The raven boys who were sitting in the back booth at Nino's were not hers. They had been there before, only when her crowd wasn't around. And Blue Sargent was not particularly fond of the three boys. They were rude, misogynistic, and rich. They were exactly the kind of Aglionby boys that she vowed to stay away from.

But of course she couldn't, because their table was in her section. Every time Blue Sargent walked passed them, she crumpled a little.

"That's her, dude."

"I know that's her. I'm not stupid. Only girls who look like that have the name Blue."

"I thought her name was Jane?"

"That's just what Dick Gansey calls her."

"Probably because the name Blue is fucking stupid."

Hearing Gansey's name caused Blue to turn whip her head around and stare at them. The blonde one snickered and elbowed the boy to his left, who sported the same boat shoes as her boyfriend, only he wore them with white basketball socks. The combination was atrocious.

"What's he see in her anyways?" Boat shoes asked blondie, loud enough for Blue to hear.

The other one, with a cream colored pastel shirt and dark hair, laughed. "She probably does stuff for them in exchange for cash or some shit. Her mom is the town psychic, Jamie. That can't pay much."

"Stuff?" Boat shoes asked.

"You know-" He made a vulgar motion with his hand near his mouth. They all burst out laughing. Blue rushed back into the kitchen, mouth agape and heart racing. They're just stupid boys , she told herself. Stupid rich raven boys who hate women and need to be punched in the nose.

The bells chimed from the front door. One of the waitresses came to the back, "Your boys are here, Blue."

Taking a breath, Blue stepped out to the front of the restaurant, trying to mask what she was feeling. "Jane!" Gansey grinned at her, his glasses a little crooked and his pants firmly pressed.

She smiled, despite herself. And then she heard the roar of laughter from the other Aglionby boys. It was not so easy to smile anymore, and Gansey noticed.

Blue met his eyes as he slid over in the booth to make room for her. His arm wrapped around her shoulder and she felt the urge to curl into him and start crying. She knew she shouldn't let those boys get to her, but it was a hopeless battle nonetheless. Gansey kissed her forehead.

They sat in quiet for a moment, until Ronan became bored and started flicking ketchup packets at Adam.

"Do you know them?" Blue whispered.

Gansey didn't need to look back to know who she was talking about. "Yeah."

Blue didn't respond.

"Jamie Hawley, Chris Prescott, and Mikey Martas. All of their dad's work for the same law firm. No one really likes them that much." She tried to imagine Gansey hanging out with these guys and their horrible words. The image didn't fit right in her brain.

"I can't imagine why." She whispered dryly.

"Did they say something to you?" His voice rose an octave, sounding concerned. Adam and Ronan were paying attention now.

Blue shook her head. "It's nothing I can't handle. We get customers in here a lot worse than them." She lied. The things these boys said were far worse than a greasy middle aged man yelling 'nice legs, sweetheart!' at her as she walked passed.

Ronan scoffed. "You're a horrible liar, maggot. What did Chris fucking Prescott say to you? God, I hate that kid. Adam, do you remember that one time he called the cops on me and Kavinsky when we were out racing?" Adam nodded, taking a sip of his iced tea. "Seriously, he's the worst. If he said something to you Blue, let me know. I'd love to kick his teeth in a time or two."

Blue knew Ronan Lynch better than most people. And she understood the underlying message to what he just said: Say one more word about Blue Sargent, and I'll end you.

"I'm fine, seriously." She stood up. "And stop staring at me like that, Gansey. I'm not a dandelion."

"I know, Jane-"

"She has her pink switchblade." Ronan smirked at Gansey, looking very interested and not at all, in a way that only Ronan could. "Don't be a dick, Dick."

Blue gave him an appreciative smile and walked away from them before Gansey could say anything else.

"Hey, Blue!" Boat shoes called.

Blue glanced at them but didn't make an effort to walk over.

"That is your name, right? Blue?"

She nodded, aware of Ronan and Adam and Gansey shooting glares to the other booth.

"Come over here! We gotta ask you somethin'!" Pastel shirt shouted to her. Blue didn't particularly like being shouted at, and in any other situation, she would have ignored them just because of the fact that they shouted at her. But she was at work, and this meant she had to be way nicer and more pleasant than she actually was.

"I'm Chris," Boat shoes put his hand out for her to shake. She did, hesitantly, and they all grinned at each other as if a joke was made. "This is Jamie and Martas."

Blue gave a forced smile.

"So how'd you meet Dick Gansey?" Martas asked her, his southern accent deep and low.

"It was a while ago," she shrugged, trying to be as vague as possible. "I don't really remember."

All of the boys looked at eachother and then looked at Blue again. "Jane-"

She raised an eyebrow, as if to say, call me that again. I dare you .

"Can I call you Jane?"

"Um, only Gansey calls me that." She felt her cheeks heat up, wishing she had kept that confession to herself.

"I just can't take you seriously if I call you Blue." Chris smiled. It was not like Adam's or Gansey's smile. It was not warm or welcoming. Blue was ready to leave the conversation. "Like, not to be rude or anything, but what kind of name is that?"

Blue stiffened and became very angry. She loved her name. Fuck this guy. "Like, not to be rude or anything, but I can't really take you seriously with basketball socks and boat shoes, but I'm able to hold a conversation with you anyway." Blue chipped. Martas and Jamie met eyes with their jaws to the floor.

Chris was angry, she could tell. Before she made scene she would regret, Blue stepped away from them and made her way back to her raven boys. Gansey was smiling down at his menu while Adam grinned at her.

"Sargent," Ronan smiled. "You asshole."

"Jane?"

"Gansey?"

Blue was crying. It was almost 3 am and Blue had been playing the words in her head over and over again. And she needed Gansey. She needed his lips on her ear and his fingers in her hair. She needed his thoughtful, quiet words while they sat in the front of the pig with the heat on. She needed him, but she was too proud to ask him to pick her up.

"Jesus H. Christ, what's wrong? " Gansey fumbled for his glasses on the nightstand.

"Do you think my name is stupid? Is that why you call me Jane?" She asked softly.

"Blue, no." He answered. "I love your name. I just like calling you Jane, the same way that Ronan likes calling you asshole."

Blue sniffled and wiped her cheek with the back of her palm. "I know but-"

"What's this about?" He sounded concerned and very Gansey-like. She bit her lip. "Is this because of what Chris Prescott said to you?"

"Yes." She choked.

"What did he say, Blue?"

This was the question she was fearing; and why she was so reluctant to call. How could she explain to him what they said about her. Would he even understand why she was so upset? He was Gansey after all. He didn't understand lots of things about being a girl or needing a job or paying for a meal. That's why her and Adam got along so well.

"Blue," He said after she didn't respond after a while. "What did he say?"

"He said that... " Blue struggled. "He said, God… he said that I did things for you and Adam and Ronan for… for money."

"Things?" He didn't understand. She remembered the motion that Chris made with his hands and his mouth and wanted to die.

"God, Gansey- " Blue closed her eyes. Was she really going to have to spell it out for him? As if this wasn't mortifying enough.

"Oh." He whispered. " Oh, Jane."

"Yeah." There was a long pause. It ate her alive from the inside out. "Gansey?"

"I'm so sorry, Blue." He sounded wounded, like he had been punched in the gut. "That's not… no one should be able to say those things to you."

"I know."

"I'll fix this, okay?" He whispered. "'I'm going to make this right."

Blue started crying again.

The task was simple enough. The only thing Richard Gansey required was a baseball bat, the pig, and Ronan Lynch.

"He said what ?" Ronan yelled. It seemed as if all of Monmouth Manufacturing shook with the volume of his words. "Hell fucking no. Hell. Fucking. No."

Gansey nodded and ran his index finger across his lip. "I would call Adam, but if we get arrested…" He trailed off.

Ronan understood just how serious his best friend was about this.

He grabbed his bat.

"Dick Gansey and Ronan Lynch? For what do I owe the pleasure?"

Ronan swung the baseball bat in his hands skillfully. "Shut the fuck up."

Gansey, for once, did not flinch at the phrase.

Chris Prescott's eyes widened at Ronan's vulgar language. Most Aglionby boys were not usually exposed to tattoos or cigarettes or the sickening twist of his sharp smile. Ronan could be very sinister if he wished to be.

"Is this about that girl? Jane?" Chris asked, watching Ronan's bat swing back and forth with a twist in his stomach. "I swear we were just messing around! Nobody even touched her!"

Ronan snarled. "I told you to shut the fuck up."

The bat hit Chris' ribs in a blur. Gansey could not tell if the sound was a smack or crack . He hoped it was the ladder. He called her a prostitute.

"Shit, Lynch." Chris groaned, falling to the floor. Ronan hit him again. And again. And again and again. He felt each one in his soul; for Blue, for Maggot, for Jane. He continued until the boy was spitting blood on the floor.

"That's enough, Ronan." Gansey rasped. He hated himself for it, but he was very happy knowing that Chris had at least a broken rib.

Ronan stepped away, breathing heavily. "If you ever come near Blue Sargent again, I can assure you Gansey won't be here make me stop."

When they got back into the pig, Ronan turned to Gansey. "We're not telling Blue." It wasn't a question.

"I know."

"She's going to find out anyway." He warned, picking at the droplets of dried blood on his bat.

"I know."

"She's going to be really angry with you, Gansey."

"I know."

"You love her."

"I know."