Begin Again

Chapter 13

I spent the next few months attending lectures on the weekdays, going to work at Devon Grey on the weekends and hanging out with my three best friends during our free time. At night, I would go over to Matteo's apartment to study.

In my opinion, I adapted very quickly to life in NYU. I have Talia, Erica and Zenia to thank. After all, it was thanks to their three years worth of notes that I could catch up to work in this school. I never had to ask my professors or Matteo any questions.

Perhaps it was all thanks to my photographic memory.

Working at the hospital was fun too. I learnt a lot of things while following Uncle James and Aunt Adeline around. Of course, since I wasn't a professional doctor, I couldn't do much. Still, it was a fun and enriching experience.

Matteo and I grew very close as we spent our nights studying and watching shows together. Needless to say, my three annoying best friends can't help but poke their noses into our friendship. They kept asking when we were going to start dating!

"Ugh, I can't believe tomorrow is the big day," I groaned as I lay down on Matteo's couch.

He was sitting on the floor and leaning against the couch. He replied, "On the bright side, after this paper, you can go out and dance the night away like nobody's business. You can celebrate the end of your exams. It's all over!"

"That will be nice," I murmured as I covered my face with my notes.

"Calm down, Grey. You'll be fine. You have your photographic memory to count on. What's there to worry about?" he replied.

I rolled my eyes. Even after three months, he can't stop harping over my photographic memory. "Get over with it already! Stop harassing me! It's normal to be worried, okay? My family has done so much to let me be here. I can't let them down."

He put his notes on the coffee table and turned around to face me. "Alexia Grey, you need to chill. It's just a test. You've been getting good grades and you get every question correct when I test you. The professors love you! Stop worrying over nothing."

"You don't know what it feels like, Matteo. You have to meet the expectations of no one but yourself. I have to meet the expectations of everyone, my family, my friends, myself! Oh, if only you knew what pressure I'm feeling right now," I ranted.

"Panicking won't help you," he said. He removed my notes from the top of my face and put it on the coffee table. "Relax. Watch an episode of Grey's Anatomy. No, too depressing. Watch an episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine. You need to let loose."

I chuckled, "Oh, to think I was the one telling you that three months ago! Time flies. You've changed so much, Matteo. My baby is all grown up! I'm so proud of you."

He rolled his eyes. "You're disgusting," he muttered.

"Do me a favour and wash your mouth," I scoffed. "Your breath reeks of terrible words that make this girl sad."

He scowled. "Ugh, so much for trying to cheer you up." He stood up, grabbed his notes from the coffee table and walked to the dining table, far away from me. "I'm just going to sit here and mind my own business."

"Aw, don't be so petty," I said. I stood up and walked towards him. "Be a gentleman, Matteo. Smile! Let's go have dinner! How does Tre Giovani sound to you? Are you in the mood to have Italian food? Yes? No?"

"No," he replied.

"Come on, don't be like this. Okay, fine, it's my treat. Are you happy now?" I said.

He grinned and replied, "Now, that's a deal! Let's go to Tre Giovani! We're definitely getting a pizza. I want lasagna. Or maybe risotto. Or maybe ravioli."

"Stop, you're making my mouth water," I replied.

With that, we went out. Needless to say, we ended up ordering a lot of food. At least we can finish them! It's hard to resist good food. Besides, Italian food is good for health. It is fresh, is minimally processed, has a lot of fibre, has antioxidants and is good for the heart.

Eat more pasta, kids.

"I want more ravioli," Matteo muttered as we reached his apartment. He unlocked the door and headed straight for the couch.

"Oh no, you don't," I said as I raced him to the couch and pounced onto it, occupying the entire space. "This is my spot," I giggled.

"This is my apartment," he replied, rolling his eyes.

I shrugged. "Too bad."

"In that case..." he muttered. A sly grin appeared on his face. Oh no, he won't— He lay on top of me and guffawed out loud as I yelped in surprise. "Apologise to me a hundred times now. Only then will I get off."

"Hey, get off! Do you have any idea how heavy you are?" I exclaimed as I pushed his back to get him off me. He didn't budge. Is he serious about me apologising a hundred times? Why does he have to be so strong and heavy? Okay, since he won't move... "Ouch!"

"Holy crap, what happened? Are you okay? Did I hurt you?" he questioned, immediately moving away from me. Concern was written all over his face. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I should've known my weight was too much for you to bear! Wait..."

I burst into laughter. "Oh, who knew I would get an apology instead of apologising to you a hundred times?" I giggled.

His face darkened immediately. "That was not funny, Grey. You played with my emotions!"

I shrugged. "Who asked you to lie on top of me? I could've gotten injured, especially since we just ate! Gosh, I could've had appendicitis! I don't want to lose my appendix. I don't want a two-inch scar on my abdomen!"

"Stop exaggerating," he remarked, waving me off.

"It's a possibility," I replied. "Hey, it's not funny!"

"It totally is," he chuckled. All of a sudden, his tone became firm as he continued, "Okay, enough fooling around. Let's get back to studying. Perhaps we can watch an episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine right before you head home."

I nodded in agreement. Oh Gosh, I have exams tomorrow! It's my first exam in NYU CAS. I can't screw it up! I need a perfect score. I will show everyone that I was worth sending to this school. I will make Mum, Dad and Aunt Adeline proud! "So nervous!"

"Haha, it sucks to be you. My paper is the day after tomorrow and I'm very prepared for it. I'm confident that I will get full marks. I don't even care," he replied.

"Go away, Matteo!" I hollered. So nervous...

"Calm down, Alexia. You've been studying for the past month. I've never seen you so hardworking before! Scratch that. I've never seen you study for hours without a break. You usually run to the kitchen to grab a snack but now you don't. Chill," he replied.

I ruffled my hair in frustration as I skimmed through my notes. "Ugh, stupid biology! Why do you have to be so hard?"

"Don't call it stupid, Grey, or it will not treat you well," Matteo said.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" I yelled.

"Shh, you'll wake up the neighbours," he replied.

"I am your neighbour! There are only the two of us around here! The other two apartments are all the way at the other end! They won't hear us!" I hollered.

He rolled his eyes and heaved a deep sigh. "Stop this nonsense at this instant. Panicking won't give you a good grade. Keep calm and tell yourself that you can do it. That will do the trick. All you need is confidence."

"That's by far the smartest thing I've heard from you today," I murmured.

"I hate you, Alexia Grey," he muttered with a facepalm.

"The feeling is mutual, Matteo Knight," I sighed.