Chapter Ten

LOU

Jameson was angry and I could feel it. I wasn’t sure what he was angry about, but he wasn’t his usual self and he was hanging out with this girl named Eva recently. I didn’t know why it bothered me, but for the past few days I missed having him on my back and constantly pestering me, and Eva didn’t seem like the one I wanted to hand around at all.

I couldn’t hate on Eva even if I wanted to. She was pretty with blue hair, and wide eyes that were large enough to capture the souls and attention of boys in Advania high. Her curves were in the right proportion, and she knew how to use that to her advantage. People seemed to like her, but something about her just makes me unsettled. There was this vibe around her that was snobbish, standoffish and rude.

I also can’t help but notice how she throws herself at the Young Blood Southern pack, most especially Jameson. I should be grateful that I do not have to associate myself with him anymore, but something about it just unsettles me, especially when they invade my personal space in class.

Eva would come and sit on his lap, and shamelessly he will touch her and grab her in places that were obscene. They never kissed, but the constant teasing and mockery were always too unsettling to bear at times.

It made me stay away from the classroom except I have a class to attend.

This afternoon, I was seated in the cafeteria, enjoying a quiet meal. Cassie had not shown up because she had an urgent assignment to work on and submit so, I remained in solitude. I was chewing slowly on my steak when I felt a presence in front of me. I looked up and Chris was extending a can of Soda. He seemed like the only pleasant person in the entire school, but a part of me thought he was just being nice to me because he was in the position to, being the Student Council President.

“Why do I feel you are trying to bribe me with Soda?”

“Is it working?” He leaned forth and I found myself smiling. All of a sudden, Jameson settled in the space beside me. He was doing great, staying away from me but all of a sudden, he didn’t like that I was interfering with Chris. He took the soda from me, opened it and sipped from it. I didn’t know how to feel, but the feeling that churned at the base of my belly was not good.

“What do you want?” Chris asked him. But Jameson only lowered the can from his lips and smiled slyly. He turned to me, and his cologne teased my nose but the feeling only lasted a few seconds because the turned the can upside down and empty the content into my meal. I felt anger bubbling at the base of my belly. He stood up without any words and pushed the can toward Chris.

Chris shot to his feet to retaliate, but I grabbed onto him to stop me. Jameson just wanted the attention and I didn’t want to indulge him. I looked to my left as James strode towards his clique who were laughing hysterically at this point. Jameson slapped cash into Eva’s palms and she waved it toward me to show that she won the bet.

“That bastard…”

“It is okay.”

“I can have him reported…”

“No!” My voice shot out of my voice pipe. If Jameson is reported, then I’d have to start giving a back story as to why he was like that in the first place, inherently putting me in the spotlight. “It is fine.” I smiled warmly at Chris. “If you’ll excuse me…’ I said, packing my bag. Chris caught me by the wrist to stop me and for the first time, we made eye contact. His gaze held me in a trance for a few seconds and like the first time I had seen him, my heart fluttered.

“At least, let me get you a new meal…”

“It is okay…” I cleared my throat, finding my voice. “It is nothing.”

Chris felt frustrated. He looked angrily towards Jameson who was resting against the wall and giving a snide expression. I tugged at Chris so that he looked at me and I still kept my smile on. I liked it when Chris smiled, and I didn’t want him to stop because of someone as insolent as Jameson.

I let go of Chris, grabbed my bag and left the cafeteria. I walked to the yard because I suddenly wanted to be alone. I thought to call Cassie but decided against it last minute. She was going through things these past few days, and it will be mean to add my troubles to her list. I settled on one of the curvets and plugged in my earphones to shut myself out from the thoughts that clawed in my mind when I felt someone yank one of the earbuds out. I looked swiftly to my left, and there was the one I desperately wanted to get away from, yet was drawn to. He leaned in as usual, and his face was an inch away from mine.

I took my earbud from him and wanted to ignore him, but he was too obvious. “What do you want?” I asked him. “I have no meals for you to ruin this time.”

“Touchy, much?” He drawled as he withdrew and sat beside me. “You haven’t answered my question.”

“What question?!” I fired back.

“There’s something about you, snow white – something I am not sure of, but I can feel it, I am going to figure it out if you are not going to tell me.”

“There is nothing to figure out, Jameson.”

“Are you sure?” He leaned in again. However, this time, I didn’t draw back. His clear indigo eyes were so alluring that I held his gaze for a few seconds. I wanted to push him off, rush to my feet and leave, but it felt like I was constantly running from him and from everyone. What if there was more to me anyways? That day when we charged at the wolves, I felt a sudden surge of electricity burning through my veins. Mother had told us to always fight the urge and remain our human selves, but morphing into a werewolf without thinking felt so surreal. It left questions lingering at the back of my mind and the fact that Jameson was stating boldly what I was too scared to verbally proclaim made me uncomfortable.

Jameson leaned in further and when he spoke, I could feel the warmth of his breath on my face. “I see you are not shy anymore.” He drawled. His voice sent shivers up my spine, and I continued to hold his gaze. A part of me felt like I was playing a dangerous game, and another part of me wanted to win. I didn’t want to give him the upper hand.

He leaned even further and before I knew it, his lips crushed over mine in a burst of fiery emotions. I felt my skin burn with a primitive heat as his lips parted and took mine. I couldn’t think, and my breath was caught in my chest. I felt his palm holding my head in place and his tongue coming from its resting place, teasing me so slowly. It was unexplainably hot, and before I realized it, I parted my lips just a fraction to allow his tongue to burn its way into my mouth.

My eyes closed to the tingling feeling, and his fingers brushed ever so gently into the golden curls of my hair. I knew this was dangerous, I knew I will regret it heavily when he pulled away, but at that moment, I wanted to remain that way.

Jameson pulled away from me abruptly. I saw the tease in his eyes that later settled into a laugh of mockery.

“Not bad!” A voice jerked me out of my tentative trance, and when I looked to my left, I saw his pack; Colton, Eva, Eric and some other girls I didn’t know of sneering and laughing at me. My heart turned cold as I noticed the look in Jameson’s eyes darken from bright indigo to dark purple. He had just made the biggest fun of me. His friends kept laughing at the shameful encounter.

I shot to my feet immediately, and past Jameson and his clique, I saw Chris looking at me with worry in his eyes. Now, only the person who was brave enough to want to be friends with me had seen me in such an exposed state.

I turned on my heels and ran away.