Burn (Book 2 of The Fire Trilogy)

Chapter 20: I am an Alpha.

I walk into the school building and all eyes are on me.

Of course.

Some are looking at me with sympathy and some people are looking at me like they think I should be peeling off someone's flesh with a spoon in a bathtub full of lemon juice and salt.

I grimace and thank myself for the lovely image.

People are looking at me wondering why the hell my face looks like I just smelled shit.

Oh people, if only you know how much sanity I was lacking.

I close my eyes and head to the large red locker in front of me.

I lift up the lock because it was forever unlocked thanks to an incident where I got to pissed to actually do the combination and I just broke the lock. Oh, memories.

I open the locker and get my English book and shove my coat and book-bag into the locker.

I shut my locker and head to the cafeteria where we all sit until the first bell rings.

Things are said, and things are really not said as we sit there. We talk about normal things. Like Mrs. Flint and how much of a fucking bitch she is and how we swear Mr. Carter is an Asian poll humper for a night job.

No, seriously.

He might be one.

When the first bell rang I found myself walking on autopilot to my first mod class where I had Math.

Guess who was in my math? Courtney.

Guess which only seat was empty? The one in the back.

Guess who the seat was by? Courtney.

Guess who had to sit there? Me.

I walked over to the seat and dropped my books on the floor, not giving a damn how much noise I made in the process.

Courtney looked me up in down as if to see I was still in check on all my limbs.

When she was done with that she scooted her desk closer and whispered to me, "Is he gone?"

I nodded my head and that was all she needed to hear. She did not need the full explanation about how we formed a stake to disintegrate his body to dust. And frankly if Joseph hadn't tried to attack me before I probably would pf been like, Ew. But know I was more fascinated then disgusted, and if that makes me a psychopath or a  sociopath then so be it.

Finally at the end of the mod I look back at Courtney and she gives me a look. She leans her head in and says so quietly I almost missed it with my werewolf hearing, "Thank you."

I smile a smug smile to myself. I like being thanked. A lot of people are more intent on cursing me to hell then thanking me, so I will take all the thanking I can get, thank you very much.

I get up and go to my second mod, and for once in a long time I'm thinking, Hey, maybe today won't be so bad.

********************

I get in Lea's car and I wait for her to show up. The school day is over and it actually wasn't half-bad.

I know don't call the psych ward yet. I don't know what is wrong either.

Everyone was really nice to me, surprisingly. I got a few offers to sit by people in lunch, which I turned down quite quickly, but that isn't the point. I see Lea approach the car and get in the driver's seat.

"Hey," she says offering me a smile, "how was your day?"

I let out a laugh. Typical Lea. Bright even when it's darker then hell.