Ayden spent the whole next week reserved from everyone else. He turned his Crucible and Holocaust essays in late, and barely talked to his friends at the lunch table, either. I felt for him so much, my heart hurts just thinking about what I've done to him. I wish I could tell him everything, but that would not only get me in so much trouble with my pack, it would put him in danger. I can't do that to him. Can I? No, I quickly decide. I won't be the one to hurt him.
"Hey," Ayden says when he spots me in the hallway on Wednesday.
"Hey," I say. I try to give him a smile but he isn't even looking at me, so he doesn't return it.
"So, I got a seventy on both my essays."
"Oh, ok."
"Yeah, but I don't care. I have other things on my mind anyway."
"Yeah, sorry about... you know."
"Again, don't be. I'm sort of begining to get over it too."
"That's good."
"Yeah." he says. "Let's walk to class together."
And so, hand in hand, we walk to third period Health. People whispered along the way, and at first I wasn't sure why, but then I figured it's because we are so openly holding hands.
"I guess he's doing ok now," some girl whispers.
"Does it have to be with her though?" another asks.
"Don't listen to them," Ayden whispers to me. "They're just jealous."
"That they don't have you?" I ask.
"No, that they aren't you."
"Isn't that the same thing?"
"Not really."
I smile all the way up the stairs to class.
Health was a pretty easy class. We have been going over what alcohol can do to the body, and how it's not good for us, blah blah blah. I am happy to find that all my teachers don't care where we sit, as long as we don't cause distractions or give attitude or anything, so I get to sit by Ayden in the classes we have together.
"Hey there."
I turn to my left and see a girl take the seat on my other side. Usually no one sits there.
"Do you mind if I sit here?" she asks.
"Not at all." I reply.
"Ok, cool. I'm Rebecca, Rebecca Splinter. I know, weird last name but don't judge. You don't get to pick it, you know. I also don't mind just being called Becca either."
"It's actually pretty cool. My last name is Diamond."
"What guy passes along that last name?"
"Well, you don't get to pick it, you know?"
"Point taken."
I quickly introduce Ayden, and Becca says how sorry she is about his loss. When I look at Ayden I see he just shies away, and Mrs. Chenny starts class.
"Now, students, today we will be watching the last part in the film about alcohol, then Friday, when you come back, we will take a quiz over what you've learned. Starting Tuesday we will go over drugs."
Everyone just kind of groans and lays back in their chair, and the lights go out as she turns on the projector. Phones come out, but being Mrs. Chenny, she doen't really care.
I look over at Ayden, and see he's not even watching the film. He looks like he's thinking really hard about something. Maybe he's wondering if he's still passing his History and English classes after getting a seventy on those take home quiz grade essays. I figure a good chearing up is the least I owe him, given what I've done. I take his hand in mine and he looks over at me.
"Do you want to walk me home today?", I ask.
His cute face lights up imediately.
"Sure. That would be great," he says, squeezing my hand gently.
What are you doing? I can't believe you just asked that! He can't know where we live, we will be asking for a beating!
Oh please, Kai may be strict but he wouldn't dare lay a hand on me. Besides, they don't have to know.
They will if they read our thougths the next time we wolf out. I will personally tell him.
No you won't, because if you do they will figure out about Pete, and then we have to explain everything to the whole pack.
Uh, I hate it when your right. Fine, but do you have to take him all the way?
No, I'll take him through the woods, to the back of the house and that will be it.
What's he going to think about not coming in, considering we've been in his house twice?
Don't worry about it. I'll just tell him I have a lot of chores to do, but thatnks for the walk home.
Then you will kiss and leave, right?
Maybe, so what?
I can't believe you are cheating on our mate like that.
Ayden and I never even made ourselves official, and my mate doesn't have to know. Besides, I never started anything with him either.
Uh.
Then the bell rang and we moved on to fourth period Spanish.
