Castle of Cards

2. PINK LOOKS GREAT ON YOU

"You need me. This "Nico", obviously doesn't know what he is doing. Plus, writing the whole paper on his own... you're depending a lot on this child."

This may not be an ideal way to spend their first day in their new school in someone else's books, but Zoya needed the money and she had to make this work.

"Miss Varela, it's your first day here. We advise you to take things slow. We get your excitement but rushing things will do you more harm than good."

Zoya had to bite her tongue to hold in the scoff that threatened to break free, "it's not about excitement. The school paper and the website it horrible. Its blatantly obvious that the people here are way too rich to actually give a shit, I am offering and you know that you need help, why not just cut the formalities and let me handle it."

She could see the lines on Hernandez's forehead and was pretty sure that she was biting down her tongue to not lash out. She could imagine the fury in her dad's eyes if he'd heard her talking to a teacher in that manner. She could see Vero's bewildered gaze after hearing her perfect sister talk like that, but what got her was the image of indifference in her mom's eyes, as if nothing Zoya did could surprise nor satisfy her.

She sighed trying to let go of the images in her head with the breath she let free. It didn't work. "I am sorry. That was rude. What I am trying to say is that I know what I am doing. I have been an active member in these areas back in my old school and from what I have seen, you all have so much to offer rather than just being 'the school for rich people'. I can help you."

Despite the blankness in Hernandez's eyes, there was nothing else that betrayed a single emotion that might be going through her. Zoya hadn't realised that she was holding her breath.

"Well, 'Nico over here' is wondering if anyone is going to ask him for his opinion." The boy was young. Dark hair, slightly shorter than Zoya herself with glasses framing his face beautifully.

"Ah! Nicholas, come in darling. This is Zoya Varela daughter of Nadia Varela and Zoya this is Nicholas Brown nephew of Mil- "

"Hi Zoya, I'm Nico, I love your hair." Nicholas 'Nico' Brown said cutting off Sarah Hernandez, looking at Zoya with a practiced smile trying to hide the way his eyebrow crinkled but Zoya noticed of course.

Zoya looked at his hand for a second trying to decipher what just happened, and then it clicked. After all, how hard it is to identify the signs that she possesses herself. It lies in the slight crinkle of the eyebrows, the smile looking way too heavy to be genuine, the way the breathing becomes way too practiced and the eyes stay a bit too still. Nicholas Brown knew what it felt like to be shadowed by someone who he probably isn't even close with.

"Hello Nico, I was talking to Principal Hernandez over here about how I'd love to help you with the school website, I'm great at taking pictures, and I am pretty good in writing as well, I can also help you with any other extra editing stuff." Zoya shook Nico's hand as Nico smiled a genuine smile this time.

"That's so kind of you Zoya. I actually did want to talk to Principal Hernandez about the paper. I have bigger plans Principal. As you know thanks to Instagram gossip pages, nobody reads the newspaper. I want that to change, I want this to actually add up the something before we leave this year. I know I have said that I don't need any help in the past but I need to get over myself and actually admit that I am not capable of doing something big without help. Zoya has volunteered, so why not take it?"

"Nicholas, this is her first day here, this is a huge pressure."

"I know ma'am, I'll walk her through it, introduce her to Calvin and make sure she isn't burning herself out."