Elle walked toward her and Chloe’s original table, but found it full.
“Shit.”
She looked around and saw the only table that was unoccupied was the table in the corner that they had sat at Friday. Elle turned and walked toward that table. As she did, she noticed Nero, Amo, Vincent, and Leo sat at the table closest to it. Of course they are. The other surrounding tables were still filled with the football team.
Elle took the seat facing the lunchroom again, and Chloe took the one in front of her, just like she always had before. I guess some things can never change.
Elle gave Chloe a reassuring smile. Chloe hadn’t been prepared to go back to their old ways. Elle had watched her as she had blossomed back into her old self. It had been the happiest Elle had seen her since she had met her the first day of high school.
Elle picked up her sandwich to take a bite when she noticed the lunch lady from the other line was heading her way.
“Uh, Chloe, why is she coming toward us?”
Elle watched Chloe swing her head around and then quietly speak, “Should we be afraid right now?”
“I don’t—”
Elle gasped as the lunch lady snatched her sandwich out of her hand and put it back on the tray. “I told you last week, Elle, you need to pay for your lunches. No more charges.” Elle heard her mumble under her breath, “This isn’t a damn charity,” as she walked away.
Elle and Chloe’s mouths hung open as she then walked right up to the trashcan and threw away her tray. She knew this school had really gone to the next level when they’d rather throw away food than feed a hungry child.
“Can she do that?” Chloe asked, turning back around.
“She just did,” Elle said, wanting to disappear.
Chloe pushed her tray away. “You can have mine. I’m not that hungry.”
“No, Chloe. I don’t want it. It wasn’t what I wanted anyways.”
Chloe wrung her hands in her lap. “Yeah, me either.”
* * *
“Did that just happen?” Nero heard Leo ask.
“Fuck this school. Why do we even go here?” Amo added.
Vincent looked at Nero. “That was the most fucked-up thing I have ever seen. Something needs to be done about that.”
Nero was trying to calm himself. Yeah, by thinking of a thousand ways to murder that old-ass bitch. He would deal with that later.
Ho took a deep breath. “Vincent, I need you to do me a favor.”
Vincent smiled. “Strangle the life out of her?”
That sounded nice. “Maybe later. I need you to go buy Elle another lunch, and don’t get the chicken sandwich. I know they didn’t want that shit.” Nero stopped and looked back at their table. “Get them both new lunches.”
Vincent sounded surprised. “Why me?”
“Because Elle won’t take it from me, and she will think I paid if Leo gave it to her.” Nero paused, not wanting the next words to come out of his mouth. “And for some reason, she likes you the most between us.”
Vincent looked over at the lunch lady who had thrown Elle’s tray away. “I’ll be happy to.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
The Five Stages of Heartbreak
Elle picked her head up from the table as she felt something being set on top of the wood.
“What is this?” Elle looked at the tray being set before her filled with chicken strips, mashed potatoes, and corn. She also saw Vincent set a tray in front of Chloe, as well.
“Lunch.” Vincent then set down a water bottle in front of her.
Elle pushed the tray toward him. “Take it back.”
Vincent let out a breath and pulled a seat underneath him as he sat down. “Listen, sweetheart, I know you don’t want to take it because of what happened with you and Ne—”
“This has nothing to do with that. I don’t want it,” Elle retorted as she pushed the tray closer to him.
Vincent put his hand on the tray and pushed it back to her. He looked straight at her as he spoke. “It has everything to do with that, but what you need to understand is I care about you, too. So, you’re going to fucking eat it and enjoy it. And I will be walking you both to class until you and Nero figure this shit out,” Vincent turned to look at Chloe, “because I’m sick of watching you walk behind Elle. Walk fucking beside her.”
Elle watched Chloe’s eyes grow big. Elle attempted to protest, but Vincent was a little too crazy to tell no. She did like Vincent and could handle him being around her. But there is nothing to work out between me and Nero.
When Vincent was satisfied, he took Chloe’s old plate from the middle of the table and threw it in the trashcan closest to the lunch lady as he stared her down.