"Come on, piccola stronza, you're going to be late for school!" 

The girl knew that her sister wasn't awake just yet. Neither asleep. Her younger sister Lucia kept her face buried in her pillow as she was clearly awake, keeping her eyes closed to pretend that she was asleep. She didn't fool anyone, and surely not Isabel. Every single morning, she would scream her name, get upstairs and bring her ass to school. It became a routine to her, and it has been the same way for sixteen years. Isabel got used to it at the age of ten, and even though her sister was thirteen, she didn't seem to catch it. 

The teenager’s footsteps echoed in the stairway, as she wanted to make sure it would disturb her younger sister. She tiptoed when she stepped closer, leaning down to the covers. Then, her hands reached for them, as she brutally tossed them aside, pouring her water bottle on her head. Lucia grunted and raised her eyelids to defy Isabel’s gaze, her piercing blue eyes sending thunderstorms. 

“You’ll regret it....” She gritted as she stood up and began putting on the school uniform. 

Isabel shrugged and inclined her head to the side, a smirk curling her lips as she furrowed her brows. 

 “It would’ve been worse if you slept during class time, coglione! You’re lucky I saved up some time to bring your sleepy ass to school. Now, what do you say to your favorite older sister?” 

“Thank you...” Lucia responded, rolling her eyes.  

Isabel knew that Lucia was genuinely grateful, although she seemed pretty much annoyed with it. She had always been there for her and saved her every time something went wrong. Her younger sister simply didn’t show it that much, since it was hurting her pride too badly. 

“You’re welcome.” Isabel teased with a joyful voice as she gestured towards the door. 

Both girls stepped outside, coating their bodies with thick sweaters. Winter would start soon as the weather would get windy, the red leaves floating with the gentle breeze. Slowly, everyone went outside with more cloth, knowing well they would be freezing if they wore a tee shirt. 

Isabel led her sister through her lockers, before strolling to her own. Dropping her hands to her lock, she tried to ignore the laughter and the whispers she heard, a few meters away. Girls in her class taunted her for her karma, finding it hilarious how she didn’t have it easy. 

Isabel Fletcher was a normal girl. She was born in the U.S, and yet her mother was from Italy, as her father was American. They met as her father visited Italy, and since then, they decided to live in the United States together. Her and Lucia were the results of it, and they would sometimes speak Italian with their mother at home. 

The girls didn’t see them very often because their father worked in a financial office, as their mother was a nurse at the local hospital. They would leave every morning, and if they were unlucky enough, they wouldn’t see them when they returned home from school. 

“Isn’t it Isabel Fletcher? The girl who goes to fetch her book because she forgot it at home!” A voice resonated behind her. 

She would recognize that voice in a whole crowd. Not too high-pitched, and with a hint of arrogance. Ginny Bailey. The school’s brat. She was the tallest in her grade, and she had those brown siren eyes with fake lashes hooking up. She wore three earrings per ear, with black hair in a wolf cut along with the school skirt-that was way too short. 

“Shut up...” The concerned one muttered as she pulled her backpack on her back and locked her cabinet. “You’re just mad that people aren’t paying attention to you.” 

Ginny snickered, showing her plain white teeth and her painted lips. She stepped closer to her victim, staring right into her eyes without even flinching as she towered over her. She pursed her lips and balled her fists, as if she was about to throw a punch. 

“At least I’m not that clumsy geek that everybody judges. I guess it wouldn’t be so great if you had everyone on your back, huh? Poor little baby, I bet nobody cares whether you’re fine or not.” 

“Shut your fucking mouth and get a life, Ginny. Don’t you have something better to do than speaking nonsense?” The ‘poor little baby’ retorted firmly as she tossed her black hair away. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have someone better than you to listen.” 

Isabel held her bag hanging on her back as she pulled the tabs of it, trying to find her way through the crowd. And yet, she could barely take a single step because she felt herself getting pulled away to the other side, almost tripping down on the floor. The girl yelped in surprise and searched around her, just to see Ginny holding a tab of her backpack from behind. 

“I didn’t say you could go now, Fletcher. You owe me an apology.” 

Isabel arched her brow and faced her enemy. If anyone had to give someone an apology, she would figure the contrary. Yet Ginny Bailey was rougher than that and always wanted to have the last word. She knew it. She didn’t have a single reason to say sorry to this girl, yet she would have to, if she wanted to be in time for her class. 

“Are you out of your damn mind? I’m not going to say sorry to you because you don't deserve it” Isabel spoke with a cold and neutral voice, gritting her teeth. 

The girl felt her face flush with anger. How dare she consider that? Ginny Bailey was the most troublesome teenager she had ever met in her entire life, as she made her life a living hell. And now she wanted her to apologize? She couldn’t believe how prideful she was being, yet she couldn’t let it slide. 

Her victimizer stepped closer, gripping her tie. Their faces were inches away, and both gazes were filed with burning flames. Isabel barely flinched, lifting her chin up as she saw Ginny’s fake lashes in 4k. She wanted to look away from that fake, and yet she knew that it would be considered as a sign of weakness. And Isabel Fletcher was anything but weak, and so she kept the gaze, forcing herself to be the best version of herself. 

“Last chance, Fletcher...” Ginny whispered, leaning to whisper in her ear, “You’re going to say sorry, right now, or else my fist is going to kiss your face.” 

Isabel didn’t only have two options, and she knew it. Her pride stopped her from apologizing, and her physical confidence didn’t want a red spot on her jaw. Think fast, the girl figured as she felt her lips curl into a mischievous smile; she knew what she had to do. 

“There’s never a last chance...” She replied simply, before she freed herself and compressed her fist, hitting Ginny’s jaw, directly before running off.