The Elites

Chapter 7

Chloe

Chloe and Sophia walked along the sidewalk that surrounded the Elites building. The sun shone down on them and the birds chirped and soared across the bright blue sky. It was peaceful other than the few people that littered the field around their building, but Chloe ignored them. She just wanted to soak in the moment with Sophia.

"Nash wasn't so bad at the arcade," Sophia blurted out.

Chloe glanced at Sophia, curious. "Yeah, he seemed happier. Less cranky."

"Yeah, I like him like that. Sometimes I used to worry that he hated us, but maybe he doesn't."

Chloe bit her lip. Nash had smiled at her a few times that day, his eyes softening when they landed on her. It had caught her off guard repeatedly because for the past year he seemed annoyed by her. Chloe had never taken it personally, but with him expressing almost a gentleness for the first time, Chloe couldn't get over it. She found herself reliving the moment over and over again.

"Do you ever get annoyed with him?" Sophia asked. Her eyes rose to the blue sky where a robin soared past them. "I feel like you put up with a lot of his antics and sometimes you give him too much credit."

"No, I don't mind..." Chloe bit her lip. "Nash has always been like this. I think it stems from him being competitive and I understand that. Some people want to be the best at what they do and I think Nash is one of those people."

"But we're nineteen. We're in university. He's a bit immature with all these competitions, don't you think?"

Chloe shrugged. She already told Sophia she didn't mind, but Sophia seemed bothered by the way Nash treated her. Chloe couldn't fault her for that; Sophia had always been protective.

"Don't worry, I can handle it." Chloe smiled. "If he ever crosses a line, I'll be sure to tell him."

"Good. Even if I'm starting to think Nash isn't so bad, I still don't want you getting hurt okay?"

"Of course."

Chloe smiled. They continued to walk along the sidewalk, lost in thought. More people seemed to be coming around their building and Chloe glanced at them, wondering what they were doing there. It wasn't that she was bothered that they were in her territory or anything like that, but the year before it was known that this was the Elites building – which was also farther off from all the other campus buildings, so why were they coming out of their way to go to their building?

Suddenly, two boys and two girls marched towards them. The boy, who Chloe realized was Thomas Heaton – one of the other higher ranked students who hadn't become an Elite - led them. His buzzed black hair was cropped short and his glasses reflected light as he approached them, his dark skin glowing beneath the sun. His brown eyes locked on Chloe's and she stopped walking. Sophia stepped forward, looking more annoyed than confused.

"Hello, is there a problem?" Sophia asked when they all stopped in front of them.

"Yes, we want to state how we feel about you Elites," Thomas said. "You guys don't deserve this. You guys are not special and it's unfair to the other students you get all these perks. I know none of you worked for it."

"And who told you we don't work for it?"

"Oh, we know. In class you guys are always talking. Barely studying. Barely trying. You guys should step down from your spots and let people who really deserve it take it."

Chloe blinked. Was he being serious? How could he come here and accuse them of not deserving their spots when he didn't know any of them. She'd never spoken to Thomas and she didn't know who the girls or the other guy were. Where had this come from?