“So, what do you girls want to eat?” Nero asked once they got in the lunchroom, unaware of what exactly that question meant to them.

Chloe looked at Elle, not knowing how to respond. And by the way Elle quickly dropped her hand from Nero’s, she didn’t know how to answer that question any better than her.

He then told them like they didn’t already know, “It’s either pizza or the same line that’s always been here of chicken patties and hamburgers.”

“I don’t care.”

“Yeah, uh, me, either.” Chloe went back to staring at the floor.

“Jesus, pick already. I’m fucking starving.” Amo was clearly still not in a better mood than he had been this morning.

“Chicken patties sound fine,” Elle answered after seeing no one was really in that line.

Vincent didn’t seem to approve of their choice. “Who the hell doesn’t choose pizza?”

“Elle, do you like pizza?” Nero asked.

“Yes,” she mumbled her response.

Amo crossed his arms over his chest. “Chloe, do you eat pizza?”

Not like you care, anyway. Chloe nodded only after she looked at Elle for approval.

“So, why the hell can’t I have pizza?” Vincent asked.

“Elle, why did you pick that line?”

Don’t answer. The looks on their faces were turning scary.

“We always pick the line that doesn’t have anyone in it.”

“And what happens if the lines are about the same?”

Elle, stop answering Nero’s questions! She couldn’t help wringing her hands, feeling the rage begin to radiate off them.

Leo popped up out of nowhere. “Hey, guys, what’s up?”

“Shut up, Leo. Answer the fucking question, Elle!” Amo roared, clearly already knowing the answer but wanting to hear it.

Chloe dug her nails into her skin when she felt Amo’s eyes move from Elle to her. Why does he care all of a sudden?

Elle stared at the ground, unable to meet their faces any longer. “If the lines are even, then we pick the line that has the least scary people in it.”

“Jesus Christ,” Nero voiced.

“For fuck’s sake,” Amo said more loudly.

“Motherfuckers,” Vincent somehow responded the loudest.

Leo’s eyes danced around the group. “Does that mean they don’t want piz—”

“Shut up, Leo!” the boys all said as one, scaring Elle and Chloe.

“From now on, you fucking eat what you want to. Do you both understand?” Nero told them.

Elle was quick to nod her head.

Chloe kept quiet, still a little frightened of the scary trio.

“Chloe, if you want fucking pizza, you eat fucking pizza, got it?”

Her eyes grew wide when Amo bellowed, demanding an answer.

Fiercely, she nodded her head, not wanting to make him even madder. He had looked mad enough about it, and she didn’t understand why.

The moment Elle took off for the pizza line, Chloe was right behind her. Hearing Vincent say, “Let’s fucking kill ’em,” made her scurry faster.

By the time they got in line, everyone was already there, so they were forced to be in the very back. Leo caught up to them first and was shortly followed by the three guys.

Chloe swallowed hard. They look like they’re ready to go on a murder spree.

“No way I’m waiting this fucking long. You know they run out of pizza. Let’s cut.”

Elle stopped Amo. “No, that’s wrong. We’re not cutting.”

“Sorry, sweetheart. After what you just told me, I frankly don’t give a shit about right and wrong.” Vincent started cutting up the line, yelling “move” to anyone who didn’t do so at first.

Amo was quick to join in, and suddenly, the line parted for them. Nero shoved Elle to go, and Chloe was forced to follow.

Feeling extremely uncomfortable didn’t even begin to describe how it felt for her to cut every student in line who had ever called her a freak. Please let me dissap—

When a tray was extended to her, she looked up to see Amo holding it out for her. It was the first time she could see something that almost seemed nice under his rough exterior.

Slowly, she took it from him, having to look away as she did. She had grown almost used to the roughness of him and seeing him differently for once seemed weird.

They all went through the line rather quickly and were at their table in no time. Sitting down, she could tell Elle got embarrassed when Nero kissed her on the cheek, but Chloe found it rather sweet. It was obvious the two were perfect for each other.

Getting nervous over who was going to sit beside her today, she was relieved when it was Leo again.

This day is turning out okay after all. Chloe almost smiled as she brought her pizza to her lips. Picking school lunches around everyone else sucked because they were never able to eat the good stuff.

Nero quickly took notice of the joy on their faces. “When was the last time you ate pizza at school?”

You could tell Elle was uncomfortable again. “Since middle school.”

“I had it freshman year,” Chloe chimed in, regretting her statement the moment it came out. The pizza was just so good compared to the chicken patties that she wasn’t even thinking.

Again, the tenseness returned full-out, and the rage that had eased a bit came back in an instant.

Leo tried to ease the tension himself, voicing the question he’d probably had the second he had seen her scars. Since he was younger than them, he wouldn’t know.

“Chloe, how did you get those scars?”

The table went silent, and the boys all waited to hear the words come out of her mouth.

That had been the first time in a long time anyone had asked her that. Everyone just knew and made fun of her for it. At least, everyone knew the lie her father had created.

As she stared down at her plate, the devil’s eyes appeared before her, reminding her exactly how she had gotten them.

“She was in a car accident,” Elle answered, seeing Chloe couldn’t.

His mocking laughter rang in her ears. Lies.

That only made Leo want to know more.

“Oh, dang. When?”

Stay still, little girl …

Her heart began to race, knowing something was about to come.

“When we were freshmen.” It was obvious Elle didn’t like talking about it any more than Chloe.

… or it’ll just hurt worse.

Chloe held her breath, waiting for impact.

* * *

Later that day, Amo began walking in the direction Sebastian was running.

“I’m going back to class,” he told his friends, leaving them outside of the school.

He didn’t know why the fuck Nero had let Sebastian off easy since the last conversation they’d had with him clearly hadn’t been effective enough. He damn sure wasn’t going to stand around and agree with Nero like Vincent had.

Today, Amo had found out just how badly Chloe and Elle were treated, and it had rattled something deep inside of him. All these years, they had gone to the same school, and they’d had no idea of just how bad it was.

I have no one but myself to blame.

Opening the back door to the school, he knew Sebastian was still on the other side of it. He was trying to catch his breath and wipe the tears away from his face. So, by the time Sebastian saw Amo, it was too late.

Amo covered his mouth to muffle the screams and shoved him up against the wall with as much force as he could. Staring down at him, he could see the fear grow tenfold in Sebastian’s eyes.

“I don’t know why Nero didn’t beat the fucking shit out of you just now.”

The tears the little bitch had just wiped away merely returned.

When Amo pushed his arm into his throat, Sebastian started choking into his hand.

“I should just fucking snap your neck right here.”

When he finally heard the sound of Sebastian pissing himself, he let up the tiniest bit.

“But Nero won’t let me, so if I find out you did have something to do with hitting Elle in the face at lunch, I will make damn sure Nero won’t make the same mistake again.” He pushed his arm harder into his neck, the smell of his piss greeting his nose. “But if I find out you ever laid a hand on Chloe, I will snap your fucking neck next time.”

Once he let go of Sebastian before he did just that, Sebastian ran off, this time surely not to get caught again.

Amo tried to calm himself down from seeing that milk carton drill Elle in the face at lunch today to the point she bled. He was sure it had pissed Nero off just as much, but what he hadn’t expect was the look in Chloe’s eyes. She had sat there, unmoving after it had happened, clearly going through inner turmoil and completely and utterly afraid. Not once had he ever seen someone truly afraid until he had looked into her eyes. Whatever she had gone through, he wanted to know. And after today, he didn’t believe she was in a car wreck. Not for a fucking second.