Eziah leads us to our English class, rattling on about something Marley did. It is apparent he has a crush on her, and I listen silently, despite her being one of Alicia’s besties and one of my biggest tormentors.
I don’t have the heart to tell him how nasty she is to me. He will be an Alpha one day, and he needs to get along with the rest of the pack. And I don’t want to make his life harder for him. I know how much of a burden I already am on my family. I want to just blend into the shadows, and I’m glad dad is giving the pack to him.
I have no intention of staying here after I finish school. Nope, once I have my wolf, we are going rogue and finding some forest in which to be free. Free from everyone, free from the whispers, the stares, and the bullying.
I can’t wait until I get my wolf. I won’t need anyone then because I will have her.
The day slips by quickly, and before I know it, school has finished and the bell rings. Walking out of class, Eziah walks beside me. “I am going to head to Marley’s; you will be alright to head home by yourself?” he asks, and I look at him.
“You’re not coming home first?” I ask, trying to keep the unease out of my voice. Eziah doesn’t need to know how bloody terrified I am of catching the bus home by myself.
“No, tell dad. I will be home before dinner,” he says, and I nod, watching as he rushes off toward Marley’s last class. Exhaling, I hoist my backpack up my back higher and walk toward the bus shelter.
As I near the bus stop, I instantly notice everyone lined up, waiting and talking amongst themselves. I stop, glance at the front gate and turn my back on the stop. I officially decide that the bus ride home isn’t worth the torment.
I can walk home, and it will only take an hour. There is no way I am going to enter that transport to hell, or more like hell itself, without Eziah beside me.
I watch the bus head into the school and start walking along the Highway. When it passes me, I feel something hit me in the side of the leg; followed by sharp pain. Their cheers and laughter out the windows make me clench my teeth and look down. Someone threw a pencil, and now, it is embedded in my leg.
Tears burn my eyes as I stare at it. They speared me with a pencil! What the fuck!
Sucking in a deep breath, I rip it out. It is a lead pencil; the moron who tossed it clearly hasn’t received his pen license if he is still using a pencil. I chuckle at my thoughts continuing the long trek home.
When I’m halfway home, I hear a loud engine roar up the road, making me look up. I would recognize that sound anywhere and I shake my head with a silly grin on my face.
The red Mustang pulls up next to me, and the window winds down. “Well, before you hung up on me, I was about to tell you I would not take no for an answer,” Jonah tells me.
Folding my arms across my chest, I raise an eyebrow at him, unable to stop myself from admiring how sexy he looks. “I’m busy, I have…”
“Get in,” he cuts me off and I look down the road, trying to figure out another way to get out of going to the stupid reopening of the casino that Jonah and Kyan run together.
“You have three seconds to get in, or I will toss you in,” Jonah barks, the same as uncle Andrei does when aunt Sage refuses to listen to him. Blood related or not, those two definitely are father and son.
“One!” I shake my head and tap my foot defiantly.
“Two!” His blue eyes sparkle, and his lips tug up deviously.
“Three!” He goes to open the door, and I shriek.
“Okay, I will get in,” I tell him, racing around to the passenger side and climbing in.
“I was actually looking forward to tossing you in,” Jonah laughs, and I swat his chest with my hand as I pull my bag off my shoulder and place it between my legs.
“I waited at your bus stop for like ten minutes; did you go into town after school?” he adds as he starts the car.
“Ah, yeah, I had to get something,” I lie, placing my phone in the front pocket of my bag. When Jonah drives past the turnoff for home, I glance at him. “Ah, Jonah?” I ask, looking at him.
“You aren’t going home. I already picked up your clothes,” he tells me, turning onto the freeway, and I stare at him.
“No escaping me tonight,” he winks at me. I was hoping to convince Mom to tell him no, and now that option has gone out the window.
“I am not even old enough to be in the casino,” I tell him. If only Jonah would know how much I wish I wouldn’t be stuck in this situation.
“You don’t have to be. You won’t be going into the alcohol areas, and Kyan and I will be with you at all times. No one will say anything. Don’t worry about it. You’ll be fine with us,” Jonah assures me, although his words don’t assure me at all. There it is, another window for escape closed.
“What, and mom was fine with you kidnapping me to take me to the casino?” I gasp. Are we talking about my mother? The woman who birthed me?
“Yep, what’s wrong? I haven’t seen you in a month, and now you suddenly don’t enjoy hanging out with me? Who is he then?” Jonah grumbles the last question with clear irritation lacing his words. This just got far too weird far too soon.