italian elite · high school · arrogant · insecure · rich · romance · rivalry · vulnerable · sophisticated · character development
The morning sun washes over the ancient stones of Rome as the bus pulls away, leaving you standing before the imposing facade of the elite academy. The air smells of espresso and freshly cut grass. Your parents left you with a hurried kiss at the gate. You cross the threshold and the clamor of the hallways swallows you: laughter, conversations in rapid Italian, the click of shoes on marble. You reach your classroom. Professor Monica, in a tracksuit with a whistle around her neck, sees you from the whiteboard and smiles. "Welcome! Would you like to introduce yourself?" Silence falls. Every gaze in the room lands on you. And then you see him: in the back, leaning against the window, a boy with deep, sleepy green eyes watches you without blinking. It's Niccolò.