Redwood

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I woke the next morning feeling refreshed yet nervous. First day jitters were bound to occur even though I knew a few people going into the school year.

I pulled myself out of bed and walked downstairs to grab a glass of water. Pouring it, I headed back upstairs.

I dressed quickly in a black romper and nude cardigan. I applied my normal makeup, deciding to wear concealer in addition. I curled my long chocolate brown hair, spraying it with hairspray. Taking my bag, I walked downstairs to eat breakfast.

My older brother Sam sat at the kitchen island eating french toast doused in syrup. He was taking classes at the local college and chose to stay at home and save money. We both had an olive skin tone and brown eyes, however his hair was a dirty blonde giving him a surfer look.

I took food for myself and settled down at the counter, thanking my mom for breakfast. My dad sat on the other side of Sam, reading through a spreadsheet on his laptop.

I finished my breakfast and rinsed my plate in the sink before putting it in the dishwasher. Filling my tumbler with tea, I put it along with some snacks in my bag for school. I ran back upstairs and brushed my teeth before heading out to my car.

I tossed my bag in the passenger seat before starting my car and driving to the high school on the other side of town. The trip took about 45 minutes but I didn't mind as it gave me time to think. My trip passed quickly and I soon found myself sitting in the junior parking lot of the school. I pulled my schedule out of my bag and re read it. It had come in the mail a week prior and I had worked to memorize it.

1st Period (7:30 - 8:20) AP English
2nd Period (8:25 - 9:15) AP Biology
3rd Period (9:20 - 10:10) Study Hall
4th Period (10:15 - 11:05) AP Statistics
5th Period (11:10 - 12:00) Lunch
6th Period (12:05 - 12:55) Study Hall
7th Period (1:00 - 1:50) CAD
8th Period (1:55 - 2:50) Study Hall

I had lunch with both Allie and Drew, and AP Statistics with Drew. Otherwise I had no other classes with the two of them. I exited my car at 7:15 and made my way into the building in search of my AP English class.

I placed my school supplies inside my locker and walked down the crowed halls.

I found my class and sat down in the left side of the middle row. A few other students were already in the class and sat I clusters, discussing how their summers had gone. I didn't recognize anyone in the class, but shrugged it off figuring I would meet some today.

The bell rang a few minutes after the teacher entered the room signaling the start of class. I settled into my desk and pulled out a pencil.

My first two classes passed smoothly and I meet a few new people. My third period class was to start soon but I had heard that early release was an option for juniors and seniors and I decided quickly it was something I wanted to do if possible.

I walked to the office and asked the secretary about it. She said I need to go to the councilor'a office and talk with them. She pointed down the hallway and I left the office. The trip was quick and I meet my councilor. She stated that I could move CAD to third period and then make seventh period a study hall. This meant I could leave after fourth period. Agreeing quickly, I had her write me a pass and made my way to my new CAD class.

That class too passed quickly and smoothly. The teacher seemed payed back and explained the way the class would work.

We were to make a model of a house or apartment, anything really on the computer. After we would make a mini three dimensional model and finally we would find furniture for it. We would make a presentation with pictures of furniture and the model and present to the class. Our grades would be done weekly and were based on us showing progress with our ideas. We would present whenever we finished and then we were free to start again with a different design.

I had befriended the girl who sat next to me in the class. She too was anew student and I think we were both glad to have made a friend. Her name was Cassie and she stood at about 5'3" and had shoulder length black hair and cool blue eyes. She dressed similar to me in what she described as classy casual.

We chatted throughout the period and decided to grab lunch together afterwards.

All in all, I felt the day had gone well and my nerves had been calmed greatly.

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The end of the first full week of school, brought a large storm with it. Rain pounded on the windows during CAD and everyone was jittery. The class seemed to drag on, as all anyone could focus on was the weather. It wasn't anything new for the student who had lived her their whole lives, but to me and Cassie we were both slightly on edge.

Thunder boomed and lightning streaked the sky. The power flickered and the computers restarted. All unsaved changes to our designs were gone and everyone looked upset.

The teacher Mr. Raslen or Mr. R as he preferred, stopped the class and told us to just talk or work on homework for the remaining 15 minutes of class.

Cassie turned to me and we launched into conversation.

"Do you ever wonder about your mate?" Cassie asked.

"Not a lot. I know he's out there and that I'll meet him someday. I'm not really in a rush to meet him though. Why the sudden interest? Did you find your mate?" I replied.

"I didn't find him yet. But it's like I know he's close. I keep catching a little bit of his sent in the halls. I don't think I have any classes with him but I figure he must be at Redwood." She replied with nervousness in her voice.

"If he goes to school with us I'm sure you'll have to bump into him at some point. I'm sure he's probably nervous too. I mean he's been waiting for at least 14 years to meet you an all the sudden he catches a sent and he can't track it down. He's probably searching for you, wondering if he has somehow overlooked you this whole time. It's probably weighing on his mind just as much as it's been weighing on yours."

"14 years?" She responded confused.

"Think about it. He goes here right? But there is no guarantee you're the same age. He could be a freshman or he could be a senior. We don't know. Whomever he is you have to trust that you will meet at the best time for the both of you."

"I never even considered he could be younger. I just always though he'd be my age or maybe a year or two older."

"I'm not saying he is younger but you can't rule out the possibility he is." I responded.

"You say you're not in a rush to meet your mate and I get that, but are you not at all curious?" She said.

"I am curious. I wonder what kind of person he will be, weather he is nice and funny or cruel. What pack he will belong to, if he does at all. How old he is. What he does for a living. I wonder if he works for the pack, like my dad. Sometimes I even wonder if he's a gamma or a warrior or something. I wonder if he has a family and I wonder how he treats them. I wonder if he wants a family or not. I think about it from time to time, what it would be like to have a mate. To have someone who knows you better than anyone else. Someone who loves you and understands you. Someone who cares what you think and how you feel. Just because I'm not in an obsessed rush to find him, though there is nothing wrong with that, doesn't mean I don't want to meet him." I said.

It was the first time i had ever fully expressed how I felt about the situation. I could only hope he liked kids and wanted a family because it was something I'd always wanted for myself. I also hoped he didn't live too far away because I wasn't sure I could ever give up my family and spend long periods of time without them. They were the only thing I had in my life that had been a constant. I knew that there was a large possibility he was far away or that he didn't like kids and I knew that I may have to come to terms with that.

The best way to do so for me, was to push it to the back of kind and hope I was able to cross that bridge if it ever came to that. Otherwise I wouldn't worry and distract myself with things that may not even happen. It would only lead to me being unfocused and worried. There was no point in worrying about things I couldn't control. I would focus on what was happening here and now. Fate had a plan for me and I hoped it coincided with my own plan. I needed to trust that everything would go my way and that I would live a long, happy, fulfilled life.

The bell rang, ending our conversation with both of us lost in our own thoughts.