don't lie to me

Chapter XIV

"I'm taking her to the fucking nurse." Nicholas said without looking up or even specifying who he was talking to, still no one corrected him and he just kept staring at- what I assume was- the growing mark on my cheek. He clenched his jaw before his rough hands took my wrist between his fingers and lightly pulled me towards the door. It was actually quite gentle but I was too focused on the single tear rolling down my cheek to notice. I took another deep breath and blinked back tears so I wouldn't sound like I was lying when I said what I was about to.

"Hey, um, you don't really need to walk me to the nurse. I don't really need to go, it's just a bruise." Despite my best efforts, it seemed that my voice had come out weaker than I wanted.

He looked at me for a moment and shook his head in dismissal as though it was the stupidest thing he had ever heard. "No." He briefly looked back at my cheek and something (regret, sympathy?) flashed on his face before he turned back and led me back to the nurse. It was actually good that he was here, because, even though I didn't really want to, it was probably for the best that I got ice on this sooner rather than later so it was coverable and my brothers wouldn't bombard me with questions the second I stepped through the door. Besides, he probably just didn't want to go to his next class right away and would just drop me off and then leave.

...

That logical theory I just came up with- yeah no.

"Mr. Ardizzone," she sounded shocked to see him, "how can I help you, sir?" The nurse asked when he came in with me. Nicholas immediately started to explain what had happened in a tone that implied he thought it was her fault.

The nurse listened intently, almost in fear of what would happen if she didn't, turned to me and reached to turn my head so that she could get a better view of my cheek. "I'm okay, really, a bag of ice would be great but I'd really just like to get back to cl-"

I was cut off by a door being aggressively slammed open, likely denting the dark wood that covered the lower half of the walls.

"Amalia, are you okay?"

"I am going to kill whoever did this." Stefano and Vincent said at the same time as they stormed over to where I was sitting.

"Mr. Caputo, Mr. Caputo, you came so quickly." She mumbled some other word vomit in an attempt to explain what had happened and how she planned to treat me, and only stopped once Vincent not so politely asked her to be quiet.

"What are you two doing here?" I asked angrily. Seriously, the last thing I needed right now was them making a huge deal out of nothing. I didn't know them particularly well, but I could guarantee that they would tell the rest of my brothers and at least some of them would have a complete meltdown over this.

"We were called as soon as it happened," Stefano said, as though he was genuinely confused as to why I would even ask.

I immediately turned towards the nurse, "Why would you even call them in here it has nothing to do with them," I wasn't angry, but the irritation was clear in my voice.

"That was incredibly disrespectful and, for your information, she was not the one to call us." I realised after he said that that I had been very rude to a woman who was probably just trying to do her job. Even though he had no right to say anything given the way that he and the rest of them treat people, he was right and I needed to change my attitude towards innocent people before I became the spoiled brats surrounding me so I mumbled a quiet apology that Stefano nodded at in approval. "But we had to be called, it's on all your documents that anything concerning your education or well-being had to immediately be reported to Leonardo and us."

"That's ridiculous"

"It's the rules, and trust me you will have a long conversation with Leonardo if you want to complain about it. That is, of course, as soon as he is done with Nicholas." Vincent said, turning his gaze to glare at Nicholas.