Rogues

Chapter XXXI

- Nathan -

- Mr. Bryce, and Mr. Brosme, could you please stay behind for a while? – Mrs. Lin asked after the bell rang, signaling the end of the period.

My head turn to Caleb, but people standing up and leaving didn't allow me to get a good view of him. Maya and Luke took longer packing their stuff, but they eventually left. I have no idea why Mrs. Lin asked us to stay behind. Our project is done, and we already submitted the last draft yesterday. If there's something wrong with it, it could reflect poorly on our grades. My nerves started to kick in, my hands got colder as I packed my stuff in my backpack. I stand up and move to the front desk next to Caleb. I bring my wrist to my nose, taking a deep breath. Caleb's scent on it calmed me a little, although the smell was starting to fade; we'll have to scent mark them again.

- Hey. – I say friendly, acting normal. Caleb turned to face me and smiled.

- Hey. – he greets back.

The only sound comes from Mrs. Lin searching through a bunch of papers on her desktop, while the rest of the room clears up. My mind drifts off, thinking about tonight's dinner. I don't know what's going to happen and, frankly, it worried me deeply. I need to talk to Caleb about it, and figure out a plan just in case.

- Okay boys, I wanted to talk about your medicinal ointment project. – she said nonchalantly, grabbing the papers and walking in front of her desk.

- Is anything wrong? – I ask feeling nervous.

- Not at all. It's actually the best report I read in a long time. – she answers impressed, handing us the report. It has an A+ mark on it, and I feel the pressure leave my body.

- Oh, that's relieving. – I say funnily letting a breath out. Mrs. Lin smiles at my remark.

- So, why are we here? – Caleb asks boldly.

- The report is very well detailed, not only did you explain all the processes and chemical reactions taking place step by step, but you also enlisted all the properties for the resulting solution. Since you handed it in a week early, I spoke with the principal about it, and he permitted us to work on it. – she says nicely, with a bright smile on her face.

- What does that mean? – I ask, confused about where she's going.

- We want you to develop the ointment here at school, using the school's resources. I'll be supervising everything and helping you guys with whatever you may need. – she explains calmly.

- Wow, that's amazing. – I exclaim happily, excited by the opportunity.

- I'm glad to hear that. What do you say Mr. Brosme? – she asked.

I turn to face him with a wide grin on my face. He looks serious like he usually does. This is an amazing opportunity, why isn't he happy? My smile fades seeing him like this. I try sensing his emotions, but his ability to hide his scent makes it impossible. I feel frustrated not being able to understand how he's feeling.

- Thank you for the proposal, but I don't think I have the time Mrs. Lin. – he says respectfully with his husky voice.

- What, why not? – I speak before the teacher could. Caleb glared at me intensely. Oh, of course, he's a Beta in Command.

- I'm sorry. It's just that with my house reparation, my job, and all the schoolwork, I don't have enough time to work on another project. – he explains.

- I understand, but we'd only be working on Thursdays from 16:00 to 18:00 and this project will exempt you from the final test. – Mrs. Lin adds gently. This just got better.