It was lunchtime. Blue escorted me to the lunchroom where we paid for some lunch and headed over to where Clawdeen and the others were sitting. They greeted us cheerfully and made room quickly. I smiled at them and sat down beside Clawdeen. They were gossiping and I listened intently. Not that I liked to gossip or anything. Okay, that was a big lie. In Romania, I was basically the queen of gossip. Not intentionally, I just over heard things and then...well, told all my friends.

The table suddenly went dead silent. They were all staring across the cafeteria at someone. My eyes shifted and I saw Cleo entering with Julia. Clawdeen rolled her eyes, "Great, there goes lunch."

"Why?" I asked, taking my eyes off of them and sipping on my juice box. Apple juice just wasn't the same as tomato juice.

"She makes me sick," Clawdeen pushed her plate away. Abbey made a noise in the back of her throat.

"You should eat," Abbey demanded, pushing the plate back towards the girl, "Big test after lunch."

Cleo spotted us and walked right over. She stood with her hands on her hips, staring down at me. "Well, look what we have here! The loser table."

"Why don't you just leave us alone, Cleo?" Clawdeen spoke up, pointing her fork at the girl, "It'll make this easier on everyone."

"Are you still angry about me and Clawd?" Cleo asked, placing a hand to her chest, "I don't understand why you are still hung up about this."

"Oh, yes you do," Clawdeen slammed her hand down on the table, startling the others into silence. "You just don't know when to quit. You date my brother, insult my friends, and then go and ignore me like I'm chopped liver. Well, listen well, girlfriend, I won't put up with anymore of this."

"Girls, girls!" I spoke up, "Let's just eat and-"

"Butt out of this, new girl," Cleo demanded throwing up her hand towards me, before I could defend myself she turned back to Clawdeen, "You wouldn't know romance if it bit you! You were the one who freaked out when your brother asked me out!"

Clawdeen growled, "I freaked out because you said yes when I told you to back off of my brother-"

"Clawdeen," I reached across the table and touched her arm, "Maybe this is all a misunderstanding? I mean if your brother asked her out maybe they do really like each other and-" Clawdeen crossed her arms, looking like I was stabbing her in the back.

"I told you to stay out of this!" Cleo pointed a finger at me, "besides like you would know ANYTHING about romance," she snapped glaring at me. Clawdeen's irritation with me evaporated and she growled again, before they could continue I spoke up again.

"Valentine's day was made for me," I explained, "So I would know a thing or two about romance."

"Ha! Valentine's day was made four hundred years ago!" Cleo laughed, shaking her head.

"Yes, and?" I asked raising my eyebrow, "You are Cleopatra De Nile. Daughter of Ramses De Nile. Trapped in a tomb for thousands of years. If you think that me being alive four hundred years ago is impossible, you should maybe take a look in the mirror."

"Then explain it, why would someone name Valentine's Day after you?" she growled leaning forwards and smirking.

"I started dating the creator of Valentine's Day, Valentine-"

"Wait, that's who you were talking about with my brother this morning, right?" Clawdeen asked. I frowned, how had she known that. However, Cleo glared up at her.

"What are you talking about, Clawdeen, what was he doing talking to her. Alone."

"He gave her a ride this morning, cus I asked. He gave her the front seat," Clawdeen added, giving Cleo a smug look.

"Clawd never lets Cleo in the front seat if he drives her and his sibs. That's why she doesn't get a ride with him anymore," Blue whispered to me, and I bit my lip. Suddenly a bit afraid I had even spoken up.

"Are you telling me that he's cheating on me with her?" Cleo's voice rose.

I held up my hands, my face going beat red feeling seriously guilty for every thought I had of Clawd.

"No offense, to Clawd or Clawdeen, but I would never date a werewolf," I quickly defended, "My father would kill me where I stood."

"Still doesn't mean you couldn't have a quickie with him!" she hissed, and then added almost nonchalantly, "Though, I can't see Clawd doing that with you. I mean, just look at your makeup and your clothes! He needs a girl with more refined tastes. Not someone who looks like they threw makeup at their face and blindly picked out clothes this morning."

My eyes filled with tears, I could've put up with her insinuating that Clawd would never want me. I had Valentine. However, I tried so hard to look perfect for my first day of school, and she just tore my entire look apart. To top it off, I couldn't even see if she was right. I stood up suddenly.

"I should go find my next class," I whispered before fleeing towards the exit. I pushed open the door and flew headfirst into someone. As I stumbled backwards, I swore to myself that I wasn't going to bump into anyone else. This was getting ridiculous.

The frustration of not being able to flee as quickly as I had hoped made more tears flow down my cheeks, and I wiped quickly at my cheeks.

"Laura?"

I looked up, and saw Clawd staring down at me. Deuce was standing just behind him, eyebrows pulled together in confusion. Great. They probably think I'm a cry-baby. I sniffled.

"I'm just-"

"Lala!" Clawdeen pushed open the doors of the cafeteria and stopped, she glared at her brother. The others hurried over, but Clawdeen stormed up to her brother and pushed him.

"Hey! What did I do? She was already crying!" Clawd threw his hands up, glaring at his sister.

"Do you wanna know why she's crying?" Clawdeen demanded, jabbing a finger into his chest. I felt my chest tighten. I quickly grabbed her arm and pulled on it.

"No, no. It's okay. It's none of his concern," I said trying to quiet her from telling them what Cleo had said. As if by admitting it to anyone would make it true. I didn't want Clawd or Deuce to hear what Cleo had said. I wished that none of the girls had heard her say that either.

"She's crying because of your girlfriend," Clawdeen growled at him, ignoring me, "She called Draculaura a slut, and accused her of trying to get into your pants, and then proceeded to tell her she was too ugly. You really know how to pick your girlfriends," she pointed at me and added, "I swear to god, Clawd, if she makes another one of my friends cry again. I'm using her to sharpen my nails."

"Cleo's just being Cleo," Deuce defended the girl, "She just gets over dramatic sometimes, I'm sure she didn't mean it."

Clawdeen snarled at him, "Well, I don't care if she means it, Deuce, she said it! Open your eyes, she's not nice and I don't know why you're defending her! Now come on, Laura."

She led me away, with the other girls sending looks of disappointment at the boys. I bit back my emotions and was led into the girl's washroom. Clawdeen and Frankie helped me fix my makeup, all of them reassuring me that I was freaky flawless and Cleo was just jealous.

I didn't know if I believed them, but I was feeling better by the time lunch ended.

Abbey said she had a class right next to the Home Ec class and would walk me. On the way over, she told me that she could teach me how to fight if I wanted to challenge Cleo to a fight. I turned down her offer. There was no reason for me to fight Cleo. In her mind she won, and I didn't want to have to face her again.

"Pah. Fine, have it your way. Fight would still be better."

I thanked her regardless of my thoughts of her suggestion and head into the Home Ec room. The teacher ushered me towards a seat and a few second before the bell rang, Deuce entered the classroom and headed over. He faltered when he saw me, but continued on and sat down beside me.

We said nothing as the teacher instructed the class on what to do. It was apparently a 'pop quiz' on baking. We'd all bake something and then the teacher would judge it at the end of the class.

When she released us to start, Deuce and I sat still for a moment. I didn't know what to bake, nor did I know really how to bake. He pulled out his phone and proceeded to ignore me. Great. Now he hated me.

"We'll bake some Amandine," he told me, leaning closer and holding his phone out to me. My eyes widened slightly, that was a Romanian dish. "It'll be easy, we'll have plenty of time, and it can be easily split up and we can each take some home."

I nodded, not knowing what to say exactly. He placed his phone on the counter and stood up, "Just so you know, this was your idea and you did everything yourself."

I blinked, "Why?"

"I don't bake," Deuce shrugged his shoulders, "Now, we need eggs, flour, cocoa powder, oil, water," he finished listing off the ingredients and we headed over to the pantry. He instructed me on how to beat the egg whites and fold in the egg yolks before working on the filling. I was concentrating solely on my task, sure that I was going to mess it up. "I'm sorry bout Cleo. That was uncool."

I stiffened and felt my eyes burn, but continued to fold the egg yolks into the whites.

"Add the cocoa powder and flour mixture," he pointed to the bowl after checking my work. I listened without comment. "She lets her jealousy get the better of her, and after she started dating Clawd she lost a bunch of her friends. The comment she made to Blue about her accent was her not thinking and everyone takes her words to heart and before she could stop it, Blue was at the bottom of the food chain."

"Just because she feels guilty doesn't mean that she's excused, has she apologized?" I asked, looking over at him. He shook his head.

"Never got a chance and now when she goes over to them, they hate her too much to listen," Deuce explained, putting his bowl to the side and greasing a pan. "I'm not going to ask you to forgive her for what she said to you without an apology from her…but I'm telling you to just talk to people who don't hate her to see their opinions of her."

I didn't promise anything, and we finished making the Amandine.

The teacher gave us an A+ for taste, and look. Deuce only took a few pieces of the desert and allowed me to take the rest home with me. I thanked him, and told him that if he could convince Cleo to apologize to the girls, then I was sure the others would be able to find it within themselves to apologize.

The rest of the day went by smoothly, and I met up with Clawdeen at her locker.

"Bad news, Laura, we have to walk home. Clawd has football practice," she rolled he eyes and then glanced at my hands. "What's that?"

"Chocolate cake," I said, lifting it up. She 'ooo'ed at it and then linked arms with me. It was a long way home, but we managed to get there before Clawdeen had to eat. "Here," I said handing her the cake, "This is for your family."

She blinked and took the cake, "Why?"

"In apology to ruining the dinner the other day," I looked at the house, "Also, I'm sure you parents wouldn't mind having a treat when they get home from the B&B, right?"

Clawdeen grinned, "Totally. Thanks, Lala."

I waved at her and headed the rest of the way to my house. As I started up the steps, my feet turned to concrete and I felt like it was taking forever to get into my house. Dreading the talk I had to have with my father once I crossed that door. Hopefully, Samantha wouldn't be home.

A/N: Whoo! Next chapter!

miceaholic: I don't hate Cleo, I really love her character devleopment in the series, but in the beginning she is kind of...awful to people. In Boo York, Boo York I thought she was great and it explains a lot about her attitude and it's great. Cleo won't stay a bad guy for very long, she just needs to get a nudge in the right direction :D

Don't forget to leave a review down below :D