Within Their World

Cody's First Fight

That's Ben. Not Cody.

Cody's POV

      "Mom, I don't want to go to school, today, I'm sick." I tell my mother as she fixes my chocolate curls while humming.

      "You're not sick, Cody." She says with a sigh very obviously trying to hide a smile. "We've checked your temperature three times already. You have to go to school." She tells me and I pout in defeat. I love school and learning all the cool facts about everything but there's always some meanie there that makes me want to stay home with my sister.

Kara would never make fun of me for being small or being shy, she only makes me giggle and shares her food with me. The food part is probably why she's my favorite person in the world.

'Hey, I thought I was your favorite.' Comes a voice from inside me and I jump. I keep forgetting that I got my wolf just like everyone else, and hearing Jessie's voice randomly always scared me half to death.

'Technically, you're a wolf so Kara is my favorite human.' I tell him slowly, still trying to get used to the mental connection that I feel with something inside me. Jessie seems a lot cooler and better than me and I'm sure if he was his own person, he would be popular, even with the humans.

"Come on, Cody! Come get in the car!" I hear my mom yell from the frown door and I startle once more because I could have sworn she was just behind me fixing my hair. Leaning down to grab my backpack, I scramble to hurry and get out the door and into the car, calling a quick "Bye!" to my dad.

I struggle to get the back door open, so my sister on the other side leans over to push while I pull, allowing me to get in the car, though my breath is heavy from the effort. Once I'm in, mom smiles at me in the mirror making sure I put on my seatbelt before she throws the car in drive and we're on our way. I'm biting my lips nervously as I look at the window until I feel a little tap on my leg making me turn to see my sister frowning at me in worry.

      "What's wrong?" She whispers to me and I frown in confusion, tilting my head at the question. She understands and shuffles a bit closer to me to talk in my ear. "Whats the real reason you don't want to go to school?" She asks me and I immediately stiffen.

     As much as Kara is sweet and caring she also very protective and if I tell her about Ben she's gonna try and beat him up. "I just wanna be home." I answer but I can tell she still doesn't trust me. She doesn't try to ask me again though because soon we're pulling up to her middle school. She reluctantly unbuckles her seat belt and hugs me tightly and says bye to mom before hopping out the car.

     I watch as a bunch of people start coming up to her to say hey and give her hugs and I feel jealously in my chest because of it. I don't have any friends because I'm too shy and quiet and I don't like it. I quietly pout in the backseat, looking out the window at the familiar scene that plays out before me.

     "Cody, you okay, sweetheart?" I hear mom ask, and I turn my head to look at her in the mirror like she taught me. I think about telling a fib, but decide not to because like this morning, mom always knows.

    "Mom, why am I so small?" I ask her, a tiny frown coming to my face as I question her.

    "Small? You're the biggest fifth grader I know!" She tells me and I sigh, knowing what she's trying to do, but it's not really helping at the moment.

     "I'm the only fifth grader you know." I grumble and I know she heard me but she doesn't say anything. She stops at the stop light and turns in her seat a little bit to stare at me for a second before she turns back around and her hands grip the wheel tightly.