She started to walk off, done with the conversation, when Elle felt Cassandra jump her from behind, making her hit her head on a bench. Cassandra quickly sat on top of her back.
Elle pushed back the throbbing pain in her head. She had to get up.
Elle tried to push off the ground.
“Help me hold her down!”
The other two girls joined in and pinned her arms to the ground.
“Chloe, give them to me,” Cassandra called.
She saw a girl appear from behind a set of lockers through a veil of blood that was draining down her forehead and into her eyes. She remembered seeing her the first day of school and thinking she was gorgeous with her black hair that had a slight wave at the ends and her unusual eyes. She had never thought it was possible for someone to have gray eyes. She stood out among the other girls in her class because she was very short and already had a womanly figure for her age. Elle could tell the girl was uncomfortable, that she hadn’t agreed to what was going on.
“Chloe, give them to me.”
Chloe pulled a pair of scissors out from behind her back.
“You don’t want to be like her, do you?” Cassandra asked.
Chloe shook her head, holding the scissors out, and Cassandra snatched them away.
“Now, bitch, think again next time you turn your back on me.” Cassandra grabbed Elle’s ponytail and began cutting it off. Elle could only cry with each snip. There was no one around to help her, and she was helpless with three girls holding her down.
When Cassandra was done, she waved Elle’s now-chopped-off ponytail in front of her face. “A girl like you doesn’t need long, pretty hair like this anyway.”
Cassandra finally got off Elle and so did her friends before they started walking out of the locker room. Elle continued to cry as she sat up and scrunched her legs in front of her, holding them tightly.
Elle looked up and saw the pretty girl standing there; her eyes were glossy like she was on the verge of tears. She whispered, “Sorry,” before she ran out of the locker room behind Cassandra.
Elle learned a valuable lesson that day as she cried, bloody and alone in the locker room. She learned to never drop your guard.
The bell brought Elle out of her dark memory. The past is the past and lesson learned.
She decided she was going to walk Chloe to her class as usual and Nero was just going to have to get over it. Elle and Chloe got up to head to their next classes, but Elle stepped into the hallway only to be dragged sideways.
“What did I tell you?”
“You told me, but I decided not to listen.” As Elle gave him a smirk and took a step toward Chloe’s next classroom, Nero grabbed her hand and locked his fingers between hers.
“Do you honestly think I should let you walk Chloe to class and then let you walk all the way by yourself to Art? I’m sure Sebastian is dying to get his hands on you, alone. But how about when they get smart and realize you don’t give a shit what they do to you and they go for Chloe? Cassandra is only suspended, but she will be back, Elle. And until then, Sebastian will do her dirty work and so will Stephanie and Stacy.”
“Yeah, you would know about Cassandra and Stephanie; you all are so close. Oh, wait, I forgot Stacy, too.”
His saying their names had brought the memories back of him being with all three over the past few days.
“That is a separate conversation we can talk about later. Right now, I’m asking you, do you want to get Chloe hurt? Because you know I’m right.”
Elle knew he was right, although that didn’t mean she liked the truth.
She looked over at Chloe. “He’s right, Elle.”
Elle let out a sigh. “Fine, let’s go.”
Elle tried to walk forward, but Nero kept her still. “We’re going to do things my way now. Amo is in health class with Chloe, so he is going to take her to class and bring her back to you in Art. Got it?”
“No freaking way.” Elle started shaking her head violently back and forth.
“This isn’t a discussion anymore, Elle. Chloe, is he in your class?”
“Um, yes.” Chloe looked down at the floor.
“Good. Now, Amo will take you to and from class for now.” Nero looked at Elle’s pissed face. “Only for the last class of the day, and he will sit beside you in class. Are you okay with that?”
“No, she’s not.” Elle watched Chloe closely. She better say no.
When Chloe looked up at her, she knew what she was going to say.
“Y-Yeah.” Chloe quickly looked back down at the ground and started wringing her hands.
“All right. Go on, Chloe. You’ll be safe with Amo.”
Nero gave Elle’s hand a little squeeze. She had forgotten he was holding her hand; however, she hated his guts right now and didn’t want him touching her. She tried to pull her hand away, but he held it close. She heard Vincent laugh and stopped trying to free her hand.
“Come on, Chloe.” Amo started walking and Chloe fell in behind him. She looked afraid, but Elle didn’t know if it was because she was afraid to look Elle in the face, or from having to go along with the biggest guy in the whole school. Elle saw his stature in front of Chloe’s tiny body. Probably both.
Elle looked Nero in the eyes. “I hope you’re happy.”
Nero smiled. “Not yet, but I will be when I get my kiss later.”
“You’re seriously stupid if you think I’m going—”
“Now, Elle, what did I tell you about lying?”
Elle rolled her eyes.
“Come on; let’s go.”
Elle was surprised when he went in the same direction as Chloe and Amo, considering their class was in the opposite direction. They kept a few feet behind them. Elle could see them the whole time as it wasn’t hard pointing out Amo from the small hallway filled with other students. Everyone parted like the red sea for him to get through. She assumed that was why he had walked in front of them earlier.