As she sprinted, she heard the bell resound. Her heartbeat quickened. Shit, I’m going to be late for class. Her backpack would bang against her back as her bangs fell in front of her brown eyes, hiding her view. Maniacally, she went to her classroom as she saw her classmates, already ready, sitting in their chairs. When they heard her breathing heavily, they all shifted to her, including the teacher. 

“You’re late, Miss. Fletcher.” The professor warned as she lowered her glasses to eye her seriously... “You know very well I don’t accept latecomers.” 

“I’m sorry Mrs. Jonhson, I promise this won’t happen again.” Isabel said as she caught her breath, her eyes flickering. “I-I was just...--” 

“No excuses, Fletcher, and go sit to your place.” 

Ashamed, the girl stepped into the class and gazed around the room, noticing how everyone’s eyes were on her. She tried to ignore it, but she just couldn’t as she met those amused eyes. Sitting at her place, Isabel began organizing her equipment, placing her backpack on the back of her chair to make it hang. And so, class started in a mess, once again. She never had luck, and karma was her middle name. Why? She couldn’t tell, but she was starting to get disturbed by all of this. she wanted it to end. 

Fuck class, the teenager thought as she glanced around. Even the teacher wouldn’t care about me if I failed, it’s only mom, dad and Lucia who would. She sighed. I wish I could just start it all over...She was daydreaming again. Those thoughts of escaping reality made her wander in crazy ideas. 

“Isabel? Can you answer to my question on the board?” A gravelly voice pulled her out of her trance, scratching her long nails across the board to get her attention. 

The concerned one winced and covered her ears, looking over. She tried to understand, but when she looked down at her desk, she learned with shock that her workbook wasn’t there. Fuck, it was there just a minute ago! She peeked her head around to see if anyone had it, but then she saw Beth, Ginny’s best friend, hiding it in her own desk, smirking at her. Isabel gritted her teeth and tried to focus on the question as she didn’t have her book. 

“I-I don’t have my book, I’m sorry.” 

“What do you mean you don’t have your book? Aren’t you supposed to have all your material the moment you step into your classroom?” Mrs. Johnston insisted, lifting her brow so high that it reached the top of her forehead. 

The Italian girl didn’t know what to do. In fact, she could snitch Beth and get her book back, but who knows what Ginny could do to her afterwards? She wasn’t scared of them, and yet she didn’t want to know how another punch in the gut felt. 

“I forgot it at home...” Isabel murmured silently, her gaze shifting from Beth to the institutor with a hint of frustration. 

Mrs. Jonhson sighed in disappointment and shook her head, putting her hands to the side of it. The woman then forced a smile and rolled her eyes, seemingly furious that Isabel did something wrong, once again. It wasn’t the first time anyways. 

“You know what? I believe you, and I’m glad that you’re being honest with me just this once, Miss. Fletcher. Please have it for the next time though. I’m tired of you never having your material and to be late to my first. This mustn’t happen again, okay? Although I’m certain this will, please be careful.” 

Beth threw back the manual when the teacher shifted to the blackboard again, and she hardly caught it. The victim glared at Ginny’s best friend with hatred, convinced that her gaze told her everything. And yet the other fake managed to get rid of problems easily, when Isabel always had Ginny’s gang mocking her, always on her back. 

After thirty minutes, the English class was finally done. She stood up from her desk and pushed the chair underneath it, stepping towards the science class. One class before dinner, she reminded herself as she took a deep breath and entered the classroom. 

*** 

The bell rang. Finally. Isabel strolled to her locker wearily, sighing deeply as her shoulders slumped down. It was dinner time. She would have some peace. That was a lie, Ginny and Beth would be on her back, surely. The girl’s throat tightened at the thought of seeing them again. 

She gripped her lunchbox, slamming her locker as she went to the cafeteria. Her footsteps brought her to the lonely table at the back, where nobody would sit except her. Opening her lunch box, she felt relaxed when she saw what her mother prepared for her. The real known Italian pizza. Next to it, there was a small note from her mother: 

“Spero che ti piacerà la pizza che ho preparato apposta per te, mio raggio di sole.” 

*I hope you’ll enjoy that pizza I made especially for you, my sunshine* 

Isabel knew how much effort her mother put into that one basic meal. Even though it wasn’t a chef’s recipe, she was grateful that her busy mother found some time to cook great food for her children. Normally, the girl made her lunch, yet her mom warned her that she had already taken care of it. A smile reaching her eyes, she began eating, feeling all happy. 

And yet, her bad luck had to come in handy. Ginny sat right in front of her, along with Beth following her as if she was her bodyguard. The two fakes took their places and stared in disdain and disbelief at their victim’s food- considering themselves better than the entire world, visibly. 

“What are you eating, ugly? I bet you ordered a pizza from Domino’s because you were too broke to afford anything.” Ginny mentioned, batting her fake lashes as she forced a smile. 

“Silence betrayed the truth!” Beth continued as her lips curled into a smirk, twirling around her finger a strand of blonde hair. “You can’t escape from the reality forever, Fletcher...” 

Both snickered and leaned against each other in approval, as if they were so funny. Isabel stood silent and ate silently, as if their presence wasn’t bothering her at all. She eyed them as she ignored those sayings, knowing well it would be even worse if she tried to say something. 

“What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue?” 

“Silence doesn’t betray anything, Beth. I just know that it would be useless if I tried to speak to you guys because you’re too stupid to understand what I mean.” Isabel responded, with a voice that we could consider arctic. 

Fortunately, neither of them spoke. They would stare at her, not believing what they just heard. When they finally left, the teenager could finally enjoy her meal in peace, and yet she didn’t have much time until the bell would chime to announce the third course. Hopefully, the rest of the day won’t be so bad. 

*** 

“Madre! Padre! Sono tornato da scuola....” 

*Mom! Dad! I’m back from school...” * 

No answer. They’re still at work, Isabel sighed as she dropped her bag to the floor, scratching the back of her neck. It was Monday, and tomorrow, Tuesday. Checking out her schedule, she figured that she didn’t have any homework due this week, neither exams, and the next ones would be next week. Yet she didn’t feel like doing them, so she decided to go to her favorite place. 

The observation hill, that’s how she called it. Every time she came back from school and that her parents weren’t there, she would climb that hill to stargaze and have a moment to herself, to reflect or to remain silent. It was a routine, to her. Although she wore her school uniform, Isabel didn’t care and went to the back of her backyard, escalating the hill as she sat there. 

Faster than she knew, the sky became darker, and she seeked stars decorating the sky by making small dots. Crickets started singing as a chilly breeze hit her, yet she didn’t care. All she cared about was the stars, the sky. It had always been interesting to her, for some off reason. And so, she never detached her gaze from there, lost in thought as she spoke to herself quietly. 

If Lucia saw her up there and asked herself questions about her older sister’s mental health, Isabel wouldn’t even notice. She was lost in the sky, and when she was, the judgement others had towards her didn’t have an importance anymore. The girl rubbed her hand on her olive skin, wanting to heat herself. Without even noticing it, the teenager started asking herself about her life choices and her personality. 

Why am I so unlucky? How could I make it any different? Did I do anything to make myself stuck in this? Can this become hereditary? Is this a revenge from God? 

Soon her eyes were attracted to something in the sky that seemed to cross along it like a white pen, and it took her a moment to process it. Isabel’s jaw dropped and she gasped, pointing her finger to the dots that made the stars on the horizon. A shooting star! I must make a wish! 

Although the thought that wishing while seeing shooting stars could grant your wish was symbolic, Isabel always did it. It was so rare to seek one that she felt lucky, for once, for the first time in her life to be able to see one. Shutting her eyes and joining her hands, the girl made this wish: I wish that Ginny and Beth leave me alone, and that my life gets more eventful. 

It was a symbol, of course. Yet little did she know that it wasn’t a wish that would grow as a desire in her heart, but as her new reality...