Free Web NovelChapter 98: 2 Weeks Later
"Yep, I have officially missed two moons. I can’t shift until the pups are out of my body and my tummy is not flat anymore... how worse can my life get.."
I stared at the people I call my friends. We were at our usual spot in the school cafeteria, and it felt like I was the only one talking to myself. The noise of clattering trays and loud teenagers was everywhere, but our table was like a little island of silence.
Malo had his face covered with a textbook, his eyes probably glazing over the tiny print. Sasha was on her phone, her thumb moving in a steady, rhythmic flick. Neither of them even looked up.
"Guys!" I said. I raised my voice just enough to cut through their trance. Malo jumped up and composed himself, blinking like he’d just woken from a nightmare. Sasha just looked at me, her expression blank. "Am I the only one here? I’ve been talking to myself."
"I heard what you were saying," Malo said. He tried to look attentive, but his eyes kept drifting back to the open page on the table.
"Okay then, what was I talking about?" I asked, looking at him. I crossed my arms, waiting for the stumble.
"You said something about Kaye falling down from the bed in the middle of the night..." he said. He looked proud of himself for a second.
"Are you fucking kidding me? That was two hours ago, in history class..." I said. I felt the frustration bubbling up. It was like trying to talk to a brick wall that sometimes recited old news.
He sat up straight, clearing his throat.
"You’ve been talking non-stop, but I need to focus because I have exams," he said. He tapped the book for emphasis.
"Exams? Since when?" I asked. I tried to remember the school calendar. Exams weren’t around the corner. They only happened twice a term, and we weren’t anywhere near that mark.
"Well, it turns out you can’t skip an exam, even if you’re sick or on your deathbed. The exam waits for your return. And I’m the only one writing exams in an empty classroom, no one to copy from, so I need to study so I don’t get on Princess’s bad records..."
"So it’s not about school assessment... t’s about Princess," I said.
"Yes," he replied. He didn’t even try to deny it. He just turned back to the page and started muttering under his breath.
"If his scores are low, Princess will fire him. She likes working with good grades," Sasha said. Her eyes were still on her phone, her face illuminated by the screen’s glow. She didn’t even blink.
"What about you? What is so important on your phone that you haven’t been listening either?" I asked. I shifted my focus to her since Malo was clearly a lost cause.
"I was listening. You were complaining about your tummy not being flat and that you missed two moons," she said. She finally looked up, her gaze steady.
"So what are you doing on your phone? I’ve noticed you’ve been on it since we entered the school gate, and I know it’s not shopping..."
"I’m looking for a part-time job. My sister stopped sponsoring me ever since she found out I’m hanging out with the one she warned me about..." Sasha said. She gave me a long, pointed look.
Well, I knew it was me. I didn’t need a map to figure that one out. Her sister saw us at the mall on Saturday and looked like she wanted to set the food court on fire. But it’s not my fault Sasha wants to hang around me and Malo... she forced herself into our group. She just showed up and stayed, like a stray cat that decided we were the ones who had the good food.
And the fact that me, her, and Peamah are connected is still a mystery that keeps me up at night. After what happened at the hotel, I realized that if someone hurts me, they get the same pain, twice as much. It’s like a mirror that hits back harder. I didn’t notice it clearly with Peamah, because now he’s in juvenile detention, serving time for his crimes. He got three years for three murders, but it was increased after he violently killed two inmates during the last full moon.
He kept saying he had no control, that the wolf took over, but he was isolated in a silver-lined cell. No one knows when he’ll be released. Deep down I do feel like I have something to do with his behavior but don’t know how... freёweɓnovel.com
So I’ve been experimenting with Sasha. Every little scratch or bruise I get, I watch her face. But how the fuck are we connected?
"Remember, today we’re all going to the Petrova Library. We need to find information about our connection. And Malo, you’re coming too, right?" I said. I needed them focused.
"Of course. Anything for the group... even if we still don’t like the purple hair," he said. His eyes were still glued to his textbook, his voice flat.
I don’t know about we, but he definitely still doesn’t like Sasha. It’s like he sees her as his rival for the spot of the useful friend or something. He glares at her when she’s not looking, and she just ignores him like he’s background noise.
While we were still discussing our plans after school, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out, expecting a notification about some homework assignment. Instead, I saw a text from Princess.
I am in Class 8A. You wanna use the remaining 7 minutes before break’s over?
The moment I read the text I smiled. The frustration from a second ago just evaporated.
"Okay guys, I guess we’re done here. See you after school hours..." I said. I stood up so fast.
"Are you not going to finish your food?" Sasha asked. She looked at my tray, which was still mostly full.
"I’m full. You can eat it if you want."
"You said you were starving, that you could eat an entire zoo..." Sasha reminded me. She raised an eyebrow, her thumb pausing on her screen. freewёbnoνel.com
"You also said you were craving club sandwiches... the ones the lunch lady gave you..." Malo added. He looked up from his book, finally giving me his full attention.
"Well, my cravings have changed. I need to leave. Bye," I said quickly. I didn’t wait for them to say anything else. I was already halfway across the cafeteria before they could even protest. My heart was racing, and it had nothing to do with the stairs. I had seven minutes, and I wasn’t going to waste a single second.
