WEREWOLVES NO.1 || Unchained ✔️

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Rhiannon West woke up to the sun's piercing rays shining right onto her face, and she groaned loudly as she looked at the clock sitting on her nightstand.

it was 9:30.

she was three hours late to school.

her mother, Jenny, never seemed to notice, thinking that Rhi had just taken the bus to school. after all, her mom did usually leave before her, so there was no way of knowing whether she went to school or not.

there was obviously no way to get to school now, (she didn't have a car just yet) and also since she would basically be in 3rd period right now. they wouldn't even notice she was gone today, since she was one of the quietest kids in all her classes.

She got up from bed and walked over to the floor-to-ground mirror, and saw that her shoulder-length brunette hair was just a little greasy. Rhi crinkled her nose in disgust as she walked out of her chaotic room and into the bathroom, turning on the water to the shower. she closed and locked the door behind her, then stripped her clothes off and began to clean herself up. when she got out, she allowed her hair to air dry and instead pulled on an oversized sweater and some tattered jeans.

a framed photo of her and Amber hugging each other caught her eye for some reason, and she frowned at it. the picture had to have been taken at least five or so years ago, and this was back when Rhi had long and silky hair. Amber still had the same gorgeous chest-length blonde hair, but nowadays she had several highlighted streaks of neon pink in it. Rhi had to admit that that was the best era of their friendship. Amber hadn't been fully popular yet, and she didn't devote her attention to boys and drama like she does now. Rhi couldn't ever imagine being like Amber. it was just too much for her to even think about.

suddenly, for the first time since Rhi woke up, she took the liberty of looking at her phone. Amber had texted her five times, asking where she was. Rhi texted back, saying, "i'm at home, i overslept again. just tell Coach Addams and Mr. Reese that i caught another stomach bug. ty, and ttyl."

those two teachers were in the only two classes that Amber and Rhi shared; Coach Addams taught health while Mr. Reese taught biology. both were extremely boring classes but they were both nice teachers, so it kinda cancelled itself out.

Amber responded not even five minutes later saying, "oh no!! :(( im gonna miss u today bestie!"

Rhi rolled her eyes. "no you won't. you're literally friends with every single kid in school, including all the guys. you'll be fine."

"yeah right! i don't even like them that much, they're just there for moral support. and like i said, you're my bestie, and i get so lonely when you're not here."

"whatever. i'm still not going today, but i'll come by tomorrow, alright?"

"alrighty! text ya later bestie! :)"

and that was the end of their digital conversation.

Rhi sighed and set her phone down, deciding what she should do for the remainder of the day. being at home sounded a whole lot better than being at school, especially since she was supposed to be doing a group project presentation during Spanish today.

oh well.

an hour passed, and Rhi went downstairs to be away from her room for a little while. but the only thing was that she would have to get back upstairs IF her mom came back for lunch. if she came back and saw Rhi sitting at home during a full school day without any reason whatsoever, then she was as good as dead.

the kitchen was teeming with food, practically taunting Rhi, but she knew better. her mom was a major meat lover, but Rhi went vegetarian the moment she really became aware of her food choices and the way animals were slaughtered. this all happened about a year ago, but Rhi still wouldn't break under the influence of dead animal flesh.

she slammed the fridge shut, deciding to look through the pantry instead. there was a shitload of chips and other unhealthy things, but it was still better than meat. she grabbed the large party size bag of Funyuns and went back upstairs to her room, but then came back seconds later after forgetting that there was at least a small scrap of humanity in there.

tofu.

Rhi grabbed a heaping amount of tofu and a water, and went back up to her room and closed the door. it was only 10:28, and she knew her mom usually had her lunch break an hour from now, so she made sure to watch her bay window in case her mom's car pulled up.

Rhi continued to crunch on her Funyuns, staring blankly at the wall. this was super lonely, but still better than school. she ignored everyone there, and they ignored her, so it was a win-win. Rhi had all B's in her classes, and one A in art since that class was way too easy to flunk. art had to be her favorite class this year. she could connect with kids that liked to draw and express their feelings on paper, just like she did. some of them were shy and quiet like her, but still friendly enough to have a conversation with. Rhi hated leaving that class because it was her only connection to doing something she loved each day, and talking to kids that actually communicated with her.

art was her seventh and final class of the day.

Rhi checked the clock again: 10:39. it would be the end of fourth period right now, which was Spanish. she wondered if her group partners already presented, or were about to.

she decided to distract herself and pass the time by pulling out her sketchbook, popping her earbuds in, and listened to a band called Incubus. this time, the focus of her drawing would be about life. she drew a fawn with its little white spots, a growing sapling, and the sun giving life to all the trees and creatures of the land. when she was done, she was very proud of herself. detail was a key element in Rhi's drawings, and she was happy to notice that she was getting better at it the more she drew.

Rhi pulled her earbuds out and walked over to the bay window, relieved to see no car pulling up to the driveway yet. maybe her mom would go out to eat with some coworkers instead of going home for lunch? Rhi certainly hoped so.

her phone started ringing; it was Amber. of course.

"hello? Amber, aren't you in class right now?"

"no, i'm at lunch. i just got here about five minutes ago, and i felt like calling you! how's your little game of hooky going?"

"it's fine, i suppose. never better."

"that's great. hey listen, the real reason i called you was because there's this party Friday night... and i'm going but thought you wanted to go too. and BEFORE you start groaning, there will be kids just like you there!"

Rhi took that as her cue to groan. "Amber, how do you even know who's all going? and don't you dare say that there will be kids like me there to just get me to go."

Amber laughed. "oh hon, i'm not trying to trick you here. and yes, i do know who's all going because i'm me, right? okay. well anyway, i just wanted to let you know, because i really want you to come with me. it's two nights away, so you still have some time to think."

"alright fine, i'll think about it, but it doesn't mean i'll actually go."

"great! that's a good enough answer for me. ok bye!" and she hung up, leaving Rhi to ponder this interesting choice.