“Yes, I’m fine, El—” She looked up and her eyes grew as wide as her stomach. Elle had something stained all over her clothes. “Are you okay? What happened?” Standing up, she went over to her.
Elle glanced at Mr. Evans. “Um, I accidentally spilled paint on myself in Art. What are you all talking about?”
“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,” Elle told him as he walked up toward them.
“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,” he asked curiously, but by his facial expression, it seemed like he already knew.
“I guess we didn’t think about it like that. I’ll see you in the morning, Mr. Evans. Come on, Chloe; I need to get ready for work.”
Feeling very uncomfortable with where this conversation was going, she gladly followed Elle out.
When Mr. Evans decided to give parting words, Elle stopped to look at him.
“Elle, if you ever need to talk, you know where to find me. Try and be more careful in Art. Next time, it might not be paint that spills.”
A chill touched Chloe’s skin at his warning.
“Have a good night, Mr. Evans,” Elle told him as they left the classroom for good this time.
She waited until they’d reached the outside to talk. “So, who spilled the paint? And dang, all over your outfit. That one was my favorite on you.” It really was. The big white sweater and her light jeans really brought out her tan skin and big blue eyes.
Elle’s closet was not only limited in quantity, but also quality. She got the majority of her clothes at the local Goodwill, but you wouldn’t ever know. Only the students here did because the only thing that mattered to them was how expensive the clothes they wore were.
“One of Cassandra’s sidekicks.”
Immediately, she knew it was one of her carbon copies: Stephanie or Stacy. They had definitely replaced her as Cassandra’s BFF. She noticed Stephanie cozied up to no one other than Nero of course.
“Which one? Her?”
They could hear Stephanie and Nero speaking as they reached the school parking lot.
“Nero, would you mind giving me a ride home? I rode with Cassandra this morning,” Stephanie said overly sweetly as she leaned against his Cadillac.
Nero quickly looked her up and down, revealing what they expected to do. “No problem, babe. Leo, let’s go!”
A cute dark blond boy ran over to his car. He was clearly a freshman and obviously Nero’s little brother.
“Backseat, Leo,” Nero told him before they all got in.
Finally, Elle answered her, seeming distracted by what was going on between the two. “No, the other one.”
Stacy.
Unlocking the doors on the BMW her father had given her the moment she could drive, they started climbing in. The car was definitely more of a gift for her parents than her. They hated driving her anywhere and thought of her as a nuisance. The only reason it was a BMW was because her father was still mayor of the city, and he cared about his “image.” Her parents weren’t about to let their daughter drive around in a shitty car, despite the fact that they hated the sight of her.
“Elle, is something wrong? You’re acting weird today.” She was beginning to become concerned. They needed to keep their heads down, and Elle was doing the opposite.
“I’m fine, Chloe. I guess I’m just getting tired of this same shit every day.” She seemed to have gotten more of an attitude, as well.
“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—”
“I am not leaving you, Chloe. I’ve told you this a thousand times.” She stared at Chloe dead in the eyes, letting her know she still wasn’t changing her mind.
Averting her gaze, she looked at the steering wheel. “Well, we have survived this long by not getting into it with them. I am not like you, Elle.”
“All right, Chloe. I won’t fight back. I promise.”
For some reason, even though Elle was a great liar, Chloe didn’t fully believe her words, so she tried to get her to understand.
“Fighting back doesn’t solve anything, Elle. You know that.” Turning on the car, she began pulling out. It only makes Cassandra kill you faster.
There was going to be hell to pay tomorrow, and she and Elle were on the ticket.
Twenty-Three
I’ll Make You Regret That, Darlin’