Chapter 1
"Do you think she's doing drugs, as well?"
"I can't believe they're together already, she's only been here for a day!"
"I heard she was living with Sam Uley!"
The comments and the stares hadn't subsided as the day progressed. In fact, it may have worsened as everyone threw more fuel into the flames of the rumour mill, adding to existing ideas or starting new rumours altogether. People spoke of Embry and I being together, since he'd kept me company for all the classes that we had together, but out of every rumour I had heard the most surprising was to hear whispers about me joining the 'Uley cult'. I'd considered the word 'cult' to be pretty heavy and almost laughed at the casual use of it when referring to Sam's group of friend; who seemed far from cult-like to me. It seemed La Push wasn't only a small town, but a dramatic one at that.
Throughout the day, I'd noticed that the whispers didn't just concern me, but in the mix were also rumours about Jared, Embry, Sam and another guy named Paul. At times I wondered if Embry was oblivious to what was being whispered between people, but then there were times when I noticed his jaw click in annoyance or his fists ball with anger. It only took a quick glance into his eyes to feel the irritation swirling throughout him. Was he hearing it all, just as I was?
I had found walking between my classes to be the most annoying part of the day, since that was the time that I had to deal with all the stares. At least in class, most of my new peers were distracted by the lesson, but the hallways turned me into the star attraction. I'd met up with Embry again at our History lesson, the room not far from my previous class.
I walked in behind Embry and together we sat towards the back of the classroom. I pulled out my books from my backpack when suddenly I felt a strong energy enter the room. Looking up, I met the eyes of a boy from across the room. He wore long pants and a long top over his tanned skin and his long hair was tucked behind his ears. His strong gaze met mine for a moment before they narrowed at the sight of Embry, who seemed to be avoiding the heated stare. Behind the boy stood another, except with shorter hair, but held the same annoyed emotion in his eyes at the sight of Embry. I frowned, looking at Embry's reaction, but he remained expressionless in his seat as he stared at his phone in his lap. The boys rolled their eyes and made their way to a seat on the other side of the room. Finally, Embry cleared his throat and turned to me for a second.
"What's wrong?" Embry asked.
"Who were they?" I asked quietly, my eyes finding the two boys. He frowned and glanced over his shoulder, before quickly looking away again. He shook is head.
"Old friends" He mumbled. The emotion in all three boys' eyes told me that there was more to the story than the simple response Embry shared with me, but for the short amount of time I'd known Embry I had no expectations for him to share any intimate details with me just yet. Despite the nosey voice that desperately wanted to ask for more information, instead I nodded and dropped the conversation. When the class had started I half listened to what the teacher was going on about, seeing as this History was different to the kind of history I was used to hearing in Australia. Nevertheless, the sound of the bell ringing for the class to end was still a welcoming sound to my ears. Embry walked me to my next class, before walking off to make his in time.
I walked into the classroom, which was set up the same as the previous two classes I'd been to that day, and found myself a seat near the back of the classroom again. The young teacher made his way through the classroom to greet me specifically and offered me a smile.
"Miss West, isn't it?" The teacher asked, looking down at me through his glasses. I looked up, finding him to me much more appealing to look at in comparison to my other classes.
"Yes."
"I am Mr Winchester, do you by any chance have a laptop?" He asked, his tone actually containing signs of life and vigour.
"Uh...no, it's not with me today" I responded. He nodded.
"That's okay, for today you can use the school laptop. It is expected for you to use your own laptop though. But it is your first day, so don't stress about it" Mr Winchester informed me.
"Thanks, sir." He sent me a smile and retrieved a laptop from the front of the room. Mr Winchester returned to my desk with the laptop and helped me login.
"Alright," he gestures, "Please ask for help if you need help setting anything up, we aren't doing anything too crazy, so I'm sure you'll manage to keep up."
"Okay, thank you." He nodded and walked back to his desk again. It felt like I had a chance to breathe the moment Mr Winchester turned away and walked back to his desk at the front of the room. In the background there was quiet chatter amongst varies friend groups, but for a split second I felt like my brain could catch up with the moment. It felt weird being in a different classroom, in another country and away from everything familiar from me. Being in a school environment made me miss my friends more than ever, in particular Will. I glanced over at the empty desk beside mine and wished that Will was sitting there talking about something random or planning something stupid or looking up car parts for his latest project.
I let out a sigh and happened to notice that the boy with the long hair, who had glared angrily at Embry in our previous class (and that Embry claimed was an 'old friend'), walked into the classroom. His eyes seemed to find mine in an instant and he halted at the door for a moment, a conflicted emotion racing through his eyes. Reaching in, I could feel his anger bubbling beneath the surface but it mingled with curiosity and a hint of disappointment. The boy snapped out of his trance and found a seat a desk away from my right. He plonked himself down and pulled out his necessary items from his bag. There was a strange urge that came over me, a need to approach him and speak to him, so I stood up. My plans were quickly cut short when a blonde haired girl approached my desk and pulled my attention away from the boy with long hair. Lovely.
"Hey, you're the new girl, right?" The girl asked, twirling a strand of her hair through her fingers. I turned my eyes to the girl and nodded. The girl had the softest looking blonde hair that curled perfectly onto her shoulders and she wore a black blouse with a nice grey blazer and clean looking jeans. My eyes flickered to the boy I'd wanted to talk to and I noticed his attention was on this blonde girl and myself (along with most of the class—teacher included).
"Yes, that would be me," I mumbled, "Great guess. I'm Kira." I figured I should attempt to blend in.
"Let's skip over introductions, yeah?" The girl suggested and glanced at her friends from over her shoulder as she leant closer to me.
"Okay..."
"I just thought I'd let you know that you have no chance with Embry Call. He isn't in your league and when Paul Lahote gets back I'd recommend you don't even think about laying a finger on him either, because he's mine" She informed me with a firm tone. I felt the corners of my lips twitching and I attempt to hold back my laughter. This sounded like a movie I watched the other night—I swear. This girl was very confident, I had to give her that, and her tone was even and unwavering. She meant every word that she was saying, despite how ridiculous she sounded.
"Does this Paul guy know you two are in a relationship?" I asked smirking. This seemed to throw her off and her expression faltered before she could catch it. Her eyes narrowed in annoyance, but her confidence still glowed through her every word.
"You are the new girl, so let me set something straight," She paused, "If you want your life to plummet downhill then carry on with your smartass responses, otherwise nod your head and back off and your experience at La Push High will be painless. Remember, new girl, everyone fears me and you are no exception!" She warned. Despite the small part of me that wanted to laugh, there was another part that was dissecting the anger that was seeping through her pores. But it wasn't just anger, desperation was mixed within it, making this girl all the more dangerous.
"Alright, mate. Relax before you hurt yourself. I'm not even into Embry like that, so I don't get why we have an issue?" I assured her, slowly sitting down.
"I don't care, Kira. I'm here to set the record straight." I nodded.
"Okay, consider it set. I'm peeing myself in terror right about now, so you're welcome to re-join your herd" I promised her, my tone level. Hilary leaned in closer again, the anger behind her eyes growing into rage. For a second I thought she may lash out or attempt to attack me, based off of the intensity behind her eyes, but the teachers voice seemed to hold her back from doing anything irreversible.
"Class is starting, now. Why don't you find your seat, Hilary?" Mr Winchester's voice asked from the front of the room. Hilary took a step back and pulled herself together, forcing a smile onto her lips.
"Him and LaHote have a bet" She said quickly and in a quiet voice. I almost missed the comment as I expected her to listen to Mr Winchester's request.
"I don't even know this Paul guy."
"That's because he's out of town at the moment, but he's such a player. But him and Embry have a bet going on and you're just another pawn in their game" She rambled. I noticed Mr Winchester glaring at Hilary's clear disobedience.
"What's the bet?" I figured I'd humour her.
"See how many girls they can sleep with in a month" She said, lifting an eyebrow. I narrowed my eyes at her this time and assessed her expression, trying to decipher how serious she was or if she was pulling my leg just to feel more powerful in our exchange. Her confidence was blaring, but I knew girls like this and their confidence was not a reliable emotion to work off of, usually I'd have to go beyond that but not for this girl and not right now.
"If this Paul guy is such a player, why are you marking your territory? He sounds like a terrible boyfriend. Are you sure you two are even together if these are the sorts of bets he is making?"
"We are!" She hissed through her teeth.
"Okay, come on, Hilary. Back to your seat" Mr Winchester warned. She let out a huff and turned around and found her way back to her friends. I avoided her heated glare and kept my eyes on Mr Winchester as he started the class. After he briefly covered what they class had been doing in previous lessons, he moved onto the task he wanted us to complete that day and then allowed us to work through the task at our own pace.
Most of the class opened up the file and started to work through it, since the teacher could monitor the screens of the students, which left little room to muck around on the internet or do other work. Quiet chatter between people buzzed in the room so that there wasn't absolute silence lingering in the air, which I could appreciate. I'd glanced over at the boy with long hair, and happened to find him already looking at me. He looked away quickly, a blush rushing up his neck at being caught. I grabbed my borrowed laptop and shuffled over to the desk beside his and smiled at him.
"Um...hi" He greeted awkwardly.
"Hey. I'm Kira."
"I'm Jacob Black," He responded. "You just move here?"
"What gave that away?" I teased. He chuckled.
"We don't see too many new faces. Did your family move here?" He asked.
"No, not quite, but I'm staying with family friends for a while" I informed him, bypassing his question.
"Oh, who are they? I probably know them," He said lightly, "Small towns."
"Uh—Sam Uley and Emily Young?" I answered and noticed his face instantly drop, as that anger from earlier in the day seemed to resurface. I felt him suppress the anger and regain control over his emotions.
"Yes, I know of them. How's that going?" He asked, but I could tell he had to force it out.
"It's alright, Emily's really nice and Sam's friends are cool" I shrugged, noticing his jaw twitch. If there was anything I gained from the conversation between us, it was that Jacob Black strongly disliked everything and anything related to Sam Uley.
Finally, the bell run indicating that it was lunch. I handed the laptop back to the teacher and walked along side Jacob to my locker.
"So, I have to ask but there are rumours about you and Embry Call and I was wondering... are they true?" He asked gingerly. I laughed.
"Nah," I assured him, "He's a cool guy, but not like that." Jacob nodded and stood beside me as I flicked through the combination of my lock. Suddenly a guy approached my locker on the other side of me and leaned against it abruptly with a smirk plastered on his lips. I glanced at him wearily.
"Hey, there, I was in your tech class just then," the guy informed me, noticing my confused expression. I had to give him credit for picking up on that, at least. "I'm a friend of Hilary's, but don't mind her. She's just really into Paul."
"Okay, thanks." The guy lingered. "Um, did you need something else?"
"I wanted ask if you wanted to go out tonight?" He asked confidently. I heard Jacob scoff from the other side of me and I turned to him with a confused look. Jacob rolled his eyes.
"Seriously, Matt?" Jacob seemed less than impressed my Matt's antics.
"Relax, Black. I'm just being welcoming the new girl...unless, you've bet me to it. That would be a shame."
"Thanks for the offer, but no thanks." I slammed my locker closed. "C'mon, Jacob." He didn't need to be asked twice and we turned away from Matt, walking to Jacob's locker.
"Sorry about that guy. Small towns turn half these kids into idiots" Jacob mumbled in annoyance.
"I don't think it's just small towns" I assured him.
"Yo! Jake!" A voice called out and the boy that was with him in the other class ran over to us, weaving through the crowd.
"Hey, Quil," Jacob greeted with a grin and relaxed, "Kira this is Quil, my best friend."
"Hey, I'm Quil Atera" He smiled at me and extended his hand, which I accepted with a chuckle.
"Yeah I figured" I smiled.
"Right" Quil said awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. I chuckled again at his awkwardness.
"Kira!" A voice yelled. I glanced over Jacob's shoulder to see Embry waving me over, Jared by his side. I just caught the look that Jacob and Quil exchanged between one another. I wanted to know more, but knew it was too soon to ask.
"I have to go," I said, "See you guys later." I walked over to Embry and followed them into the cafeteria. The three of us had gathered food from the cafeteria ladies and sat down at a table.
"Who else is eating with us?" I asked, glancing over the two trays Jared held in his hands. Embry rolled his eyes with a grin and sat down.
"Just us three" Jared grinned at his trays of food and instantly dug in, breathing becoming a thing of the past as his meal gained top priority.
"Why were you talking to Jacob Black?" Embry asked, lifting a slice of pizza to his lips.
"We were in the same computer class and he helped me out with some of the work" I shrugged. Embry frowned and turned back to his food.
"That was nice of him" Jared mumbled.
"Hey, who is this Paul LaHote guy? I've heard his name like a hundred times today and the bloke isn't even here" I asked.
"He's a good friend of ours, but he's taking care of some family stuff at the moment. You'll meet him though" Jared responded.
"What's the big deal about him?" I wondered, picking away at the fries on my tray. Embry let out a small laugh.
"Nothing." Embry responded. Jared scoffed.
"He gets a decent amount of attention."
"From who?" I asked. "Hilary?"
"You met her?" Embry asked. I nodded.
"In my computer class. She is a piece of work. She ordered me to stay away from you and Paul. Said you were both out of my league" I recounted. Jared laughed.
"That's funny!" Jared covered his mouth with his fist.
"Shut up! I'm a catch" Embry threw a piece of pepperoni at him. Jared managed to catch it in his mouth, earning an eye roll from Embry and an impressed gasp from me.
"What's her deal?" I wondered.
"She likes to think she runs the school. Most people just stay out of her way and let her think that. It keeps the peace."
"Wait! Did she tell you to stay away from me?" Jared wondered genuinely. I shook my head, trying to suppress my laugh, but Embry did not hold back. For a moment, I didn't miss my friends and my home.
So I hope you guys like this...
What do we think of Hilary? A.k.a Queen Bee.