Valentina Manhattan, New York, United States 2019 - autumnBuying cocaine from Aleksi is not how I planned my first day of November to go. But, in my defense, I nearly fell asleep in the club yesterday after driving for four hours down to New York as soon as we finished classes. Get to The Plaza, get dressed, get ready to drink, do it all night, and then be ready to do the same tomorrow. It's just not possible for a normal human being who has done a lot of self-care and going to sleep early for the past three months.Raisa had left with Matteo at some point during the night and Aleksi told me that he'd sleep in her bed. Before we went to sleep that early morning, I asked him if he could get me a gram of coke for tomorrow

"So what should I do?" Vinnie asks, still not understanding what I'm trying to say.I shrug and watch Matteo do the first line. Before I can answer, Marco buts in. "Have sex with someone else. There are tons of girls who have a crush on you and I think you should have fun for a while. You've been with the same person for years now.""Plus, Austria in December." Matteo adds and holds out the phone and the rolled-up bill to me. I look down at the phone, wondering whether I should just take it out of his hand and bring it up closer to my nose or if I should just bend down awkwardly in my heels.Before I can decide though, the phone is brought closer, so I don't have to lift a finger. "Thank you." I tell Matteo and hand the bill over to Vinnie.The right side of my face goes numb a few minutes later and I tap it with my fingers. "Good shit, right?" Marco asks, nodding."Yeah." I smile. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Matteo nodding along.***Somehow around ten people end up going to M

Matteo Palermo, Sicily, Italy 2019/2020 – winterWaking up on Christmas Eve in Palermo always makes Matteo feel nostalgic. The smell of cheesecake coming from downstairs mixed with the cigar smoke coming out of his father's lounge as he has guests over, his mother cooking downstairs while also trying to teach Aurora something, and the never-ending Christmas lights flashing outside his window. That's how he's been waking up every December 24th since he was born.When he was younger, he would go outside and play with Marco until it was time for dinner before they got into bed and slept thinking of Santa. As he got older, he started going out with his friends and coming back after curfew just to fall right asleep. And for the

 There's a special smoking room inside the restaurant but there's always someone there so they go outside, a far enough away from the security guy until they're sure he's out of earshot. No one says a word until they've both lit their cigarettes and are completely focused on each other. "Did you know before?" Vinnie asks. "Know what? Explain."

ValentinaMoscow, Russia, 2019/2020 – winterIsabella: do you want to party in Italy for new years?Adrik taps me on the shoulder and I look up at him, coming back to reality. It's Christmas Eve and we're at a Christmas dinner. The room is filled with relatives and my father's business associates, at one of the hotels he's decided on investing in.It's the first time we have ever held the family Christmas dinner outside of our house in Moscow, but my father explained that his associates have also been considered family for years now and that he would like to try out something new.'Something new' meant inviting everyone who usually came to the famil