Some people were nothing but a plague sent by the gods to aggravate living creatures. Fidelis was sorely tempted to use magic on Amy. For the past three days, she and her crew had harassed him and Sera. Mostly Sera. His beautiful girlfriend was nearing a breaking point. He could see it and sense it through the fated mark. He felt sorry for Sera who had to endure such an obnoxious and cruel twin.
Amy, Nicholas, and several of Amy's girl troop did their best to ambush Sera. After Tuesday, he made sure to have his friends run interference and guard Sera every moment she was at school. There were a few times they couldn't prevent the bullying. It set him on edge. He felt like he was a failure every time it happened to Sera. He knew he couldn't control everything but still, it rankled.
Finally, he decided with his friends' help to take Sera out on a date to Stormi's Playground. The local diner was a favorite of the high school students for its welcoming atmosphere and good food. Sera and Al had never visited there before. Fidelis looked forward to Sera's reaction to the date. He had a feeling it would be a happy one. He glared at the clock willing it to be four already so they could be on their way. It was Friday after all.
The bell rang and he escorted Sera to her locker. He waited until she grabbed what she needed before asking her and Al to come to Stormi's Playground. The smile on Sera's face made him happy. He was able to ignore Al's scowl at his suggestion. Once he'd given them the directions to the diner he, Sodalitas, and Blainel went to their car and headed there. The rest of their crew Liz, Penelope, Drake, Karl, and Griff were already there and waiting for them. They grabbed their favorite tables at the back of the diner and waited for Sera and Al to get there.
Fidelis stood up when his mark flared to life, alerting him of Sera's arrival. He waved at them and watched them make their way to the back.
"Glad you found this place. Come sit, please," he offered and pulled out the chair next to him.
Sera hurried to his side and sat. Al moved to the opposite side and sat next to Penelope. Their waitress came over and took their drink and appetizer orders. The group resumed talking while Sera and Al studied the menu.
"I don't know what to pick. Everything looks good," complained Sera.
Fidelis chuckled at her disgruntled tone. "Well, let's see if I can help you narrow it down. Are you in the mood for beef, chicken, or pork?"
"Chicken."
"Okay, there are six different chicken entrees and sandwiches to choose from. Do you want salad, sandwich, or a chicken plate option?"
"Which is bigger?" she asked. "I'm really hungry."
He grinned. "I'd for one of the salads or the dinner plate."
"Hmm," she murmured and stared at the menu. After a few minutes, she pointed to the chicken Caesar salad. "I'll try this. Oh, looks like I can get a side of soup with it." Her eyes sparkled at the thought. "Okay, I'll take the chicken noodle soup."
"Sounds good," he told her. He already knew what he wanted. He reached under the table and took her hand in his. She startled before squeezing his hand.
He leaned in toward her and whispered in her ear, "I hope you feel better here. No one should bother us, and you can eat in peace."
Her eyes widened and she grinned. "Thank you," she murmured.
He grinned at the pretty pink blush that stained her cheeks. She was so shy at times that he couldn't help teasing her a little to get a reaction from her. His thoughts were interrupted by the return of their waitress with their drinks and appetizers.
"So what can I get everyone?"
"I'll take the parmesan chicken with a side of baked potato and broccoli," Liz announced and handed the waitress her menu.
"I'll have the same except I want my side to be a sweet potato and corn," Penelope cut in and smirked at Karl who had started to order.
He gave her a good-natured glare before smiling at the waitress. "I'll take the Triple Attack Hamburger with a double order of fries and your phone number."
The waitress blinked, smirked, and said, "Sorry, handsome, I've got a man."
Karl shrugged and ignored the laughter of his friends. "It was worth a shot," he replied with a grin at the waitress.
Fidelis shook his head and chuckled. Karl was such a flirt. He was glad that Sera didn't seem to be interested in Karl's flirting.
"I guess I'm next," announced Griff. "I'll take the Full House Sub combo with extra dressing and pickles and a side of potato chips."
"I'll have the Appalachian Bacon Grilled Salmon combo with a side of fries," Drake stated before handing her the menus of everyone who had ordered so far.
"You always get the same thing," Sodalitas complained with a wink at Drake. "You should be bold. There are so many things to choose from."
"True, but I like what I like," countered Drake.
"Well, I'm going to try something different today."
"Oh really? No dinner plate for you," challenged Drake.
"You got it. I'll try the Mighty Man's Meaty medium pizza and a side of honey BBQ wings."
"That is different," conceded Drake with a laugh.
"Told you so," Sodalitas agreed.
Blainel rolled his eyes at their antics. He looked at the waitress before ordering. "I want the Fire Heart pulled pork sandwich with a side of fries."
"Real quick. Is today's visit all on one check or does it need to be separated?"
Fidelis smiled at the waitress. "All one check and I'm paying."
"Got it." She turned to Al. "And what can I get you, sir?"
"I'd like to try the chicken alfredo with shrimp and loaded baked potato and corn for the sides."
Fidelis was surprised by Al's choice. He figured the arrogant guy would order something fancier. Color me impressed, he thought before squeezing Sera's hand and nodding at her to order. She turned to the waitress and ordered her salad and soup.
He didn't hesitate to give his order. "I'll take the Mountain Man's Combo with slaw and sweet potato for the sides."
The waitress grinned and read back their orders. She gathered the remaining menus and left to put their orders in. Once she was gone the conversations started to flow.
Fidelis turned to Sera and lovingly stared into her eyes until she blushed and mumbled a quiet "what?"
"Nothing much. Just enjoying the sight of my amazing and beautiful girlfriend," he replied with a smile.
He chuckled when she blushed even more. He wasn't joking. He really could watch her all day and never grow tired of it.
"So what do you think of the diner? Pretty cool isn't it?"
Sera glanced around and nodded. "I like the interior. It's comfortable and peaceful. Even though a lot of people are in here, it's not super noisy like some restaurants."'
"I know, right? That's the charm of this place. Couldn't ask for a better spot to hang out after school, especially on a Friday night."
"Is there something special about Fridays?" she asked.
He stroked her cheek. Her confused expression was adorable, too. "Well, Stormi's has a karaoke battle each week to see who the best karaoke singer is."
Sera's eyes widened and she glanced away but not before Fidelis saw her wistful look.
"Sera, do you sing?"
She tensed, her head whipping around as she stared at him for a moment. "I…,"
"Well, well. What do we have here?"
Fidelis frowned. He knew that voice. What the hell was she doing here?
"Hello, Amy," Sera's quiet response was loud in the sudden silence at their table.
Fidelis glared at Amy, Nicholas, and the rest of Amy's minions. They all stood together with identical sneers on their faces. He felt Sera's worry and fear through the bond, and he almost snapped at the unwanted visitors. He paused when she squeezed his hand so hard he thought it would break.
"Can we help you?" he growled at Amy. He wanted to wipe that sneer off her face. How dare she look down on Sera!
"You can," Amy purred.
Fidelis instantly went on guard. Amy was plotting something. He could feel it.
"Oh? I doubt it," he drawled.
"Not you, but my dear sister," Amy continued.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sera flinch. He frowned. Time to get rid of the pests.
"She can help you later, we're about to eat."
"Oh, nice! We just happened to come here to eat. Why don't we join you?"
"Like hell you're joining us!" snapped Liz.
Fidelis smothered a laugh at Liz's confrontational tone. Liz despised Amy with every fiber of her being.
Amy glared at Liz before turning to Fidelis with a pout on her face. "I don't see why we can't join you."
"There's not enough seats," Penelope chimed in while glaring at Amy.
This was why Fidelis loved his human friends they were fearless and protective of what they considered theirs. He held back his laughter at Amy's disgruntled expression. She hated both Liz and Penelope and the feeling was mutual. He appreciated both of them helping though. Time to wrap things up.
"Well, you heard them. Guess we don't have enough seats."
"That's funny. I do believe you have two seats free for Nick and me," Amy countered.
"Nope, don't see any."
Suddenly, Sera's phone rang interrupting the tense showdown. She glanced at it, and he saw her pale. Fear pulsed through their bond. Her hand trembled in his and he leaned over to see who was calling. He couldn't see because she answered on the second ring.
"Hello?"
She didn't say anything. He watched her expression change to one of shock and fear. His mark was burning hot with her emotions. Only one person inspired such emotions from her. It had to be her father on the phone. What the hell was that man saying to her?
"I understand. We'll be out in a moment."
Fidelis's attention returned to Sera. His eyes narrowed at Amy's triumphant smirk.
"Romeo, I've got to go. Al, let's grab our food to go."
"Sera?"
He didn't like her lifeless voice. The mark was screaming at him with her emotional turmoil threatening to drown him.
She leaned into him and moved close to his ear. "I'll call you later," she whispered.
Al was on his feet and Sera stood. Her reluctance to go was obvious but she moved to Al's side. They started to go past Amy's group when Amy grabbed Sera's arm. The two girls stared into each other's eyes for a moment. Sera dropped her gaze first. Fidelis wanted to howl his rage at Amy's gloating expression.
"We'll see everyone Monday."
Fidelis couldn't take it. He jumped to his feet and went to Sera. He gathered her in his arms and kissed her. She stiffened for a second and then melted into his embrace. He poured his emotions into that kiss. He broke it finally when Amy's cursing filled the air. He pressed his head to Sera's.
"Love you," he mouthed.
She smiled, though her lips trembled. She pulled free and left with Al.
"So guess there's seats available now," Nick chorused.
Fidelis wanted to deck the other boy but held back. He would do it another day. He opened his mouth to speak when Sera's fear turned to terror, and he was moving before he realized he was in motion. He ran to the parking lot and came outside just as Sera's father slapped her. She yelped and her father grabbed her roughly by the arm, dragging her to his car. He shoved her inside and climbed in. The car sped off and Fidelis cursed. He needed to get home and talk to his father.
He went inside. "I'm out. Talk to you guys later."
Blainel and Sodalitas hurried to the waitress and got their food to go. Fidelis nodded to them and turned to an irate Amy.
"You're leaving?" she screeched.
"Yep. I'm out. Later," he retorted coldly.
He roughly pushed past Nick and joined his guards at the checkout counter. He paid for the food and stormed out of the building. He had to find a way to save Sera from her abusive father. All the way home he contemplated what to do. He would have a better plan after talking to his father.