The sun was barely making its appearance when Zach threw on his white t-shite, dark blue button-down to go over it, and a pair of faded jeans.
First day of senior year. Exciting, right. Not.
Zach walked down to Jacob's room, knowing he would sleep in until the last possible moment. There were eight bedrooms in the house, and most nights there were only two people sleeping there. Jacob took the room farthest from Zach's, stating, 'I like to have guests over, and at times they may be a little noisy.' Zach knew he wasn't talking about playing monopoly with Will and Anthony. It was more like Jacob and the cheer squad going horizontal.
Zach knocked loudly three times on the door. Of course, he wasn't going to answer. Jacob was probably dead to the world after getting home late. He decided to go in, not knowing what or whom he might find. The room was a mess, but that was to be expected.
And Jacob's bed was empty.
A smack hit Zach on the back of the head, and he lost his footing.
"You suck," Jacob walked past Zach and fell face forward on his bed. He rolled over with a wicked grin. "How'd you know I didn't have someone in here with me or what kind of scene you could have walked into." He jumped up from the bed and grabbed a black T-shirt out of his closet.
"Are those clothes clean? You never do laundry." Zach maneuvered toward the door to let himself out after finding Jacob awake.
Jacob pulled up the front of his shirt to his nose and took a long sniff. "I think Rachel or Heather came over and did up my clothes for me the other day. So, it's clean. Don't worry, Zach, if I put in a good word for you, maybe they can wash your clothes too." He nudged Zach out into the hallway.
"I think I'll pass on those three doing my clothes for me. I don't wanna have to owe them anything in return." Zach turned towards the staircase. "Those are the last girls I would want to owe anything to," he muttered his last comment to himself.
Zach went downstairs to wait for Danny. They had this habit of riding to school together. Plus, Danny didn't have a car. Zach always told him to go ahead and take one of his. He and Jacob had three cars each, sort of the same ones to be exact. A brand new black Chevy 4x4, a 1968 yellow and black Mustang, and a silver and red Hayabusa. But Danny said he would rather be the passenger, less work on his part.
Jacob came bounding down the stairs about five minutes later and grabbed a soda out of the fridge.
"Is that what you're having for breakfast?" Zach snatched up the orange juice bottle.
"Nah, Brindle was stopping at Krispy Kreme for me."
"You really have them wrapped around your finger. You say get, and they deliver." Zach checked his cell to see if Danny had texted back yet.
"Actually, they ask if they can do anything for me, and I give them suggestions. Not my fault I am who I am. They give, so I take," Jacob was nonchalant with his words.
Zach didn't know how to respond. The doorbell ringing saved him.
"I'll get it." Jacob jogged out of the kitchen.
Zach heard Jacob open the door, then automatically close it. He walked back into the kitchen and sat down at the bar. About three seconds later, the front door opened and shut again. Zach turned around from looking out the window and saw Danny coming through the doorway.
"Your brother's a dick," Danny glared at Jacob.
"You've been coming here for years. Why does he have to always to knock?" Jacob looked to Zach for an answer.
Zach shrugged. He always told Danny to just c'mon in whenever he got to their house.
"Fuck you." Danny took an apple from the fruit bowl and took a big bite.
Jacob decided to play along with Danny's sexual innuendo. He slowly licked his lips as he looked at Danny from head to toe. "It might be a long shot, but I think we could probably make it work. Do you have time after football practice today?"
Danny rolled his eyes and threw the core of the apple at Jacob. "You're an ass. I'm starting to question your sexuality the way you're looking at me."
Jacob leaped off the stool and started to hump Danny's leg. "Oh yeah, I'm so hot for you. Oh please, Danny, make me yours."
"You're sick." All three boys were laughing as Danny pushed Jacob away.
"I'm taking my bike. Later." Jacob grabbed his keys off the key rack and left out the front door.
"I guess we'll take the Mustang today," Zach nodded for Danny to follow the same way Jacob had just exited.
***
Emily woke up and looked at the clock. It was almost seven. She threw her blanket off and silently cursed at her auntie for letting her sleep in late.
This isn't good. I have to get ready for my first day at West Lakes, and now I'm rushed.
She grabbed the new outfit they'd bought last night at the mall and ran to the shower. She had thirty minutes to get showered and ready. High school at West Lakes didn't start until nine, and they got out at three in the afternoon. Which kind of worked out since those were the hours Aunt Maureen usually worked. She would be able to drop off and pick up, which meant no bus riding.
YAY.
With her stomach flip-flopping around, Emily tried the deep breathing techniques she learned at some yoga place she had gone to once or twice with her aunt But, after about two minutes, she gave up.
I know it's just nerves, and I should be used to the new school feeling, especially after having to do this twice a year because Auntie's work is constantly changing. But every time the first day rolls around, I still have butterflies in the belly.
She put on the clothes that were picked out the night before, blow-dried her hair, and then styled it. She never knew what to do with her hair or the latest style at a new school, so she let it go naturally into its waves. Makeup was easy. A tad of mascara made her brown eyes a little darker, some lip gloss to have some shine, and that was about it on getting ready. After looking in the mirror for the hundredth time, she went downstairs to find Aunt Maureen in the kitchen.
"Oh, let me get you something to eat before we head out to the school," Auntie took down the cereal box.
As much as Emily loved cinnamon toast crunch, if she were to eat right now, she'd probably puke everywhere. "Nah. I'm still full from our dinner yesterday." They'd gone to an extensive buffet after the mall trip, and Emily was surprised she could still fit into her clothes after how much she had eaten.
Auntie put the cereal box away and gushed over Em's appearance. "Oh my gosh! Those new clothes look wonderful, Em."
Aunt Maureen has a great sense of style when it came to clothes. No, let's change that; she has a superb sense of style when it came to everything. I, on the other hand, couldn't match something to save my life.
Thanks to her aunt's taste in clothing, Emily was dressed in an outfit that she didn't feel too self-conscious. It was basic skinny jeans and a tight cream-colored shirt with a bit of lace at the neckline.
"That color makes your eyes and hair appear so much darker. So mysterious," Auntie told Emily as she fixed the tiny bow on the front of the shirt.
"Well, I guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be." Emily finished putting on her outfit's matching sandals.
Aunt Maureen sighed. "I know you think this will be difficult, but West Lakes is an excellent school. We have you already signed up for almost all the honors courses they have to offer."
"Yeah, but sometimes starting over is difficult" Emily picked her backpack and headed toward the front door.
"I'm really sorry, Em. Work has me moving around so much. I do this to make things better for us and to keep you safe," Aunt Maureen mumbled the last part, so Emily wasn't sure if she heard her right or what her aunt could have actually meant.
Zach and Danny entered the student parking lot after eight. They still had time to meet up with everyone and get their schedules. Zach always tried to avoid the crowds. He hated when everyone stared wherever they went. It was like take a picture; it'll last a lot longer. Come to think of it; some girls had done that already when he and Jacob were together.Walking up from the parking lot, they ran into a few kids they had in some of their classes last year."Hey, Zach and Dan, what's up?" It was a kid they had in their honors English the previous year."Not much," Danny replied as they walked by. Such a man of many words.*Opening the front doors is like opening a jail cell. You know you're gonna be here a long time. *Zach opened the front doors of the school for him and Danny to go in. He glanced around and saw Alex and Madison hanging out, talking to several guys but probably waiting for the two of them. The girls looked pretty good today, not t
*Deep breath in, deep breath out.*Emily kept telling herself this as they got closer to the school. She didn't know why she was so nervous. She'd done this so many times before that she should be used to it.Aunt Maureen turned off the highway road, went through some gates, and back a paved entranceway. Off to Emily’s right was a parking lot, maybe the student parking lot.*Well no, duh, Em, that's what the sign said.*Her aunt pulled up to the front of the building and parked in the visitor spot. The school was red brick and had massive windows in the front looking into the cafeteria. Emily saw several students walking along the sidewalk and going in the front doors. There was already a group of kids congregating inside the front room.*Great, now I have to walk past a whole bunch of kids. Why couldn't things be easy? *"Well, here you are." Aunt Maureen turned off the car."Um, you don't have
Zach opened the door to Ms. Fredley's office and noticed a girl the secretary was helping. She had long brown hair that hung down her back in waves. A nice body from what he could tell from the back. She looked to be a little bit taller than five feet, with a slender build. He noted the girl was looking over the papers Ms. Fredley had given her.*C'mon, turn around so I can see your face. *Ms. Fredley glanced up after Zach got done checking out the new girl, and he cleared his throat to alert her someone had come in. "Zachary, how are you? I just had the privilege of having your brother in here a few moments ago." She grimaced about having to deal with Jacob so early on in the day. "So, what can I do for you?"The call of his name again pulled Zach out of thought. "Um, Paige said she didn't have my schedule and to check with you." He kept his focus on the girl ahead of him.The girl turned at the sound of his voice and smiled.*'Ours'
That was weird. What the heck was that guy, Zach's, problem? Didn't he ever hear of common courtesy? Someone smiles at you, and you smile back.Emily took one step at a time, looking over her schedule and trying not to bump into anyone running up or down the stairwell. Her thoughts filtered back to the guy, she'd seen in the registration office.There was something about him. Like I'd seen him before. Like there was some type of connection. Maybe he resembles someone from my last school? "Oh, sorry." Emily reached out and touched the arm of the girl she almost accidentally smacked into on the second landing. The girl gave a brief nod, then continued walking.Nah, someone like Zach, I would definitely remember. But, what was it about him that made my whole body tingle. OMG, Em, you're thinking way too much into this. He was just a boy, and now he's gone.Emily opened up the door leading to
Emily followed Zach as weaved his way through the science center. She could see into the classrooms as each door was a glassed entryway, most were filled with students which made her stomach spin even more. Instead of focusing on the attention she would get arriving at her first class as the new student, Em concentrated on the guy walking two steps ahead of her.What did I do to this guy that would make him act this way? We don't even know each other.He is either stuck-up, shy, or not freakin' interested in talking to me.Good thing he's taking me to this class because the science department is a maze of classrooms, labs, and teacher's offices.At the end of one of the halls, Zach stopped and opened the door for her to enter.Emily noted the classroom was quiet when they entered. Everyone turned to watch them, well, mainly her. There were only about fifteen other kids, but it felt like hundreds when all
Why didn't I find a place she could sit beside me?What the hell is wrong with me?Why am I running from my 'supposed' mate?I didn't hear one word Mr. Warner has said since I walked in here. Doesn't every teacher use the same freakin' spill on the first day? Welcome to blah...blah...blah, this year we are going to learn about blah...blah...blah.Zach was trying not to look back at Emily or Paige.There's just something about her.'She's our mate,' his wolf said once again.'Yeah. Yeah. I get it. You said this before.Zach was once again having an internal conflict with his other-self. If he didn't know he was a shifter, he would begin to suspect he was going insane with having a wolf talking inside of him. He knew he had to speak with his older brother Adam or his father if he returned soon. There hadn't been any other girl who had made him feel and
Danny, Alex, Madison, and Zach were all in PE class together right before lunch. It was always an experience when they were all together. Today they played a quick game of B-ball. Zach and Dan liked to show off their skills in sports. It was the wolf in them that wanted the competition.The girls tried to keep up, but the guys knew they wouldn't be able to. Madison bitched, and Alex kept looking at Danny as if she was in awe of everything he did. After they changed their clothes from PE, they met back in the gym to head down to lunch."Hey, where did Alex go?" Zach noticed her abrupt disappearance.Madison smirked like she knew something was going on. "Oh, I think she had to head back to our locker for something." Zach started to walk away, but Madison tugged on his arm. "C'mon, let's get a table before they are all taken."Like they had to worry. They'd sat in the same spot for the past three years. Nothing ever changed here, well, until this year. The t
Zach dropped Danny off at his house, which was like five minutes from his own. Now he had the task of pulling up their never-ending driveway. His father wanted a piece of property that was way off the beaten path. So, he bought a house with a mile-long driveway that weaved in and out through the trees. The house sat on one hundred and fifty acres of woodland. So yep, you could say they were pretty secluded from the world.As Zach got to the driveway's end portion, he noticed Adam showed up on time. He wasn't outside, so he must have already let himself into the house. The front door was unlocked, so he must have gone through this way instead of the garage. Although technically Adam still lived at home, he didn't sleep or hang out there much. He was usually with the rest of their pack, the ones around his age. But he had full access to the house whenever he wanted."Anybody here?" Zach yelled into the empty hallway when he walked in. There was no answer, so the next bes