"Hey," Alex said as the boys came up beside them. "Didn't think you guys were coming over here, took you long enough."
"These guys get lost in the simplest of situations," Madison commented as she turned away from talking to the guys on the other side of her. "We've had to direct them in everything they've done for the past couple of years." She winked at Alex. "They would be so lost without us."
Zach shook his head. He glanced around the cafeteria, looking to see if Jacob had made it yet. So far, there wasn't any sign of him.
"Hey, Zach, did you get your schedule yet?" Madison looked up from her printout sheet.
"Not yet. I'm gonna head over to the table now." He turned to walk toward the Senior Table. West Lakes had such a weird set-up. Every grade had a table where everyone in that grade waited in line for their class schedule.
Why couldn't they email these stupid things out so we don't have to waste all of our morning? But hey, who am I to wanna change their whole system.
Zach moved in and around the groups of kids. As he walked past the junior table, he had to listen to 'where's Jacob?' from almost everyone. Guess the legend' hadn't made it to school yet. They would all know when he arrived. There would be a moment of silence as he walked through the door, and a fuckin' trumpet sound would go off, signaling the arrival of the king.
No, not that it actually happened. But knowing Jacob, he would gladly accept the honor.
Zach stood in line with about twenty other kids. Most he knew, but not on talking terms. Almost five minutes later, he heard his name.
"Zachary Lovell!" echoed through the crowd.
Zach cringed. It was Paige Ward. Shit, she must be volunteering today.
She had a crush on Zach all last year. Sometimes it was to the borderline of obsession. Paige wasn't bad to look at, your basic blonde cheerleader type. She went out with Jacob once, but then again, who hadn't. But Paige definitely wasn't Zach's style. She was going through the stack of schedules that were in front of her. C'mon, it didn't take a genius to find.
"Is there an issue?" Zach's impatience with this shitshow was displayed in his tone.
Paige glanced up at him with frustration written all over her face. "I...I can't seem to find yours anywhere." Her voice trembled. "You, um, you might have to go down to the office."
Zach was trying to control his anger. He should be freaking out right now. After coming in early, standing in line, now they didn't have his schedule. Whatever! "Hey, no problem. I'll go now." He had to keep up the nice guy image. He walked back over to where his group once stood.
Madison threw her arm around his waist. "So, what's your schedule like?"
"Didn't get it yet. You know how this place works. On second thought, they don't," irritation resonated in Zach’s tone. "I have to head over to the front office, maybe they'll have it. I'll see you in a bit unless they keep me waiting."
Madison reached up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. She was affectionate like that. "Okay, sweetie, I'll tell Danny and Alex."
"Where are those two anyway?" Zach called out to her as she was walking away. Madison shrugged and gave him a sly grin of 'I know, but I can't tell,' then continued on her way.
Chapter Six
Deep breath in, deep breath out.
Emily kept telling herself this as they got closer to the school. She didn't know why she was so nervous. She'd done this so many times before that she should be used to it.
Aunt Maureen turned off the highway road, went through some gates, and back a paved entranceway. Off to Emily’s right was a parking lot, maybe the student parking lot.
Well no, duh, Em, that's what the sign said.
Her aunt pulled up to the front of the building and parked in the visitor spot. The school was red brick and had massive windows in the front looking into the cafeteria. Emily saw several students walking along the sidewalk and going in the front doors. There was already a group of kids congregating inside the front room.
Great, now I have to walk past a whole bunch of kids. Why couldn't things be easy?
"Well, here you are." Aunt Maureen turned off the car.
"Um, you don't have to go in with me. I'm sure I can find the office." Emily stepped out of the car.
"Don't be silly, Em. I'll at least walk you into the office. I do this every time on your first day." Aunt Maureen gracefully stepped out of her Escalade. Em followed with her head bowed down.
They went in through the front doors that led past the cafeteria. Emily glanced around at things as they move down the hall. It looked like an auditorium on the left side, and a trophy case was placed along the wall.
Of course, it was like every other time. All the boys stopped and stared at Aunt Maureen. Why wouldn't they? She was hot. Blond hair, blue eyes, and a killer body. They gawked at her like she was walking around in a thong instead of her business outfit. Emily wanted to wipe the drool off their mouths.
They finally made it past all the salivating boys and into the front office, which was only a little past the cafeteria. Aunt Maureen opened the door and motioned for Emily to go through. They both walked up to the desk where an older lady with short dark brown curly hair and glasses was seated.
"Hello, Ms. Dixon. This is Emily Beauford. She's a new transfer student this year." Aunt Maureen pushed Emily toward the desk.
"Hi, Emily. Welcome to West Lakes. How are you this morning?" Ms. Dixon asked in an overly friendly voice.
"Thanks. I'm doing fine," Emily replied in barely a whisper.
"Well, Emily can head over to the admissions office, which is right around the corner. Ms. Fredley should have her schedule," Ms. Dixon told them where to go as she got up to show them out the door.
"Are you gonna be okay?" Aunt Maureen asked as they left the office.
"Yeah, I should be." Emily watched as other kids moved in the direction of the office.
"Well, I'll see you after work. Meet me in the front." Aunt Maureen gave Emily a quick hug and walked back toward the entrance.
Emily went in the direction Ms. Dixon told her to go. A couple of kids passed her along the way. They kept glancing at her over their shoulders, looking her up and down. It was so hard being the new kid.
Emily glanced up and located the sign she was looking for.
Well, that wasn't too hard to find.
The admissions office was only around the corner and four doors down, like Ms. Dixon said it would be. That was easy. Emily hoped the rest of the day went by like this. She walked into the office and found the secretary speaking with three boys. They all turned around when the door opened.
"I'll be right with you," Ms. Fredley, the secretary, said as she glanced up from her desk at Emily.
The room was like any other office; desk, pictures, a little sofa, nothing too fancy, but it seemed much smaller at the moment with the boys in it. They were fairly big. All three were about six feet in height and full of muscle. They looked like young professional football players. One was blond with a shorter cut hairstyle. The other was about the same size but had dark brown hair cut similarly.
Guess they either got it cut for school or had it cut short for summer.
The other who was still staring at Emily was larger than the others. He was cute. No, let's rephrase that; he was freakin' hot. He had long, light brown hair with blond streaks, the natural ones, and piercing gray eyes. His stare could make anyone a little paranoid. Guess he was the school bad boy.
"Jacob, Anthony, and Will, why do you three have to start conflicts on the first day of school?" Ms. Fredley addressing the boys brought Emily out of her trance of staring at them. She quickly looked away. She felt her face heat, knowing it probably had a hint of red on it because of the bigger kid staring at her. "Jacob, turn around and look at me when I'm talking to you." Ms. Fredley snipped at the boy.
Without even looking, Emily felt his penetrating gaze.
"I can hear you without having to look at you," Jacob replied with a bit of sarcasm in his tone.
"Ahhh, c'mon, Ms. F., you know people are drawn to conflict with me. It's my charm factor. I never start the fight. It's all a conspiracy." Jacob sat down on the sofa.
"Jacob, I don't have time for this all day. It’s the first day of school, and there's too much to do besides babysitting you," Ms. Fredley scolded him as she put away folders into her desk. "You three always seem to get yourselves in some type of circumstance." She shook her finger at all three. "Just take it easy for a while."
"So are we free to go?" Jacob got up from the small sofa and sauntered toward the door. The other two boys hurried ahead of him.
"Yes, you can go. I just don't want any of you back in my office the rest of the day." The secretary finished fixing the piles of paper on her desk.
Emily's eyes shifted away as the first two boys went past her. She sensed someone standing beside her. She peeked out of the corner of her eye and saw Jacob. He stared at her like he was hungry and she was the main course.
He twisted away to walk past but then leaned in toward her and took a deep breath. "Fresh meat," his voice was a whisper that gave Emily chills. He walked out the door and vanished into the crowd of students in the hallway.
Emily glanced back over her shoulder at all the kids in the hall. She was looking for three in particular, but she couldn't locate them anywhere. It was like they just disappeared. Before looking away, she noticed three girls who were giving her the nastiest of looks.
Wonderful! Been here fifteen minutes and it seems like I made tons of new friends...NOT!
Emily avoided the staring confrontation and turned her attention back to the secretary. "Hi, my name is Emily Beauford, and this is my first day," she announced.
Chapter Seven
Zach opened the door to Ms. Fredley's office and noticed a girl the secretary was helping. She had long brown hair that hung down her back in waves. A nice body from what he could tell from the back. She looked to be a little bit taller than five feet, with a slender build. He noted the girl was looking over the papers Ms. Fredley had given her.
C'mon, turn around so I can see your face.
Ms. Fredley glanced up after Zach got done checking out the new girl, and he cleared his throat to alert her someone had come in.
"Zachary, how are you? I just had the privilege of having your brother in here a few moments ago." She grimaced about having to deal with Jacob so early on in the day. "So, what can I do for you?"
The call of his name again pulled Zach out of thought. "Um, Paige said she didn't have my schedule and to check with you." He kept his focus on the girl ahead of him.
The girl turned at the sound of his voice and smiled.
'Our mate. Our mate.'
Zach's wolf screamed inside of him. He tried to calm himself and his wolf down. All these different thoughts were running through his mind. '
If she was my mate, wouldn't she recognize I was hers? Wouldn't she have this same feeling and want to be near me?'
His wolf was fighting to get out and go to her, while Zach was fighting to stay in control.
'She is so beautiful. Dark eyes to go with her dark brown hair, porcelain skin. She's so...unbelievable. I can't even smile back.'
Zach stared with a blank look at his supposed mate.
"Zach, this is Emily." Ms. Fredley handed the lost schedule to him. "She's new to West Lakes this year. I think you two may have some of the same honors courses together since you're both seniors. Maybe you can help her get acquainted with the school and students."
Zach didn't know what to do. Half of him knew to act normal, and the other half wanted to give in to his wolf. The screaming in his head continued. His wolf wouldn't let up on the fact this was his mate. He knew he had to get out of there quickly before he lost the battle of control. The girl wasn't showing any signs of recognition. She couldn't be the one. Restraining his wolf and going against what he wanted to do, Zach acknowledged each with a nod and walked back out the door.
***
"Damn, what's wrong with you, dude?" Danny asked Zach as he walked over to the group.
"Nothing. Why?" Zach tried to hide any confusion written on his face.
Alex placed her hand on Zach's shoulder. "You look like you either want to kill someone or puke on them. Are you feeling okay?" She gave him a small hug.
He responded to Alex's hug. "Oh, I heard in the office Jacob was already in trouble again, that's all." He lied to cover up what was bothering him.
"What the fuck! We all know Jacob never gets any type of punishment for anything he, Anthony, and Will do," Madison began ranting. She and Jacob had never gotten along. Nobody knew why, but it was constant bickering between the two of them. "It's like he's cast a spell over the entire school, except us, of course. He is Lord Jacob, does whatever he wants, whenever he wants." Madison was still going on.
Zach rolled his eyes at her performance as she imitated bowing to royalty in reference to Jacob and his entourage.
"You know," Madison continued her Jacob beat down. "Alex and I have always gotten our fair share of detentions for skipping. But no, not Jacob, he's like the king of all shit." They all left the cafeteria as Madison continued fuming over Jacob. "I think they are going to start rolling out the red carpet and hiring security so all the girls don't tackle him when he arrives at school. Damn, I bet there can be a reality show in his honor and follow him around twenty-four seven. You know there can never be too much Jacob for this school. He has to be the most annoying, self-absorbed, arrogant person I've ever met, but no one can seem to resist him. Am I the only one who doesn't put two thoughts into him?"
Zach, Danny, and Alex looked over at Madison, who had finally stopped talking, and laughed.
"What?" Madison appeared oblivious to the fact she'd just did a thirty-second tyrant about the man himself.
The group walked up the staircase to where the classrooms were located, each comparing their schedules. Alex and Madison's were almost identical as they were every year. While Zach and Danny only had one class together, PE. Zach's first class was honors microbiology, and the rest of his crew had regular biology together.
The group went to their lockers, which were the same ones they'd had for the past three years. It was a small school with only one central hallway that branched out for different sections. The main hall was lined with green and gold colored lockers and was the usual place for everyone to congregate before and after classes. As they moved down the hall, Zach felt changes going on inside of him, like his wolf wanted to break out again. The reemergence of his wolf could only mean one thing.
Chapter Eight
That was weird. What the heck was his problem? Didn't he ever hear of common courtesy? Someone smiles at you, and you smile back.
Emily took one step at a time, looking over her schedule and trying not to bump into anyone running up or down the stairwell. Her thoughts filtered back to the guy, Zach, she'd seen in the registration office.
There was something about him. Like I'd seen him before. Like there was some type of connection. Maybe he resembles someone from my last school?
"Oh, sorry." Emily reached out and touched the arm of the girl she almost accidentally smacked into on the second landing. The girl gave a brief nod, then continued walking.
Nah, someone like Zach, I would definitely remember. But, what was it about him that made my whole body tingle. OMG, Em, you're thinking way too much into this. He was just a boy, and now he's gone.
Emily opened up the door leading to the hallway containing lockers and classrooms. The clicking as the door shut behind her sounded like an ominous sign of being locked away forever.
'Deep breath in. Deep breath out. I'm a big, brave tiger.' Emily noticed several students staring at her, completely recognizing her as the new girl. 'Yeah, fuck this yoga relaxation talk, so not happening.'
Danny pulled on Zach's shirt. "Dude, new girl alert." He nodded down the hall
way.
Zach already knew who was there. His wolf had been on high alert for the last minute or so. Only a few kids were left in the halls as everyone wanted to be early the first day to get a good seat and find out who else was in their class. Zach glanced up and saw it was the girl from the office, looking completely lost.
'Mine.' The wolf inside him stirred once again. Zach didn't know if he would be able to keep him reigned in, as this had never happened with any other girl.
'Would you shut up!' Yes, he was having an internal conflict with the other half of him. If the girl were his mate, she would come to him. They would not be able to be apart. This all had to be wrong or some sort of mistake. Where's my father or Adam when I need to talk to someone. Zach forced his eyes away from the girl.
"Yeah, I think she was in the office when I went there earlier." Zach slapped Danny's arm and turned toward the science section of the building. "We better head to class." His wolf practically wanted to kill him as he tried to ignore the growling inside and the need to help this girl. Before he got the chance to leave, Alex and Madison made their appearance once again.
"What are you guys doing?" Alex questioned as both girls looked down the hall to see what Zach and Danny were gawking at.
"Oh my God, you guys are like a pair of wolves on your first hunt." Madison snickered at them. "Wipe the drool off your mouths." She handed each of them a tissue from her handbag.
Zach threw his back at her while Alex grabbed Danny's tissue. Her tight smile showed she wasn't happy.
"Let's go see if we can help her." Madison volunteered.
"Uh, we're gonna be late," Zach mumbled.
"Zach, quit being a wuss. It's the first day. No teacher is even gonna notice." Madison always had a comeback for everything. Alex pulled Madison's arm down the hall toward the new girl.
****
Emily glanced up from her schedule, which had all her classroom numbers on it. She peeked up at every room she passed to see if any were on her sheet of paper.
Revelations (Separate Worlds Book 1) Page 2