Chloe (Made Men, #3)(29)

No, I’m not.

Elle looked at her. “No, she’s not.”

When she looked back at her, Chloe could see they were both scared deep down of what could happen if they didn’t take their help.

Chloe had to look away from her to say the word, “Y-Yeah.”

“All right. Go on, Chloe. You’ll be safe with Amo.” It sounded like a genuine promise in Nero’s voice.

“Come on, Chloe.” Amo immediately started to walk away.

It took a lot for her to follow him, leaving Elle behind. On the outside, she hoped she looked strong to her. On the inside, she wasn’t. Only the thought of her and Elle surviving this semester got her to move her feet.

Since Amo seemed to like walking out in front, she kept at his back, keeping a little bit more distance than she usually did with Elle. It certainly felt awkward. He was just so … huge. She could actually look at his back and wasn’t able to even see what was on the other side.

Everyone seemed to move out of his way as he walked down the middle, not once moving an inch to the sides. She was only able to see anyone when they passed, and they certainly kept their distance from him.

Taking just a step closer to his back, she thought she might be able to get used to it. He certainly had a build for a bodyguard, and no one even noticed she was behind him since she was as short as most of the freshmen.

Reaching the classroom, Amo opened the door. She expected him to go in first, but he didn’t. He waited for her to go in. Seeing how close she would have to get to him in order to pass, she waited for him to go in, instead.

“Go,” he said harshly, clearly making no attempt for him to go in first.

I almost forgot he was a beast. Chloe passed him carefully, stomping into the classroom.

Amo let the door close behind him as he shook his head at her.

The whispering swirled in the classroom when they entered together, bringing her almost to a halt. It wasn’t until Amo was about to run into her if she didn’t move that she headed to her seat in the back.

Letting her long, black hair veil her face, she tried not to listen to the gossip of what had happened during lunch.

The tables in the Health class were set up a lot like the Science classroom with several tables that only held two people. Chloe’s table at the very back actually only held one chair, but that was because no one really ever sat there, and the room was a chair short.

Finally reaching her chair, she began wringing her hands, the attention on her giving her anxiety. However, she was thankful to put distance between them. She didn’t expect him to actually sit next to her like Nero had said. Plus, there’s no chair bes—

A very loud and very obnoxious sound filled the room as Amo grabbed his empty chair at his old table and dragged it behind him, letting the legs scrape the floor.

Please stop. Please stop. Her embarrassment only continued until he placed the chair beside her at the table.

Smiling proudly, he took his seat. “You thought I wasn’t going to actually sit beside you, didn’t you?”

Chloe’s answer was scooting her chair over to the very edge, though it didn’t give her much more room because he practically took up the whole table.

By his smirk disappearing, she could tell he didn’t like her answer very much.

It didn’t dawn on her until class started how close she was to him. The only person she had ever sat beside was Elle, and now she was sitting beside the biggest guy in school.

Feeling the closeness between them, she went back to twisting her hands under the table, trying her best to concentrate on the lesson or anything that wasn’t him. Amo made that rather hard. He seemed to like that she found him uncomfortable. Every now and then, he would remind her of his presence by adjusting in his chair, moving his arms just close enough for her hairs to rise on the back of her neck.

She didn’t think the final school bell was ever going to ring. This was the slowest class of her life. Watching the clock slowly tick by, she practically jumped up a moment before the bell even rang.

Screw this. Chloe decided to take her chances with running to Elle rather than spending another second with him.

“I wouldn’t do that.” Amo’s voice stopped her before she could even make a run for it. “Sebastian’s locker is right outside that door, but if you prefer to take your chances with him, then be my guest.”

Swallowing hard, she contemplated her options before she decided to stick with the lesser of the two evils.

Taking his sweet time, he waited until most of the class had left before he even got out of his seat to leave.

Falling in line behind him, she was finally able to glare at the unbelievable jerk’s back, keeping her distance at first. It wasn’t until they past Sebastian’s death stare that she picked up speed to walk as close as she could to his back. Wait … Is something wrong with his face?

“Walk beside me,” Amo growled over his shoulder when her feet hit the back of his heels.

Preferring to stay behind him, she decided to put more space between them, instead.

Amo stopped abruptly, wanting her to run into him to teach her a lesson. It only made him angrier when she didn’t.

“Why won’t you walk beside me like I asked?”

Chloe felt like a scared little deer in headlights, not knowing how to respond to his anger.

“I know you can talk, Chloe.” Crossing his arms over his chest made him look even more intimidating. “Now answer me.”