I Accidentally Shot a Werewolf and He Called Me Mate?

I talk to Dead People

I was in utter shock. There wasn't a single neuron registering to the other side of my brain to comprehend what Cole was asking from me. Before I could formulate a very loud and firm answer of "fuck no." The door behind me opened, bumping into my back. A plump woman wearing a plaid dress stood behind me.

"Are you two done chit-chatting, or will you be joining us." The homeroom teacher cast a cold and annoyed look at me. She glanced directly at my shoes with disgust and almost horror.

"Miss Spade, please ensure you dress appropriately for school in the future and not like you have just woken up. I am being very lenient today, but the next time, you will be in school detention." The teacher warned as she widened the door to allow me inside.

"And you, Cole, you are late for class."

"Susan gave me a pass just in case. I was helping Rachel get to class since she's a new student." Cole gave a sly smile and quickly turned to leave before the teacher could correct him.

The students fell silent as soon as the teacher and I entered the classroom. All the students hastily hid their phones almost at the same time. Julie sat in the corner and waved while Mely gave me death glares. It was baffling to find the two sitting next to each other when it was clear as day that they hated each other. And yet, everyone calls me crazy?

The only available seat I found happened to be located right in front of the teacher's desk. I held in a deep, exasperated sigh that nearly escaped my lips. A nameplate of Martha Sherman's could be easily seen on her desk, along with a picture of her fluffy white cat. The photo shows a warm and inviting individual. In the classroom, Martha Sherman appeared to be the complete opposite.

"Since this is AP Biology, we'll start class with a pop quiz."

A boy with freckles and thick glass drummed his fingers on the desk excitedly. His pencils and pen aligned perfectly as if he had been anticipating this quiz all day.

Ms. Sherman started handing out the quiz from the back of the room. A sad groan could be heard as each paper was passed down. Each student passed the quiz forward, and eventually, I received mine. An extra copy of the quiz was in my hand, and I was about to return it to the teacher.

"Does anyone have any extras?" The frantic boy turned behind, only to find a girl focused on her quiz. "Please, does anyone have a copy? I'm going to run out of time!"

"Here. Calm down." I mumbled as I tossed the paper onto his desk.

"Thanks...I-I'm Steven. What's your name?" He turned to me, his jaw nearly slightly ajar.

"Rachel. No problem." I said shortly as I quickly wrote my name on the quiz paper, already anticipating failure. The quiz was multiple-choice, but that didn't make it any easier.

As I read the first question, I knew I was done for. Then, suddenly, Steve began reading the quiz loudly. I fixed my eyes on the exam before me, but internally, I was shocked.

"Organisms that reproduce sexually exhibit zygotic, gametic, or sporadic meiosis. One way to determine the type of life cycle an organism has is by...B. comparing the diploid and haploid forms of the organism." Steve continued giving the answers, and I quickly circled each one down.

Martha must have been deaf if she hadn't already realized that Steve was giving the answers on a silver platter. Perhaps Steven was being more subtle than I thought. Either way, I'm not letting this opportunity pass by.

The quiz ended with a loud alarm ringing from Martha's phone. I finished the quiz five minutes before the time but pretended to check my answers to avoid suspicion. Martha collected the quizzes from each student. She glanced at each student's quiz, displaying a disappointed demeanor.

Damn, did Steven give everyone the wrong answers?!

She glanced briefly at my paper, just like the others. However, her expression changed dramatically. Her eyes widened, and she quickly scanned the paper again.

Did I miss every question?

'It's the opposite...She's impressed.'

Suddenly, there was a loud knocking sound on the door. Martha left the remaining papers on her desk. "Start on chapter 8 on Meiosis. I'll be right back." Ms. Sherman gave me a soft smile and a pat on the back. "Great job on the quiz, Rachel."

Who would have thought the woman could actually smile? I felt guilty for cheating, but if it meant avoiding the teacher's attention, then I was fine with it.

"Ms. Sherman is actually a real nice teacher," Steven said suddenly.

"Really? I would have never guessed." I responded, still feeling taken aback by Martha's genuine smile towards me.

"Yeah, whenever I needed a place to eat my lunch, her classroom was always open," Steven answered with a small, sheepish smile. His pale complexion and scrawny appearance easily made him a target for every jock or douchebag to pick on him. High school sucked at protecting students who actually cared about their education. Instead of investing in students, board members would rather spend thousands of dollars sponsoring sports.

"Who the hell are you talking to?" A boy hissed from behind me. He looked confused, as if I had grown a third head.

"Steven," I pointed out with an obvious tone. At first, I figured the students were being a complete jackass by ignoring the boy's very existence until I heard Mely's sharp laugh.

"Rachel. There's nobody there. Did you forget to take your meds again?" Mely scoffed. Soft waves of laughter erupted in the classroom.

Fuck, not again...

"I'm so sorry. I should have told you!" Steven apologized profusely, but I kept my eyes focused on my textbook.

"Wait, do you actually see somebody there?" The student from behind said weirly. Usually, I would feel completely embarrassed, but after having this happen to me more often than I can count, it starts to feel like any ordinary day.

"Yeah...I talk to dead people, apparently. " I sighed, resting my chin on my hand. The class went silent, hearing the words flow from my mouth.

"Your cousin is weird..."

I wasn't surprised Mely had told her friends about my diagnosis. I didn't expect her clique would still attempt to talk to me. They had millions of questions about schizophrenia. Most of the questions were from movies they had seen.

The attention I was receiving wasn't ideal, but it didn't matter to Mely. Any attention I received still irked her. Normally, I would tell them to fuck off, but the expression on Mely's face was priceless. She went through 55 shades of green.

I was relieved to find out that I had a different lunch period than the rest of them. Well, most of them, anyway. Mely was quiet throughout the discussion on where to eat after 3rd period. From the look in her eyes, she was still debating on admitting that she had lunch with me.

I wished I could enjoy this moment, but Steven would continue to join in every conversation despite the fact no one could see him. He would talk relentlessly about his life and his favorite collection of comic books. The more Steven spoke, the more I grew annoyed with myself for not realizing he wasn't real.

'You mean alive,' Daisy corrected.

'We don't know that...'

'So you happen to get every answer right on a quiz in Biology?'

'I used to watch the Discovery channel at the hospital. Maybe my brain retained some of the information.'

'You are an idiot,' Daisy sighed and eventually went radio silent. For the first time, she was actually fed up with excuses.

"Alright, I'm heading out to lunch," I said, breaking away from the group.

"Be sure you sit with actual people and not your imaginary friends," Mely said, causing her friends to chuckle lightly.

"I'd still rather eat lunch with them than you," I smirked, which caused her friends to gasp in surprise at my quick-witted response.

"Aint that the truth."