DAKOTA LAHOTE - e.c

6. the fight

paul lahote

red. that's all i see when i walk away from dakota, leaving her. that's something i'm working on right now, along with my anger issues. that'll have to wait.

i don't know what the fuck happened with my sister, but all i heard was him threatening her, all the way from the cafeteria. that's never happened before. i'll have to ask sam about it when i'm done with kai.

i reach the hallway with all the science rooms where i find kai leaning on the lockers with his arms crossed.

"who the fuck do you think you are, hote'er?!" i yell, reaching him and pushing him against the lockers, holding him against it.

"hey, get off me lahote!" he shouts back. "i didn't do shit to her!"

"that's bull! i know you did something, admit it hote'er!"

he smirks. "yeah, okay fine, you wanna know what i did? i whispered in her ear what a complete moron her brother is. how he's not getting anywhere in life, gonna be a high school dropout. probably gonna knock up a ton of girls, if he's cool like he was before he got in a gang."

i felt my face get even more hotter. my eye twitched. i tightened my grip on his shirt. he kept going like everything was fine.

"i told her what a fun guy he used to be, partying every weekend, hooking up with the hottest girls at the hottest parties. drinking more than he could handle. until you joined uley's gang, became an uptight prick just like him. he's a lowlife nobody and you're gonna turn out just like hi-"

my body took over. my fists connected to his face, beating him over and over again. the bell rang, but my ears were blocking all sounds, like the crack of his nose breaking.

he managed to punch the middle of my face, but i felt no pain, not even in my hands. all i felt was rage pumping through my body.

i hated kai. i hated him with every inch of my body for what he did to dakota.

his eyes rolled to the back of his head. his grip on my arms loosened and he fell once i gave him a last good punch. i kicked his chest, hearing another crack.

i wanted to kill him.

i felt my body twitch. oh no.

i was transforming.

someone grabbed my arm. i spaced out for a second, looking around at the crowd that suddenly showed up. jared dragged me out of the hallway, hurrying for an exit before i show the entire school that i'm a shapeshifter.

jared opened the back doors on the end of the hallway and threw me out there, yelling at me. his voice was muffled and i couldn't understand him at all. my entire body twitched, making me run into the woods near the school as fast as i could.

***

dakota couldn't take her eyes off the ambulance as it drove away, taking kai's unconscious body with it. she was still in the hallway, looking out the window along with other nosy students.

there were three police officers in the hallway, talking to other students, asking for their perspective. the principle was there, along with many teachers with worried looks on their faces.

as the ambulance turned the corner and disappeared out of her view, a hand gently touched her arm. she jerked away from it, expecting a teacher forcing her to get to class or something. but it was embry.

he looked at her like she just witnessed her dog die. "hey, what happened? are you okay?"

she looked around at the blood on the floor and back to embry. she opened her mouth, but noticed the other students next to her, probably waiting for her to say something.

embry saw this and grabbed her hand, gently taking her a few feet away from the crowd. she paused. normally she would appreciate this gesture, but with everything going on, her mind has been blank.

embry waited for her to say something. he was a patient guy when it was needed, and dakota appreciated that.

"paul... got in a fight. a really bad one." she looked ashamed. "because of me."

embry analyzes her face, puzzled on what to do. he's never seen her so distraught. he's never even seen her upset. she's always been super mysterious to him, even though they were so close.

she looks around the hallway then back at her feet, a few strands of hair falling in the process. embry tucks it behind her ear, making her look up at him.

her chest starts to hurt and her throat feels like it's closing up. she didn't care about the fact that they were in school, surrounded by the students and staff. she wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her chin on his right shoulder.

a few moments later, she felt his hands touch her back, one going up to hold the back of her head. they stayed like that for only a few seconds, for dakota pulled back and wiped her eyes, afraid she would accidentally shed a tear.

she smiled lightly at him and muttered a thanks. he nodded back. she leaned against the wall, staring into space. embry joined her, staying silent.

"alright everybody, get back to class!" the principle yells out, gesturing for everyone to move.

the crowd moves slowly, and embry looks across the hallway to his next class. "hey, will you be okay?"

she gains a sense of reality and snaps back to her regular self within a second. "i'll be fine."

he gives her a look. "are you sure?"

the principal walks over to them and points at embry. "get to class, young man."

he looks back at dakota who mouths a thank you and starts to head for the bathroom, but the principle stops her. "hey, you in my office. now!"