The last thing James "Jay" Hale ever imagined was to begrudgingly return to Beacon Hills, find out his older sister was murdered, and then be forced to go on a wild goose chase after an enigmatic Alpha that seemed to have a particular interest in ru...
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CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT:
Did You Just Smell Me?
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The strawberry blonde girl shrugged her shoulders and flicked her long curtain of hair as she strolled toward the school entrance, a brunette girl and blonde boy hot on her trail. The three had quickly been dubbed the "Neapolitan Trio" by passersby the first time the students of Beacon Hills noticed the frequency of them hanging out—their hair colours reminiscent of the three-tier ice cream of strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla. But no one expected them to make a reappearance together anytime soon.
Lydia Martin had only recently resurfaced from her wild escapade through Beacon Hills in nothing but her birthday suit. She wasn't exactly on the top of the school food chain anymore, which was an entirely new reality to adjust to after reigning as Queen Bee since preschool. "What the hell happened to her?" That was the question on everyone's mind.
Allison Argent was still reeling from the recent newspaper reports revealing her late aunt as the infamous arsonist who killed an entire family. Once known as the sweet new girl, people couldn't quite look at her the same now with the darkness of her family's sins overshadowing any innocent persona she once had. Whispers trailed her wherever she went, comparing her to her deranged aunt. "When will she snap?" That was the question on everyone's mind.
Then there was James Hale, recently resurfaced "bad boy" of Beacon Hills—definitely their words, not his—who was part of said innocent family killed in the fire. He somehow emerged from the gossip relatively unscathed, with people preferring to take pity on him now, moonily gazing at him as if he were a walking tragedy. Everything they said was true, but Jay would have honestly preferred it if they'd all hated him. "When will he break?" That was the question on everyone's mind.
All in all, nobody expected to see the three of them together so soon, yet there they were. On the morning of Lydia's reappearance after frolicking in the woods, the trio walked through the parking lot in a surprisingly united front.
"You really don't remember anything?" Allison asked as they slowly made their way up the stone steps leading to the school doors. She clutched her binder close to her chest like a shield, trying to ignore the shocked looks being shot at her as people began to notice them. "Nothing at all?"
Lydia simply shook her head, pursing her lips. "They call it a fugue state, which is basically a way of saying, 'We have no idea why you can't remember running through the woods naked for two days.'" Jay and Allison stopped abruptly to avoid running into her when she whirled around, blocking the entrance. "But personally, I don't care. I lost nine pounds!"
"If you really don't care, then why am I here exactly?" Jay asked moodily, kicking a pebble and watching it skip over to the door with a frown. "I have lacrosse practice in ten minutes." He reminded them, only to get an eye roll from Lydia who had to hear all about it when she picked him up in the morning.
