Page 66 of Enzo

I knew that our friendship—whatever happened between us in Venice—was only ever going to be short.

But I didn't expect the memory of it to hurt this much.

Chapter 17

MOLLY

It's Monday morning and the cold rain hitting the windows casts a dour mood on the day.

The children pile inside with puffy coats, wet hats and gloves and boots which leave dangerous wet trails on the floor. I take their lunch boxes and help them out of their coats, as much as I can.

I could do with being an octopus.

All weekend I kept thinking of Enzo. Despite proving to him that I never meant for Kiki to see the video clips, let alone upload them, the damage is still done.

He believes me. I could see it in his expression, but it doesn’t change anything. His mother is being hassled, and his family must resent this intrusion as much as Enzo does.

But we’re supposed to be working together.

I wish Miss T hadn’t given this to me. Having more contact with him will be torture because I fear he hasn’t forgiven me. I doubt he ever will.

I haven't been watching the news, and I don't go on social media much. I've been more determined than ever to stay away because I don’t want to find more clips about me and Enzo in Venice.

Like a child, I've adopted the ridiculous notion that if I don't see it, it doesn't exist. The media isn't interested in a masked ball anymore; they're digging into Enzo's family.

I also start to wonder if people will be able to identify me. I’m not visible in any of the clips I sent, but I can be heard talking, because I was doing a running commentary. Panic marches up my throat and sets up home there.

What if someone somehow figures out that it’s me?

I’m not famous or anything, or in the public eye, but what if someone did?

What’s to stop them from coming after me?

During lunchtime I head into the teachers’ lounge to mark the spelling. I sit at one of the empty tables in the corner and pull out a bunch of books to mark. I glance up to find Kiki walking in carrying a plastic coffee holder with two cups, and a magazine. It's a celebrity magazine. She loves reading those.

I look away quickly and focus on marking my spelling tests.

“Molly.”

I pretend to ignore her, and I wish she'd get the message and leave me alone for a while. She refused to take the videos down, and yet she expects me to be as friendly and as forgiving as ever.

“I bought you your favorite hot chocolate with chocolate sprinkles and extra cream.”

I look up. “I don't want it. Thank you, though.”

She’s been trying hard to make it up to me. Checking in on me after school, wandering into my classroom and asking how I am. Now she looks at me, shocked. “What am I supposed to do with this?”

I continue with my marking. “Offer it to one of the others.”

Kiki sets down the hot chocolate, but I refuse to take it.

She slides over a magazine. “You're going to want to look at this.”

When she says it like that, with that tone, I know I need to listen. I read the headline:

WHAT HAPPENED TO AURORA KNIGHT?

I immediately drop my pen, grab the magazine, and start reading feverishly. There's a photograph of Enzo and his brothers and his father. They’re a big family, but there’s no mother figure in here.