Rogue (Riders of Apollo #6)

Chapter Seventeen: Leo Chance

"That went well." Reign comments as we leave the principal's office. I mean the second half with the vice principal went well. No swearing, no insulting, just good old conversation.

However, all four of them are still furious with the principal and are probably planning either a coup or a murder.

I have Nova holding onto my hand, well I'm holding onto her because she keeps looking longingly at the Dodge truck and I know if I let her go she'll be in it and halfway to the diner for a milkshake.

She hates school more than anyone I've ever known and I'm surprised we managed to keep her here this long, especially after all that. I can feel her start to move and I turn to look at her, our parents watching. "Don't you dare."

"You're so mean! I don't need to be here and she's just sat there... all sad and alone... I should keep her company."

"Or, just a suggestion, we could go to American history like we're supposed to." Nova's jaw drops in despair.

"We have American history?" She basically cries and measures the distance to the car and how many people she has to fight to get there. "I like my idea better." She pouts adorably and I roll my eyes.

"I'm sure we'll get food after school."

"After school! I might die before then, you never know, it sneaks up on you. I wanna die with a milkshake in my hands not an American history textbook." I just give her a look, gesturing to our parents who are still watching with amused smiles, and she just glares pitifully at me. "Fine. I have resigned to my death at the hands of Mr Keon."

"That's the French teacher, the history teacher is someone else."

"You're not helping, Mr Chance. If anything, you're making that truck look much more appealing. Well that and a window on a high storey."

"Mr Chance, Miss Nova, you should be getting to class. You've already missed half of second period." The executive assistant tells us and Nova looks betrayed.

"Susan, I thought we were friends."

"Leo, darling, make sure she gets there. Last time you let her out of your sight, she hid in the janitor's office all day."

"That's where you were?" I ask her in disbelief as she blushes in both embarrassment and anger.

"You're revealing all my secrets, Susan. Where am I supposed to hide from him now? Bear, please just take me home, don't subject me to torture." She peeks her head over my shoulder by rising on her tiptoes to see him.

"Sweet pea, you have to go to class."

"That's it. None of you are my friends anymore." She turns and storms down the corridor before stopping a few feet away, "Leo, I don't have a clue where I'm going." I laugh and say goodbye to the parents before catching up with her, both of our bags still in my grip.

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"He actually said that? To your parents?" Louis asks as we all gather at our table. Lunch has been a long time coming, the lessons we've had so far have dragged on for so long I was actually revisiting the idea of getting into the Dodge and leaving.

I'm surprised I didn't lose Nova during the day considering how she looked during those lessons. If you're curious, she looked damned homicidal. "Yeah, he didn't last long. The vice came in to smooth things over."

"Damn, that's messed up. The Riders have only helped the area. I mean drug rates are so low, crime rates are so low and you're picking up all the psychos and dropping them at the station. You guys even go to court cases with abused women and children... how can people see that as bad?" Mark rants as he shoves his burger in his mouth in the middle of his speech.