Innocence~Seth Clearwater

Chapter 8

Jaiden had successfully managed to avoid the wolves for the past week. She had spent the time hanging out with her old friends. Right now she and her old friend Jack stood on the side of the school away from the crowd of people waiting for the day to start. He had her back pressed against the brick wall, while his lips pressed against hers roughly and uncomfortably. Jaiden had been miserable since the incident last week and Jack's bad kissing managed to take her mind off it.

"Jaiden?" Seth's soft voice called causing her to break away from Jack's lips. She held eye contact with Seth for a minute but didn't say anything as she shoved Jack off her and grabbed her bag before walking away. Jack quickly trailed after like a lost puppy and as she rounded the corner she noticed Jacob, Paul, Embry, and Quil. They looked from her to Jack to Seth, the latter who was shaking so much she thought she might turn right then. She rolled her eyes before shoving through the group of boys. 

"What was that about?" Jack asked her while leaning next to her locker. She squinted her eyes at him, they had never talked about their personal lives before.

"None of your business," She snapped while shutting her locked.

"I know we normally don't talk about stuff like that, but since your my girlfriend now," He trailed off while she stared at him with a blank expression.

"Since when was I your girlfriend?" She asked while he opened and closed his mouth like a fish.

"Well, we kissed," He said as if that had explained it.

"So?" Jaiden asked. He was acting like they hadn't made out before Jaiden was unsure why this time meant something different for him. 

"Never mind," He said before turning around and walking away muttering about something Jaiden couldn't hear. He hadn't even been a few feet away from her when Seth pounced across the hallway punching Jack in the face. Blood dripped from Jack's nose and mouth while Embry and Quil attempted to hold Seth back and inevitably failed. Jacob and Paul were hurrying down the hall but they weren't fast enough.

"Never say that about her again," Seth shouted into Jack's face. Seth grabbed Jack's collar and started to pull him up and as Jack struggled to regain his balance Seth punched him again knocking the boy out cold. If it hadn't been for Jacob, Paul, Quil, Embry, and Jared (who had just appeared) Seth would have continued to punch the unconscious boy.

"Someone call an ambulance," the English teacher instructed before pointing at Seth and Jaiden. "You two principles office now," She added while kneeling next to Jack and checking his neck to find a pulse. She seemed relieved that she managed to find one. Seth ripped himself out of his friend's arm as he walked towards the principles office, Jaiden following behind. She noticed the boy was still shaking and she could see steam starting to pour off his body. She quickly grabbed his arm and pulled him into the empty cafeteria and making him sit down.

"You need to calm down before you do something you're really going to regret," Jaiden said as he glared at her. 

"Well maybe I wouldn't be so angry if you weren't acting like a child," Seth retorted.

"I'm the child, take a look in the mirror Seth. You're mad that I kissed someone else but you and I are just friends," Jaiden regretted the words as soon as she spoke them. Seth's anger and the shaking in his body immediately stopped as he felt his heartbreak as the words left her lips. He didn't know why it hurt him so much. He had always known that she had never felt this way about him but hearing it said out loud crushed any remaining hope that he had left. 

"Let's just go to the principles office," Seth said standing up and walking away from her, he could see the regret on her face but she still said it. After all his father had always told him, 'Listen to an angry man's words, the truth lives in them'. Part of Seth tried to deny that it applied here because Jaiden was a girl, not a man. But he knew he had to face the truth, he and Jaiden would always be friends and it sucked.

Jaiden's head was swarming with regret, she had never had many regrets but the guilt of saying that put weight on her chest she knew would never go away. She couldn't help but repeat the words in her head feeling more and more guilty. She knew she could never take the words back, and they were true. She and Seth were just friends she wasn't even sure if she was romantically interested in him. But she had never planned on saying it to his face, especially not during a fight.

"What'd you do this time?" Principle Dyer asked as Jaiden sat in the seat in front of his desk. She knew she couldn't take back the words she said but she could lessen Seth's punishment.

"I started a fight," She said, she held eye contact with the principal. She ignored the feeling of Seth's eyes burning a hole into the side of her head.

"What was it this time?" He asked while holding his face in his hands.

"Well me and Jack, you know him right?" Jaiden started her lie before checking to make sure the principal knew who she was talking about.

"Yes, Jaiden I know him," The principal spoke quietly while regretting his choice to become a principal.

"Well see, we were talking and he tried calling me his girlfriend. I don't do relationships you know that, well so I punched him in the face. A clear sign I wasn't interested ya know," Jaiden continued telling her lie. She spoke so carelessly that even Seth thought it was true for a moment.

"How many times have I told you to stop fighting, use your words," The principal spoke running a hand over his face before glancing at Seth. "What does he have to do with this?" 

"He defended me," Jaiden spoke before Seth had a chance to speak. The principal nodded before writing on two slips of paper.

"Jaiden you're suspended for 10 days for fighting, Seth I know this is your first time getting in trouble but as noble as your intentions were I still have to punish you. 3-day suspension," He said before handing them their slips. He shooed them out of his office before laying face down on his desk.