Maya's P.O.V

I didn't even need an alarm to wake me up. As soon as I felt the slightest hint of sunlight shine through my curtains, my eyes were already wide open. If it were any other Monday, I would have groaned and rolled back to bed, but today wasn't just any other Monday. Today is our trip to Europe.

Sliding off the bed, I skipped my typical morning routine and headed straight to the bathroom. There wasn't any time to mess around. I half-curled the ends of my hair and changed into some comfy sweatpants and a v-neck shirt.

I was, without a doubt, the most forgetful person in the world, which meant I had to double-check everything before I left the house. Rummaging inside my suitcase and mentally ticking off all the things I needed, after feeling satisfied, I went down to the kitchen for the most important meal of the day.

I poured some coffee from the counter and checked my phone.

Eighteen unread messages from Leah.

Apart from reading the very first message she sent at 4 am saying she couldn't sleep because she was too excited, I ignored the rest and just called her. It was too early for any reading or thinking.

Leah picked up almost immediately.

"Oh my god," she shrieked through the phone, "it's finally happening!"

I couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm. "Yes, it is."

"Have you packed everything?"

Leah scoffs. "I already started packing two weeks ago."

"The packing checklist wasn't even given out two weeks ago."

"Who cares? I just used common sense."

She doesn't allow me any time to reply before cutting me off. "Anyways, I'll pick you up in 20 minutes!"

I didn't even realize my mom was standing at the island, her chocolate-brown hair a little messy. She grinned, her eyes brightening as she smiled.

"Good morning, darling."

"Morning, mom."

She turns off the coffee machine after pouring herself a cup. "Since when did you drink coffee?"

I rolled my eyes and sat down next to her on the island. "It's normal for teenagers to drink coffee, mom."

"Are you excited about your trip?"

I nodded excitedly.

For the next ten minutes, I sat and listened to my mom ranting about how I always need to stay with the group and not wander off by myself. She gave me a paper with a list of emergency contacts just in case anything happens. There was her, my dad, my aunt, my uncle, my other uncle, and Ms. Wilson's number on the paper.

Aside from being overprotective, my mom could be very demanding and frightening when she needs to be. I folded the paper just enough to fit my pocket before giving my goodbyes.

I give both my parent a kiss as they remind me to call and update them regularly. I looked down at my phone to check the time, and it was exactly twenty minutes since our phone call.

Almost immediately, I heard a car honk in front and smiled. This is why I love the fact that we're both punctual people. I pushed open the front door and dragged my suitcase behind me.

We were all supposed to meet in front of the school gate at precisely 7 am.

"Do you have everything?" Ms. Wilson asked, simultaneously ticking off our names on the name list.

I nodded.

An hour after seven, everyone was finally here. Ms. Wilson muttered something under her breath as she called everyone over. She was irritated about the students that showed up late.

"I see you don't own a watch?" Ms. Wilson said to Leighton. Not at all bothered, she pushes a wisp of blonde hair from her face. "When fashion calls, you have to answer."

"The next time you don't answer when I call, I'm leaving you behind with the rest of the people who came late."

Leighton's eyes widened at Ms. Wilson's harsh tone.

She pointed at the bus and told everyone to get in. That was my cue to follow. The bus door opened and I stepped onto the stairs. I tried to get on the bus before all the seats got taken so I could sit in the front. The once empty chairs were now filled with students. As Ms. Wilson does the attendance for the last time before we head to the airport, a series of "present" or "here" came up after she called out a name.

Leah pops up over to the seat next to me, a huge grin plastered onto her face. "I can't believe this is happening!"

I mirror the same excitement she gave me. "I can't believe I'm going to Rome for the first time."

"You'll love it," she says, "I've been quite a few times, and I must say, it's favolosa."

That was the difference between us. She was funny, charming, and traveled to many places. Her mom is like one of the most famous dentists and is responsible for the smiles of many famous Hollywood celebrities. To say the least, she was loaded.

She laughs and holds her fingers together, kissing it like what you see the Italians did in the movie.

"What does that mean?"

"It means fabulous!"

We spent the next twenty minutes planning what we were going to do during our free time. Ms. Wilson went first, as always, and told us to get our suitcases and head inside.

My eyes followed the direction that Ethan was walking. Swallowing, I met his bright eyes, and my stomach sunk. I'm at a loss for words. He was wearing dark sweats and a white v-neck shirt. I tried not to stare, but our eyes met for a second time. Dear God, I hope I wasn't turning into a tomato.

"Of course, it makes sense that a literature major would go on a trip to Europe," Ethan said, granting me a dimpled smile

"What does that mean?" I raised my eyebrows.

"Well you know, Charles Dickens, Ernest Hemingway, Virginia Woolf, Jane Austen, they're all famous European writers."

I didn't know what surprised me more, the fact that he knew all those names or that he made names of 19th and 20th-century writers sound so sensual.

"What?" he spoke again, "are you surprised that I know who those writers are?"

"Maybe a little."

"As you said, don't judge a book by it's cover," he said, sending me a wink.

Ethan was no longer looking at my direction, but I could see Leighton turning to stare at us with a growl. She whispered to her friends, and I could feel them turn to stare at me.

I sank on my seat to avoid unwanted attention.

Our gate finally opened, and we all lined up with our passports ready. I was still busy thinking about how he knew all those names. With a shove from Leah, I move up the boarding line. My passport clenched between my hands as we all waited to board the plane.

The flight attendant grabbed my carryon bag and shoved it up the cabin along with the other bags. We moved forward to clear the aisle. I moved away from the seat to let Leah go first as she slid into the chair beside the window.

I remember she told me she always liked sitting next to the window to look at the clouds because it made her feel like a bird. I didn't quite understand it, but as long as she was happy.

Her fingers intertwined with mine as our plane took off. I look over to see her eyes squeezed shut. I couldn't help but let out a chuckle at her nervousness. Even after being on hundreds of flights, she was still scared of them.

Before I knew it, I was fast asleep on Leah's shoulder as she rested her head on top of mine. After a long eleven hours, we finally landed in Rome, Italy. I didn't even notice how quick it took, mostly because we slept for the whole flight. By the time we woke up, everyone had already eaten and was full and fast asleep. Us, on the other hand, had to put up with our rumbling stomachs.

Leah had a massive grin on her face, and I smiled at her excitement. We both strolled through the aisle, and moments later, we were standing in line outside the immigration. The tour bus was waiting outside for us as the driver put our suitcases inside the trunk. It was a cute bus, bright red with the words "I heart Roma" printed on the side.

Ms. Wilson tore through the group of students and stopped next to the tour guide. "Everyone standstill, I'm going to count you off."

After she confirmed that everyone was here, we all went onto the bus and drove to the hotel. Another thirty minutes later, we arrived in front of a large white hotel that had a Moorish fountain placed in the middle. Around it were arches of roses, hibiscus, jasmine and about twenty other types of flowers. It had Renaissance-style architecture.

As we got off the bus and gathered our suitcases, a beautiful woman opened the door for us and greeted us. She was holding a tray full of drinks.

Before any of us managed to grab it, Ms. Wilson cut us off. "Is there any alcohol?"

"No ma'am, its lemonade."

Our tour guide gave us a quick tour of the hotel. The hallway was a dark red color with some green detailing which complimented well with the creamy white walls.

I was finding it hard to wrap my mind around how beautiful Rome was, and we haven't even gone anywhere yet. The hotel was already enough to amaze me. My head was moving in all sorts of directions as I tried to soak in the beauty of the city. I couldn't wait to find out more about the culture and history.

Our tour ended back in the lobby as Ms. Wilson was sorting out the rooms and giving us our keys. Room 304.

"Get some rest, or explore the hotel. We will meet back here tomorrow at 7 am for our first activity."

300. 301. 302. 303. 304.

After Leah swiped the card, it made an electronic beeping sound. I ushered her inside and followed her inside the room. We threw out suitcases to the side.

Leah sat on the edge of the bed."God, that was almost fourteen hours of traveling."

"To be fair, we slept for the whole 11-hour plane ride."

One of the first things I did was set a timer for 6 am. Despite knowing we had to meet at seven, I definitely did not want to be late, especially after seeing Ms. Wilson's angry outburst to Leighton.

I fell into bed a short time later, my mind fading out to the sound of Leah's voice rambling about how excited she was to go to our very first destination of the trip.

As soon as I heard the high-pitch sound coming from my phone, I woke up briefly, feeling disoriented. I blearily raised my head, my eyes checking the time. 6:00 am. I called Leah and told her to wake up, but all I received was a silent groan as she turned around with her back facing me. She snuggled into her pillow before falling back asleep.

The morning was colder than I thought, but there was still some sunlight shining through the window. There were sounds of birds tweeting, which made me feel somewhat more alive. I took in a deep breath, feeling the fresh air inside my body.

We met with Ms. Wilson in the lobby at 7 am, and she told us to get breakfast before we headed out. Just as I opened the door, a group of cheerleaders bypassed me and walked through the door, pushing me aside.

I glanced at the group of blondes, then back at Leah. She rolled her eyes, then stuck out the middle finger as the girls walked away. I was way too tired to say anything, so I chose to ignore it.

What a marvelous start to our morning.

My eyes glanced at my phone to read the time. It was only 7:30 in the morning, and I was already feeling the urge to crawl back to my bed and sleep. The moment we stepped into the restaurant, the pleasant smell of coffee took over my nose.

Coffee is good. I am definitely going to need coffee if I want to survive the day.

I walked over to the drinks section and placed a cup underneath the machine. There was a selection of things ranging from cream, sugar, regular milk, and soy milk. I opted for the classic Americano.

My eyes darted towards Leighton as she let out a loud giggle. She was standing next to Ethan, her face tilted upwards because of his height. She covered her mouth with her hands, laughing as if he'd told the world's funniest joke.

Ethan took his hands out of his pocket and folded his arms. His lips were pursed into a straight line as Leighton kept laughing. "It wasn't meant to be funny."

You could tell that she was embarrassed by the color of her cheeks that were flushing a shade of dark red.

I looked to the floor to hide my amused smile. Her flirty act would've worked on any other male specimen, but not Ethan. I'm too busy replaying the scene that I pay no attention to Ethan, who was making his way to where I was. He comes over to the coffee table and notices my expression. "What's so funny?"

I joked. "I don't know, why don't you ask Leighton?"

He groaned, "Please don't."

I couldn't help but smile. "What did you say that was so funny?"

"It wasn't even meant to be a joke," he said, "I just said Donald Trump said climate change is a hoax."

"Yet he's the one who is boasting about fighting it."

"Exactly!"

Ethan looked at me, grinning sheepishly as he took his mug of coffee. "I see you keep up with the news."

"My dad likes to watch them every morning."

Ms. Wilson cuts off our conversation by telling all of us to finish up and come to the lobby. As we walked there, two guides were standing in front of us. Both had an olive complexion and dark hair. They were holding a tiny Italy flag and flapping it around.

"I'm Alessandro." The man on the left said. He held up his name tag for us to see.

"My name is Luca." The other one did the exact thing and waved at us.

We all split up into our travel groups, and I hugged Leah as she went Luca. They left the lobby while our group stayed.

"Does anyone know the Colosseum?" Alessandro asked.

A few students raised their arms.

"Great, that's where we'll be going first. Let's get on the bus."

Once we all got seated on the bus, Alessandro held a microphone and introduced us to the famous destination.

"The Colosseum is one of Rome's most remarkable monuments with over 2,000 years of history."

Some students were deeply engaged as our tour guide shared more exciting facts about Rome and the Colosseum. The rest were scrolling on their phones or talking amongst themselves.

The sight soothed me as I studied the oval concrete and stone building in front of me. Perched on the edge of the street was the famous construction that had been in situ for thousands of years. There was something magical about it. Maybe it was the fact that real-life gladiators fought in this arena once.

We follow Alessandro as he takes us towards the Colosseum. It was very, very crowded. I felt a bit overwhelmed by the number of tourists gathered around the ancient site, mostly taking pictures and chatting. To add on, the humidity was flustering. It was eighty-six degrees already and not even noon yet. Today was going to be a hot day.

I wiped the sweat that was dropping off my forehead with the back of my arm and mentally thanked myself for wearing something light and airy.

Amidst the large crowds of buzzing tourists, Alessandro tried to talk through the tourists as he showed us around. We stood in front of the outer walls of the Colosseum.

"The wall is 186 meters long and 156 meters wide. It's built with travertine marble and is held together with iron."

"Why is half of the building missing?"

"Good question!" he says, "it was damaged by several earthquakes and collapsed in 1349."

Despite the damages, you could still clearly see the construction of the building. There were many exposed layers of pilasters and arches if you pay attention to the undestroyed parts. On each side of the building were four main entrances.

We went inside to the arena floor where all the action was taken. There were rows and rows of seats, each row assigned to a different ranking level. Alessandro said the best view would be reserved for the Emperors and Vestal Virgins in the box on the north and south ends.

I looked over to see the boxes, the carved names of the senators still readable on the stone.

"The high-class families would sit in the second course, and the generals and public sat on the third and fourth levels."

I could vividly imagine what took place in this very area, the high adrenaline and roar of the crowd as they fought each other. I was currently standing in an area once filled with over 50,000 spectators.

Ethan was the one to break me out of my thoughts. "Are you coming?"

Looking over, the group was a few meters away and heading to another section. I nodded and followed him as we walked to the Hypogeum.

"This was where the wild animals were stored. It was built with wood and covered with hardened sand."

You could clearly see the vast two-story underground tunnels that connected to one another. Though it has suffered some damage, the structure still held strong. It was truly amazing to be able to witness a part of history.

Ethan stood still and listened to Alessandro talk. He told us many stories about the Colosseum through his thick Italian accent. I noticed that sometimes he would use Italian words to fill in the sentences if he didn't know it in English. To my surprise, I managed to understand it fine.

It's fascinating how human minds can understand sentences as a whole despite having missing words.

It has been over three hours since we arrived, which honestly felt like three minutes, but it was finally lunchtime. I didn't notice that I was hungry until Ms. Wilson brought up the idea of lunch.

As we walked out of the building, I pulled my phone out to take a picture. It was my first time at the Colosseum, but definitely won't be my last.

Maya's P.O.V

Alessandro leads us across the road and into a narrow lane. About a hundred meters in, he stops in front of an Italian restaurant called Mama Leones.

The building was a shade of brick red with a few cracks on the wall. Must've been an old place. The place was wide and open, not crowded tourists or anything. On the other end of the restaurant, there was a small garden. It was beautiful. Clusters of daisies were peeping through both sides of the fence, and the sun was shining through the trees. There was a welcoming of scents in the air as we walked inside.

I stood and gazed at the building before me in awe. It radiated a warm feeling that made it seem like you were eating at home.

The room was split into two big tables of eight chairs. Everyone moved steadily around the room and took their seats while I stayed standing and hesitating. Unlike the rest, I didn't have any friends here while everyone had their individual groups.

I decided to wait for all the seats to be taken and just sit on the spare chair that nobody sat on. I could feel the employees staring at me as I remained standing by the entrance. Probably noticing the lack of friends I had.

"Maya!" a voice hollers out. I turned around to see Ethan looking at me. It wasn't just Ethan, but now, it was also everyone around him. Some had a confused look plastered on their faces at why he was calling my name. To be completely honest, I was just as confused as them.

I finally managed to control my legs as I tentatively walked over to the seat he saved for me.

"Sit here." He said and pulled out the chair for me.

She instantly narrowed her eyes at him, like she was sending him a warning. Ethan realized immediately, but he looked utterly unaffected by it. His hands were still on the chair, and his face was holding a slightly crooked smile as he waited for me to sit down.

I took my seat and turned to Ethan. "Are you sure they're okay with me sitting here?"

"Why wouldn't they be?"

"I don't know, birds of a feather flock together?" I said.

"You and your phrases again," he smiles, "just so you know, we all have very different personalities."

Ethan continued. "Plus, we're not that shallow, you know."

I silently scold myself for having such selfish and stereotypical thoughts. Great, now he probably hates me.

"I didn't mean it like that," I muttered out, trying to hide my anxiousness.

"They aren't that bad once you get to know them." He looks at me and tries hard to cover up his half-smile. I guess he cares about his boys. What I didn't understand was how could someone like Ethan, gentle and caring, associate himself with such a group of assholes.

"I don't think that'll ever happen." I awkwardly laughed.

He gave me a disapproving look before shaking his head vigorously.

"Hey everyone," he called out, "this is Maya."

Their eyes were all on me as I swallowed the last of the water in my glass before smiling back at everyone.

His friend grinned back. "Yeah, we know dude. She's in our literature class."

My immediate reaction was to hang my mouth down in shock that he actually knew who I was even though I've always sat in the back. But I protested against that and let out a giggle instead.

When Leighton put her phone down, she sat for a few seconds before turning her head over to me. "Why aren't you sitting with your friends?"

A cheeky smirk grew on her friend's face. "Wait, isn't Leah your only friend?"

"Why aren't you sitting with her?" Leighton asked.

"Are you guys in a fight or something?" Another girl butts in.

I suddenly felt like they were interrogating and mocking me at the same time. It was a natural instinct of mine to stay silent and look down. Leighton's eyes roamed around the room then landed back on me. "Oh, that explains why you're sitting here. She's in the other group."

Her friend butts in again. "Don't you have other friends?"

They clearly knew I didn't and was trying to embarrass me in front of everyone. I frowned, trying to think of an appropriate reply but nothing came to my mind. I was too busy worrying about what everyone else was thinking at this moment as Leighton and her friends turned my non-existent social life into a laughing stock.

"Obviously not." One snickered quietly, but still loud enough for me to hear.

My mind wonders about Ethan. He must feel embarrassed that he invited a friendless loser to come to sit with him. I was definitely not the cool, smart Maya that aced every class. More like boring, old Maya who has nothing else to do but study on the weekends.

They said a few words to each other that I couldn't catch, but I knew it was something negative about me. She took a sip of her lemonade with her perfectly manicured nails on display.

I would've started drinking my water to ease out the tension and awkwardness that I felt, but my cup was empty. I didn't know what I was more disappointed at, myself, or the fact that I was never going to be enough to be with someone like Ethan. He was in a completely different world from mine. He was Hercules, walking around the school like a God. And I was Meg, the femme fatale. Except I wasn't attractive nor seductive.

If only I had Leah's confidence. If it was her, she'd probably tell Leighton to write it on a piece of paper and shove it up her ass.

I felt Ethan's arm brush against me as he shifted his position, now facing Leighton and her friends.

"Don't you have anything better to do than be a bitch all the time?" He replied darkly.

Leighton's smile turned into a straight line. I could tell she was doing her best not to shoot lasers out of her eyes at me. As for her group of minions, they all had the same surprised expression plastered to their faces. His friends glance from one to another but don't say anything.

Ethan was looking at her with adamant seriousness. I bet she never once felt threatened by him until today. The fact that he swore at her was enough to make her stay quiet for the rest of lunch.

I couldn't help but grin as relief washes over me. Though being in the same class with him for years now, I've only heard him swear a handful of times. This must be one of the very rare occasions where he feels the need to. Ethan has been nothing but nice to me ever since we started talking, and I have to admit, it feels great to have someone be there for you.

The boys still looked shocked that he was defending someone he barely knew and also at the fact that he cussed at Leighton. I couldn't blame them. I was just as shocked too.

I gave him a grateful smile. "You didn't have to do that."

"But I did." He said stubbornly.

"Thank you."

His mood lightened as he laughed lightly. "You have to admit. I was quite intimidating."

I chuckled. "Whatever you say."

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about it."

"Don't listen to what Leighton says. You do have a friend here."

I stay quiet, trying to think of who he could be talking about. As far as I knew, the only person I talked to was Leah.

"It's me," he says, "I'm your friend and I won't let Leighton and her friends speak ill of you. It was uncalled for."

I gave him a small smile and thanked him once again.

Conner stood up and came over to talk with us about the Colosseum as we waited for the food to arrive. With my head tilted forward slightly to listen better, I was amazed at how I could engage in a conversation with Ethan and Conner without much difficulty.

Our convo of three turned into a whole table discussion, excluding Leighton and her girls as they talk about the next outfit choice. Connor was speaking more freely and enthusiastically than the rest, but that was probably because he was the Student Council President and was used to public speaking.

It wasn't long until the food came out and onto the table. Everyone's mouth was watering from the delightful smell and taste of the food. From saucy pasta, potato gnocchi to calzones that melted in your mouth, I felt like I just died and went to food heaven. The Caprese with the tomatoes and mozzarella had a fresh and light taste to it. To top off our fantastic meal, they gave us free ice cream as dessert. It felt like eating in my Grandma's kitchen.

"This is so good," I said, taking another bite of the calzone.

"You say that after every bite you take." He chuckled

I feel the heat rising around my cheeks while raising a smile. "I just have an undeniable love for food."

"Is that so?"

"I have another phrase for you," I said, "live to eat, not eat to live!"

He looks at me with a big smile on his face. "You are one interesting girl."