THEIR VENGEFUL LUNA

CHAPTER SIX

School Lunch time was supposed to be fun. Well, that's what she saw in TV anyways. Friends laughed and joked and talked while they ate. Sometimes they studied. Mostly they planned whatever parties were coming up.

It wasn’t like this.

This is weird.

Fucking creepy.

People eye her curiously, but don’t offer a seat. The room almost comes to a hush—the air crackling with electricity as they wait.

Wait for what?

Nikki scan the crowd looking around.. Nothing. She's seconds from abandoning lunch altogether when someone sidles up beside her.

“Hey, new girl,” the cute brunette boy from Nikki's algebra class chirps. “Looking for a place to sit?”

Things are weird around here and she will take what she can get right now. Even if that means befriending a boy who thinks she's girlfriend material when she's not.

Turning on her charm, Nikki grin at her. “I would love that. This school is bigger than my old one. It’ll take some getting used to. Call me Nikki. And you are?”

“Sean.” His green eyes brighten as he points. “My friends and I sit right over there. Wave to Wendy.” A girl with blond hair and a big smile waves goofily at us. I wave back. “So let’s get food and talk about the next Campfire Chaos.”

Nikki allowed him to lead her to a line. “Campfire Chaos?”

“Everyone who’s anyone goes. It’s something the Crew started when everyone was in middle school and it’s been going strong ever since.”

“We camp?”

He laughs. “Among other things.”

What other things?

“I’ll have to ask my mom.”

His brows lift as he blinks at me. “Aren’t you adorable?” Then his lips part when he saw how serious I am. “Oh, wait. You’re serious? You really have to get permission?”

Nikki cringe at his words. Well, she doesn't exactly have any parents. Her mother is dead and her father is in prison but she promised Lucien that she will lie low. But after her trip in the Principal's office which Lucien probably heard by now she knew that she can't push him for more.

“I’ll see, okay?” I say, winking at the poor guy.

His cheeks turn pink and he nods. “Okay. I really want you to come. You can share a tent with me.”

Oh crap.

“I, uh,” Nikki start, but then she was shoved out of the line. She stumble a few steps and knock into some kid who barks out something in annoyance. Whe she swivel around, she come face to face with a stranger. The stomach pains she'd been managing just fine come back in full force. She almost double over and have the urge to puke.

“Jordy!” Sean warned. “Don’t be an asshole!”

Jordy cracks his neck, his dark, nearly black eyes searing into mine. The guy is a bit bigger than any guy she'd met. Heck he's even bigger than Calvin and Kane, and that's saying a lot knowing that those two guy were most definitely over 6 feet.. And meaner too, it would seem. Violence ripples from him and Nikki don’t want any part of it. Sure she'd been fighting since she could walk. But the fight she knows ended up her opponent not getting up ever again. And she already throw away her other identity. She no longer do not want to be a part of that world.

“Back of the line, b***h face,” he sneers, gesturing with a nod of his head in that direction.

“You can’t do this,” Sean whines, but loses his fire when he peels his stare away from me to glower at him instead.

He takes a threatening step toward Sean. And the fear of a fight dissipate as I worry about the guy who despite the talks and gossip around me still approached me first.. Nikki stalk over to him and step in front of Sean.

“Don’t.” She say the word quietly but laced with warning.

The crowd hushes.

“Or what?” Jordy bites out.

Nikki want to swipe the spittle off her face, but she's staring at a venomous snake. One false move and I’ll definitely regret it.

“He’s just a weak boy,” I grumble.

“And so are you.” His grin is wolfish and evil.

“Let’s go, Nikki,” Sean utters, grabbing her elbow.

But she tug her arm free and continued staring off Jordy. “We were here first. He can’t take our spot in line.” It’s not right.

Jordy laughs. “You have no idea whose goddamn school you walked into, do you?”

“This is my school now too.” She may not say them as vehemently as he does, but there is fire in her words and she damn believe them. Although she promised Lucien that she'll lie low and act as a normal teenage girl, but she'll be damned if she let a couple of bullies make her life hell for no reason.

Before Jordy can go off, Nikki suddenly feel a familiar presence. Looking over, she saw Calvin and Kane. They were surrounded by people who were clearly their friends. Nikki suddenly felt all the fight in her vanished. Both of them were laughing and joking around. But why she's in this predicament. Why she's being treated like she's some trash. Like a tidal wave of hatred growing so high it blots out the sun before obliterating everything below it. She felt so drown, it's hard to breath.

“Are you deaf, huh? Back of the line, rat. I won’t say it twice.”

Looking at Jordy with dead eyes, Nikki willed her body to relax, and said. “Whatever. I’m not even hungry.” I shove past them, clipping Jordy with my shoulder and walk away from the crowd of weak bystanders. Everyone just stood around and watched. No one intervened. That dude was about to kick my a*s and no one cared. What’s wrong with these people?

“Nikki, wait,” Sean calls out.

Nikki ignore him until she get into the hallway outside of the cafeteria. He regards me with a pained expression.

“Are you okay?” he asks, reaching for my hand.

But she cross her arms over her chest to avoid contact. “Yeah. Just another shitty thing to add to my already shitty day.” she let out a heavy sigh. This is not me. I don’t feel sorry for myself. Normally, when faced with a craptastic situation, Nikki would find the good in it. Forever an optimist. But now that she's been displaced in some level of hell, she can’t find it in her to try. “I’m sorry, Sean.”

“It’s just Jordy being Jordy. He doesn’t hurt girls. That was all show for you.”

Nikki let out a sigh of relief. “I don’t know what their problem is with me.”

“They’re Hoodlums,” she says as if this explains everything. “They’re used to telling people what to do and them listening. Once you get used to them, they grow on you. They’re not bad all the time.”

Another sharp pain seizes her stomach as her skin flushes with a cold sweat.

“I’m going to head to the nurse. I don’t feel so good.” Not a total lie. Nikki feel like s**t, but she's not going to go to the nurse.

“You know where to find me and Wendy. They’ll leave you alone now,” he promises, but I can tell by the flicker of his green eyes he doesn’t believe it.

Nikki gave her widest, albeit fakest, grin. “I’ll be back.”

“Oh good. And ask your mom about Campfire Chaos. Friday night after the basketball game, everyone heads over to the river. Calvin’s and Kane's dad owns a campground over there and we have permanent access to part of it. As long as we don’t trash it, he lets us use it. It’s really fun,” he promises. “Everyone drinks and roasts hot dogs. In the summer, we swim. In the winter, we cuddle up and stay warm.” His smile is flirtatious and hinting of ways we could stay warm.

The thought of sharing a tent with a guy I she just met makes him feel more sick.l than she already is.

“I’ll ask.”

“Goodie! Now give me your number so I can fill you in on the details.”

After they exchange numbers, Sean surprises her when he gives me a hug. He's much shorter and not that bulky, but her height was just right for him. Right in a “just friends” kind of way. It’s selfish of Nikki to want to latch onto him knowing he’s interested in her for other reasons besides friendship. Regardless, Nikki hug him tight anyway, thankful of his kindness, no matter what his motives was.

We pull apart. He bounces back into the cafeteria, pleased at having gotten what he came after, and heads over to Wendy. But all of a sudden she feel an angry stare on her. I’m ready to back out without finding the source of the stare when her eyes lock on theirs.

Calvin.

Kane.

They both sits hunched over their plate of food, eyes on her, as they eat like it’s their last meal. And it reminded her of how a lion looks as he tears into a gazelle he’s just slaughtered.

A chill that has nothing to do with my stomach issues ripples through all over her body and she visibly shudder. One corner of Calvin's lips quirks up in satisfaction. While Kane leaned on his sit flashing me a satisfied grin.

Fuck them.

Their eyes seem to glitter with challenge. They must've seen how angry she was.

Nikki hated backing down to these assholes, but in this moment, she do. The last thing she want to do is puke her guts up in front of the whole school. So, rather than running off with her tail between her legs, she shoot them the bird.

And then she get the hell out of there.

But really why her stomach is hurting so f*****g much?!

..............