Page 46 of Untouchable

“Dinner is ready.”

I walk over and take the extended plate she has for me. I look down to see an almost expertly displayed piece of Lasagna with a side salad.

“We didn’t have much for sides so I figured a salad would be okay,” she says with a shrug.

“It’s great. Thank you.”

She smiles softly and nods before grabbing her own plate. I move to the cupboard and pour her a glass of wine and me a glass of scotch before making my way over to the dining room table. Seraphina sits down in the chair right next to me as we begin to eat in silence.

After a few moments, I notice that she has some of the sauce in her hair. I for the life of me can’t figure out how she got it on top of her head like that in the first place but can’t help but laugh as I grab my napkin and start wiping at it.

“What the-”

She stops when she sees the sauce covered napkin come from her hair. Her cheeks flare with what looks like embarrassment, and she mumbles a thanks. A few more silent moments pass before she speaks again.

“Remember that time Ronnie Everson dumped his plate of spaghetti over my head at lunch?”

My lips quirk up as I remember that day vividly.

I pick at my lunch, not being able to fully focus on the food in front of me when I see a kid talking to Seraphina. She has told me about him before, and they have not been good things. He is in the 5thgrade, same as her. Normally we wouldn’t go to the same school but because this is a top tier private school and admissions are extremely exclusive just to get in, everyone from 5thto 12thgrade go to school together.

I can tell he likes her. She has come home more times than I can count, complaining about him pulling on her hair, poking her with a pencil during class or stealing her backpack. I can’t tell you why boys do stupid things like that to the girl that they like when they are young, they just do.

For a while now, I have been waiting for the chance to see this little shit pull something in front of me, but everyone at this school knows not to mess with Seraphina. She is practically my little sister and I have made sure everyone knows it.

Almost in slow motion, I watch as Ronnie picks up his plate of spaghetti and dumps it over Seraphina’s head. She gasps in shock as noodles rain down around her while the sauce dyes her pretty blonde hair red. Ronnie is cackling hysterically, and I am up and out of my seat before I can even think twice.

Crossing the cafeteria in record speed, I make my way over to Seraphina, quickly grabbing napkins off of the table and helping to get the majority of the spaghetti off of her. When she is as cleaned up as she can be, I grab her elbow and pull her close to me.

“Are you okay?” I ask.

Her lower lip wobbles as her eyes fill with tears. She is seconds away from losing it in front of everyone, but I won’t let that happen.

“Hey, hey,” I shush softly.

She looks up at me with her big bright eyes and I can’t help but admire them. They are practically like two jewels.

“Don’t let them see you cry. These are your people, Bella. You are Seraphina Mariano, a queen in the making and they are nothing but your subjects. So, straighten your crown.”

I see a strong resolve settle over her face as she nods determinedly. One of Seraphina’s friends puts her arm around her as they walk towards the locker room, probably to go and clean up better. Now that Seraphina is all taken care of, I turn my narrowed eyes towards Ronnie. I watch as all of the amusement and color drains from his face in an instant. He knows he is fucked.

My eyes find a few of my friends, and I nod to them quickly, silently commanding them to guard the doors. Staff don’t typically come into the cafeteria unless they need to. It is an unofficial rule that we tend to handle all of our own problems without staff interference. All of us are from wealthy and powerful families, we all will take roles in those families one day. That means learning how to handle our own business from a young age.

Slowly, I stalk towards Ronnie as he takes serval steps backwards.

“I-it was just a j-joke,” he stumbles as he takes another large step away from me.

I match every move he makes until my chest brushes against his chin. I should feel bad that I am about to beat the shit out of a kid 4 years younger than me, but then I think about Seraphina humiliated and covered in spaghetti and my guilt seems to flitter away.

“Cut the shit. You are never going to go near Seraphina again. You won’t talk to her, you won’t look at her, hell, you will never even breathe the same air as her again, got it?”

“Y-yeah. Yeah. O-okay.”

I nod. “Good.”

What seems like relief runs through him as his shoulders drop. Oh, the poor kid thinks that is all I got for him? He is mistaken. Winding back my arm I deliver a direct hit to his jaw that sends him falling backwards like a solid statue. I jump on top of him, straddling him as I deliver a few more hits just for good measure. They aren’t very satisfying though seeing as he is knocked out cold. I can’t deny the rush of adrenaline that runs through me at the sight of my enemy’s blood on my hands. Maybe I have been spending too much time with my dad.

I slowly peel myself off of him and stand up to my full height, sending a warning look to everyone in the room to keep their mouths shut. I stop when I see a sparkling pair of blue eyes staring at me with what looks like shock and horror. Her hair is damp like she ran her head under water to get the sauce out.

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