Let me teach you, Rosa

𝑓𝑖𝑣𝑒

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽.* :☆ﾟ. ───

Rosa was dismissed earlier than two because Emilia was upset and Rosa was upset and they were consistently butting heads. It made Rosa even more hostile than that morning and she hated it. Eventually, Emilia and she argued and she was kicked out of the office and even told not to go back tomorrow unless Chloe explicitly tells her to. Rosa despised arguing as it always brought her loads of memories but then the memories fueled anger so she argued more and grew even more hostile and rude resulting in a vicious cycle of hatred towards herself. Sometimes, she just wished she didn't have all the trauma she was holding and wasn't an angry person. The people around her were mostly so nice, especially the Colombo sisters, but she felt so guilty for treating them so negatively. She just wanted to apologise to Emilia now and get it all over with but part of her hated apologising. She wasn't going to - not unless Emilia apologised first. She did start the argument after all.

She headed down to the lake on the school campus that afternoon. It wasn't really a nice day though so she made sure to take her blanket with her and unbeknownst to anyone else, her cat teddy was with her also. She had her book in her hand and was ready to indulge in some reading - some escapism. She felt tired but she didn't want to be cooped up in her room more than she needed to be, especially on the weekend. She had texted Tobias and Jenny when she got out of detention to see if they were free but they hadn't replied, Rosa assumed they were ignoring her intentionally which didn't really surprise her. She felt more lonely than ever on days like this. In her old life, although full of confusion and being lost, she had a family. She had friends and people who supported her no matter what (or so she thought). She went from having everything to nothing and she knew that was what hurt most. At first, she could get over being sent to the boarding school as long as she still contacted her parents and her siblings and her best friends also but when the contact slowly widdled away, she was struck with the realisation that her life had changed forever and no matter how hard she tried to get it back, she had ruined it for herself.

She kicked her feet up on the bench and wrapped the blanket around her back and tucked it in between her legs. It hid her torso which was where her cat lay. Opening her book, she was taken into Victorian England with Sherlock Holmes and John Watson.

After a few chapters and a pain in her neck began, she looked around at the cold autumn day. She wished the day was nicer but the cold was sort of refreshing, cleansing almost, a reminder of home. The sun was shining down on the water although the air was absent of any heat which had always confused the girl. How could it be so sunny yet so cold? She never understood, no matter how many times her father tried to explain it when she still lived with him. The trees were holding their red leaves but most had fallen onto the ground. Although they weren't on the ground. The school kept their campus very neat and tidy and there were strict rules on respecting it. At this time of year, the lake was never busy however in summer- you were never alone. Sometimes, when being alone was all Rosa wanted, she resented it. She loved the lake as it reminded her of home and she often imagined it as the Mirror of Erised- if she looked hard enough she could see her 'deepest, most desperate desires in her heart'.

Just as that thought emerged, Chloe appeared in the water which made Rosa frown- Chloe was her desire? She heard a chuckle and looked up from the reflection. Beside the bench stood Chloe. Great timing, thought Rosa.
"Hey kid," Chloe said, tapping her legs. Rosa lifted her legs and put them on the floor but caused her blanket to drop also- in the process, her cat dropped too. Scrambling to get it, she blushed and swore under her breath- she didn't want Chloe to see that. She picked it up as quickly as she could and hid it in the blanket which bunched around her waist and thighs. Shooting a quick glance at Chloe, she blushed seeing the smile she held.
"You're back quicker than expected," Rosa mumbled, trying to avert the conversation.
"Yeah. It was just an emergency meeting thing." Chloe played it off and looked around at the lake. Rosa sighed and nodded, she remembered crossing the line earlier when she asked. She'd crossed the line a lot recently.
"It's not two yet, how come you're here?" Chloe asked, turning her body and attention to Rosa. Rosa avoided looking at her but brought her knees up to her chest, keeping herself warm. Chloe was wearing a big fluffy coat but Rosa didn't own one of them. She'd always wanted one but could never afford them- especially since the town closest to the school was full of posh shops where a pair of leggings were over twenty pounds.
"Miss Colombo was grumpy so she sent me away," Rosa chuckled.
"Hm, sounds like Emilia," Chloe sniggered. "What was she grumpy about?"
"Something about me being too short and then her having to look after the school. She said some weird things in your secret language."
"It's not a secret language Rosa." Chloe laughed. Rosa looked at her, confused.
"I know it's Italian but you say it all so fast I have no idea what you're saying, like ever!"
"That's the point." Rosa blushed and lowered her head- she guessed it was the point. She couldn't help but feel left out at the idea of not being allowed to know the information but she knew it was silly. She knew that there was no reason for her to know. She knew she obviously wasn't meant to be involved with a teacher's private life - especially her head teacher's private life but when it was all so secretive and mysterious, she couldn't help herself. On top of that, she had spent more time with the sisters recently than she had with anyone else and the loneliness hung over her like a dark cloud.