In the next week, study-leave for Alessia's exams begun, though Alessia spent more time plotting than studying. Before Alessia's year group had all disappeared for study-leave, Alessia had been tactfully getting closer and closer to Dylan, ready for the big finale.

She was thinking this Friday. Dylan had told her that he wasn't going to Matt's party since he and Olivia had fallen out—of which was down to the girls and their plotting. After the argument, Dylan no longer felt like going to the party. Alessia would act as both the damsel in distress and as an aid for Dylan on his very lonely Friday night.

In the current moment, Alessia was sat in the school library, though merely to get away from her dad. Her textbooks were scattered around her, but her sketchbook right in front of her—the centre of her attention.

"What are you drawing?" Someone asked suddenly, and Alessia turned to see Lucas stood behind her. She jumped, before glaring at him.

Lucas stared open-mouthed down at what Alessia was drawing, instantly figuring out that it was Dylan. He glanced between the drawing and Alessia.

I, of course, had been the one to promise loyalty to Lucas and not Alessia. Therefore, it was times like these that made it hard to defend Alessia. Especially when there was proof of her affections for the wrong person right in front of her, on a table in the library.

I flipped the control instantly, taking back the reins. I had only done this a few times since I had last given up, and each time was to save her from another problem of her own doing. "Lucas, it's just a drawing," I explained to him.

He shook his head, "So is there one of me too?" He asked.

I paused, "Uh, at home." I told him. Alessia was pretty good at lying, but I wasn't. Lucas sensed this.

He sighed, "Right," he turned to leave, but I got up to chase after him.

"Lucas," I whispered, grabbing onto his arm and pulling him away from the working students.

"No, Alessia, this is the third time now," he said, running his hand through his hair, trying to use the ruse to distract from the fact that tears were springing to his eyes.

"I know–" I paused, "Wait, third time?"

Lucas looked away, clenching his jaw. "I heard what you did at Matt's party." He said, making me frown.

"Sorry?" I asked him, confused.

He sniffed. "Making out with Matt."

I simply opened and closed my mouth, very aware of Lucas' eyes on me, waiting for me to say something.

I swallowed. "Even if that were true, I haven't been to one of Matt's parties in ages."

Lucas scoffed. "Sure, and the whole of Matt's friendship group is spreading immaculate lies about you?" He asked bitterly.

"Yes!" I replied, before realising that I should quieten down, "Because that's what boys like Matt and his friends do. They don't care about anyone but themselves, and they use and humiliate girls just for the fun of it."

"Yeah," he said, "maybe so, but even your love backed it up." He said, nodding over at Alessia's sketches, which were now a few metres away.

"'My love'?" I echoed. "Dylan?" I felt as Alessia's heart sank. Mine followed soon after. I shook my head, "Dylan wouldn't have lied."

Lucas scoffed, "Of course, Matt's friends are all jerks but Dylan is pure." He said, laughing without humour.

He then turned to leave.

Quickly, I grabbed onto his arm, spinning him around, "Yes," I told him, "Dylan is so pure, and so kind," when Lucas started frowning at me, I realised my eyes were beginning to water. I cleared my throat, "and I really care about you, Lucas, and I won't let these untrue rumours ruin this." I told him, pleadingly.

"Ruin what?" He asked, tugging his arm out of my grasp. "There's nothing here, Alessia."

My breath hitched. "There is," I said, though maybe I was just trying to convince myself and Alessia, rather than him.

"You, and whatever other twenty personalities you have, love Dylan, and that'll never change. Right now, I have too many exams to worry about to even give a second thought to this. If you really want me, if you want this; I'll be on the other side of the GCSEs." With that, Lucas turned around and left.

With a bitter taste in my throat, I realised I had well and truly made promises that Alessia Trent, sure enough, couldn't keep. I shouldn't have risked it. But for the promise of just one good day, of making Alessia's life acutely better, I did. I risked it.

I sighed, closing my eyes to calm down, letting the horrible feeling that was bursting inside of me settle. Opening my eyes, I turned around to where Alessia was once sitting, packing up her sketchbook and shoving it away into her bag, before doing some actual revision.

I was revising for history, which is a paper that Alessia is supposed to sit tomorrow morning, and so I had to make sure that I sat that paper for Alessia. I wasn't sure if Alessia would retain memories that I controlled. I wasn't sure about anything these days, especially feeling as though I had a past life as if I was Olivia Clark. It's been so long now; it feels like a memory from many times ago, but somehow, somewhere, I know for certain that I was Olivia Clark before this life. Before her life.

Now, I'm Alessia Trent, and with nothing else proven to me, that's all I know right now. If I was Olivia Clark before, I have now been lost—I have sunk to the bottom of a pit in Alessia's soul, where it's likely that I'll remain.

I revised for an hour longer before packing up, sighing. I slung my bag over my shoulder, trudging over to the exit of the library. It was getting dark outside, and so it would probably be a risky mission getting back into my—Alessia's house.

But I didn't even get a chance to get far; outside of the library, I was confronted.

"Isn't you Alessa?" The voice slurred, falling into me.

I caught the person instinctively, frowning. "I am Alessia," I said, correcting them on the name but not on their first error. It was a boy, and he smiled up at me.

That's when I realised who it was.

Leon Junior.

As a recap, Leon was the first boy who had ever shown me—Olivia—attention. I fell for him like a stupid kid, and he broke my heart. Not only that, but he sold a story to the entire school that I was a slut, and that the only reason he broke up with me was that I 'wasn't good enough in bed'. He then proceeded to change the story, saying that I was 'frigid' and that he broke up with me because I 'wouldn't do anything in bed'.

It didn't matter that what he had said didn't make sense, or that he had no proof; people believed him. I hated him. He was the first person to ruin my days at school, making me the target of unwanted male attention, rude photoshop edits, and cruel text messages.

It soon died out. But I'd never forgive him.

Holding him now, I shook with hatred. But I was not Olivia Clark, I am Alessia Trent. And even if I am Olivia, I wear a permanent mask that just won't budge.

Leon hummed, smiling, "Let's do somethin'." He slurred once more, making me scoff in disgust and push him off me.

"Go home, Leon," I ordered, trying to walk away.

"Aw, man, you're just like that Olivia, man." He said, tripping and landing with his limbs tangled in a gate.

I stood, frozen, watching him pull his limbs away from the green painted gate.

"Olivia?" I asked.

He hummed again. "Yeah, that one. She's a fucking slut for Dylan, but no one else."

I pulled a face, my hatred bubbling. "You talk shit, Leon." I spat, watching him laugh, before slipping and hitting his head on the concrete brick wall. I stared at him, not sharing any sympathy as he groaned in pain. He deserved it.

"I don't talk nothing but the truth, baby, and you know it." He said, recovering.

I clenched my jaw. "I'm leaving, Leon, stop talking to me now."

I turned around, ready to leave when he began to speak again, "I'll be telling everyone about this," he slurred, and I heard him trip again.

I sighed, not turning around, "That you're harassing me in an alleyway?"

Leon didn't respond for a while, and I considered turning back around to see if he had died. That would sure be a score. Then I heard him say, "Sure."

I rolled my eyes, walking away quickly, for fear of him following me.

_________________________________

beginning my half term with two updates wasn't the way but I was kind of revising for my driving theory test...

WHICH I PASSED

anyway ha it's not like I'll be driving soon or anything since uno

kinda don't have wheels

yeah, I know, it's really boring
I just have legs

I know it's so ordinary and normal and not unique at all but...but I'm not like everyone else

I just have legs

-my new novel, 'I Just Have Legs' is coming to a Wattpad near you, probably next week, probably the one after, but most definitely yesterday

see ya kids

wait

I already signed off

-signing off again

FABULOUS SONGS

Songs that played when I was writing this chapter (in order):
Let Me Down Gently - La Roux
Fix You - Coldplay
Make Me Wanna Die - The Pretty Reckless
Don't Let Me Go - RAIGN
Wonderwall - Ryan Adams
Bones - MS MR
Call Out My Name - The Weeknd

(wrote this one damn quick - about half an hour by quick calculations, aka don't trust me bc my B in maths don't count for nothing)

END FABULOUS SONGS
(and magnificent maths)

Date written:
30/09/18
02/10/18 (hi, welcome to October, the Her Life publishing month – 16/02/19)

oh did y'all enjoy Valentine's Day

yeah, same

___________
Next update: Tueessday
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CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT SPOILER:

GCSEs are well on the way, but Alessia's crimes catch up to her before long.