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[color=darkgray][indent][indent]Ever since she was a child, Fiamma Giannulli had struggled with anxiety and insomnia in the face of changes, new events and experiences. For an introverted girl like her, the uncertainty of not knowing how a particular situation would develop sent her on a downward spiral of negative ‘what-if’s’, filling her with nerves and dread of what could be coming. The night before her first day of senior year was, of course, not an exception to this. The redhead had spent her evening staring up at the ceiling, fighting against the pessimistic thoughts that threatened to swallow her whole. [Color=CA5F95][i]Would she like Rosefell? Would the teachers be as committed to providing the highest level of education as her Liberty ones had been? Would her classmates, old and new, continue to be cooperative in letting her go unnoticed and blend in with the background? Would she be capable of making new friends? Would she even [i]keep[/i] her old friends? Or worse… Would Aiden find in Rosefell a prettier, more popular replacement for her, dump her and break her heart into a million teeny tiny baby pieces?[/i][/color]

[color=CA5F95][indent][b][i]That’s enough, Fiamma.[/i][/b][/indent][/color]

Just as she’d been on the verge of tears entertaining a stupid, unfounded, baseless scenario, her alarm clock signaled it was finally time to start her day. After going through the usual motions of a shower, makeup, hair brushing and getting dressed, Fiamma made her way to the dining room, where the traditional first day of school breakfast was already served and waiting to be devoured by the hungry inhabitants of the household. The smell of her father’s Italian breakfast casserole had filled every corner of the first floor of the home- its taste as spectacular as always. After saying grace, the Giannullis had indulged in their decadent meal while engaging in the usual first day of school small talk, advice and expectations. Now feeling nervous again, Fiamma decided it was finally time for her to get going. But before she could excuse herself, her father kindly asked her for a few more minutes of her time. 

[b]“Sweetheart, before you go, your mother and I wanted to give you a little something to commemorate the beginning your last year of school,”[/b] Mariano told his daughter with a wide smile, sliding a small Zales bag across the table to Fiamma while Catriona grinned excitedly.

Blue eyes alight with curiosity, Fiamma opened the bag, where she saw a small black box with the jewelry store logo resting at the bottom. She took the box out of the bag, opened the lid and gasped. Nestled inside the delicate red velvet of the jewelry box was a white gold necklace, with a dainty, diamond-studded cross pendant.

[Color=CA5F95]“Oh my God, this is [i]beautiful[/i]!”[/color] Fiamma exclaimed in wonder, staring wide-eyed at the lavish gift her parents had gotten her. [Color=CA5F95]"I'm just… I don't know what to say..."[/color] she trailed off, gently removing the necklace from its place in the box and draping it across her neck.

[b]“It’s just a small thing, really,”[/b] Catriona said with a small shrug, rising from her seat to assist her daughter in clasping the delicate chain on her slender neck. [b]“And since you lost your promise ring, we figured this was the perfect opportunity to give you a nice replacement.”[/b]

[b]“Just promise us you’ll take better care of this one,”[/b] Mariano added with his good-natured, booming laugh.

At the mention of the purity ring, it took all of Fiamma’s energy and self-control to keep a nonchalant, straight face. After her relationship with Aiden had progressed well beyond the realms of heated make-out sessions and holding hands, the young woman had been waiting for the chance to come up with the perfect excuse to stop using it. Her golden opportunity came that summer, when she attended a four-week long music camp and came back home with the unfortunate news that the purity ring had [i]'slid off her finger when she was kayaking in the lake with some campmates’[/i]. The truth, however, was that the white gold “Love Waits” ring was [i]not[/i] lost to the depths of a lake in Colorado. Instead, the infamous piece of jewelry was resting safely inside its original box, hidden inside a paper bag in the back of her underwear drawer, along with the cutest notes she and Aiden had exchanged during class last year and a stack of Polaroids of them in all of their silly, madly in love couple glory.

Instead, the redhead let out a light chuckle. [color=CA5F95]“Yes, sir!”[/color] Fi said enthusiastically before placing her right hand over her heart. [color=CA5F95]“I solemnly swear I will guard this fine piece of jewelry with my life, so help me God,”[/color] she declared in her silliest formal voice before standing up to hug and kiss each of her smiling parents. [color=CA5F95]“Thank you so much, the both of you. I really do appreciate it, and I swear I’ll take good care of this gift. Pinky promise.”[/color]

[b]“You’re very welcome, [i]dulcissima[/i]. Now go on, off you go. Can’t be late for your first day of senior year,”[/b] Mariano said, giving his daughter one last kiss on the top of her head before she formally excused herself from the table.

[b]“I can’t wait to hear all about it!”[/b] Catriona called out to Fiamma’s retreating back.

Smiling, Fi turned around, waved enthusiastically at her mother, and promptly made her way out the door.

The ride to school was, for the most part, as uneventful as ever. But when the sight of Rosefell High came to view, along with the crowd of unfamiliar faces swarming around in all different directions, Fiamma’s grip on the steering wheel tightened. Not even the soothing sounds of Daniel Jang’s violin pop song covers could shake off the deep-rooted anxiety that had settled in the pit of her stomach, continuously gnawing and clawing at her insides as she pulled into an empty space in the vast parking lot. Until those she trusted made their appearance, there was no way in hell she’d be leaving the safety of her vehicle. So instead of joining the horde of students filing into the large building, the young woman chose to remain inside her small, peach-scented, beige-leather sanctuary. 

With trembling hands, Fiamma grabbed her phone from the cup holder, unlocked the device, and let her thumbs fly across the screen to send a chain of slightly panicked messages to her best friend Niki Zabrecky.

[quote=To: Niki][color=CA5F95]Good morning sunshine! 🌞 Hope u had a good sleep! 💖

U mind walking in w me today? U know how nervous the whole first day gets me 😖

If not it’s totally ok! Just figured I’d ask. 😊

See u soon! 😁[/color][/quote]

And after that one was sent, it was time to send a message to the sweetest, kindest, loveliest, most handsome boy in the entirety of Fiamma’s universe.

[quote=To: AH][color=CA5F95]Good morning handsome! 💖 I can’t wait to finally see ur beautiful face today!!! 😍 I swear whenever we’re apart time seems to drag on and on forever lol 😂 And even though I’m glad u spent some time w the boys I’m so freaking ready to hug u and kiss u and… do some other things! 🙈🙊😂 I love u so so so so much, Aiden: I love u with every fiber of this shy little heart. 💖 I hope you have a fantastic start to your day, Sugarbear😘 See u soon! 😊[/color][/quote]

She didn't have to wait long for her boyfriend's timely response.

[quote=From: AH][color=2D7DD2]Good morning princess! Can't wait to see you later- it really does feel like it's been weeks. I love you so much, don't forget you're the most beautiful girl in the world 😘[/color][/quote]

Just like that, the dark cloud of insecurity that had been hanging over Fiamma since that past night evaporated into nothingness. Now beaming, Fi dropped the locked device back into the Fiat’s cup holder, grabbed her wallet from inside her open backpack, and pulled out a Polaroid photo from one of the card slots. It was a beautiful shot of her boyfriend at the hidden creek where they’d spent an innumerable amount of afternoons that past summer. The sun made his blond hair look lighter in the image, his skin sparkling with tiny droplets of water, and the reflection of the stream in his eyes really brought out the glimmer of green inside them. But it was his heart-stopping, breathtaking smile what put every beautiful thing in the background to shame.

In Fiamma’s eyes, Aiden Howard was absolute perfection.

With the dumbest look on her face, Fi lovingly stared at the photo for a few seconds before she kissed it and placed it over her heart. And with that silly gesture, the first-day jitters had been nearly forgotten.

[indent][color=CA5F95][i]It’s all going to be a-okay.[/i][/color][/indent]
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