I follow the stretches being demonstrated, the cold morning air making a hill shudder through my body. The track team for the highschool was meeting early today and I was ready for my second practice. It was a Friday, and all fifty kids on the team met for practice at six on a Friday morning. The ages ranged from about fourteen to eighteen so I was right in the middle.

The only person from the family that was also in the track team was Madison and she had surprisingly been very helpful. She had taken me under her wing and introduced me to everyone and helped me get into the events I wanted to participate in.

This was surprising because Madi was best friends with Emmeline, and Emmeline wasn't the fondest of me. Another contributing factor was that she hadn't really made an effort to talk to me in the few days we've been here.

Not that I've made an effort either, I don't have the excess energy to waste my time on someone who isn't giving me the same back.

"How are you so flexible?" Madison groans as she struggles to do a stretch I easily manage. "It's so unfair."

"I've been a dancer since I was seven, and stretch everyday." I explain reaching a little father so I feel the stretch. "If you try doing it every day then it gets easier and easier. If you want I can join you for accountability the first few times you do it and then when you get into the swing of it then you can do it yourself."

She pauses and looks at me. "You know when you first got here I thought you were going to be a bitch."

"Tell me how you really feel, why don't you?" I laugh, not taking it as an insult.

Her face reddens. "I don't know, you got here and you have this really posh accent, and you're obviously really smart and really really rich. I was kind of waiting for you to be a stuck-up rich kid."

"There are some snobby rich kids, Madison, don't get me wrong. But a lot of us act out because the world acts like our problems aren't valid just because we have a high bank balance. Do you know how many of my friends have negligent parents, that the only time they show up is for their reputation? It's definitely more than half. They all have this immense pressure on them to be better than their friends in academics and sports, to have the newest stuff, the best holidays. We might not struggle with money but we for sure struggle with other things."

<><><>

"Hey Everleigh." I lift my head up from my phone and smile at the girl heading towards me. Juliette was in my ballet class and was really sweet.

"Hi Juliette." I scoot over on the bench I was sitting on. "You want to sit?"

"If I'm not interrupting you, you look very concentrated." She joked, her dark skin glowing in the sunlight.

I huff. "Just work stuff, it turns out it isn't easy trying to do a job from across an ocean even if everything is remote." I sigh, it was the hours that were killer. "And I'm just waiting for my boyfriends to finish football practice."

"Your boyfriend is Liam Walker's brother isn't he?"

"Yeah." I hadn't interacted too much with Liam but by the way he kept glancing at Juliette from the field. I would say they knew each other. "You know him?"

"It's a small place, everyone knows everyone."

"And you're deflecting." She looks at me with a fake annoyed expression. "Oh come on, tell me. I hardly interact with the dude."

"Yes but then you'll tell your boyfriend who in turn will tell his brother."

"Nathaniel knows I will have him by his balls if he says anything from our chats." I say knowing full well he'd never spread anything. "But you don't have to tell me anything, I was just teasing, honestly."

"No, I don't know we were partners last year for a class and we had developed a sort of flirtationship situation but I don't know we were really close but then just started drifting away and I haven't heard much from him for a while." She looked slightly heartbroken when she thought of him and I knew she still liked him even if they had never made it official. I had to do some digging to make sure Liam still feels the same way and then maybe play some cupid. "It's silly isn't it? I'm hung over a boy that I wasn't even actually together with."

"You're talking to someone who had plans to marry her boyfriend since we were like four and we only started dating at thirteen. Sometimes you just know, why don't you talk to him?"

"I feel a little guilty, it was my fault we fell out of touch. I was dealing with some things at home and kind of just blocked everyone out. I lost most of my friends due to me being busy or totally not wanting to hang out." She reminds me of myself, if it wasn't for Lex and my very persistent friends I don't think I would have had friends after I lost my dad. I was buried in so much grief and I spent all my time trying to find where he was and who had taken them. I had blocked everyone but Lex out but my friends made sure I knew they were there for me and never left no matter how hard I pushed.

"It's not your fault, sometimes life just pushes us and because we can't push back we take it out on the people around us and other times we push people away because we feel we don't deserve the love and care we're getting from them, that we're better alone."

"Yeah." She answers, agreeing to my statement, leaning back on the bench as we watched the team. Alexander was getting the hand of throwing a football and he and Liam were working really well together, they were totally in sync. "Did you push away Nathaniel?"

"Nate's the one person I can't push away even if I really wanted to. Him and I go through everything together and I know he'll be there through everything with me. I pushed away everyone else, my adoptive family, my friends, people that only wanted to care for me." The practice was not over and Lex was waiting for me, so I packed away my things and stood up. "Have a good weekend Juliette, also maybe talk to Liam. I might not be right but he looked over here to make sure you were okay as much as my overprotective boyfriend did."

I gave her a last smile and walked towards Lex. He links our fingers together as we walk towards the car. "Are you trying to play matchmaker?" He asks, knowing me really well.

"Don't you know it's my part time job, Rozzi?" I grin cheekily, making him shake his head with a smile. "Now don't you have a party to go to?"

<><><>

Tongue tied was playing in the background as Ezra and I danced and sang at the top of our lungs to the song. We were home alone and were taking full advantage of that. Since everyone else had headed to the party earlier we had jumped into my range rover and gone over to a store to stock up on anything we could find that contained sugar in it and now we had set up the upstairs lounge for a night of hanging out.

It was nice having someone who didn't like teen parties. I mean, I didn't hate them but they weren't my favourite thing. Alexander, Adelina and Ambrosi all loved going to them on the weekends so I went with them since they were pretty much my only three friends. I mean I also had Julian and Demitrius but I couldn't hang out with them too often because the times when I was free they were working, and vice-versa, so the extent of our bonding was going on highly dangerous missions.

"Take me to your best friend's house. I loved you then I love you now, oh yeah." We sing in sync, completely off key but it made it more fun. My head turned to the door, feeling someone there, but Ezra let out a shriek when Lucas started clapping from his spot leaning against the door.

"Oh, hey man. You scared me." Ezra plops back into the couch and softens the music. "I thought you went to Brayden's party."

"Decided against it, can I chill with you guys?"

Ezra looks at me and I shrug not really caring so Ezra invites him. We didn't have anything planned, neither of us really liked movies so we planned to just chat and get to know each other more. He had wanted to try and write some more songs and I needed to get some work done. Work felt never-ending these days because of how little time I had so I was staying up later and doing it in class to try and make up for the time.

"No problem man." We all sit in silence until Ezra looks excited. "Let's play a game."

"What game?" Lucas asks.

"Umm, never have I ever."

'I don't want to drink." I tell them and Ezra nods.

"That's fine, we have that packet of candy you bought, the ones where some are really nice, some are sour and some are spicy. Let's say if you have done something then you take something and since it's a mystery you won't know what you've taken. Also when it's your turn you can't say something you've done."

My nose wrinkles up but I agree. I'm not too sure about the sweets and my teen years were honestly pretty wild, not rebellious since I had permission but I got up to a lot of things I probably shouldn't have.

"Okay let's start off strong, never have I ever had sex." Ezra asks, grinning at Lucas probably already knowing that his friend had done it.

"Going right into it, huh Ez." I laugh and take a sweet myself unwrapping it and tasting the really sour lemon taste making my face screw up. Both boys were eyeing me with curiosity. "You do realise I've been dating the same person for like three years and we also shared a flat for that period of time."

Once Ezra releases I'm actually his little sister he looks a little grossed out. "Ew, I didn't need to know that."

"You're the one who asked the question." I tell him, I have no idea why he thought any differently. "Okay, never have I ever got arrested." Surprisingly Ezra's the only one who drank. I raised an eyebrow at him to go into detail but he shook his head so I left it. "Your turn Lucas."

"Um, never have I ever gone skinny dipping." Neither boy took a sweet while I did.

"With Nate?" Ezra asked and I shook my head.

"With my other friend, Adelina. This was like last year I think." I have no idea what possessed us to do that, but honestly, it was pretty fun and no one would have caught us because it was on private property somewhere in Central America when we went on a girls trip. "And I don't, Nate knows about it so don't really mention it to him."

"Oh talking about your boyfriend." Lucas said boyfriend in a really condescending manner and it made me raise an eyebrow. "I heard him talking to another girl on the phone , I just thought I would tell you, someone named Ria or something."

"Rika?" I ask and he nods, a frown forming on his face. Did he think he got Xander in trouble? "Yeah, Erika's his cousin. They're pretty close since she's our age."

"And you don't mind him talking to other girls?" he asks.

"First, they're related, and I'd never ever make him stop talking to four out of his seven cousins just because they're girls. Second, he also has girl friends that aren't me and we have a level of trust between us otherwise we wouldn't be in a relationship."

"But what if he cheats on you?" Lucas asks, his bright green eyes clashing with my now agitated and fiery blue ones.

"You're talking about the person who sleeps in my bed every night when we live together, the one who cooks me dinner and buys me flowers, the one who looks after me when I'm sick and does everything he can for me, the one person who has been with me through everything. There's more of a chance of pigs flying than my relationship ending so please Lucas, I don't know who the fuck you are but stay out of my relationship."

My voice never once rose, in fact I might have spoken softer, I was fuming.

"I think it's time for you to go, Lucas." Ezra glares at the kid and with a scoff Lucas stands up and walks out the door and we wait for the front door to leave before relaxing. "I'm sorry Evie."

"Not your fault."

"I am really sorry though, I don't know him too well. He's Gabe's best friend and I have no idea why he even showed up but I didn't want to be rude."

"It's okay Ezra, really." There was a new ruckus outside and soon everyone else stumbled into the room. Emmeline and Madi looked plasted and everyone else but Xander and Elijah just looked a little drunk. Completely sober Xander walks up to me and leans down to kiss me.

"Ew, I've heard enough about you guys and I definitely don't want to see it." Ezra blocks his eyes with his hand and Alexander looks at me questioningly.

"He learnt I'm not a virgin." That made a smirk form on Xander's face, obviously remembering our times together which hadn't happened even once in the week we've been here. Xander wraps his arms around me from behind and hugs me tightly. I turned my head to look up at him but with how we were positioned he was upside down. "We need to talk."

"Okay, let's go to your room." Xander releases me from his hold and grabs my hand instead as we go down the hall to my bedroom. I flop onto the bed and hold my arms out for Xander to join me. He walks forward and then lies on top of me. I groan under the weight of his body. "Are you calling me fat, love?"

"Yes, get off me." I push him softly but he complies, rolling onto his back but moving me with him so now I lay on top of him. Xander was far from fat, which is to be expected from someone who has been working out pretty much his whole life, especially since he focused on strength training and weights, he was ripped.

I lay with my head on his chest for a few minutes. I could smell the faint smells of alcohol and smoke on him but he hadn't done any because the smell was really faint and mostly overpowered by his cologne.

"How was the party?" I lift my head on his chest and he looks down at me. "Did it live up to the stereotype?"

"No, our parties are much better."

"The parties we go to are funded by rich kids who have nothing better to do with their parents black card." It was the people we went to school with, the people who have no responsibility until they graduate then a lot of them fall under the now enormous pressure to lead a company.

"Your sister was also trying it again with me."

"Oh would you look at that, two people were trying to sabotage our relationship tonight." I say nonchalantly and Xander freezes and looks down at me, anger in his eyes like it was in mine earlier.

"Lucas?"

"Uh huh." I roll off of him so we lie side by side and grab my phone.

"Ella."

"Yes?"

"Can you please elaborate?" I sigh like it was a chore and lock my phone and turn on my side to face him. He follows suit and our faces are really close, moving and our lips touch. His hand rubs up my waist and down my leg.

"I don't know if he crashed Ezra's and I's hangout and we started playing games."

"Is that where Ezra found out you weren't a virgin?"

"Don't cut me off, and yes we were playing never have I ever." I flick his nose. "Anyway the game went on for a while but then Lucas, all condescendingly goes 'i heard your boyfriend talking to some girl.'"

"Which girl?" He frowns and I glare at him for interrupting me again.

"Rika." Erika Rozzi was seventeen which was closer to our age while the rest of the Rozzi cousins were well into their twenties. One of the reasons Xander wasn't as close to them as I was to my cousins since the biggest age gap between us was six years between Atlas and I.

"Oh yeah, she phoned the other day. She's coming to this site and wants to meet up while she's here."

"We'll get back to that. Can I finish the story you wanted to hear so badly?" I ask.

"Oh right."

"Sometimes I wonder if we're sure I'm the ADHD one." I tease and he pinches my waist making me squeal and he laughs at me.

"Carry on my love."

"Oh right, so he was annoying me so I told him off, not rude or anything, just blunt, so hopefully he takes the hint and leaves me alone. And that includes staring at me all the time at school and when he comes over."

"He has a crush on you, not that I blame him. It's just you're mine and no one is ever going to take you from me, Amore."

"You say the sweetest things to me." I tease with an eye roll, moving to stand up but Xander grabs me by my waist and rolls me onto my back and he leans in a plank position over me. He had my wrists in each of his hands and my legs were locked between his. I was unable to move. Xander hardly overpowered me unless we were in this situation. He always let me have the control until it was his time to take over.

"Bloody hell." Xander swears at a knock at the door, using the interruption to my advantage. I flip us over and escape the grip and move out to sit against the headboard.

"Come in."

Ezra enters the room, hands covering his eyes. "Is it safe?"

Alexander gives me a look and all I can do is giggle. "Yes it's safe, Frère."

I posted the previous version of Perilous Intelligence if you want to check it out on my page and I'll be posting a chapter once a day.

Please vote and comment and see you next chapter

Ara <3