That night, I found myself in front of Dante and Axel's dorm room, shivering and drenched. Water droplets splashed onto the floor at my feet.
"Rei?" Dante had opened the door, shocked not only because I was there, but because I was also soaked.
"I didn't know who else to go to."
I don't know why I didn't go back to my dorm that night. I guess my instinct was to see Dante. He has a comforting vibe to him and he always knows how to be there for me, even if he is an introvert.
I cried for hours laying in Dante's lap. No one asked me questions, they all knew. Dante ran his fingers lightly through my hair the entire time. Eventually I fell asleep.
The following days, I explained what had happened while continuing to drown in my own tears. I took that next week of school off. Not only was I still drained from waking out of a coma, but I knew the news would be spewing through the school halls. By Tuesday Melody said almost everyone knew and I wasn't surprised.
I stared at the wall for most of the days or old photos I found on my phone. It's not healthy, and I knew that, but I had never gone through a breakup. They suck just like everyone says. I wish I saw it coming. I wish I was more prepared. Should I have tried harder that night? Maybe I should have run after him, tried harder to make him stay.
Now Melody and I walk back into our dorm with way too many bags. She and I went on a mall trip. Melody basically forced me out of bed this morning, and I am glad she did. It was nice getting out of the dorm and also forgetting about Brandon. Even if it was just for a few hours.
I have decided with a lot of convincing from Melody that it is time to head back to school. Do I want to go back to school, especially my first class? Absolutely not. But do I also want to sit around my dorm crying rivers? No. I need to get out, catch up on my classes and deal with life. Everyone goes through break ups and they bounce back. I just haven't found the pep in my step yet.
"Okay, I have had this planned since you picked it out!" Melody rummages through both of our bags and pulls out the matching tops we bought together. They are off the shoulder crop tops. I got the burgundy color, and she bought the red. "These tomorrow, matching black jeans. You and I will be the talk of the school in these outfits." She holds out my shirt to me. I take it and run my fingers over the soft fabric. I don't want to be talked about anymore than I already am.
"Fine." I sigh, "But I am wearing a hat." I don't tell her, but if I at least have a hat, I can hide my face. If I am for sure going back, I want to unseen as much as possible. That way, they don't see me and I don't see their faces when they notice I am back.
Melody claps her hands in joy and hovers in the air.
The next morning, she and I matched just as planned. I tug at the bottom of the shirt in hopes of making it longer, but it stays put. It lays just above my belly button but if I pull my pants up it helps cover more. The fabric is cotton and supposed to stretch, yet somehow it feels glued to my body.
Melody comes back into the room with two coffees. She's wearing her red top and black jeans. Only difference is my jeans have holes in them. Her hair is a pin straight waterfall down her back and as always, her makeup looks flawless on her glittering skin.
"I brought you coffee." She hands me the warm cup.
I give her a suspicious look. Last time she brought me coffee it was laced with confidence magic. "There better not be a confidence shot in this again."
Melody laughs, "Not today. I thought you could use some positivity." Melody places her cup down and walks in front of me. "Let me help you." She grabs my makeup bag next to me and has me close my eyes. After a few quick strokes, she gives me winged eyeliner. "I always thought eyeliner makes your eyes pop."
I look in the mirror to see what she is speaking of. The wing isn't big, but it is sharp and noticeable. "Thank you."
Melody nods and stands up from the floor. "Last thing." She points her wand at my hair and with a little spark, my straight hair turns curly. I roll my eyes at her shortcut, but I don't mind the curls. I grab my black baseball hat and place it on my head as we leave the dorm.
"Are you ready?" Melody asks me as we look up at the college doors. Up some stairs and I'll be in the building. My heart is running miles just standing here. "Remember what we talked about."
Last night Melody and I talked about today. She told me to text her whenever and that if I needed to, I could step out of class. We talked about Brandon. He is in my first class and I highly doubt he wants to talk to me, so I won't talk to him. Best scenario, I don't even look at him. We also discussed how I should try my best not to show how I really feel. Melody says it's not the best thing to do, but she doesn't want Harmony to take advantage of it. I don't either. I can only imagine the things she could be saying about me right now.
"Let's go." With a few confident steps, and up some stairs, we walk into the building. Everyone in the hallway sees me and the whispers start.
Melody grabs my shaking wrist. "Ignore them. You can do this. Do you need me to walk with you to class?" Melody and her kindness. I can never get over. She never truly gets angry. There is always a smile on her face.
I don't want her to be late to class, "I'll be okay. I'll text you." Melody pulls me into a tight hug, and I am glad she did. It helps me relax a little, and it is comforting.
She heads straight, and I go left. The farther I walk, the more people look at me. I pull the front of my hat down more than it already is. It may not make me disappear, but I can't see everyone looking at me and that is the next best thing.
I walk into my class and try to get to my seat before Mr. Clifford sees me. I am not fast enough. "Miss Rei! Good morning! Glad to have you back. How are you feeling?"
I stop in my tracks and slowly turn to his desk. For a split second, I see Brandon in his original seat with his friends. He's looking at me. I can feel it but chose to ignore it.
To not come off disrespectfully, I pull my hat up so Mr. Clifford can see me. "Good morning Mr. Clifford! I am feeling..." I look at my coffee cup. "Good and positive this morning!" I sound fine, but my brain is screaming to get to my seat. The entire class is staring at me and I hate it.
"Good to hear." He replies and waves me to go to my seat. I go without hesitation, but I wish I wasn't in here at all.
Harmony, who sits a few rows down, whispers to her friends about me. "I can't believe she has the guts to show her face here."
I wish I had headphones to ignore all the gossip about me. It seems like everyone is more worried about Brandon and I's breakup than the fact that I was recently poisoned.
"For a girl who got broken up with you sure seems to be okay." One of Brandon's demon boys whispers right behind me. They used to do this all the time, knowing I could hear them. I feel one of them get closer and a hand runs through my hair.
"Don't." It's Brandon's voice and my heart stops for a second.
The person doesn't listen and continues, "You need someone else to hook up with, sweetheart? You could hit my line anytime babe." Some real friends he has, right? Cause I'm sure he'd love to hear his friend trying to hookup with his ex.
I wait for the perfect moment when his hand is close to the ends of my hair. I flip around and grab his wrist, catching him by surprise. He and I make eye contact and I can see the struggle behind his eyes. "How about no, sweetheart?" I mimic him, "In fact, don't touch him again." I keep my voice low to avoid any more attention, especially from Mr. Clifford.
The demon boy tries to cover his panic. "Or what?"
He is trying to test me, but I had a feeling he would try to be smart like that. I blink and bring my gold cat eyes forward. His friends laugh, knowing his friend is not winning this battle. I grip his arm tighter and he tries to escape. I release my claws and my index and middle finger claws dig straight into his skin. A small amount of blood trickles out and he holds his breath.
I drag my fingers down slightly and watch the blood drip down his arm and onto the floor. I hear the splashing noise as it hits the tiled floor.
I tilt my head slowly and look back at him. His eyes are watering and I feel the shake in his arm. "Touch me again, and I will make sure your face becomes unrecognizable next time. Understood?" He desperately nods his head. I drag my claws farther down and his breath hitches, then I let his arm go. I am so glad Jeremy helped me control my eyes and claws better.
He places his other hand over his bloody scratched arm and stands up quickly. "I need to go to the bathroom!" And he sprints down the steps and out of the door.
I smirk and put my head back down. At least even I can scare a demon. There's blood on my hand now, so I search for a tissue or something in my bag. Thankfully, I find a small travel pack of tissues and use one to wipe the blood off as best as possible.
"Sorry to interrupt, Mr. Clifford. I tried to get here as fast as I could!" I look up to see the face of the squeaky voice. A young man with dirty blonde hair and snake tattoos on his arms and neck stands in the door. I recognize him from one of my classes.
"No worries Charles. Is that for someone?" Mr. Clifford comments towards the bright yellow and pink flower bouquet the boy is holding.
He turns towards the class with a bright smile. "These are for you, Rei." He looks at me with his orange snake eyes. The entire class turns to look at me. I shrink lower into my chair, but Charles doesn't move from the front. Looks like I unfortunately have to get up.
I grind my teeth and slowly push my chair out. I take my hat off and smooth my hair down as I make my way to him. He hands me the flowers and also a card. "The teachers and I wanted to give you a get-well card when we found out you were in the hospital. A few teachers and some classmates signed the card, and we all came together to buy you the flowers." There is a bright pink blush on his face. That's nice of them. Surprising, but nice.
There is an angry bang on a desk behind me, but I don't turn around. I can assume who it is and by the wide eyes of the boy in front of me, I have my answer. "Thank you so much!" I give my best overly cheerful voice, "This is very kind, I appreciate it." At least a few students still care.
The boy's scared eyes turn back to me, and he smiles. "You're welcome." He backs up to get going. "I'll see you in class." He waves to me and takes a right down the hallway. Like Axel, he has a lisp. After all, he is a snake handler. He got in trouble in class once because one of his tattoos came to life and there was a loose snake in the room. That was a great day.
Back at my seat, I read the card while Mr. Clifford took attendance. There are way more signatures than I expected. Some names I recognized from classes, while others I wasn't too sure who they were. Then, of course, all of my friends' names are signed on here in their own space together. Even Brandon signed. Even the sight of his somewhat neat handwriting makes my shoulders drop.
I just need to get through the rest of this day. I can do it... I think.
At lunch, everyone smiles as they see me approach the table. "It's the girl of the hour!" Axel teases while moving over so I can sit next to him. Our table is a little more spacious, but I don't think about it.
"How has your first day back been? We heard you got flowers this morning!" Paris peps in.
I roll my eyes and steal a fry off of Axel's plate. "Don't even get me started on this morning." But with that being said, of course everyone wants to know the details, so I tell them.
Jeremy joins the table mid-story about the demon boy I scratched. "He deserved it. Glad you put them damn claws to use for once." He says, throwing his arm over my shoulder and pulling me into his side.
I laugh at him and push him away, pointing a clawed finger at his face jokingly. Right as I am about to say something, a voice behind me gets the entire cafeteria's attention. "Don't be like this anymore!"
"Here we go again." Paris rolls her eyes at her sister. I have to turn in my seat to see them.
Harmony is standing at Brandon's table. Her hands on her hips and she is staring straight at Brandon. Brandon could not care less about her presence. He looks miserable as he stabs his plate of food.
"Go away Harmony, seriously, how many times do I have to tell you? You're not sitting here anymore." He mumbles back to her.
Harmony taps her foot on the ground. "But Brandon... where else am I supposed to sit?" Of course she has to put on her pick me voice.
Brandon stabs his plastic fork into his food, and then it melts. "Anywhere that is far, far away from me, Harmony. Go back to the fucking ocean for all I care!"
Tables start to whisper. Even Jeremy and Axel are laughing about it. "Watch this." Axel whispers before tilting his head and yelling, "Bitch!"
Jeremy joins in and turns his back to Harmony so she can't see his face. "He doesn't want you!" Most of the cafeteria laughs. Axel and Jeremy high five in front of my face.
"Guys..." Paris says uneasy.
"Sorry..." The boys apologize. It's hard to remember that Harmony and Paris are sisters. Paris is a mermaid and Harmony is a siren. They look nothing alike and obviously act differently.
I quickly turn in my seat when I notice Harmony is heading straight to this table. I pull my hat in front of my face and pray she is just going to walk past us.
Her high heels click behind me, then stop. I run my tongue over my teeth, trying to prepare for the words about to come out of her mouth. "Something you would like to say to me, boys?"
Axel and Jeremy look at one another, trying to conceal their laughter. "Nope, not at all."
I look at Melody with so much desperation to get her to go away I may just explode. She doesn't leave. In Fact she grabs the back of my hat and pulls it off, about taking my ears with it.
"Harmony, go sit down, please." Her sister pleads, but it won't do anything.
"Oh dearest sister, soon." I can hear her spinning my hat on her finger and I bite my tongue. "We all knew he needed someone better than a panther, didn't we?" She announces it so loud that the attention has turned to me.
I smack my hands on the table and stand up. "Someone like you Harmony?" I flip around facing her. I was right, too. She is spinning my hat. "Cause clearly that isn't working out too well, is it?" Harmony takes a step back, surprised, and I can see my glowing eyes in the reflection of hers. "It wouldn't matter if he was dating me or some other girl. You would still be up his ass about it. I'm not afraid to say, yes Brandon and I are no longer together, but does that mean he's going to come running to you, Harmony?" Slowly my voice rises and I have the entire cafeteria's attention. Harmony's chest is rising and falling quicker than it was originally. She is trying to hide her embarrassment from being called out, but I can see right through her.
I take a step forward, trying to get in her face, but Jeremy grabs my hand, and I grab his back. He doesn't need to say anything to warn me. I could get into major trouble if I go after her. Holding his hand will keep me slightly reasonable.
"No, no, he's not and you won't take the hint! He's going to move on to someone else, and then maybe that won't work out and he'll move on again, but no matter what... he'll never go to you, Harmony. Never! So get the damn seaweed out of your ears and go bother someone else other than me or him!" I snatch my hat from her hands and walk out of the room. I saw her embarrassed face and how much she hated the way people were staring at her.
I put my hat back on, slipping my ears through their desired holes as I walk away. I head straight to the bathroom.
Everything just keeps getting worse and worse, doesn't it?
For the next few days, I avoid eye contact wherever I go. Slowly I start to realize more people are paying attention to me than they are Harmony and she is unhappy about it. Brandon is too, I think, but what do I care? I didn't ask for the attention, anyway.
Randomly people will approach me and say hi, ask how I am doing and tell me they hope I am better after the incident. Other times, people thank me for standing up to Harmony. It's odd and I am really starting to hate it.
The more the days go by, the worse I feel. Sadness has been cowering in the shadows recently and has now crept back towards me. I let it come back for me. There is nothing I can do to defend myself from it.
During gym, I hold back the tears as I draw some random designed shirts in my fashion sketchbook. A large snout appears next to my knee and I look up through teary eyes. It's Jeremy in his wolf form.
I laugh through my tears. "Oh, Jere, you always know how to make me feel better." I reach out and run my fingers through his silky fur. Jeremy lays his large wolf head on my lap and lets me run my hand over his head. A few tears drop on him, but he doesn't mind.
"Jeremy, get up! You are not excused from this class!" Chancellor Niam shouts in our directions. Because of the incident, I am able to sit out for a while. I draw and let the dark cloud that follows me around consume me for the time being.
Jeremy's ears perk up and he gets off of my lap. I gather my materials back into my bag and stand up. "Come on." I walk towards the trees where some people are jumping around or hiding but overall having fun.
I drop my bag and climb into the nearest tree that isn't occupied. I shouldn't be participating in any sort of activity like this, but maybe I need to let loose, drain some of my negative energy.
I jump from tree to tree, digging my hands into the bark. Jeremy runs underneath me, following my every jump, turn, and swing.
I overestimate a jump and barely make it, almost smacking my face off the branch as I grip onto it. I dig my claws into the bark, trying not to slip. Below me, I hear a snort. "I'm okay, I'm okay." I pull myself up and sit. I wipe the sweat off of my forehead and catch my breath. It's probably almost the end of class. I dangle my legs off and jump down next to Jeremy.
That felt good. Great actually. I have never felt such a sense of freedom. Is that how Jeremy and his pack feel every time they shift?
"You are wild, you know that?" Jeremy, in his normal form, stands next to me now.
I look at him with a wicked smile. "It's in our blood, is it not?" He shakes his head and I notice his shirt is slightly off to the right. Unlike what the movies show us in my world, werewolves here keep their clothes. They shift differently here, I guess. "Your shirt is... you know what, let me fix it." I stop in our tracks and he turns to me. He may be taller, but that doesn't stop me from reaching up. I adjust the collar of his shirt so it is centered.
While doing so, Jeremy looks like he is trying to hold back laughter. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Jeremy reaches over my head and pulls a leaf from my hair. "You might want to clean up before next class." I knock the leaf from his hand and stick my tongue out at him. He has a point, my hands are covered in dirt and cuts.
"Come on pussy cat, time for class."
I don't even acknowledge the name, instead I am frozen in my place. I feel his eyes. My cat's senses are tingling with familiarity. From here I can see the building's window and the body who stands on the other side.
I don't stare for too long; I catch up with Jeremy before parting ways so I can get to the bathroom.
In the mirror, a nice black line smears across my forehead. I wash the dirt from my hands and under my nails before working on the mark.
His scent hits my nose like a punch. He's seriously in the girl's bathroom right now? "Should I address you first or...?" I trail off and slowly look up into the mirror.
Brandon is leaning against the wall behind me. "Jeremy and you seem to be getting very close, I see." The flames behind his eyes are burning bright and large.
"In case you forgot, I am considered a part of his pack." I turn the water off and face him. I lean my back against the cold sink and cross my arms over my chest. "Besides, Brandon, you have Harmony, remember?" Brandon grinds his teeth, but I cut him off before he snaps back, "Only difference is Harmony wants to sleep with you again, and Jeremy just wants to make sure I am okay. Anything else you need, Brandon?" I grumble at him.
Brandon licks his lips and rolls his eyes. I take that as an answer and walk straight past him. The tears come back as I leave the bathroom. What I said was rude and maybe uncalled for, but he broke up with me. He took my heart and stomped it into the wet concrete that day. Jeremy and I will never be a thing, not that it would be any of his business if I got into another relationship, anyway.
I don't want another relationship. I just want to be with Brandon again...
~<I>~
"Come on, please!" Melody stands in front of me. Her hands are gripping my knees as she begs.
There is a party this weekend before the finals. It is a normal thing. It is thrown for the students to have a formal dance but for them to also celebrate the last two fighters. The entire school will be there, dressed up as if it is prom but for college students.
I sigh and grab her soft hands. "Melody, I don't know. I barely even want to go to the fight, let alone risk seeing Brandon at this party."
Melody takes a seat next to me and wraps her arm around my shoulders. "Axel and I are going to be there." Together. Third wheeling sounds great. "And the others. It would be fun. We can go dress shopping. Find you a stunning dress to impress all the guys. Not that you need to do much in the first place."
I shove her because of the last part. She always tells me that more boys talk about me than I think. I don't believe her, nor have I heard anything.
"You're a real pain in the ass, you know that?" I can't help but smile while saying that sentence.
"So that means you'll go then...?" Melody leans in with her own happy smirk.
I take a deep breath because I know she will freak out. "Yes Melody. I will go to this damn party or whatever."
Melody springs off of the bed and does her happy dance mid air as her wings flutter. "I knew you would come around!"
I am just glad she is smiling. Maybe she is right. I should do this for myself, but I'd rather do this for her. Seeing the people I care about happy is all that matters to me right now. Their joy and bliss is what has been keeping me going lately.
In the end maybe I will enjoy the night, even if I am third wheeling. At least I'd be there with them.