"The state university exhibition is mostly to help with the late admissions, and for the juniors." I say.

Mama is driving us to school this morning, the first time in a long time, she's been so busy lately, we rarely see her. Although, all the money she's been making has helped her gather enough confidence to look at some new locations downtown.

"Have you heard from anymore schools yet?" She asks.

I nod, "All of them, except Paris, it's a popular school so I presume the selection process is slower."

"Paris, just the name screams prestige." Mama dance with her shoulders. "I'm gonna be so proud letting everyone know that my daughter will attend the world's most famous fashion school, not the country's, I said the world's most famous fashion school."

My laugher is weak.

The school year is tightening up and all the universities are starting to respond to the applications we've sent out. I remember Alicia and I spent days in the school library, looking up schools, "The further the better!" we chanted. Paris is really far, far away from Etienne who seems to need me the most right now, far away from Mama, far away from Nonno, who knows how many years he has got left. However, my biggest concern is not them, it's Valentino and I. Me moving to Paris only gives us the rest of the term and this summer. It just isn't fair, it seems that we've just gotten to a good place, we know how we feel about each other, even our family know, well, except Nonno. It will be sad saying goodbye, If I were to get in.

"I can pick you up after school if you like?"

I nod " yes please".

"Alright have a nice day." her last words before driving off, leaving me at the school parking lot, where a big white bus awaited all the senior students.

Getting on the bus and looking down the aisle, I quickly realised that I have no place to sit. Alicia is not talking to me and she's already crammed to the window beside some girl from our history class. On the left side in the middle I see Dario, he looks determined as always, I bet he's already been accepted to all of the top schools in the country. His backpack held the seat next to him, clearly he wanted to be left alone. There's a section reserved for Hilda-Maria and her flamingos, amongst them Gaia, to me she's no longer considered a flamingo, I consider her more normal now that I've gotten to know her slightly better, slightly, meaning until I found out she likes doing drugs with her damned cousin Timo.

Keep in mind people this is all happening in a split second, me analyzing where to sit. Pressure is built behind me since I'm preventing other students from getting on the bus.

"Move." Someone snaps.

I start walking down the isle meeting everybody's eye, Dario gives me a slight nod but puts his arm around his backpack. Alicia ignores me completely, I remember her saying she hates when I do that, guess now I know how it feels. There's an awkward encounter with Gaia down the aisle, caused by me having to wait for the student in front to cram into his seat.

"Hey." I mumble.

"Hey." she smiles. Despite her newly discovered flaws her smile is still flawless.

The asile is clear, I continue past Gaia. I end up in the back of the bus, amongst what I can tell will be the loud and smelly corner overloaded by testosterone filled homo sapiens. I kram myself into a window seat and like Dario I allow my bag to guard the seat next to me.

"Hey!" I hiss angrily, looking down at my smooshed bag.

"Sorry." Angelo chuckles, "Can I sit here?"

I frown but place the bag between my legs so he can take a seat.

******

"So let him develop his on style and correct him based on that...." The bus finally stops in front of this business center and the students descends. Angelo has been going on and on about motorcycles and riding, my brain is melting at this point.

".....or at least that's what I try to do with Michelle."

"Mhm." I roll my eyes.

Everyone gathers in front of the entrance. Miss Caruso and Mr Ricci are the chaperones, and it's pretty obvious that they dislike each other.

"Remember kids, university isn't everything you can create any outcome in your life, just like when you paint a picture, just imagine and then paint!" Miss Caruso's moves her hands with the wind as she speak.

"Yeah, but you can't create any job so be cautious in their children, you futures depend on it." Mr Ricci countered.

Miss Caruso hands stop moving, if looks could kill, Mr Ricci was most certainly dead.

The center is filled with booths representing schools from all over the country and the world. Senior students from all over where gathered here today. I walk around mostly scoping out the school giving away free stuff, since I've already applied to the schools of my choice.

"Have you applied for any school yet?" I ask Angelo who's been walking with me ever since the bus.

He nods, and tucks another free pen in his pocket. "All of them have accepted me."

"Really, that's great congratulations."

He gives me a half hearted smile.

"What, don't you want to go?"

"Only reason I applied is incase this racing thing doesn't work out, you know, to ensure my parents that I won't be a homeless bum later."

I nod, understanding. "I don't know what they're so worried about, you're a great rider." I'm not sure If I was telling the truth, since I haven't really paid any attention to Angelos riding lately, all I know is that he was awful as a child, there must've been some improvements over the years.

"I know, but I'm not as good as Rossi and now that he's out of school, he has been hitting the tracks everyday. My parents would never let me leave school to do that."

"I guess." I say, guilt in my voice. Poor Angelo he doesn't stand a chance against Vale.

"Yeah, If I don't perform well in the next couple of months I'm off to Law School."

"Law School?" I frown. However Angelos attention is elsewhere.

In the center of the whole exhibition is this big fountain, with a sculpture of a dancing woman, water runs down the woman's body which makes it look like she's wearing a dress made out of crystal.

"Cool!" Angelo gasps.

"Art!" Miss Caruso whispers near us, she looks to have been standing there for a long time.

The banner above the fountains says "La Parisienne Fabric, School of Fashion and Design."

"Wanna get something to eat?" Angelo says after a while, I had been admiring the sculpture, still admiring.

"You go ahead, I'm gonna stay here for a second." I say, without breaking my mesmerising gaze of the fountain.

I must of been staring at the fountain for about twenty minutes, the world moved around me, students cheerfully imageninge their futures at one of these university. For the first time I could see it too, me strutting around Paris, being all in love with life, I wanted that so bad, I just wasn't sure until now.

"Have you heard from em?" A voice spoke from behind me.

I turn around and freeze at the sight of Alicia. I immediately look to her eyes, they're tired, a thin layer of concealer covering the bags underneath her eyes, her pupils are normal size though, which indicates that she isn't on something.

"No have you?" I say timid.

She shakes her head, "Any day now." She sighs.

Has she forgotten that we're fighting, Is that why she's talking to me again?

We stand in silence admiring the sculpture. I stand close enough to touch her, I want to hug her and say I'm sorry for all the pain I've caused her.

"Bonjour!" A woman with a high pitched voice says. "Are you guys thinking of applying to La Fab?" The woman is supermodel thin, she's in her early twenties, neat makeup, not too little not too much, exactly how I pictured all the females of La Parisienne Fabric would look like, and all the male students would be well dressed gay men.

Alicia nods.

"Très bien! Are you friends, because I'm here to promote the accommodation La Fab is offering their students."

Alicia and I stay quiet while the woman stares at us with her cheerful eyes.

"La Fab will be able to offer you apartments viewing all of Paris or you'll find price fitting dorms not far from campus."

The woman's smile towards Alicia and I has started to twitch, neither of us are responding, it's clearly unsettling for her.

"I'll leave you with these pamphlets, feel free to ask me any questions, I'll be standing in the booth behind the fountain." The woman leaves handing us the pamphlets.

The pamphlet show images of students happily strutting around the campus of La Parisienne Fabric. The image is very alluring.

Suddenly Alicia's pamphlet fans beside me. "I'm going no matter what." She turns to me, there's determination in her voice, first time in a long time I recognize her again. Brave and determined, words that define Alicia.

"Me too." I say, matching her determination.

"Mean it!" Hastily she folds the pamphlet and tuck it in her bag, She begins to brush past me.

"Alicia." My hand grips around her wrist, preventing her from leaving. "I...I'm sorry, for everything." I mumble.

She looks to my extended arm and just as I thought she's about to yank it away, her face softens. She nods understandingly.

"You'll tell me if you get in, won't you?"

I nod letting go of her wrist. "Only If you tell me."

I spent the bus ride home looking at the back of Alicia's head, imagining what has been going on in there. Occasionally Angelo would poke me on the side to give me yet another tip on how to help Etienne. Good luck in Law School, I thought.