Alone • Liam Dunbar

Four

As I pull into the parking lot of Beacon Hills High School, the roar of my bike's engine gathers attention from fellow students lingering outside before the bell. Most of them look away after I draw near, but some continue to glare because the noise I'm causing interrupts their peaceful morning. I find a spot so I can cut my motorcycle off quickly, not wanting to have a mob of people hate me so early into the semester.

I make sure to smooth my clothes out after climbing off my bike, the fabric having been rumpled due to my ride here. Normally, I wouldn't have bothered, but Lydia gave me a long lecture last night at the clinic, urging me to "look presentable". I even made sure to wear my motocross jacket as she instructed, not wanting to be on the other side of the banshee's wrath.

I stare out at the campus grounds, ignoring the slightly irritated stares that are still directed my way, and prepare myself for what lies ahead.

High school was probably going to be the hardest mission I'd had to face yet.

When I first came to Beacon Hills, Gerard and I infiltrated the school. He claimed we needed to keep a closer eye on the teenagers in town since Derek was building his pack from them, so he became principal while I was enrolled. In truth, he only did it to get us closer to Scott and Allison, but I didn't know that at the time.

I did as he pleased, going to any class they were in despite the fact that I was technically a freshman while they were sophomores. Gerard controlled the system, so no one really had any evidence to question why I was there. Though, that did mean that after his downfall, I didn't have anyone manipulating things for me anymore. I got held back and had to repeat freshman year last semester, and would now have to endure the rest of it.

I never wanted to go to school in the first place, so all of this seemed like the furthest thing from ideal. I was going to drop out, but Scott and Stiles urged me to stick with it because I could salvage enough credits to become a sophomore next year. I didn't agree at first, but when they pointed out I didn't have much else going for me anyway, I figured why not?

That was until I stood here now, and realized I would have to sit through an entire day without anyone I knew. I wasn't as anxious as Stiles, but that did make me uneasy.

A group of guys begin to pass me, walking toward the school on the sidewalk I had parked near.

"Nice bike." One of them says to me, subtly smirking.

Lydia's words from last night came to me. Just try to talk to one person. Maybe she had a point. Maybe this entire situation wouldn't feel as suffocating if I had one person I could confide in. It had been a long time since I felt like I did. The last person was a certain archer I deemed my best friend, but since she was gone, I had no one.

I force a friendly smile, nodding to the boy. Perhaps he knew something about bikes. A common interest would surely make this ordeal tolerable.

"Thanks." I say politely.

"You can ride me too if you want." He adds grossly with a wink and his friends laugh and pat his back as they continue to pass by.

I scowl at their retreating forms, my mind wondering about the possibility of how mad Scott would be at me if I got into a fight on my first day of school.

I clench my fists to compose myself as I mentally curse Lydia's name, scowling at the group as they walk off and disappear through the doors of the school's main building. I force myself to forget about them. If I didn't, it would only end with Scott droning on and on about his morals after I beat them all to a pulp, and I couldn't deal with that today.

Debating on whether or not I decided not to be a dropout a little too quickly, I make my way into the school.

The hallways are crowded when I enter. Everyone's preparing to enter their first periods once the bell rang in a minute, so they're all clumped into groups, chatting and laughing loudly. I follow the current of students who split through the crowd to get to their own classes, keeping my steps light to move swiftly.