The Group Chat [Leico Valdangelo]

part eight

• Nico •

"Hey, Nico," Persephone said as Nico walked into the front door. Considering he only lived a block away, he walked to school every morning and home every afternoon.

"Yeah?" Nico asked, setting his backpack down by the front door.

"I got a call from your dad today."

Nico perked up.

"Really?"

"Yeah...unfortunately, he is deciding to stay in Colorado with his other daughter...a daughter he loves more than you and Hazel combined-"

"What?" Nico interrupted, not sure he had heard her right.

"I'm sorry, Nico. I wish he hadn't told me that, and I wish I didn't have to tell you, but...I have to be honest with you. I'm so sorry," her voice lacked sympathy as she studied her pale pink nails.

"I...are you serious?" Nico felt his head spin.

"Dead serious," she sounded bored, like she'd rather be talking to her besties about the new style and Channing Tatum.

Nico ran up the stairs, slamming his door and sliding down it, curling up and bunching his hair in his fist.

First, his mother leaves him, then Bianca, then his dad. Was he that bad? Why did people want to leave him? When would Hazel leave? Persephone? Hell, even Leo leaving him would hurt.

"Nico..." Hazel trailed off. It sounded as if she had been crying. "Nico, I'm so sorry," she sobbed, but it sounded muffled. "I'll never leave you, Nico, I swear. Even if everyone else hates you...no matter what you do, I'll always be here. Remember that."

"Thank you," Nico managed to choke out and there the two of them sat for hours, on opposite sides of the door, crying about a father who didn't care.

---

'Arrogant boy, love yourself so no one has to. They're better off without you. You're lucky if your memory remains-'

"Mr. di Angelo," Mrs. Hera, his first period History teacher stopped in front of him, holding out her hand. He pulled out an earbud and stared up at her.

"Give me your phone," she demanded.
Nico sighed.

"Listen, my dad just left me and my little sister for some bitch in Colorado," Nico said, raising an eyebrow. "Just leave me be."

"Ha...no wonder," he heard some kid in the back mutter. "I would've left you too. I bet your sister's a slut."

Nico gritted his teeth. He did not just call Hazel a slut.

"That's my girlfriend...you know that, right?" Frank Zhang, Hazel's boyfriend cut in and glared at the kid.

"Oh...Uh...I meant...she seems pretty nice," the kid stuttered.

"No arguing kids...Nico, your phone please," Mrs. Hera said firmly to Nico.

"Listen, Mrs. Hera, if you don't mind if I say something..." Frank trailed off. "Nico and his dad were really close. This is really big news...and not the good kind-"

"Listen, Mr. Zhang, I understand you're head over heels for Hazel, but this isn't any of your business," Mrs. Hera smiled sarcastically. "Okay?"

"Yes ma'am."

She looked pointedly at me, so I turned the music off and handed it to her.

"Thank you, Nico. You can have it back at the end of the day. Ms. Jackson will have it in the office."

Fuck.You.

• Leo •

"Hey, don't set anything on fire," some kid in Leo's fifth period Chemistry class said, laughing to his friend.

"Don't kill any of us like your mom."

"They shouldn't have let you into this school."

"You're psycho."

"I don't even want to be three feet near him. What if he's got a lighter?"

"He should've died in that fire instead of his mom."

Leo sighed and tried to ignore them.

"Hey...Leo," Jason slid in the seat next to him while Leo was fiddling with the metal spiral of his journal. "Don't listen to them. They're-"

"Wrong?" Leo asked, looking over at Jason with lifeless brown eyes. Jason just studied his face. "No. They're right. I'm psycho. I'm a freak. I killed my mom. You've heard it all before. It was my fault. I should've tried harder to unlock the door, I should've helped-"

"But you were stuck...frozen," Jason cut off. "You didn't know what to do."

"And she tapped something to me in morse code...the last thing she ever said to me-"

"Leo," Jason cut him off again, placing a hand on his wrist. Leo looked down and saw that he was clenching his fists, his nails digging into his palm hard enough to draw blood. Leo pulled his hands away and wiped them on his pants.

"I'm fine. I'm fine."

"Hey, I'm having a party next Tuesday...you wanna come?"

"No." Jason's face fell. "I'll think about it."

"Will you? That'd be great! You should sit by us at lunch today. I'll talk to Nico."

"Okay."

"Great!" The dismissal bell rang. "See ya later!"

---

Leo sat at Jason's table across from Nico.

"Okay. Leo, Nico, these people are Frank, Reyna, Piper and Annabeth," Jason introduced.

"Hi," Leo said, rubbing his forearm nervously, irritating his burns.

"Hey...those look bad. How'd you get them?" Piper asked.

"Mechanical accident. My dad's a mechanic and I help him a lot...didn't go so well," Leo chuckled.

Reyna studied him, her almost black eyes raking over him, as if she were judging him. She huffed and looked away.

"Are you not hungry?" Jason asked both Nico and Leo.

"No," they both replied in unison.

Leo eyed Annabeth and Piper, noticing their body language around each other was extremely...well, Leo couldn't find the word, but he was pretty sure they were dating. Which was totally cool by him.

"Hey, Nico, I'm having a party next Tuesday. Want to come? You know...since we don't have school Wednesday?" Jason asked, leaning over Leo to talk to the boy. Jason's sleeve brushed against the burns and Leo inhaled deeply, trying to keep from screaming at Jason for being so inconsiderate. "Leo said he might go."

"I'm busy," Nico replied, keeping his hands in his lap and staring at them.

"You sure? It'll be fun..."

"I'm busy," Nico repeated.

"C'mon, Nico. It'll be great," Annabeth said and Nico raised an eyebrow at her.

"Why would you want me there?"

"Because you're pretty cool," Frank admitted. "Hazel and I are going."

"Yeah. Reyna's even going," Piper said and Reyna rolled her eyes jokingly.

"I'll think about it."

"Great." Jason's smile brightened the entire lunch room