Take A Bow (Teen Wolf)

03. First Contact

The story had spread like wildfire. Phones were going off, people were laughing in abundance at the story and Shiloh's name was readily mentioned. But as far as I could tell no one knew I had any involvement. There was no whispering when I passed and there was a sense of normalcy as I pushed through the crowd towards my English class.

We had an in class write and I pushed aside this mornings events as I focused on finding quotes in The Illiad and not completely blowing another assignment over Scott McCall.

The hour and essay flew by. I barely had time to check to make sure I'd written anything coherent before piling it on the teacher's desk and slinking out with a sigh of relief. Despite my suspicions, the invisibility remained as I pushed my way upstream towards the science wing. I slumped into my usual seat, pulling out my notebook and pen as I waited for the teacher to stamp off on the daily work. Boy was I in for a surprise once that bell rang.

"Alright. Settle down." She began as people gradually planted their rears and looked in her general vicinity. "Today marks the first day of your quarter long research project. This is a multi-stage process. It includes presentations, posters, and two in-depth papers. It will count for thirty percent of your grade, so I would suggest against royally screwing anything up." She nodded and proceeded to hand out an impossibly thick packet of requirements and score sheets that made my stomach knot.

The stapled packet landed on my desk with a sickening thud before she added, "Oh, and I will be choosing your partners. No exceptions. No trades. So, you better hold one another accountable or both of your grades will reflect your efforts."

I'm not one to get upset at teachers, but this one policy, where if one of you refuses to work you both suffer, that gets under my skin. With good reason, being that I am generally a dutiful person and others take advantage of my innocent exterior and high work ethic. I ground my teeth as I mentally made a list of those in the class who I knew held their own, and those who would drop kick me off the deep end. I glower at the typed pages in front of me as she returned to her desk and began listing off pairs.

"Parker and Mitch. Nyssa and Kira. Archie and Sylvie." The names continued and my odds worsened as I subtly cast my dreading glance at the meager offerings. I watched her finger casually point in my direction, as I watched her mouth form the words I'd been fearing. "Blake, you'll be with Scott."

I was torn, between gawking at the teacher and screeching 'Crazy Lady Say What?', and gazing numbly at the paper in front of me and pretending like I hadn't heard. I, being the weak individual that I am, went for the latter.

The teacher called off the final pair and people began moving around to sit next to their new partners. I didn't move an inch as the class mute vacated her seat beside me. Several heartbeats later, a shadow loomed overhead and it took much will power not to look up towards it. He folded into his seat, rifling out a worn pencil and the packet.

"Hey." He finally said, and I snuck a sideways glance and found him giving a slight smile. Damn, did this boy ever not have a hot day? I gave a soft nod in response, not trusting myself to speak without becoming a stuttering fool again. God Blake, you are truly pathetic, I chided myself as my cheeks flamed and I studied the packet intently once more.

"So, from what I understand, our first presentation and paper have to be on a general topic, and our second will be on a more in depth look within that genre?" He began, and I tucked a stray hair behind my ear before bucking up.

"Sounds about right. We could brainstorm tonight, but it would be best if we had one nailed down by this weekend." Aha! I was able to speak to him without sounding like a complete lunatic. Score one, Team Blake.

"That works for me. What do you say to hitting the books in the library after class today?" He suggested and I once again nodded, forcing myself not to jump ahead.

At this point, the teacher seemed convinced plans had been made and she passed out a worksheet for us to fill out in the mean time. I stared at it like my life depended on it, trying not to notice how he stared sheepishly at the formulas. Uh oh. What was the proper protocol for this? Did I move my arm so he could see what I was doing? Did I ignore it? Did I bring it up and risk agitating him?

I cleared my throat and barely murmured in an octave his werewolf hearing could detect. "You forgot to do your exponent before you divided." My gaze remained trained on my paper as I hastily scribbled the next answer, waiting for a huff of irritation.

"Oh, right. Sorry, got a lot on my mind." He replied, seemingly good natured as he gave another grin that made my heart gallop.

As class wound down, there was a minute before the bell rang and as usual people began packing up early. I nearly jumped out of my skin when he held out one large hand near my vicinity.

He raised a brow at my nervousness before asking, "Can I see your phone? Unless you don't need my number yet?"

"Oh! Right. Yeah. Here." I reached into my bag, pulling it out, but my hands were all but trembling as it slipped through my fingers. Reflexively my opposite hand dashed for it, faster than advised. It shot forward, grabbing for the phone and have a thorough brush past Scott's jeans on the way. I cleared my throat, trying to move past both awkward instances as I set it on the table, watching him enter his number swiftly as the bell rang and I all but raced for the hallway.

I stood before my locker, staring at the contents without really seeing as I tried to calm my racing heart. A low chuckle stopped me in my tracks as my fingers gripped the metal frame to refrain from lashing out.

"This is truly priceless. I could hear your floundering down the hall. I'd offer to meet at the library, but you might swoon and I don't know if I could catch you." Theo taunted as he leaned against the blue locker beside mine, that eternal smirk firmly in place.

"Unless you're looking to get dropped, I'd advise you remove your slimy self from the premise and go slinking off to the Doctors." I snap, a vein throbbing in my forehead as I fought the glow threatening to overcome my eyes.

"Touchy much, Dove?" He murmured, advancing a step.

I would have vouched to my grave it was an accident, and anyone would have taken my innocent word for it. He placed his hand just inside the opening and I reacted. Metal followed by a resounding crack of bone. His eyes bulged comically, face growing redder by the second while clutching the injured digits.

"Don't. Call. Me. That." I said, deathly quiet as I calmly sealed my locker and walked away. He would heal in a few minutes, and I held no remorse after the crap he had put my through in the past.

But as the adrenaline faded, the butterflies returned tenfold as I thought to the coming afternoon and the minutes slipping by. My gaze deadpanned in Latin. I was a bundle of nerves during PE. Even my favorite course, Creative Writing, was a blur. All my energy was focused on my meeting in the library.

How the hell am I going to survive an entire quarter if one class with him puts me in this much of a tailspin? The answer was growing clear after the dismissal bell as I made my way upstairs to the library and the crowds dissipated. I wouldn't.