The cool wind on a hot summer day hardly came around; and Olivia was thankful for it.

The artist had been at school all day, trying to finish up her work early so that she didn't have to rush to finish it up later in the week.

Even till now, she still wasn't done. It was around 6PM when she finally packed up her paint and her brushes before leaving the school compound.

•••

Olivia dropped her bag in a corner of her room and placed her paint and brushes on her desk. She place a blank canvas on her easel and sighed in content.

Grabbing a tank top and a pair of shorts, the green-eyed girl walked into the bathroom to wash up. She turned the water on and waited for it to heat up, fetching a towel in the process.

The girl stripped out of her clothes and got into the shower under the steaming hot water, letting it relieve all the stress that had accumulated over the past week. Olivia sighed heavily as the water ran down her back.

She got her strawberry-scented shampoo and washed her hair, proceeding to do the same with her body with her all time favourite milk body wash.

She finished her shower fifteen minutes later, feeling that it was kind of a record as she usually spent about half an hour drowning in her own thoughts.

But she couldn't afford that tonight. She had work to do.

Olivia dried her hair and put on the fresh clothes she had taken from her wardrobe. She wrapped her hair in the towel, hoping it'd soak up the dampness of her thick curls faster.

After pouring herself a glass of wine and setting up her workstation, she grabbed the hair dryer and her brush from her dresser. Plugging the device in and unwrapping the towel, she let her jet black hair free.

Her hair didn't take long to dry. When she was done, she kept the hair dryer and placed the brush back on her dresser.

Olivia sat down at her desk, opening a bottle of blue paint, The girl grabbed a paintbrush, dipping it in water before dipping it once more in the paint. She let the tip of the brush gently graze over the canvas, forming the background — the sky. She had always loved painting the sky, because it had so many shades of blue and white — signifying the many different meanings it held.

'Each to their own', she always said.

•••

"Thank god, I'm finally done," Olivia sighed in relief, holding her painting in front of her to relish its beauty. She didn't like to be cocky, but she had to admit it was a great piece of art.

The green-eyed girl placed her artwork back onto the easel. She placed the cap onto the different bottles of paint she had used, screwing it shut to prevent anything from spilling. She then grabbed the paintbrushes and the container of dirty water she had used into the bathroom, pouring the water away and rinsing everything in the sink.

Olivia felt the heat getting to her more than ever now. It didn't help that she had really, really long hair. She placed everything back on her desk and grabbed the remote for the air conditioner, turning it on setting the temperature to a low 18°C. She laid on her bed, taking deep breaths.

Staring at the ceiling, the artist slowly fell asleep.

•••

Olivia awoke to the sound of her alarm blasting through the tiny speakers of her phone.

The girl muttered profanities under her breath and reached out to grab the device that was sitting on her bedside table, a futile attempt to disable the alarm.

Instead of grabbing it, Olivia's arm accidentally knocked the phone and pushed it over the edge, causing it to fall onto the carpet — thankfully — no damage done.

That was until the green-eyed girl started cursing again. She bent over to retrieve her phone from the floor. The alarm was still going off, so Olivia quickly unlocked her phone and snoozed it. She checked the time and gasped. 7:30AM.

"Oh hell no," she swore.

She was going to be late for school.

Quickly getting out of bed, she messily folded the blanket and straightened out the covers.

She opened the wardrobe, wasting another five minutes trying to pick out an outfit to wear.

"Late or not, I still need to look good,"

Finally settling for a pair of ripped jeans, a crop top and a leather jacket, Olivia found herself checking her phone for the time. She only had twenty minutes left to get ready, have breakfast and get to school that was approximately half an hour away on foot. She prayed her car had a tank full of gas — she was so busy she could barely remember if she'd filled it up — and that she didn't have to walk today.

Olivia ran over to the bathroom, turning the water on and waiting for it to heat up as she brushed her teeth and washed her face.

She stripped out of the clothes she had worn the previous night and threw them on the floor before getting under the hot water and taking a quick shower.

She got out quickly enough and dried herself off. She threw on her clothes and walked back out into her room.

"Okay, let's see what you've got," Olivia mumbled to herself as she grabbed her brush and combed her hair, trying to make it presentable. She also applied makeup; not too much, but just enough.

Olivia ran down the stairs, surprising herself when she didn't trip over her own feet. She ran into the kitchen and grabbed a granola bar, tearing the wrapper off while trying to put on her shoes at the same time.

She grabbed her keys — thank god she was in college and could drive — and left the house.

Out the door and into the car Olivia went, slipping the key into the ignition and starting the engine.

"10 minutes," she checked the time on her phone. "Yeah, I can do that," the girl put on her seatbelt and drove off to campus.

•••

When she arrived, Olivia found herself staring at an empty field where the students' cars should've been parked at.

'That's odd, where are the students?' she thought to herself.

She shrugged it off when she checked her watch, realising that — miraculously — she still had some time before classes began. She must've set her alarm a little earlier than intended.

"Huh, so I went through all that for nothing," she scoffed.

Quickly parking her car and switching the engine off, Olivia pulled the key out from the ignition and dumped it into her book bag. She grabbed the bag from the passenger seat and got out of the car, slamming the door shut and cursing when she realised she needed the keys to lock her vehicle.

"It's too early for this shit,"

She fumbled with the zipper of her bag and finally managed to get it open. She found what she was looking for among her textbooks, worksheets and pens.

"Well, that's that," she chucked the keys back into her bag and walked towards the large building.

Olivia had been studying here for just a little over a week now, but still managed to feel starstruck by simple things such as the outer appearance of the school.

She pushed the front doors open and entered the empty building.

The green-eyed girl walked along the empty hallways, pass the empty classrooms, taking in everything she was looking at.

When she walked past one of the girls' bathrooms, however, Olivia heard a sniffle come from inside. She pushed the door open gently and walked inside.

"Hello?" she called out softly, not wanting to scare the girl.

She heard the sniffling stop abruptly and gulped. No one came out of the stall.

Olivia didn't know what to do, so she opened her bag again and ransacked through it.

She pulled out all the food she had inside.

Not knowing exactly why she did it, she handed a bottle of water, a bar of chocolate, a granola bar and a banana to the crying girl.

She held the food under the door and waited for the girl to take it from her hands.

The green-eyed girl froze when the girl on the other side of the stall didn't take the food from her.

After a while though, she felt soft, slender hands wrapped around hers as the girl took the food from her. Olivia felt a jolt of electricity pass through her body.

"Hey," she started. "Don't cry anymore, okay? We don't know each other an all, but I...I feel concerned, I guess. I-I'm Olivia, by the way."

Olivia didn't expect an answer. She hadn't expect the girl to even try and give her a response.

Boy was she wrong.

"I'm Emma," Olivia heard a soft voice come from the other side.

She felt her breath hitch in her throat.

The voice sounded like heaven.

Yes, Olivia was attracted to girls. She wasn't afraid to accept it, but she was afraid to admit it.

Two years here. Two years. She had to keep a low profile just a little while longer.

Little to no one at school knew her, basically. She intended to keep it that way.

She didn't want to get bullied again.

The sound of someone standing up snapped Olivia back to reality. It sounded like Emma was grabbing her bag, the buckles knocking against the door and producing soft banging sounds.

Olivia panicked and suddenly felt very self-conscious. She ran out of the bathroom without a second thought, not looking back

Lauren felt relieved when she was a good fifteen meters away from the bathroom.

Emma didn't feel as relieved, however. She wanted to see Lauren, to see the girl that turned her day from a rainy one to more of a happy, sunny one.

She had wanted to thank her, to show her how much she had appreciated her help.

But more importantly, she wanted to see how breathtakingly beautiful the owner of the heavenly voice that had spoken to her looked like.

Emma liked girls. But unlike Lauren, not only was she afraid to admit it, she couldn't even accept herself. She couldn't bear the thought of something terribly bad happening to her if anyone found out she was crushing on another girl.

•••

The small brown eyed girl quickly put on a little bit of make up to cover up her puffy eyes and tear stained cheeks.

She stuffed the food Lauren had given her earlier into her bag and fixed her messy hair, trying her best to make it seem like she hadn't just been crying her eyes out in the bathroom stall behind her.

Emma left the bathroom and walked out into the halls, enjoying the fresh air and quietness they school compound had when the other students weren't around.

She fished her phone out from her pocket and looked at the time. 8:15AM.

Her class didn't start until 8:30AM, so she still had a bit of time.

She went to the cafeteria and sat down at her usual table. She pulled a book out of her bag and opened it to the previous page she had stopped at.

"It was a windy day. Lauren ran her fingers through her hair..."

She slammed her book shut. She couldn't go on. The name Lauren had been okay up until her little encounter in the bathroom. Emma doubted she could ever deal with the name Lauren again if it wasn't the girl that had been with her in the bathroom.

•••

It was 8:25AM and the last few students started streaming into the school compound.

Emma had joined her friends, Kate and Ashley.

Kate was about 5'6". She had blonde wavy hair and blue eyes. As much as Emma didn't want to admit it, Kate was definitely one of the nastiest people she'd ever met.

Ashley was about the same height as Kate. She had brown hair and chocolate brown eyes. Personality-wise, thankfully, she was completely different.

•••

"Hey nerd, what do you think you're doing? You're leaning against my locker," Kate asked a guy that got in her way before shoving him to the ground.

Emma flinched.

As much as she hated this, she couldn't get away from the two girls before her. Her father had bought this school.

Seriously.

He was a rich, rich man and had bought the school without really having any intentions of running it.

He met Kate and Ashley when they moved in to their new home many years ago. He was instantly drawn to their parents, which meant that Emma had to befriend their daughters.

Kate bullied the other students in school because she thought being the popular kid who was friends with the school owner's daughter gave her the right to do so.

"I-I'm sorry," the boy said from the ground, scrambling to pick up his books.

"Did you just talk to me?" Kate asked him, causing him to flinch.

She got closer and brought her hand up to hit him again, but Emma stopped her.

"Kate, leave him alone. He's new,"

Kate huffed, but listened to the brunette and stopped anyway.

Emma knew Ashley was just like herself. The two of them were nothing like Kate. They just tagged along because they were afraid that something might happen to them if they left her alone, whether or not Emma's father was watching.

"Hey Emma,"

Emma turned to look at the blonde and spotted a devilish smile forming on her face. She gulped.

Kate was gonna make her do something she was gonna regret.

"See that girl over there?" Kate pointed across the hall.

There was a girl leaning against the lockers, a textbook in hand as she flipped through the pages absentmindedly.

She had jet black hair, and from what Emma could see every time she looked up, emerald green eyes.

Emma nodded slowly. "Yeah...?"

"Well, do I have to say anything else? Go over there and beat her up or something!"

"She didn't do anything to me though," Emma answered, trying to find an excuse not to do what Kate wanted. She never understood Kate's impulsive behaviour.

Kate scowled.

"Don't make me tell your dad about that party last week,"

"What party?" Emma asked innocently, honestly not having any clue whatsoever on what her 'friend' was talking about.

"Oh you know, the one that you went to the other night...and got drunk." Kate lied, making up some story that her dad would most definitely believe.

Emma sighed.

"Fine,"

She walked up to the girl and raised her hand, her palm colliding with her cheek for no apparent reason at all.

"What the fu—" Lauren gasped, looking at the person that had hit her.

She's expected to see a guy with a strong physique, since the blow had been pretty hard.

Instead, she found herself staring into beautiful brown orbs.

Suddenly, Lauren didn't feel angry or upset.

She stared at the girl in amusement instead of anger. She wasn't gonna let people in this school get to her like they did in her previous school.

"Hey," she said, waving at the brunette.

The smaller girl stared at her in confusion.

"Wha—" she stopped herself. "Are you talking to me?"

Lauren nodded her head. "You were the one who came over here. Can I help you with something?"

"Well then, you must be new. Here are some ground rules, okay newbie? You're gonna listen and you're gonna listen good. One: don't ever talk to me. Two: don't ever look at me." Emma's brown eyes met Lauren's green ones.

"Why are you still looking at me? Three: don't even think about me. You see me coming around the corner, don't think, run. Don't get in my way. Got it?"

Lauren glanced behind Emma and at Kate, who had a smirk — that she very much wanted to wipe off — plastered on her face. So, she played along because she knew what it felt like to be controlled by a toxic friend.

The green-eyed girl didn't answer. She knew she wasn't supposed to. The brunette faked a smile of satisfaction. As much as she hated this, she had to act like she was savouring every minute of it.

Emma walked away with heavy footsteps, regretting what she had just done.

Emma took her usual spot at the back of the classroom.

People always sat at the back of the classroom so they wouldn't be caught by the teacher if they weren't paying attention.

Emma just felt more comfortable studying from the back instead of being all the way at the front, where the watchful eyes of the other students bore into her.

One by one, the other students came filing into the classroom as, taking their places at their usual seats.

Mr. Boldman, their Spanish teacher, came strolling in with his leather suitcase in hand. He placed he bag on his desk and straightened his glasses.

Instead of making the whole class stand to greet him like they normally would've, he made everyone stay in their seats.

A girl came walking into the classroom slowly, her eyes fixated on the floor.

Emma noticed the jet black hair and emerald green eyes almost instantly. She realised it was the girl she had hit earlier, the guilt overwhelming her immediately.

"Class, this is our new student, Olivia Michelle Jauregui. Please show her your warmest forms of welcome and we can get started with the lesson."

Olivia Jauregui. Olivia Fucking Jauregui. The girl Emma had hit just happened to be the same girl that had helped her out in the bathroom, the same girl that she was unexpectedly falling for.

Could her day get any worse?

Emma's self-directed question was answered soon enough.

When the whole class was done introducing themselves — Emma excluded, because she chose not to — Mr. Boldman pointed to the seat beside her.

"You can sit there at the back of the class. I'm sorry but it's the only available seat we've got," he said.

Olivia looked at the back of the classroom and her eyes met Emma's, before looking away quickly.

She was probably afraid that something bad might happen to her. Emma felt another pang of guilt wash over her.

Olivia gulped. "N-No, it's fine, I can sit there," she willed herself to walk towards the empty seat and placed her bag on the floor, taking out her textbook and opening it to the page Mr. Boldman had written on the board.

She kept her eyes fixated on the board and the teacher, sometimes scribbling down notes in her textbook.

Emma, on the other hand, couldn't pay attention at all.

How had it been that the girl she liked had to be the same girl she had to act like she hated?

"Class, turn to page 135 of your textbooks." Mr. Boldman instructed pausing to look around the classroom.

His eyes landed on Olivia.

"Ms. Jauregui, could you do us a favour and read the poem out for us?"

The green-eyed girl nodded and stood up.

Bella,

como en la piedra fresca

del manantial, el agua

abre un ancho relámpago de espuma,

así es la sonrisa en tu rostro,

bella. [Translation: Lovely one,

just as on the cool stone

of the spring, the water

opens a wide flash of foam,

so is the smile of your face,

lovely one.]

Bella,

de finas manos y delgados pies

como un caballito de plata,

andando, flor del mundo,

así te veo,

bella. [Translation: Lovely one,

with delicate hands and slender feet

like a silver pony,

walking, flower of the world,

thus I see you,

lovely one.]

Bella,

con un nido de cobre enmarañado

en tu cabeza, un nido

color de miel sombría

donde mi corazón arde y reposa,

bella. [Translation: Lovely one,

with a nest of copper entangled

on your head, a nest

the color of dark honey

where my heart burns and rests,

lovely one.]

Mr. Boldman raised his hand, a signal to let Olivia know she could stop. Olivia bowed slightly and sat down, not noticing the rest of the class staring at her in awe.

"Ms. Cabello, would you please continue from where Ms. Jauregui left off?" Emma realised he hasn't used her first name; and she was thankful for that. It was probably better if Olivia didn't know who she really was just yet.

She stood up and read the poem, just as Olivia previously had.

Bella,

no te caben los ojos en la cara,

no te caben los ojos en la tierra.

Hay países, hay ríos,

en tus ojos,

mi patria está en tus ojos,

yo camino por ellos,

ellos dan luz al mundo

por donde yo camino,

bella. [Translation:

Lovely one,

your eyes are too big for your face,

your eyes are too big for the earth.

There are countries, there are rivers,

in your eyes,

my country as In your eyes,

I walk through them,

they light the world

through which I walk,

lovely one.]

Bella,

tus senos son como dos panes hechos

de tierra cereal y luna de oro,

bella. [Translation: Lovely one,

your breasts are like two loaves made of grainy earth and golden moon, lovely one.]

Emma felt her cheeks flush as she read that stanza of the poem, but she urged herself to go on.

Bella,

tu cintura

la hizo mi brazo como un río cuando

pasó mil años por tu dulce cuerpo,

bella. [Translation: Lovely one,

your waist,

my arm shaped it like a river when

it flowed a thousand years through your sweet body,

lovely one.]

Mr. Boldman stopped her as well, nodding his head in approval. "Ms. Jauregui, Ms. Jensen, the two of you have exceptional traces of Spanish. Do you come from Spanish blood, perhaps?" he questioned. He two girls nodded at the same time.

"I'm Cuban-Mexican," Emma answered, Olivia speaking right after her.

"I'm Cuban-American," Mr. Boldman nodded his head once more in approval.

"That's a pleasure to hear, girls. I'll read the rest of the poem, thank you for reading the first half of it," he commended.

The bell signalling five minutes to the end of the period rang just as their teacher finished analysing the rest of the poem.

Mr. Boldman sighed. "Well, it seems like I wouldn't be getting much else done today. Right, as students taking Spanish Literature, I expect you to be able to dissect and annotate the other poems yourselves. So, here's this week's homework. You will be in pairs and have to do a review on this poem based on what we've done in class today."

One by one, Mr. Boldman struck off the names of the students he had already assigned a partner to. Before he knew it, he was only left with the names of two girls.

Olivia Jauregui and Emma Jensen.

He closed his notebook and looked at the two girls. "Well, it seems like the two of you will be paired up together. I hope you do take good care of her, Ms. Jensen. Show her around school, make her feel comfortable, yeah?"

Emma nodded.

"Very well," Mr. Boldman turned his attention back to the rest of the class. "Class dismissed,"

The students streamed out of the classroom and went their separate ways.

"So," Emma turned to Olivia, a wave of confidence coming over her.

"Would you like to come over today to get started on this project?"