Chapter 40 - Archer's going to murder me.
I slowly stretch my arms over my head, the strain in my neck killing me as I rise at the sound of the bell. I glance at the tense Rhiannon beside me, lost in her own world. It's been a week since the explosion and her slip up about practically telling me someone in my family was... possibly is a wolf. She's not spoken a word to me about anything that's happened and it's driving me insane. I wince as pain slices through my head; and let's not forget my 'fluctuating abilities' are driving me mental and my head is a hundred percent worse than ever.
Life.
Massaging the pain, I swing my bag over my shoulder, eyes tracking Rhiannon as she barely offers me a second glance before moving silently towards the door, with a long-frustrated sigh I follow suit. What's her problem? One minute she's saying she can help me, the next she's blocking me out. I reach forwards about to grab her wrist but pause as a voice calls "hey baby" I jump, my hand dropping as Jay appears from our right, Luke kicking off the wall he's leant on outside our classroom. Rhiannon smiles, wrapping her arm around Jay's waist whose shoulders instantly unwinds from the tension that had been visible seconds before.
Luke slings an arm around my shoulder making me groan and roll my eyes "I'd call you baby, but I feel like you'd break my arm" my lips twitch into a smile "so, you do have some common sense in there" Jay snorts as I shrug Luke's inhumanly hot arms from my shoulders. "That burnt Scarlett, you wound me with your cruel words." My smile widens as we weave through hordes of kids on their lunch break, their loud chatter drilling straight through my painful headache. The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end and I tense my gaze falling on a throng of students lined against the lockers ahead, each and every one of them tracking our movements through the hallways, their dark gazes drilling into us as we move by them. Luke besides me tense, his fingers curling uncharacteristically into fists as his expression darkens and his eyes sharpen with a deep fire that I'd never noticed before. Even Jay pulls Rhiannon instinctively closer.
Weird. Do they sense it too?
We move passed them with surprisingly little resistance which I'm sure is due to the warning glare Luke sends their way, heat rolling off him as I lean closer inquiring "You okay?" his eyes snap to mine and his sharp, almost threatening gaze quickly glazes over to the carefree, jokester I'm so used to.
It seems I'm not the only one hiding secrets.
"Peachy, come on. I've got a surprise for you!" raising an eyebrow we move out of the schools main building and into the cool, crisp air. I relish the refreshing cold as it washes through me, cooling my heated cheeks.
"I hate surprises" I dead pan, rubbing my burning head. Weird, I don't get this hot. Warning bells sound in my head but before I can truly think on it Luke clasps my wrist "trust me, you'll love this" Jay and Rhiannon suddenly part and my eyes widen at the sight before me...
"Zeya!"
The words burst from my open mouth as the familiar mousy brown haired, brown eyed girl whose pale face and incredibly thin frame outlines the recent trauma she's suffered. Her pale face brightens automatically as she turns from Lacey who she was animatedly talking to "Scarlett!" My smile widens as I move quickly forwards, a burst of relief washing through me as she staggers slightly to her feet and thrusts her arms around me, her thick black rimmed glasses catching on my leather jacket "Goddess! Thank you, thank you, thank you! You saved my life!" I wince at her quick rush of words as she squeezes me tightly knowing if she hadn't have befriended me she wouldn't have been knocked out and poisoned. She pulls back, eyes searching mine as she holds my forearms in a tight wobbly grip "I'm serious, thank you so much" I return her wide smile with a tight lipped one "the doctors did more than me, how are you?"
