Chapter 8: Chapter 8: Going Back

I bit my lip nervously as I looked up at the school building. It had been a week since I was last here.

They closed school so the police could investigate, and I spent that whole week with Giovanni and the rest of the boys.

I looked down at my hand just as Giovanni intertwined our fingers. He stepped in front of me and tilted my head up so I was looking into his eyes.

“Are you going to be okay?” he asked with concern lacing his voice and in his eyes.

“You’ll stay with me the whole day?” I asked hopefully.

“Of course, ~piccolo~, and if something happens, you’ll have Alessandro,” he said with a small smile.

I couldn’t fight the butterflies I started to feel in my stomach from the nickname that just slid off his tongue.

“Then I’ll be fine,” I said, shrugging and slinging my book bag over my shoulder.

My car was still at the shop getting the paint removed from the hood, so Giovanni was going to be driving me to and from school even though I’d told him I was okay with walking.

“Let’s go then,” he said as he started walking to the building, dragging me behind him.

I tried to take my hands from his as people stopped walking to watch us—our interlocked hands specifically.

“Giovanni, people are watching,” I whispered as I tried to take my hand from his.

“Are you my girlfriend?” he asked, stopping and looking at me.

“Of course I am,” I said, scrunching my eyebrows together in confusion.

“Then let them stare,” he whispered before leaning down and catching my lips in a passionate kiss.

He licked my bottom lip, asking for entrance, which I denied, making him growl and me giggle. He put his hand on my hip before reaching back and squeezing my butt.

I gasped in response, and he quickly slipped his tongue in my mouth before pulling me closer into him.

“Guys, as happy as I am that you two are together, we do have to get to class,” Alessandro said.

I pulled away from Giovanni and bit my lip sheepishly. “Sorry,” I mumbled, letting Giovanni take my hand in his again.

“Hey, kid,” Dimitri said, smiling at me. I rolled my eyes at the nickname but couldn’t help but smile back.

“Hey, midget,” I responded, getting a chuckle from Dimitri.

Lorenzo just smiled, and I wholeheartedly returned it.

“I’m not a midget,” Dimitri said with amusement dancing in his eyes.

“And I’m not a kid,” I said, shrugging.

“Okay . . . ~kid~,” Dimitri said again. He chuckled as I pouted my lips and turned my attention back to Giovanni.

“He’s mean,” I grumbled, making him chuckle.

“Bye, kid,” Dimitri said, waving and walking away.

“Bye, midget. Bye, Lorenzy,” I said, waving at the two.

Lorenzo scrunched his face up in disgust at the nickname, making me giggle.

“Bye, princess, and please don’t call me that,” Lorenzo said as he walked away.

I turned back to face Giovanni and Alessandro.

“Lorenzy?” Giovanni asked with a smirk.

I giggled and shrugged. “It fits,” I said as we started walking to class.

“What’s my nickname?” Alessandro asked as we stepped in front of our classroom.

“Gray eyes,” I said simply.

“Then I’ll call you ~Neonata~,” he said, letting the Italian roll off his tongue.

“You will not,” Giovanni said, glaring at Alessandro.

“Why not? I like it,” I mumbled.

“Neonata means ‘baby girl,’ ~piccolo~,” Giovanni said, keeping his glare on Alessandro.

“Okay, okay, how about ~Amorina~?” Alessandro asked, once again letting the Italian roll off his tongue.

I couldn’t help but smile brightly at the nickname. I had absolutely no idea what it meant, but it sounded right—~felt~ right.

“I like it,” I said before Giovanni could say anything.

“You don’t even know what it means,” Alessandro said, laughing and shaking his head.

“I don’t care. It sounds nice,” I said, shrugging.

“It means ‘little lovely,’” Giovanni whispered into my ear.

“Great, so it’s been decided that’s my new nickname,” I said, turning away from the boys and toward the classroom door, only for it to open and students to start coming out grumbling about an assembly.

Giovanni, Alessandro, and I exchanged confused glances before we started following after our classmates.

“All students and staff, please start making your way to the auditorium now for the assembly,” our principal said over the loudspeakers.

We finally stepped into the auditorium, and my breath hitched in my throat.

I saw a picture of the dead teacher hanging in the middle of the room with the principal, vice-principal, and two police officers standing underneath it.

The principal mumbled something when he noticed me, and the two officers looked over at me with raised eyebrows, making me quickly avert my gaze.

“I don’t like this,” Alessandro mumbled next to me, obviously seeing the interaction.

“Thank you, students, for coming—” The principal started before he was interrupted.

“We didn’t have a choice,” the voice that interrupted him said. I heard a few chuckles, and I automatically knew a jock said it.

I looked up again to see the officers still staring at me with accusing glares, and I tensed.

They thought ~I~ killed her? Why? I couldn’t seem to wrap my head around it.

I hadn’t realized I was lost in my thoughts until Giovanni wrapped his arm around me, pulling me into him to try to comfort me, which thankfully it did.

I looked up and sent him a small smile, which he returned, before I looked back down to see the officers now not only glaring at me, but also Giovanni.

“. . . bow our heads in a moment of silence,” the principal said, snapping me back to reality.

The room got quiet, and I took Giovanni’s hand that wasn’t wrapped around me and put it in my lap before playing with his fingers.

“Thank you. You are all free to go. Remember to be safe, students. Luna Smith, please stay behind,” the principal said as he dismissed everybody.

I tensed again as everybody except Giovanni and Alessandro turned to look at me before leaving.

I could feel the panic rising as I watched the students begin to leave and the officers turn to each other, whispering harshly before looking back at me and returning to their conversation.

“I swear I didn’t kill her,” I whispered, looking up at Alessandro with wide eyes. He looked down shocked but quickly wiped it off and sent me a small smile.

“I know you were with Alessandro the whole time, babe,” Giovanni whispered, gently squeezing my hand. I bit my lip nervously and nodded slowly.

I stiffened more and tried to squeeze myself into him as I watched the officers and the principals start to approach me.

“Luna, these officers have a few questions for you. Would you like to stay here or go to my office?” the principal asked as if he was trying to make me comfortable.

I looked past his head to see the banner of the teacher, and the image of her lifeless body popped into my head. I let out a shaky breath.

“Your office, please,” I said, looking away from the banner and back at him.

He nodded and started to lead us back to his office. My stomach and grip on Giovanni’s hand tightened the closer we got to his office.

“It’s going to be okay, baby,” he whispered in my ear, successfully calming me down.

I nodded weakly and loosened my grip. Alessandro sent me a small smile, which I returned and looked ahead to see the officers staring at me expectantly.

“They can’t go in with you,” one of the officers said.

“Why not?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.

“It’s okay,” Alessandro said, trying to reassure me.

“I don’t care if both of them can’t come in, but Giovanni is coming in with me, or we can wait for my parents if you have a couple of months to spare,” I said, looking between the officers.

They looked at each other before nodding once and stepping into the office, with me and Giovanni going in behind them.

“I need you to tell us what you were doing when you found Ms. Token’s body,” the officer on the left said.

I looked into his green eyes, the only features on his body that I cared to know, and sighed.

I started off by telling him what I saw at my locker with Barbie and Giovanni and made my way through with that.

“Are you sure that’s what happened?” his partner asked, his brown eyes filled with curiosity as if I were going to clear my throat and begin telling a different story.

“Yes,” I said, feeling suddenly drained.

“Can you tell us what happened again from the top?” the green-eyed officer asked.

I stared at him wide-eyed and took a deep breath before repeating the whole thing to him once again. He nodded when I finished and crossed his arms over his chest.

“I don’t believe you,” he said plainly.

I shrugged and rolled my eyes. “I don’t care. I know what I did and didn’t do, so unless you can magically prove I did something that I can guarantee you I didn’t, I would like to leave.”

I got ready to leave despite what the officers were going to say.

“Oh no, I know you didn’t kill her—that I believe—but I don’t believe this innocent act one bit. You’re Giovanni Russo’s girl, which means you—”

“Enough,” Giovanni growled, interrupting whatever the brown-eyed officer had to say. Both officers smirked and looked between the two of us as amusement danced in their eyes.

“She doesn’t know,” they said at the same time, continuing to look between the two of us.

“I’m right here,” I said, scoffing. All three of them turned to look at me, and I felt uncomfortable under their gaze, realizing I should have just kept my mouth shut.

“Let’s go,” Giovanni grumbled as he started to head toward the door. I followed after him quietly and bit my lip anxiously.

What were they talking about in there? Yes, I wanted to know, and yes, I was dying to ask Giovanni, but I knew he would tell me in his own time, when he was ready.

“You’re not in handcuffs, so that’s good,” I heard Alessandro say, cutting through my thoughts.

I watched as Giovanni continued to walk away without giving me so much as a second glance.

I bit my lip and started playing with my fingers before telling Alessandro what happened.

“What did they mean by ‘she doesn’t know’?” I asked softly. He tensed and sent me a weak smile.

“That’s something Giovanni has to tell you,” he responded softly.

“I don’t want to make him feel like he has to tell me. I want to know what they were talking about, but I don’t want it to get between us,” I said, stopping in front of my locker.

“D-do you think he still wants to be with me?” I asked softly.

Alessandro’s head whipped toward me so fast I’m surprised he still had a neck. “Of course he does,” he said softly.

“He just needs to be alone?” I asked, finishing for him.

He sent me a small smile and nodded.

“Are you okay to stay for the rest of the day, or do you want to leave?” he asked, taking my bookbag and slinging it over his shoulder.

“Let’s stay,” I said softly.

He nodded, and we started walking side by side to our next class.

“He’s not coming,” I said, looking at him worriedly.

“I’m sure he’s fine,” he said, sending me a small smile, but I could see the worry in his eyes.