CLAIRE’S POV The next morning, I was awoken by Evie who stormed into my room to inform me that the bus would soon arrive. She was incensed since my Father had forced her to come up and pass along the information. I didn't let her see that I was disgusted by the fact that she's in my personal space and even though she was currently poking through my things and cussing out at them, I held my tongue. The quieter I am, the quicker she would leave me alone. And sure enough, she gave me a long annoyed look and walked out of my room, banging my door behind her hard. I got up and immediately prepared myself for school. I'd dropped out because Becky had convinced my Father that it'd be more lucrative for them to not waste their money on me when I could be more helpful at home. I hadn't understood it then but knowing father's current money problems, I knew now that it had to be the reason he eagerly agreed to Becky's manipulation. The only reason I'd pushed to resume school again was because

ALEXAKIS.I wasn't sure if what I was about to do was a smart thing but what I did know was that I was desperate. And wise decisions were never ever made on the brink of desperation. I turned to look at the man I'd met earlier, the man who'd offered me a job earlier and although I could tell that I was about to make a very bad mistake, I couldn't help but stretch out my hand towards him and watched silently as he took my outstretched palm in his, his grip firm. I thought about the way to tell him I wanted the job he offered but I couldn't since it wasn't so long since I became a human, learning how to speak like them was hard.He laughed immediately, which wasn't an expression I'd expected and I waa confused as to why that was. Before I could confront him as to his laughter, his hand came down on my shoulder and he squeezed it, using that limb to draw me close to him. His breath smelled like cigar and that fact was solidified when he drew a tobacco pipe from his pocket and lit it,

ALEXAKIS.She was here. In my home. Or what was my home, seeing as my pack had decided to move on while I was away, something that I didn't want to think too much of because it hurt too much. I stared at her, her mouth wide open like she was silently screaming. Walking closer to her, I placed my hands in front of myself, hoping she took the memo that I wasn't here to hurt her. She shifted in her position, looking sideways like she was scared of me or something. I frowned, my head tilted in contemplation. Didn't she remember who I was?From the way her hands were clenched tightly in front of her chest, I took that as a No. She didn't remember me because why else would she take a defensive stance towards someone who had saved her last week. I relaxed my posture as I came closer to her, making sure that my hands were still held out in front of her. Her eyes moved over my figure, probably trying to gauge who I was. My eyes dropped down to take in my clothes as well and to maybe see wha

CLAIRE."Brat!" Evie bumped her shoulders into mine as she stepped down from the bus, immediately joining her stupid friends. I rolled my eyes as I adjusted my sweater, coming down from the bus and heading straight to Scott, who stood a few paces away from Evie and her friends. He'd watched the scene that just unfolded and now, his eyes were slitted, gazing at me like he was trying to figure out if I was hurt and if he needed to speak with Evie. I wasn't that kind of girlfriend, so I shook my head once I was beside him, stretching on my toes to give him a kiss on his cheeks. Clearly offended by my weak show of affection, he pulled me into him before the heels of my feet touched the floor again, giving me a kiss squarely on the lips. He let me go and I stepped back awkwardly, my eyes darting around us as some students stared at us in shock. Scott and I had been dating for a month now but it was always a shock for people to see us hanging out together. With our mouths. I was blushing

CLAIRE.I spent the rest of school time in the restroom, sitting over the closed toilet seat. Evie and her cronies had left immediately as I'd gotten a fair amount of toilet water all over my self, leaving me to the nausea that immediately swamped me. I'd cried hard after that and even contemplated taking my own life because I'd never felt so unneeded. Someone knocked on the door of my stall and I flushed the toilet, letting the person know that someone was on here. The person moved along and my head went back to resting on my raised knees. My phone beeped from my pocket but I didn't check it, because I knew that it had to be Scott and I wasn't ready to act like I was alright in front of him just yet, my feelings still so raw. And bruised. I think it's been over two hours since I finally left the restroom. I saw the hockey players who'd just finished practice walk down the hallway to their locker room, leaving the hallway to be deserted. Evie would probably be home already and Becky