Her Four Shifter Mates : Betrayed

Chapter 3

On the way to class, I distance myself emotionally from Principal Sloan the way I've distanced myself from everyone else. I can't trust anyone, not her, not my parents, not even my old friends. Principal Sloan may act all innocent and caring now, but she's just like the rest of them, ready to turn on me at a moment's notice. I know how quickly 'Holly, honey, we love you and we just want to help,' can transform into "Holly Maureen Mathews, if you don't tell us the truth this minute, you're going to regret it, you hear me?"

"Here we are," Principal Sloan announces. She knocks on the classroom door and ushers me inside.

"After that, the—" a short, chubby man with round, metal glasses stops lecturing mid-sentence. He looks up from the white board, and surprise registers on his face when he sees Principal Sloan. I guess not all the new kids have get the honor of being escorted to the office by the principal. Lucky me.

"Holly, this is Mr. Davies, your home room and history teacher. Class, this is Holly Mathews. She's new here, and I expect you all to make her feel welcome."

I definitely don't feel welcome. I know everyone's staring—silently laughing and judging me—assuming their jaws haven't dropped to the floor. I don't dare look up, but I wish they knew this wasn't my choice. That I wouldn't be caught dead in Mom's ugly, too-tight clothes if I owned anything else.

"Holly, you can take a seat," Principal Sloan orders in a no-nonsense tone. "Mr. Davies, can I see you in the hall for a moment?"

Knowing I have no choice, I look up in search of an empty desk. There's only one, smack dab in the middle of the room, next to a boy with beautiful blue eyes. He looks up at me, and I suddenly feel like I've known him for my whole life. Like he knows all my deepest, darkest secrets and we haven't even met. It should terrify me, but his gaze makes me feel all warm and cozy, like I'm being wrapped in a big, fluffy blanket.

My breath lodges in my throat and I watch him watch me. I get lost in his eyes until they leave mine and rove down my horrendous outfit, before landing on my black heels. Then, he breaks into a huge grin. His eyes twinkle, silently making fun of me, and it's like I've suddenly been doused by a bucket of ice water. It soaks through the warm blanket around me and a painful lump rises up in my throat.

I let my hair fall forward in a protective curtain as tears spring to my eyes. I don't understand why this is happening to me. Why am I reacting like this? Why am I freaking out over some boy, and not just now, but in the office, with Miles, too. No crush has ever felt like this, like a boy I just met holds my happiness on his sleeve. Maybe I'm in some sort of boy withdrawal, since I haven't spoken to anyone except my parents for the last three weeks? Or maybe my parents finally managed to break something in me—not just my heart, but my sanity—and it's somehow warped my brain so I'm reacting like this.

I rush to my desk in a panic, my heels echoing through the silent classroom with every step. Behind me, the door clicks shut, and I hear the muffled voice of Principal Sloan. I hold my breath, waiting to see if I can make out her words. What if the entire class hears her telling my new teacher that I need to be watched at all times? If she mentions how Mom wants someone to escort me to the bathroom and follow me into the stall, I'll never be able to show my face here again.

I feel like I might throw up. I long for some water, but that would only lead to a bathroom trip, and I can't risk that. Swallowing hard, I off my backpack and take my seat, my chair scraping loudly against the linoleum floor. The noise slices through the silence around me, breaking some sort of spell. There's some shuffling. Someone coughs. Then some guy at the back calls out "he's in trou-ble," and people start laughing, talking, and essentially forgetting that the principal is just outside.