Something about school gossip and the mafia and lost Grace

Honestly, what did I really think about Weston? It had nothing to do with his sister, status, or the losses he caused me. Truth be told, he was almost a genius, although he temporarily hid it. His skills in chess, cards, and billiards surpassed those of other specialists.

"Oh, hi. Where are you going? "- a voice came from behind me. I turned around and there stood the mafioso.

"Just putting my backpack down before I head to play chess. Want to join me?" - I asked, and his gaze caught the brunette.

"Hey, be careful there, Luke in class. He's a bit beaten up and has lost 2 friends already." - I whispered to the blonde. I sat by the window, making space for the girl. - "Sure, I understand." - I answered shortly and walked ahead. I was indifferent to Flores; he was to blame for what happened. But I was a bit unnerved by one thing: the fact that the same killer was walking behind me. It seemed like nothing, but... those ants crawling on my skin.

"Move over, Karner." - a voice sounded next to me, and I turned my head and wasn't mistaken. The mafioso was standing there, tapping his foot impatiently. I took a seat near the window, giving room to the girl. "At least you could snap"

I smiled, and the brunette put one foot on her chair and immersed herself in her phone. Her eyes were fixed on some message, undistracted by the surrounding noise. I glanced at the others and noticed that Foris was missing. He had disappeared somewhere.

And then my phone seemed to go crazy, ringing and buzzing like mad, message after message flooding in. The notifications created quite a commotion. I turned off the sound, but the screen kept flashing. I reached for my backpack and started rummaging through it.

"Do you never turn on your phone at all?" - Grace's sister inquired. I looked at her. Suddenly, my phone appeared in her hands.

"I just don't have the time." - I muttered. At that moment, it didn't even occur to me to retrieve what she had.

"Messages from Lisa, Mom, Sister – if I'm not mistaken – from Bob, Grace, and a couple of unknown numbers. "- she dictated.

"Grace?" - I exclaimed in surprise, then grabbed the phone.

"Julianne, hey! "- a group of students burst into the classroom, led by none other than Charlie's sister. And trailing behind them was Luke, accompanied by his gang. The blond guy's expression shifted drastically the moment his eyes fell on the mafiosa.

The lesson commenced, and as usual, Miss Lind greeted us with a warm smile, engaging in light conversation that highlighted her gleaming white teeth. I hadn't anticipated this class to be quite so lackluster. Normally, we'd be immersed in some activity, but today was different – we were simply tasked with writing. I could practically feel the brunette's frustration and disinterest in the air. On top of that, there was that absurd exchange between Weston and Wilson.

"Oh my God, he's so stunning. When is he finally going to return?"

"Karen... lower your voice; you're not exactly whispering."

"As if they can't figure out who I'm talking about."

"Still, sweetheart, I know. Every other girl here is swooning over Marcelo Vesper. And, truth be told, even the teachers acknowledge his good looks, though they also acknowledge his mischievous nature."

"Oh, come on, you too," the head of the Fashion Club chimed in with a chuckle.

"What?" - Mort's sister asked, turning back to me, with a face full of confusion.

"I don't even know myself. "- I whispered.

The lesson ended, and we returned to our classroom. Unexpectedly for me, Grace was already sitting there, looking sleepy and seemingly still half-asleep. When the classroom door slammed shut, the guy jumped in his chair, blinking rapidly.

"Oh, you guys came." - Mort grumbled, squinting his eyes.

"Why weren't you in the first lesson?" - I immediately confronted him with accusations.

"I got lost." - the brunette said sleepily. - "And overslept."

"Well, as always." - his sister chimed in, sounding satisfied.

"Also, I haven't had a proper meal yet. And my phone... I probably left it at home. "- the guy continued complaining. I just nodded with understanding. I still hadn't forgotten the time when this thug pointed a gun at me with that TV remote. It wasn't funny at all.

"Ahem... here. "- Somehow, Luke appeared near us. His face was bruised, and even the powder or whatever he smeared couldn't hide the big bruise under his eye. The blond guy handed over a piece of paper, his eyes flashing with anger. "This is from young Mr. Mueller, I'll be serving him until I'm old. "- he added. And then Mort burst into laughter, while his sister took the letter.

"I can see something interesting happened right after I left." - the mafioso smiled, waved her hand at Foris to come closer. She started unfolding the letter and reading it, occasionally letting out short chuckles while reading.

"What's going on? What's in there? Show us." - the brunette seemed to wake up, clearly intrigued by the events. The girl handed her brother the folded letter, and I peered over his shoulder to take a look.

"Hi. It seems that's all I wanted to say. But no, really, I'm just curious if this telepin will deliver the message. You see that giant bruise on his face? I did that. Even Wiki praised me for it. Let me know when he responds. P.S. I accidentally burned his card. And now he's called Irisechko."

"Irisechko?!" - Mort exclaimed hysterically, bursting into laughter and slowly sliding off his chair. His laughter was infectious, soon, I was laughing even louder.

"Well, well, we have a fantasizer in our midst." - the girl smiled and disappeared somewhere after our short conversation.

Mort and I didn't wait either. Ten minutes before the lesson began, Grays suddenly wanted to go somewhere. If only the brunette were an ordinary guy, the kind you'd play football with in the yard and jump in the mud with. But no, he had to be born into a mafia family.

"You really told the truth. The cappuccino in this café is different from the others." - he nodded, sitting with me on a park bench.

"Yes, this drink improves my mood."

"In one cup there's a bunch of chemicals and sweeteners that could harm your health. What were you saying about mood? "- I didn't expect this turn of events. Gray was impersonating a "mom," and suddenly, I drank too much of the hot drink and spat it out onto the curb.

I looked at the mafioso's son with a "WTF men!?" expression. To say that I was caught off guard would be an understatement. Suddenly, a brilliant idea popped into my head to beat Mort at his own game.

"Let's go up to the café's rooftop. They say there's a great view from there." - I suggested. At first, Mort looked at me suspiciously, then replied.