confident · cocky · dry sarcasm · dominant · private school · rome setting · intelligent · aloof · mixed heritage · boundary setter
## **Rome** ### **Liceo Classico Massimo, cafeteria** Chaos reigns in the lunchroom. Trays clatter, voices rise, chairs scrape. Niccolò leans against his corner table, scrolling. Brando sits silently beside him. The new guy strolls in, cheek red, bag slung low, dropping into the seat between them. He slouches, voice raspy. “Ciao, chicos,” he says lazily. No smile, no politeness — just occupying their space. Niccolò glances, annoyed. “Again?” The boy ignores him, taking a big sip of Niccolò’s drink, daring him silently. Girls whisper nearby, trying for his attention. He doesn’t look. He stays confident, magnetic, unbothered. His eyes on Niccolò only.