our left knees on the floor, right knees up, arms at the side and heads bowed. Nate lets go of the string of balloons he's holding, allowing the black and brown balloons to float in the air to form a grizzly bear.

The crowd erupts into shouts and screams as they applaud. We stand up and run towards Nate and wheel him off the field and sit on the benches where substitutes sit.

"That was amazing!" Xena squeals as she passes us bottles of water.

We crash into the seats and chug down the water. Lucas goes overboard to pour the water on his head and washes his face. Giá throws her head and follows Lucas' actions.

After my breathing regulates, I turn to the bouncing Head Editor, soon to be ex Head Editor.

"Did you get it on video?"

"I did." Felix comes to stand by her side with a camera in his arms.

Since Nate couldn't do the routine and we wanted him to be on the field with us, Felix stepped in to help us with the camera work.

Man's trying to worm his way into our hearts.

"Thanks," I mumble and take the camera from him.

He walks over to Giá and says, "You guys did great out there."

"Thanks." she blushes.

Lucas turns to me with a grimace, "If you promise to kill me now, I'll start shitting out rainbows."

"Nice try." I snort and upload the video to my phone.

I feel a nudge on my shoulder and turn to my boyfriend. He places his hand on my head and turns my face to the football game that has resumed.

There are thirty seconds on the clock and the Lealtad men were destroying all the opponents in their path. Mateo passes the ball to Diego as he gets tackled to the ground by an opposing defender. Diego hightails it to the end zone with three boys thrice his size on his heels.

One of the trio outruns his comrades and stretches out his hand to Diego. I hold my breath and reach for the guys beside me and squeeze their hands as I mutter a silent prayer to whoever is listening.

If Diego can score this touchdown, he'd have a free scholarship at a football school in France paid for by Stuart Studious.

"Come on, Diego, you can do this," I mutter and tighten my hands.

Nate tightens his hand and kisses my knuckles while Lucas grimaces. "I can't believe I'm a fifth wheel in my friend group."

Giá laughs, "Well if you took the negativity down a notch, I'm sure you'll bag one unlucky girl."

"I wasn't serious when I said I wanted to shit out rainbows and flowers. Besides, what's there to be positive about when we are all about to die?"

I focus my eyes on how Diego manoeuvres around the trio and slides into the end zone, scoring a touchdown for his team and a bright future for himself.

Giá and I stand up and hug each other while jumping like little girls who still wear their hair in pigtails. Diego throws his helmet on the ground and starts a victory dance, but it doesn't last long.

Mateo yells, "Dog pile!"

The footballers jump on their outgoing captain, making him crumble to the ground. When they believe he has had enough, they let him up.

From the corner of the field, I spy a running figure making its way to Diego. As the figure gets closer, I make out pompoms and a tight skirt. Jade ditches her pompoms mid-jump and lands on Diego with her limbs locked around him. To the crowd, they are kissing, but from where I'm standing, she's trying to swallow him.

Mateo sneaks up on the kissing pair and dunks what looks like water on their head. The air feels with curse words and death threats as Diego abandons Jade and chases Mateo around the field with a murderous expression.

I take a peek at Xena and see her retreating form on its way to the parking lot.

I guess blackmail doesn't work on everybody.

As she's about to turn the corner and disappear from view, Ian walks up to her. After exchanging words, he opens his arms wide for her and she launches herself into them. Diego and Jade walk up to them, and the group share a hug.

A sweet smile covers my lips as I watch the scene until a nudge on my shoulder draws my attention.

"That's gonna be us someday." My bestie tells me and she lops elbows with me.

"Are you girls gonna bring it in or do we have to grow moustaches first?" Nate interrupts Giá and I's silently stalking.

I grin as we gather around for a group hug while a certain ex-editor stands by the side awkwardly.

"Guys?" Giá nudges her head to the side.

Lucas and I share eye contact before sighing.

Lucas says, "Come here, knucklehead."

Felix sighs in relief and stands between Giá and Nate as he joins our group hug.

What a way to end a session.

My former sworn enemy has a thing with my bestie. My boyfriend survived his horrid stepfather and now lives with my relatives.

Graduation is in a week, so all the outgoing seniors are having a party at Ian's house. At least that's what Diego told us as he haphazardly drove us home and left us in the townhouse. Ian was on his tail with Mateo, Jade, and Xena in his car.

Diego gives orders to Mateo to monitor our sleepover before joining his friend in Ian's car and they leave.

Mateo turns to us with a sheepish grin. "Ready for a night to remember?"

"Lead the way, Hermano," Giá says.

We step aside to allow him to open the front door and follow him inside. The house looks desolate, safe for the smell of Abuela's infamous tomato soup and fresh bread.

"Where's everyone?" Lucas asks as he takes in the house for the first time.

"The gramps went to see a new movie trailer for Abuelo's movie while dad took mom out on a date," Mateo replies as he leads us to the kitchen.

As I predicted, the matriarch of the household left enough food to feed Hilter's army. After Mateo serves the food, we say the grace and begin eating.

"So, what's the plan for the night?" I ask.

Mateo swallows his soup before replying, "Abuela gave strict instructions to stay out of her alcohol cellar. Woman even counted the number of bottles left and changed the locks. You kids can do whatever you want as long as sex isn't involved; we won't have a problem."

"So, what are we doing tonight?" Nate asks.

"I got some movies for you guys and there's popcorn in the store." Mateo says, "You're free to read Abuelo's books, but be careful not to rip the pages."

"Any more rules, Commander Mateo?"

Mateo glares at his sister before replying, "You're on plate duty."

The glare slips from his face and lands on Gia's.

"No fair."

I let out a snort, and it attracts Mateo's attention. "So are you dear, Prima."

I glower at him. "I didn't do anything."

He finishes his soup and drops the bowl in the sink.

"True, but you have guests. Might as well be an excellent host ."

His explanations make as much sense as why Elephants don't have sex on the street.

He retreats to his room after giving out the last of the instructions Abuela and Diego must have drilled into his head.

The gang and I finish eating, wash up, and prepare the living room for a movie marathon. After the first five movies, everybody falls asleep but me. I stand up to get a drink of water when a forgotten thought hits me.

Apart from the 'get over the divorce' ship I am on, I also wanted to help Mateo find his way into the world. I know it's bizarre to an extent because he is older than me by a year, but certain life experiences make maturity sink in faster.

I knock on his door and open it. He is nose-deep in a video game while lounging on his bed. My presence is overlooked as he changes his position on the bed to get more comfortable and kill more zombies.

I clap my hands to get his attention. He looks up and frowns.

"Why is your head on the ceiling?"

"You're the one upside down, Prima."

His frown grows as he raises his head further to see that his head is at the foot of his bed while his legs rest on the headboard.

He chuckles, "Oh right."

He corrects form and settles onto the bed while I rest on the door frame.

"I came to ask about the update on your aspiration." I get to the point.

He offers me a lopsided grin. "No need to worry about that, Marci. I talked to Los Abuelos, and they said they'd enrol me for a career seminar so that I won't get limited."

"That's nice. Thanks again for watching us tonight."

"Anytime Prima, anytime."

-

"So what's the plan?"

"We can't run away because of the security detail. The presses are everywhere and I can bet some are undercover as the cooking staff as we speak."

I rub the space between my eyebrows. "You're not helping Lucas."

"I'm just pointing out the obvious," he says with a sly smile. I glower at him and the smile blows out to a grin.

If you haven't guessed yet, it's the night of the Stuart dinner. I ditched my dad's invitation to ride with him and my mom because I wasn't ready to stay in the same place as them.

Hell, I don't think I'll ever be.

Hatching up a plan with Lucas was the protocol for the night, but the boy's pessimistic attitude has made an appearance so it's not an easy feat.

"What if we actually make them get along?"

Lucas looks at me as if I've grown an extra head. "You sure you didn't overdo it with the perfume earlier?"

With an eye roll, I reply, "No, I didn't. We told the presses that the family feud was going to end months ago. Why not make it happen?"

"Because dogs don't talk."

"Again, not helping."

"I'm just trying to be realistic."

"Your realism and pessimism are the same. Besides, the insults going to be thrown can make for a good Lil Wayne song."

Before Lucas can grace me with a negative remark, Skye walks in with a small pout. She goes to Lucas, so he picks her up and plants her on his hip.

He kisses her cheek and says, "What's up, sis?"

"The Wellington's are here. Mom said to get you," she whispers as she nuzzles his neck.

"Of course." He mutters before turning to me, "Ready for the show, Wellington?'

"It's not like I have a choice." I shrug and cross elbows with my second best friend.

We leave his room and pass clusters of stairs and rooms before arriving in the dining room. The growing voices of grown men echo down the halls and make the maids jump in fright when my dad yells, "You slimy bastard!"

"Oh, give it a rest, Marcellus. You always liked to think that you are better than me."

"But I am. You think you can steal my son and turn my daughter against me? Let me tell you something Leo-"

I don't think these two grown men realise that there are not one but two impressionable children in the room. Now should be a good time to step in, especially when Skye grips Lucas tighter.

I sigh and announce our presence. "Hello everybody."

The bickering men who don't know the definition of personal space turn to look at us. If you wondered what the word contrast means, I'll tell you.

Lucas' dad and mine are the definitions of contrast. Mine's dark at 5'11, medium build with small belly fat poking out of his belly. A small scruff of beard on his chin with low black hair on his head and enough compliments to others to fill a basket.

Lucas' dad -let's call him that because, as I said, there are impressionable girls in the room- has a swimmer's body, receding brown hair and a height of 6 ft.

See, like day and night. Just without a ray of happiness.

I walk deeper into the room and pull Lucas with me. Standing in front of our fathers, I say, "Good evening everybody. I believe we have dinner to get to."

My decorum has both men raising their brows and backing away from each other without breaking eye contact.

The mothers were sipping wine when we walked in. Lucas' mom downs hers in one gulp while mine drops hers on the side table beside her.

"Dinner is this way," Lucas says.

It's his turn to pull me with our parents trailing behind us to the dining room. They placed plates of mashed potatoes dribbled in gravy, along with green peas and a stake in front of the chairs.

The men go for the heads of the table with their wives on their right and the little girls on their left. Lucas and I take the remaining seats across from each other. We say the grace and dig in.

After the battle of the fork and the plate, I speak up. "So what are the chances of you guys not being enemies anymore?"

"If he agrees to my demands, we should be fine." Lucas' dad replies.

My dad scoffs and leans back in his seat. "Do pray tell, Leonard. What are the demands?"

"I have an upcoming musician in my grasp. It would be in both of our interests if Caleb can collaborate with him."

"Over my dead body!"

Mr Leonard laughs, "I could arrange it, but your daughter would hang me first before I can harm you."

I drink my water half hoping and pretending it's alcohol.

"You want Caleb to feature Heath in some of his songs to make Heath shoot to fandom faster than a torpedo?" I ask.

"Correct, Marcella. After all, I am giving away a lot of money to you cousin Diego for winning the most points this season."

"While we are speaking about the Lealtads, when are you going to run away and live with them, son?" Lucas' mom joins the conversation.

"Not to be rude," my mom interjects, "but sending off your son to live with other people when you can cater to his needs is idiotic."

Lucas' mom's jaw slacks, "I beg your pardon."

"You beg well, woman, your son and daughter did nothing to warrant the treatment you and your husband inflict on them. So tell me why you can't treat them well?"

"If you answer that question, you might as well move out with them." Lucas' dad directs to his wife before turning to my dad. "So, Marcel, what will it be?"

My dad pushes his plate away, clearly fed up with the meal. "My answer remains unchanged."

"I believe I can change your mind."

"How?"

"How about a bet like old times?"

"You'd think by now you'd grow up from your childish delusions. Winning a silly bet doesn't guarantee that your IQ is higher than my husband's."

"Don't speak when men are talking, Dinah." Lucas' dad glares at my mom.

"If you plan on using your tongue again, I suggest you don't wag it towards my wife." My dad says calmly to the host, "What bet are you talking about?"

"Both of our children are capable of almost everything. We can wager who comes out on top as valedictorian of their set."

Lucas scoffs but doesn't speak when his dad's eyes narrow at him.

"How about it?" Mr Leonard asks as he stretches his hand across the table.

My dad rubs his forehead and sighs. "As you know, I've been in the hospital for the past month. I can't speak for everyone here at this table, but from where I'm standing, you're a terrible person to your family, have no regard for work ethics and you have as much value as a stripper in a business meeting. Caleb will not work with Heath, I will not pit my daughter against her friend and finally, stay the fuck away from me and my family."

He stands up and gestures for the rest of us Wellingtons to do the same. "I believe this wretched night is over."

Those were his parting words as he leads us out of the house and towards the front door. I trail behind them, unsure if I want to get into the car with them or not.

A chair screeches in the background, and footsteps follow as Lucas runs to me. "I guess the Lealtads are going to adopt me after all."

I roll my eyes and chuckle at his joke. "You wish."

"Stay safe, Marci, and don't do anything stupid."

He gives me a quick hug before opening the front door for me and my family to walk out of his home.

My dad squeezes Lucas' shoulder briefly before stepping out into the dark parking lot and towards his car.

"Well, that could have gone worse." He says as he opens the car and we pile in.

"Oh please, those two need help and I don't think any asylum in their right mind would take them in." My mom snorts.

Dad flips the car in reverse and pulls out of the Stuart home and drives towards the Penthouse.

"Can Skye come live with us?" Abigail mumbles from beside me.

My mom sighs and looks back. "Sweetie, I'm not sure making her leaving her parents is a good thing."

Gail frowns. "I don't know where my parents are since you guys refused to tell me. But I stay with you guys."

Good job mom.

I tug her closer to me and hug her. "Your parents are out of town, but they promise to come back after their business trip."

The same old lie we've been feeding her since the parent-teacher conference that happened when she was four. My parents turned up for both of us and one teacher had the crap beat out of him after he mentioned the different surnames.

"On a side note, Marci, do you want to spend the night with us?" my dad asks as he holds eye contact with me through the rearview mirror.

The three of us are under one roof.

It is bad enough that we are riding home and my brain plays the time when Caleb first performed in my school. We drove back home together laughing and cracking jokes like family. I've been humming any song that comes to my mind to distract myself from the conversation until my dad deemed more of my input into the conversation.

I should have said yes. It is what I've been craving since the year began. The thought of us spending time together and enjoying each other's company is my Christmas wish, hell it's been my prayer since Abuela taught me how to pray. I should have gone with them to my mom's apartment and spent the night there.

But what did I do instead?

I opened the car door and jumped into ongoing traffic. My parents yelled curses as my dad stopped the car and threw it into reverse to keep up with my running form.

"Marci! Please wait! We just want to talk."

Talk?

Where was that when I needed it at the beginning of the year?

I ran half-blinded with tears against incoming cars and slipped through an alleyway between two buildings. Reaching the end, I climbed the metal fence and continued my journey to my haven.

I hate to say this guys, but I won't be able to update till December because I'm going back to uni and I have no access to my computer there. Hopefully I'll update as soon as I get back because I have exams to write immediately my ass lands in school.

Meanwhile feel free to check out my IG @justnere_ where I will be posting updates from time to time.  Please don't forget to correct me if you spot any errors. Please vote, share, and comment.

Have a nice day and please stay tuned.