The Good Wolves

Chapter 5

Getting on the bus the next morning was easier since I knew where I was going to sit. The first thing I looked for was Dominic, who recognized me and gave a slight smile. I mirrored his facial expression and made my way to the back to sit with Mim.

"Hey," I said as I took my seat.

"Hey, Lana," she said back.

"What did you do last night?" I was desperate to have a conversation with her. I knew she couldn't actually be without a personality, and I felt determined to find out what she was like underneath the hard exterior of a misunderstood teenager.

"Homework," she answered. "You?"

"Homework." That seemed like a good point to give up.

Once we got to school, I saw Sophie in the hallway, and we walked to class together. Again, she was a lot more conversational than Mim. Sophie led me to first hour, and I saw Dominic in the back of the classroom. I hadn't noticed him the day before because I hadn't known him. He had been just another face in the crowd. I wondered if he was in any of my other classes.

The first hours of the day were, as I anticipated, boring. I was anxious to get to lunch to talk to Dominic. I had to admit, the more I thought about him, the larger my crush seemed to grow.

After fourth hour, I followed Sophie to the lunch room again. This time, I knew exactly where to find the lunch table. Dominic, Mim, Amelia, Calvin and Luke were all seated by the time Sophie and I got there. I gladly took the seat across from Dominic.

"Hey guys," Amelia said.

"Hi," I answered, still feeling a little awkward with the group.

"We were just talking about the game again," Luke filled us in. "Do you like basketball, Lana?"

"Uh, I've never been to a game or anything," I said. "I was homeschooled in Wyoming."

"Really?" Calvin said. "So you've never been to public school?"

"Not until yesterday, no," I answered. "But I had a pretty good idea of what it was like."

"So, what is there to do in Wyoming?" Sophie asked.

"Yeah, do you like hunting?" Luke asked.

My cheeks heated up, and I nearly choked on my milk. How could Luke know about hunting? I nervously placed a hand on my backpack, which concealed the gun I borrowed from Gerald.

"I hear there are a lot of deer up there," Luke continued.

"Oh," I squeaked, and cleared my throat. "N- no, I don't hunt."

The group exchanged weird glances, realizing that I had clammed up at the strangest time. Mim's face turned a shade of bright red, and I feared she was suffering from second hand embarrassment. Luke changed the conversation back to the game, and I didn't talk for the rest of lunch. Not only had I embarrassed myself in front of my crush, I had appeared suspicious in front of my potential friends. Then, an idea came to me. It was risky to my social life, but I knew I had to put my secret life as a hunter before anything else.

After lunch, I walked with Amelia, with whom I had fifth hour. "That was really embarrassing," I said.

"Oh, no it wasn't," Amelia said. "You're just getting used to us. Calvin's voice cracks all the time and we all just laugh it off."

"It's just that Luke is so cute," I lied, hoping to throw her off my secret. "I got nervous."

"You like Luke?" Amelia asked. "Oh, that's so cute. I have to get you guys together."