“I-I can throw away my own trash.” Chloe kept her eyes down to the floor; no way she would look a big guy like Amo in the face.
Elle tried hard not to laugh at little Chloe fighting for her tray against Amo.
“Yeah, so what’s your point?” Amo was asking a rhetorical question because he knew Chloe wasn’t going to be able to answer it. He went to the trash can with Nero and tossed it in.
“Catch you later, girls.” Elle and Chloe smiled at Leo as he went off to his class. He is way too cute.
“What class are you in?” Nero asked Elle.
“Spanish, why?”
“Because we’re gonna walk you to class.” Amo started walking out front and Nero took Elle’s arm to start walking. Chloe walked right behind Elle like she did as usual. Nero stopped and turned around. “What are you doing, Chloe?”
“Um, walking?”
“Why the hell are you walking on Elle’s ass?”
“This is how I always walk.” Chloe’s face was confused as to why it mattered.
“Jesus Christ.” Nero ran his hand through his hair while Amo and Vincent shook their heads. “Chloe, walk beside Elle.”
When Chloe took a hesitant step forward and stood next to Elle, Elle gave her a reassuring smile and nodded for her to start. It took a minute for her to comfortably walk beside Elle because it was hard for her to look at something other than Elle’s back.
It even felt slightly awkward for Elle. She had grown used to Chloe being right at her back. It was also hard for her to let go and trust Nero on his word. Yet, here she was, walking beside her best friend on her right and Nero on her left while Amo and Vincent rounded out the front and back.
She tried not to notice the stares she was getting down the halls; not that she could blame them. They had started the day out as invisible, and now they were walking with the king and his court.
They reached the classroom and Chloe practically ran inside. Amo and Vincent leaned against some lockers close by. Elle was going to go in her classroom; however, Nero grabbed her arm, dragging her back.
“What is it with you running away from me?” He tugged her close to him and held on to her waist.
She tried to free herself, but honestly, it was useless. “Stop it. People are staring at us.” The constant attention from everyone was seriously making her blush.
“So, let them. I didn’t get a thank you, you know?”
“Well, you’re not going to get one now.” He still was not budging on letting her go, even just a little.
Nero smiled. “That was not the right answer. Now you’re not going to like how you’ll be thanking me.”
Elle laughed. “Oh, really? And how’s that?”
“I’ll need a kiss as a thank you.” He grabbed her chin to position her face.
“No, no, no. I am not kissing you. You’re crazy to think I would kiss you in front of everyone.” She felt her face grow even redder. No way is my first kiss going to be here, with him.
“I can wait then. I’ll get my kiss by the end of the day. Oh, and stay here. We’ll be back to pick you up, so don’t even think about leaving without us. Your ass better be right here, understand?”
“Excuse me?” Elle’s body returned to normal. He can’t tell me what to do.
Nero squeezed her tighter. “You don’t want to defy me, Elle. Remember, you owe me a thank you.” He let her go.
Elle was astounded as she stormed into her classroom. Who does he think he is?
She thought he was unbelievable. No way was his mouth coming anywhere near hers. ‘I’ll need a kiss as a thank you.’ Ha! As if!
Elle suddenly realized she had made a deal with the devil.
Chapter Eight
Like a Disney Movie
Elle had lost all concentration at school with everything going on. Her life felt like the twilight zone to her now. Plus, she still had no idea how to handle the whole murder thing. She needed to find out about this boss and see if she could get in the clear.
Then there was Cassandra.
‘Well, she was suspended. Do you know why?’ Elle knew why. It was all because of her in the lunchroom. Cassandra was going to pay her back, and it wasn’t going to be pretty. Forget the boss killing her, Cassandra was going to make sure she was six-feet under the moment her feet stepped back into school.
Elle cringed at an old memory from freshman year.
Cassandra and her two blonde friends stood over her in the locker room. “We heard what happened to your father. Good thing he paid your tuition before the school year started.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, how the hell is he supposed to make enough money in a wheelchair? I know he lost his job. Such a shame that your first year will be your last year at Legacy Prep High.”
Their sadistic laughs ran through her ears. She wasn’t going to listen to her talk about her father that way, though. “Yeah, and it’s such a shame you feel the need to stuff your bra. Can’t you at least stuff them evenly?” Elle knew she had gotten her with that one.
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 reali
ze 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.
Elle tried not to smile. She didn’t want Nero to know she appreciated him letting her follow Chloe to make sure she was safe. I still don’t like him.
She tried to free her hand from his again, but he pulled her to walk closer to him. She heard Vincent’s laugh again and turned her head to scowl at him. He kept laughing.
Elle watched Amo open the classroom door. Chloe stood there, waiting for him to go in first. She saw him mouth the word go when she clearly wasn’t going to head in. Chloe stomped in and Amo walked in behind her, shaking his head as he shut the door.
She’s safe. Elle didn’t want to admit she was probably safer with Amo than she ever had been with her.
“Can we go to class now, or do you want to miss it by staring at the door all day?” When Elle kept staring at the door, he grabbed her chin to look at him. “Elle, she’ll be fine, I promise.”
Elle nodded and they both walked hand in hand to art class.
“Thank you for letting me watch her go to class.” She didn’t want to say thank you, but she had to for that.
A smile touched Nero’s lips. “Oh, now you thank me. So now I know to do nice things for Chloe, not you. Have you both always been inseparable?”
Elle thought about the memory she’d had just a little bit ago. “No, we met here.”
“Really? What made you so close that quickly? Because I remember you both freshman year, and back then, you were always standing in front of Chloe.”
Elle shrugged and kept her eyes forward. “I guess we could relate to each other.”
She could feel Nero’s eyes look at her and knew he was trying to get something from her face; as a result, she made sure to reveal nothing.
They were about halfway to class when Elle really noticed what was going on. It became surreal to her that she was walking down the hallway, her hand locked in Nero’s while all the students could only stare. She heard them whispering, and most of the girls were throwing her dirty looks. Elle decided not to care. It wasn’t as if they could possibly torture her more than she already had been. She thought she should at least enjoy the moment of a boy holding her hand for the first time.
Nero’s hand felt nice in hers, like it was a perfect fit. At least what I think is perfect.
His hand was strong. It wasn’t too soft or too rough. Her fingertips rested on his knuckles, which felt big and bony. He probably cracks his fingers too much.
She slightly moved her fingertips and could feel a scrape on his middle knuckle, thinking he seemed like the type that would punch walls.
They reached their art class and Nero nodded his goodbye to Vincent, who had followed them the whole way there, walking a few steps behind.
Elle decided to pose the same question. “Have you three always been inseparable?” Elle asked as they took their seats.
Nero laughed. “Yeah, pretty much. Our fathers are all friends, so we were basically forced to like each other when we were young. Now we’re one big family.”
“Aww, that’s actually really cute and ador—”
“Shh… No, it’s not, Elle.” He was looking around the room for someone that could have heard.
Elle couldn’t help laughing. “That’s so adorable your fathers are friends—” As Nero tried to cover her mouth to get her to quiet down, she kept giggling and moved her face out of the way, grabbing his hands so she could finish. “And so are all their sons. It’s cute, like a Disney movie.” She laughed hysterically at that last bit, bringing tears to her eyes.
“You’ve done it now.” He stood up and took her hand, making her stand and walk with him to the back of the classroom toward the art supply closet.
Her laugh still filled the air. “What are you doing?” she barely managed to get out.
“Getting my thank you,” he gritted out.
Elle immediately stopped laughing. Shit.
Chapter Nine
Walk Beside the Beast
Nero forced Elle inside the closet. She seriously regretted teasing him now. As he shut the door, it was no longer funny.
Nero pushed her against the wall.
“I’m—I’m sorry. I won’t joke about how cute it is again.” She thought Nero looked at her like a wolf and she was his prey. He grabbed a piece of her hair and spun it around his finger. “I mean, it definitely isn’t cute. Nope, it’s manly that all the fathers and sons are all best friends.” Elle was more and more nervous with each word she spoke. She knew she wasn’t making it better.
“You’re not helping yourself out here, Elle.” He placed his hand under her ear, his fingers grasping her hair with his palm resting on the side of her neck, positioning her for the taking.
Elle didn’t know what to do. She blurted out something she hoped would save her. “Don’t. I’ve never been kissed before.”
Nero looked at her a second and saw she wasn’t lying. He rubbed his thumb back and forth across her jawline. “All right. Well, for the first time only, I’ll just take a small kiss.”
Nero nodded and leaned his face down, his mouth an inch from hers. “Here.”
Her stomach filled with butterflies. Elle could only close her eyes as his lips touched hers. He didn’t force it; he’d said it perfectly, just a small kiss. It was just a brief second of his lips closing over her bottom lip, and then it was gone.
When Elle opened her eyes, the fluttering in her stomach didn’t stop. He looked hungrier than before, but he pulled away. Elle knew she better leave before the wolf changed his mind about a small kiss. Without a word or sound, she scooted out the door, keeping her head down. Elle was too embarrassed to look at anyone who might have noticed her and Nero going in the closet. She took her seat, staring at the table, her mind a jumbled mess.
She saw her poster appear on the table before her, and then Nero took his seat beside her. She definitely couldn’t look at him after that, so she quickly pulled out some paper and started writing, spending most of her time at the task. It was hard to concentrate after what had happened, yet she really was too embarrassed to even look at him.
She would peer out of the corner of her eyes every now and then when she knew he wasn’t paying any attention to her. The next time, when her eyes glanced out, she noticed his knuckles. She had felt the scrapes but hadn’t realized how inflamed they were. They were all bright red. Before she put much thought into it, the bell rang. Instinct kicked in, and she stood up to retrieve Chloe.
Nero took her hand. “No, Amo is bringing her to you, and we’ll all walk out together.”
Elle watched the students leave before her, feeling odd; she was always the first one out. “Please, let me go get her.”
“Elle, look at me.” Elle looked down at Nero after she realized he wasn’t going to let her go if she didn’t. “Do you trust me?”
Nero (Made Men #1) Page 6