She opened her bag and took out a sheet of paper. She thought she should draw the poster out first to try to come up with some ideas.
After several attempts, it became hard for Elle to concentrate. The bimbos were laughing so damn loud she thought they were going to go into heat any second. The hottest athletes, not to mention the king of Legacy Prep, surrounded them.
Elle looked at the clock. It wasn’t too much longer before school let out. She zoned out, a lot on her mind.
Cassandra was going to kill her, She couldn’t protect Chloe at the moment. She was supposed to close at the diner tonight, and she had to find time to do her five-hundred-word essay Mr. Evans assigned about who you love the most. Yeah, if I even live till then.
Elle felt a pat on her back, snapping her back to the present. “I hope you make it to see the freak on time. It would be a shame if something were to happen.” That was Bimbo Number One, the one closest to Cassandra.
Then, the next thing she knew, all Elle could hear was the squirting of paint all over her. No, not my big, comfortable white sweater!
The whole class couldn’t help laughing at her torture. That was honestly what hurt Elle the most; not one person would ever rescue her, all they would do was laugh.
“You can thank me later, waitress. I know you’ve needed a reason to visit Goodwill.”
Elle had dealt with enough for the day, and Chloe wasn’t there to get hurt by her repercussions. If she was going to die today, at least she was going down with a fight.
Brrring.
Chloe. Elle grabbed her bag and ran out of the classroom unbelievably fast, her retaliation instantly forgotten. Chloe needed her.
That was when it dawned on her. ‘I hope you make it to see the freak on time.’ She finally understood—the only way to hurt her was to hurt Chloe.
Oh, shit! I’m coming, Chloe. Elle ran fast down the hallway; she didn’t jog or walk fast, she ran. At that point, it didn’t matter if she drew attention to herself.
When Elle ran into Chloe’s classroom, she came to a halt. She couldn’t believe her eyes. Her heart actually skipped a beat.
“Chloe, are you okay?”
3
Fight Fire with Fire
Elle had walked in to see Mr. Evans talking to Chloe, her elbows on her desk and hands concealing her face.
Chloe looked up. “Yes, I’m fine, El—” Her eyes grew wider. “Are you okay? What happened?” Chloe stood and walked over toward her.
Elle’s eyes wandered over to Mr. Evans. “Um, I accidentally spilled paint on myself in art. What are you all talking about?”
Mr. Evans walked over to them. “I was just passing by and saw Chloe in here by herself, so I was making sure everything was okay. Usually, the kids are practically one foot out the door before the last bell even rings.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean. She’s my ride, and I just told her we would meet up in here.”
“How come you met up here and not in your art class? The art class is all the way at the front of the school by the outside door.” Elle thought Mr. Evan’s face didn’t look confused in the least.
“I guess we didn’t think about it like that.” Elle started walking out of the classroom. “I’ll see you in the morning, Mr. Evans. Come on, Chloe; I need to get ready for work.” Elle hoped he would let it go.
Chloe joined Elle and they both headed out into the hallway.
“Elle, if you ever need to talk, you know where to find me.” Elle turned around at Mr. Evan’s voice. “Try and be more careful in art. Next time, it might not be paint that spills.”
Nope, he couldn’t let it go. At that, Elle kept walking. “Have a good night, Mr. Evans.”
They walked through the school, and when they reached the outside, Elle and Chloe felt like a weight had been lifted, like they were almost free.
“So, who spilled the paint? And dang, all over your outfit. That one was my favorite on you.”
Elle looked down at her body. Damn, she even got my favorite pair of faded jeans. “One of Cassandra’s sidekicks.”
“Which one? Her?” She nodded toward Nero, who was standing beside his Cadillac with Bimbo Number Two.
Elle could hear them speaking. “Nero, would you mind giving me a ride home? I rode with Cassandra this morning.” She leaned against his car, giving him a sweet smile.
“No problem, babe.” Nero’s eyes traveled from her eyes to her chest. “Leo, let’s go!”
Elle had seen a young boy running over to his car. He was honestly a miniature version of Nero, especially before he had cut his hair. The only difference between them was the kid had dirty-blond hair. Elle realized he was the new one who had sat at Nero’s table.
“Backseat, Leo.” Elle thought Leo made the cutest face at his remark before they all climbed in the car, slamming doors and bringing Elle back.
“No, the other one.” Elle shook her head. I really need to snap out of it.
Elle and Chloe got into Chloe’s BMW. Unlike the other kids’ cars, which were all various Mercedes, Porsches, and Lamborghinis galore; it was classy. Not too expensive, not too flashy. Granted, Chloe would never have picked something like that out for herself, but her politician father had given her no choice.
When the doors were shut, Chloe spoke, her face full of concern. “Elle, is something wrong? You’re acting weird today.”
“I’m fine, Chloe. I guess I’m just getting tired of this same shit every day.”
“Listen, Elle, you don’t have to stay. You’re free to go. If your parents found out how you’re treated here, they wouldn’t let you come ba—”
Elle’s eyes drilled into Chloe’s. “I am not leaving you, Chloe. I’ve told you this a thousand times.”
“Well, we have survived this long by not getting into it with them. I am not like you, Elle.” Chloe looked down at her steering wheel.
Elle stared at Chloe, knowing exactly what she was asking of her. “All right, Chloe. I won’t fight back. I promise.”
With that, Chloe pushed the button to start her car. “Fighting back doesn’t solve anything, Elle. You know that.”
Elle nodded and smiled at Chloe. No, I used to think that. Today, however, revelation had come over Elle. You had to fight fire with fire.
Elle walked into her front door, waving to Chloe as she closed it then rested her head against it.
“Everything okay, sweetie?”
Elle jumped up. “Oh, hey, Mom. Yeah, everything is great; just tired is all.” Elle scanned the living room. “Is Dad in the kitchen?”
“No, um, he’s in bed sleeping.”
“Has he not gotten up all day?” Elle started to worry.
“No, sweetie, he just laid down for a nap.” Elle’s mom gave her a smile. Even she didn’t buy her own words.
“All right. I’ll be in my room doing my homework before I head to work.”
Elle walked through her house, but when she passed her parents’ bedroom, she stopped and wondered if she should go in to check on her father. Maybe later. I’m already depressed as it is.
Elle went into her room and turned on her computer.
Who do I love the most? She contemplated about her essay. Evans’ English class was by far her favorite; she wanted to be a writer someday. She honestly knew the answer. Yet, she felt a little betrayed at the moment by her father - the person she loved the most. Regardless of how little her father talks, he would always wish her a good first day of school, and this would have been the last time. She decided to put her feelings aside for the sake of her grade. She got about halfway done before she looked at the clock and realized she needed to get ready for work.
She dressed in her uniform, which she hated probably more than life itself. She was convinced it was twenty years old since the red had turned into more of a burned-out orange. At least, I’m pretty sure it used to be red.
Elle threw on her pea coat, her best Goodwill buy to date.
When she was finally ready for work, she walk
ed out of her bedroom and headed toward the kitchen.
“Hey, Josh. How was the first day back?” Elle couldn’t help forgetting about all her problems when she saw her eight-year-old brother’s face.