"Sophia," Jessica sighed, glaring down at the little girl standing before her. In that simple exhalation of Sophia's name, it became quite apparent that Jessica was beginning to lose her patience and I couldn't exactly blame her. I leaned up against the counter, curiously watching the exchange with Thorne standing beside me, attempting to hide his smile. "You need to eat before going to school. Why won't you have my toast?"

Sophia crossed her arms, her dark eyes glaring up at Jessica, as if she could silently convince Jessica to let her be. That wasn't a possibility as this point, though. Considering this had been going on since I had walked into the kitchen, I figured that either one of them was going to have to cave and that wasn't very likely, or that someone was going to have break this argument up. As much as I would have liked to end the little quarrel and get food, I also found that I was particularly amused by how stubborn Sophia was.

"You don't make it like Isaiah does," Sophia retorted, chin raised high with steely determination I wasn't even aware little girl's could possess. I had to raise my hand to hide the fact that I was bubbling with laughter from her response. Jessica's eyebrows shot up and her mouth pressed into a thin line.

"Darling," Jessica cooed, obviously trying to go down a new route seeing as the one where they had fought failed miserably. "Isaiah has to get ready for school, he can't make you toast. Tell me how to do it and I'll make it for you."

"No." Sophia shot back, narrowing her eyes into slits. As much as I wanted to call her a brat, I knew it wasn't exactly true. She wasn't screaming, she wasn't stopping her feet; she just knew what she wanted and she wasn't going to back down until she got it.

I leaned down to whisper conspiratorially in Thorne's ear. "How much more of this until one of them backs down?"

Thorne looked up at me, beaming his toothless smile and shook his head, blond locks falling into his face. I pushed them away since Sophia was too occupied to do it for him like she usually did. "Don't worry," Thorne chirped, seemingly unphased by the fact that his best friend was still arguing with their foster mother. "Isaiah will be out here soon to fix it."

I was so startled that I barked out a loud laugh before I could stop myself. Sophia and Jessica's eyes flitted over to me for merely a moment before returning to their battle. I crouched down so I was eye level with Thorne, biting my lip to contain my smile.

"Thorne, sweetheart," I said in the sweetest voice that I could manage. I couldn't ever recall being good with kids, but the few amount of times that I had been around Thorne and Sophia they had seemed to like me, which pleased me in some weird way. "What do you mean? Isaiah is getting ready. He doesn't have time to fix this."

As soon as the words had left my mouth, footsteps lead into the kitchen and stopped before where the kids, Jessica, and I were standing. I glanced up and gaped at the fact that Isaiah and Landon were standing before us, both looking particularly amused by what they were observing. I gave Thorne the side eye, and he shrugged and grinned, apparently pleased that he had been correct in his prediction.

"Soph," Isaiah muttered, leaning down to scoop her up in his arms. Her previously hard expression softened into one of adoration and love, and she curled up against him, her thin arms winding around his neck. I wanted to scoff at this, wondering what kind of secret power Isaiah had over this little girl. "Stop giving Jess a hard time. You know that some mornings I'm going to be too busy to make you food. Why can't you just eat what she makes you?"

"Because it's not from you," Sophia replied plainly, as if this should have been obvious to him. I had to give the girl credit: she was tough for a six year old and apparently loyal too.

Landon and Isaiah both sighed, exchanging looks.

"I told you that you needed to stop babying her," Landon said, maneuvering around Isaiah and Jessica to get to the coffee machine. I shot to my feet, following closely behind him, eager to pour caffeine down my throat like I had originally intended before I got distracted. "Now look what you've done."

"Shut up," Isaiah grunted out, throwing a glare Landon's way. He set Sophia down, beginning to bustle through the kitchen, presumably to make Sophia her breakfast.

Landon shot me a smile when he realized that I was standing beside him and reached up to grab a second mug. I reached out, prepared to take it from him and pour my own coffee, but he did it for me then nudged my mug over to me. I startled but wasn't about to complain about this nice deeds.

"You know where everything is?" Landon questioned, pouring a single sugar packet into his coffee and stirring it in. I peeked at the contents of my mug, wrinkling my nose at the darkness of the coloring.

"Yeah," I muttered, reaching out for the canister of sugar. I grabbed a handful of sugar packets and watched out of the corner of my eye as Landon watched me with amusement in his eyes. "I like my coffee as sweet as me."

Landon burst into laughter, using the counter to support himself. My lips quirked up into a big smile, pleased by the fact that I could make him laugh like that. I tore my eyes away from him before I could begin to think about how beautiful he looked when his blue eyes were lit up with happiness and when his nose scrunched up slightly from laughter. I concentrated on the mundane act of pouring sugar into my coffee and stirring it in until it resembled the coloring of chocolate milk.

Warmth radiated from someone onto my back and I peeked over my shoulder to find Cassius silently watching me. I stepped away from the coffee pot, deciding that he probably wanted some and that I was in his way. He raised a single eyebrow, perhaps confused by my actions, but I didn't wait around for him to ask me. I gripped the handle of my mug tightly and sat at the breakfast nook so I could stay out of everyone's way and drink my liquid courage that would get me through the day.

"Nyx!"

I raised my mug, hiding my grin and peeking over the rim to meet Jase's green eyes. He was smirking down at me, his hands gripping at the table of the breakfast nook. I avoided looking at his biceps, keeping my eyes on his nose, as if it was the most interesting thing I had ever seen. He leaned slightly closer, causing me to rear my head back to put some space between us.

"You look nice," he said in his flirty tone I had come accustomed to. While hanging out with the boys and Morgan and Paisley the other night, I had been informed by the girls that Jase was a major flirt, not that I hadn't caught onto it already. "You're riding with us today, right? Unless you're having Jess drive you. Mik might be disappointed if you don't come with us, though."

He was talking fast and excitedly in a way that I had begun to associate with Mik. I squinted my eyes, hypothesizing that Jase and Mik had spent too much time together and that Mik had rubbed off on him. I sipped my coffee, stalling as I tried to think of an answer for him as he was still staring at me expectantly. I hadn't even gotten my coffee down my throat when Mik materialized next to Jase, his eyes lit up with excitement.

"Any coffee let for me?" He asked teasingly. I gripped my coffee tighter, an irrational part of me afraid he may try to take it from me. It wasn't the nicest or smartest thought, but the boys seemed to be the type to share stuff and I wasn't all that fond of sharing my food or drinks.

"No coffee!" Isaiah, Cassius, and Jessica echoed in sync. My eyes widened and I leaned away with my coffee mug cupped in my hands. I wasn't sure why Mik wasn't allowed to have coffee, but I did know it was best not to find out.

Mik pouted and leaned in to mutter to me, "So mean. I'm really not even that bad with caffeine in my system."

Jase snorted, obviously having overheard, and shook his head. "What a load of bullshit. Get to the car, Mik. I'm going to help Cass and Isaiah round up the kids." He paused. "Find a traveling mug for Nyx before you go, Landon will walk her to the car."

I bit my lip to keep from pointing out that I hadn't exactly agreed to getting a ride from them. They were being so nice that I couldn't find it in me to fight off their friendliness. Instead, I stood up and shot Jase a thankful smile, trailing behind Mik to find a traveling mug for my coffee. If they were going to be nice to me, I was going to soak it up the best that I could.

***

The high school looked any other boring, plain, average high school I had ever seen. If I had been asked to distinguish it from my previous high school there wouldn't be any traits I could use to differentiate the two. I tilted my head, squinting my eyes at the red brick building, searching for something, anything, that would inform me of what awaited me on the inside. I came up short and sighed, shaking my head.

A hand rested on my arm and I jerked away, sending a scalding look Jase's way for touching me without warning. He raised his hands as if in surrender and raised his eyebrows, silently questioning if I was alright. I turned my head away, ignoring him, searching for the two girls I had made friends with when I first met them.

"Morgan and Paisley said they would help me out today," I said, trying hard to hide the anxiety I was feeling. I was really hoping that they would still help me around the school as I was rather reluctant to depend on the boys for help; I didn't need them to see me as a burden, even if that was what I truly was. "Do you know where I can find them?"

Jase shoved his hands into his pockets and shrugged, though I had the feeling that he knew exactly where they were, he was just unwilling to speak to me in case I lashed out at him again. My shoulders slumped forward, the feeling of desperation and guilt seeping in, the kind of feeling I had gotten used to but not when I was around the boys. I shuffled my feet, biting my lip, wondering if it was worth it to hide in a bathroom stall and cry before classes started.

"Hey, Nyx." Mik bumped his shoulder against my own and I worked hard not to flinch in response but force a smile. "Isaiah and I were going to walk you to homeroom. Is that okay?"

My eyes flickered over to where Isaiah was standing beside Cassius, the two speaking low enough that I could make out their voices but not the words transpiring between them. My eyebrows pulled together and my eyes drifted back to Mik, silently questioning why they would need to walk me to homeroom.

Before Mik could say anything, Cassius and Isaiah were joining us. I tensed up at the fact that Cassius had come to stand behind me, his head hovering over my own as he looked at the students and the school. He rested a hand on my shoulder and I looked up, eyes widening at the fact that he was touching me and this could lead to a potential interaction.

"Don't look so scared, Blakely," he said, his voice a low rumble, his eyes boring into me and causing my soul to shiver with some unknown anticipation. "It doesn't suit you."

I swallowed hard and managed to throw him a glare. "I'm not scared."

His lips quirked up into a small smirk and he removed his hand from my shoulder, and for once I craved for the touch to return. "Keep telling yourself that," he muttered as he started walking forward, the others following behind. I blinked but started moving my feet when Landon reached back for me, apparently unwilling to leave me behind.

Morgan and Paisley were waiting for us at the bottom of the steps that lead up to the school. Paisley was leant against the railing, head back, her blue hair falling over the edge and a strip of her stomach showing from the way she was bent. Morgan's hips were pressed against her girlfriend's, and her head was ducked low, near Paisley's ear, mouth moving rapidly, forming words no one but Paisley could hear. Paisley brought her head up, gripping Morgan's shirt, bringing her down for a brief kiss. When they resurfaced, they noticed the guys and I, both of their faces splitting into welcoming grins.

"Welcome to our school, mon cheri," Paisley purred, brushing her bright blue hair over her shoulder. Morgan waved her fingers in greeting then pressed her hip against the railing, making balancing against it look as effortless as drinking water.

"You speak to her in French but you won't speak to us in French?" Landon asked, mocking offense, though his tone was light and his eyes were lit up with amusement.

"She speaks to me in French too," Morgan decided to announce, her blue eyes sparking with something unidentifiable. "But I don't think you'd appreciate the things she says to me. They're a little... risque."

"How many times must we tell you that you may speak to us about your relationship but not your sex life?" Isaiah groaned out, running a hand over his face. Using the same hand, he reached out and took my own, drawing a yelp out of me. He didn't seem to notice, pulling me up the stairs to the school with me. "Come on. Let's get Nyx to her homeroom before she's late. We can't let the teachers pin her as a trouble maker just yet."

Morgan's laugh drifted up after us, musical and enticing. "Oh, Isaiah, sweetie. As soon as they see her hanging around us, they'll know she's a troublemaker."

***

By the time lunch rolled around, my anxiety was at such a high level that when I tried to write my pencil shook with my hands. My lip and my tongue was bitten raw, the constant taste of blood overwhelming me. I was thankful for the fact that during lunch the taste of food would replace it, even for a short while. Standing against the wall near the doors of the lunch room were Morgan, Mik, and Cassius. I presumed they were waiting for me and the small part of me that I usually tried to stop down was pleased.

"Hungry?" Mik asked when I got close enough that I could hear him. I merely nodded, a hand fluttering over my rumbling stomach. Cassius raised an eyebrow when he noticed the action and I fought hard not to blush, mentally convincing myself that his opinion of me didn't matter. None of their opinions matter; at least this was what I told myself.

Mik took my hand casually, as if it wasn't the highlight of my day, and lead me into the lunchroom. I stared at our interlocked fingers, wondering how he could act as if this was a normal act for us when we'd only known each a little over a week and he had almost hit me with his car the first time we met. I tore my gaze away when I noticed Morgan watching me with curiosity in her eyes. Mik lead me over to a table where Paisley, the boys, and an unfamiliar girl were clustered around. It seemed kind of crowded, but they didn't seem to mind; I tried not to mind either.

I settled into the seat across from Paisley, leaving the seat beside her for Morgan. The unfamiliar girl sat on the opposite side of Paisley, and I sat between Cassius and Landon. My heart hammered at my chest, apparently just as upset as I was about the fact that we were practically caged in. I inhaled deeply through my nose, sparing a smile as Jase passed me a bag of chips to eat.

"Nyx," Paisley said, drawing me from my chaotic thoughts. I provided a thin lipped smile, wincing at my raw lips rubbing together and my tooth scraping against my beat up tongue. "This is my sister, Kaleia."

For the first time, I truly paid attention to the girl sitting beside Paisley. I could immediately see the resemblance in the slope of the nose, shade of the eyes, and taunting look that permanently resided on their face. Kaleia's hair was shorter than her sister's, reaching just past her shoulders, slightly longer than my own. Her's was a faded pastel blue, revealing peeks of pale blonde hair, making me wonder if that was Paisley's natural hair color as well. Her skin was paler than her sister's, and she seemed slimmer and shorter, but just as pretty.

"Nice to meet you," Kaleia offered, smiling sweetly. Something about the smile seemed off, as if it wasn't something she did often but she was doing it just for me, to make me feel welcome. My palms began to sweat, getting the same predatory feeling from her as I got from the others. "Paisley has talked my ear off about you. You must be something special if she's got so much to say about you."

My psyche shattered at those words, swirling into a deep black tornado of dark thoughts, drawing me back to the night of the murder of my family, the night my father left me, the night it all came to much. I felt like I was tipping out of my seat and on the floor, but I knew better, I knew that it was just me disassociating, her words stabbing through the armor I had carefully constructed.

My smile was shaky. "Sorry to say there's nothing special about me." 

a/n: on the longer side because I just kept going with it dude, the boys demanded attention, Paisley demanded attention, Nyx's dark thoughts demanded attention, Kaleia needed to be introduced, and I just like Sophia so I had to include her. It's unedited and I should be doing laundry and wrapping gifts whoops. Here you go. Hope you guys enjoy. Leave your thoughts about the guys and Maisley. 

xoxo,

ry.