Twisting You

by Simone Elise

I stomped my foot. “Relationship problems!” I scoffed, and punched Scott in the arm once more. “See, you caused this!” Scott cradled his arm.

  “Why always this arm!” Scott whined and frowned slightly at the pain.

  “Did you not hear me, Chloe? I said, enough!” Xavier stood with his arms crossed, glaring at Scott and me. “Violence is not acceptable.”

  “Oh, sir, if you think this is bad, you should see her in my bed, she’s—” Scott’s words were cut short when Dan walked past, kicking the back of his knee.

  Xavier let a frustrated groan. “Principal’s office, Chloe.”

  My mouth flung open. “What, I didn’t do anything!” I pointed a finger at Scott. “He’s the one saying all this!”

  Xavier gritted his teeth and stared at me with disappointment. “Go now.”

  Running my hands through my hair, I felt my blood begin to boil. This was so unfair! “I didn’t even have sex with him!” I screamed, ignoring the chuckles of the class.

  I watched Scott smile slyly. “Don’t lie, Chloe. Everyone can smell it.” Scott dropped his arm, as he laughed at my horror-struck face.

  “I HAD SEX WITH DAN!” I pointed an arm in Dan’s direction. “Not with YOU!” I sent my foot into Scott’s leg. “I am going to kill you, Scott.” I growled.

  My attack was cut short as Xavier wrapped his arms around me and pulled me away from Scott. I fought him, kicking and screaming death threats in Scott’s direction.

  “Enough, Chloe.” Xavier yelled, returning me to my feet, away from the class and Scott, the dead man standing.

  Xavier looked at me with hurt and sadness. “Principal’s office. Now.”

  Crossing my arms and glaring at him, I said, “Is this a sick joke? What am I going to say I am there for? Having sex with another student outside of school hours?”

  I saw his face twist in pain as I spoke the words. I watched as his eyes cloaked in hurt and I noticed how his breathing got sharper as he struggled with something. Finally, he met my eyes. “Just get out of here.” He said pained, with a locked jaw. “If you want me not to lose it, you will leave now.”

  His face turned stern and I shook my head. “You have some serious issues, Xavier.”

  Turning my back on him, I began to walk away before his hand on my upper arm pulled me to a stop.

  “You’re my mate and I won’t have you sleeping around.” He growled in my ear.

  Turning sharply, I glared at him. “You denied me! I can do whatever I want.” With that, I ripped my arm from his and walked away. I had no intention to go the principal’s office.

  Chapter 4

  “Well, aren’t we the trouble maker?” Chad sung from my bedroom doorframe before walking in, closing the door behind him.

  Closing my laptop, I shot him an annoyed look. “It wasn’t my fault.”

  Chad smirked and shook his head slightly as he sat on the edge of my bed, his hands in his pockets. “Sure it wasn’t. You didn’t intend on firing Xavier up at all, did you?”

  I ground my teeth and darted my eyes away from him. I hated how Chad knew me so well. “It wasn’t like I went there on purpose to rub it in his face.”

  “Right.” Chase grunted. “What are you doing, Chloe?” I heard concern in his voice. I pushed my laptop to the side.

  “What do you mean? I’m not doing anything.” I crossed my arms, staring at Chad.

  Chard raised an eyebrow. “Exactly. You’re not doing anything. You are just throwing your life away. Over him.”

  “He’s my mate.”

  “He denied you.” Chad’s voice was firm, like he was trying to bring me to reality or something. I knew Xavier didn’t want me and it hurt. It hurt so much.

  “You think I don’t know that!” I snarled through gritted teeth.

  Chad let out a small sigh. “These games you are playing with him. I know why you are doing it. But seriously, Chloe, you have to stop. You aren’t doing yourself any favors.” Chad shifted his weight against my bed. “You are prolonging the process. But you have to face it.”

  Leaning back into my pillows, I said, “I don’t want to face it.” I could hear my own hurt; I just wanted Xavier to want me, to love me. Like he should.

  Chad placed a hand on my knee. “I know, buttercup. But you have to.” I smiled a small smile like I always did at his nickname for me. “You have to let the process take its natural course. So you and Xavier both can move on.”

  “Move on to what? Humans and unmated wolves?” I scoffed now, thinking of my future relationships. Knowing I would never be able to mate with another wolf. Sure I could sleep with an unmated one. But once they found their mate, I would be yesterday’s newspaper.

  “Chloe, come on, it’s been months. You can’t draw it out any longer.” Chad’s hand gave my knee a reassuring squeeze. “Think, once it is over, you can do what you want. Without feeling that need to be near him.”

  “But I don’t want it to go away. Once it is gone, it’s gone,” I whimpered softly, glaring at my lap. “If I stop holding his interest, he will forget me. The jealousy will disappear.”

  Chad sighed and leaned over, placing a hand under my chin bringing my eyes to his. “You have to stop it. It’s what he wants, Chloe.” Chad gave me a pointed look.

  I knew one day the games would stop. The jealousy would stop and my chances of ever getting him back would end. But that didn’t mean I wanted it to stop just yet; there was still a chance, right?

  “There is no chance, Chloe,” Chad said, as if he read my mind. “It’s time to let the separation start, as of tomorrow.” His voice was firm and I knew he was right.

  Tears began to leak down my cheeks and I fell forward, pressing my head into his shoulders. “But it hurts. It will hurt me letting him,” I choked into his shoulder.

  He ran his hand down my back. “I know it will, Cho. But do it for him, ok? It’s what he wants.”

  I knew why he was taking this angle. He knew I would do anything for Xavier, even if it meant letting him go. So I cried into his shoulder, all night, coming to terms with the fact that, as of tomorrow, I would let Xavier go.

  ***

  I sat at the back of his classroom, looking like death. I hadn’t even bothered doing my makeup. I dragged a brush through my hair, but I hadn’t spent an hour making it flawless. I hadn’t chosen a tight top to flaunt my assets. Instead I wore a loose black hoodie with jeans. My eyes were stained from all the crying last night and I knew the lack of sleep was showing on my face.

  The class filed in and instead of sitting at the front, like I would normally; I sat at the back in the corner. I actually brought my textbooks, instead of having an excuse to borrow his.

  I saw how Olivia and Scott hadn’t even noticed me over here. They were chatting between themselves. I suppose it was the start of the day and they hadn’t seen me yet. They took their normal seats, leaving mine free.

  Getting out my pens and opening up a blank page of my exercise book, I was ready to face reality. The only thing that gave me the slightest bit of light on this dark day was knowing that when I got home Chad was having my chocolate ice cream ready along with The Notebook. He even said he would watch it with me.

  The classroom door slid closed and I knew now Xavier was in the room. Glancing up at him, I saw how his eyes took in my empty seat. He would most likely be relieved that I wouldn’t be sitting there, sending him feelings of lust and desperation.

  I dropped my eyes before I could think about how hot he was. Sighing to myself and turning my pen in my fingers, I reminded myself that this was what he wanted.

  He began to take roll. Walters was at the end of the list. He stopped though after saying Olivia’s name.

  “Is Chloe sick today?” He asked her, not looking up from his folder.

  “I think so, Mr. Clark. I haven’t seen her or she could just be running late or something,” she said lightly, stopping the conversation she was having with Scott.

>   Well, I guess I should speak up, right? But I heard Xavier call the next name and I didn’t want to interrupt him. That would demand attention and that was what I didn’t want. I would just wait.

  “So, class, today we are going to be looking at anatomy. Open up your textbook to page 567,” Xavier said to the class. I raised my hand, taking a deep breath.

  Xavier glanced in my direction. He looked as if he were thinking of something else. “Umm yes, Miss—” He frowned slightly, looking more intently in my direction, like he didn’t know who I was.

  I brushed the hoodie off the top of my head. It had been hiding my face. “Um, it’s Chloe. I am here. Sorry, I didn’t want to interrupt you before, Mr. Clark.”

  Xavier stared blankly in my direction and the class all turned in their seats to face me.

  “Chloe, what are you doing over there?” Scott asked, both eyebrows frowning at me.

  Shrugging my shoulders, I turned by attention back to the textbook and opened it up to the page he’d asked.

  “Hey, when did you get a textbook?” Olivia asked me. I snapped my head up and looked in her direction, ignoring Xavier.

  “I’ve always had one,” I answered lightly, looking back down at it. I flicked through the pages looking for the page. Tapping my pen on the table, I waited for the next set of instructions.

  “You look like shit,” Scott stated. Letting out a heavy sigh, I glanced in his direction. If I were still playing games with Xavier and wanted to make him jealous, I would have thrown a comment in Scott’s direction like, “Well, you kept me up all night” or “Dan and I had a late night.”

  But I wasn’t playing with Xavier anymore. I didn’t want to make him jealous. So I shrugged my shoulders in response to Scott’s statement. I glanced at Xavier quickly, keeping my eyes neutral and my face clear of any expression.

  “Do we read the chapter?” I asked him. He was shocked and I could see it clearly on his face and his posture.

  “What?” he asked me frowning.

  I bit my bottom lip. This was turning awkward. I waved my hand at the textbook. “Do we read the chapter?” I asked again.

  Xavier shook his head, like he had just heard my words clearly. “Um, yeah. Read the, um, chapter and then, umm, questions on the last page, yeah. Answer them.” He was stuttering over his own words.

  Not paying him attention like I normally would or sending him a seductive smile, I just nodded my head and rolled my selves up and began to read. I was well aware everyone was staring wide-eyed at me, but I ignored them. Just like I was ignoring Xavier’s intense eyes, which were burning into me.

  Flipping the page over, I continued to read. I glanced up at Xavier, “Um, Mr. Clark?” I didn’t really need to ask for his attention. It was clear I had it.

  “Um yep, Chloe?” he cleared his voice, still eyeing me with concern and curiosity.

  “Are these questions related to the upcoming test? Is this revision? Or is just an activity?” I asked softly, my voice clear of any emotions. Chad would be proud of me right now.

  The whole class’s face dropped and stared at me as if I were an alien. I frowned slightly. Was it that hard to believe that I actually paid some attention in class? I used to be a flawless student, after all.

  “Chloe, are you feeling alright?” Olivia asked with real worry as she stared at me.

  Sighing a little, I glanced at Xavier, waiting for his answer. He was gobsmacked. This was drawing more attention than I wanted. If I were still playing games with him to get his attention, this would be a new way to get it. But I wasn’t, so it had to stop.

  I arched an eyebrow at him. He seemed to still be dazed. “I am just asking because I wasn’t sure if I should take notes while I read or not?” I added, trying to snap him out.

  Which didn’t work. What did snap him out was the knocking on the classroom door. In fact, everyone’s eyes snapped to the door as it opened.

  And the principal walked in. Automatically everyone’s eyes snapped back to me, and then darted between us. Sighing, I twirled the pen in my hand.

  “Excuse me, Mr. Clark. I just need to pass something on to Miss Walters.” The principal walked with authority to my desk, placing a letter on top of my open textbook. He shot me a small smile, as if he were proud of me.

  Shifting my weight on my chair, I picked it up and ripped it open. A small smile cracked on my lips. “Thank you.”

  He nodded his head at me before walking away. “Sorry again, Mr. Clark. I didn’t mean to interrupt your class.” The principal turned and looked over the class. “Though it seems Chloe is the only one with her book open.” He gave Xavier a pointed look before placing a hand on the door.

  He turned his head back in my direction before walking out. “Tomorrow morning, Chloe. And we are happy to have you back.”

  I nodded my head and let my eyes drift back to my textbook. Tomorrow morning I would start my fitness training again, so that one day soon I could get back on to the school teams. It was Chad’s idea. He reckons if I throw myself back into school and sports, it will help me deal with the separation from Xavier.

  “It relates to the test, Chloe. Notes are encouraged.” Xavier cleared his voice. “Enough interruptions, class. Get to it.”

  Xavier walked around his desk and sat back in his chair. I nodded my head in his direction. And for the first time in his class I was actually going to do what I was meant to do, school work.

  Chapter 5

  I was sitting on my bedroom floor, with a spoon in my chocolate ice cream, while bawling like a baby to The Notebook. It was just so sad and I wasn’t just referring to Noah’s heartbreak.

  Chad was snoring softly on my bed. He had watched the beginning of it, but fell asleep soon after. I wiped the tears from my cheeks with the back of my sleeve. Maybe I should have put something happier on.

  Stuffing another mouthful of chocolate goodness in my mouth, I thought, this is what my life has come to. Eating ice cream and crying to a blockbuster hit.

  The credits began to roll. I scooped up the remote, turning the TV off, and the room fell into darkness.

  “What, is it over?” Chad’s voice was husky as he sat up on my bed, rubbing the sleep out his eyes.

  I nodded my head. I felt completely and utterly lame.

  “You’re still crying,” Chad pointed out while getting to his feet. “Maybe next time watch a comedy?”

  “What’s the point?” I brushed away a few stray tears. “My life is pathetic.”

  Whack. A pillow went flying into my head. “Stop being depressive, Chloe.”

  “Well, it’s the truth!” I shot back, waving my hands in the air.

  “Would you stop? You’re draining all my happiness away.” Chad shot me an annoyed look. “Cheer up, sunflower.”

  I rolled my eyes. “At least you have happiness to be drained!” I crossed my arms. “And I’m not a sunflower.”

  “You’re right. You’re anything but sunny.” Chad messed up my hair on top of my head “It’s not that bad, you know.”

  “Easy for you to say,” I grunted and let out an annoyed sigh. “My life sucks.”

  Chad shook his head. “Can you ever look on the bright side?”

  “Yeah, there is no bright side.” I stood up and walked to my bed, throwing myself onto it. “Only darkness.” I knew I was being a little dramatic and perhaps over the top.

  I heard Chad chuckle. “Nice to know, Sis. Are you coming down with me for the pack meeting?”

  “Do I look like I want to sit in the same room as him?” I pulled my head from the pillow and sent him a pointed look.

  Chad raised an eyebrow. “Let me rephrase that. You are coming down to the pack meeting with me.”

  “Why?” I stuffed my head back in the pillow. “It’s not like I do anything at them!”

  “Oh come on, Sis. Everyone loves your cups of tea.”

  I shot my head up, giving him a dry expression. “I am sure
someone else can push the button on the coffee machine.”

  “I’m giving you five minutes to pull yourself together and then I’ll drag you down.”

  Groaning and thumping my pillow with my fists, I said, “I hate you right now.” And I somewhat meant it, knowing I was about to spend two or more hours being bored in a large hall, with Xavier close by.

  “Come on, your friends will be there.”

  I grunted into the pillow and rolled over to my back. “They think I’m a freak at the moment. Seriously, they asked what had happened to me. Me doing school work is like a red alert to them or something.”

  Chad shrugged his shoulders. “If they’re your friends, I am sure they will get over it.”

  “They aren’t really friends.”

  “Well, then you’re not missing out on anything.” Chad walked to my door and opened it. “I mean it. Five minutes.”

  Glaring in his direction as he closed the door, I had five minutes to cover my stained red cheeks and bloodshot eyes. Like that was going to happen.

  ***

  Dread welled in my stomach as I walked down the stairs behind Chad, sending daggers into the back of his head.

  My eyes were still bloodshot. My cheeks were slightly paler now, but that only made things worse. Because now my red, tear-stained eyes, stood out more.

  I had just thrown on a sweater and was sloping around in my trackies, not caring about what I was wearing.

  “Hey, Chad,” Dan greeted my brother as we walked into the hall. “Oh, hey, Chloe.” Dan now saw me where I stood out slightly behind Chad’s back.

  “Hi, Dan,” I muttered, letting my eyes float to the ground.

  “Good to see you, Dan.” Chad shook his hand “How you been?”

  “Yeah, good Chad. Yourself?”

  “Yeah, all good. I better get this meeting started. I’ll catch up with you soon.” Chad gestured his hand towards me. “You coming with me or—”

  “I’ll sit with Dan.”

  Chad arched an eyebrow. “Ditching me are you?”

  “Sitting at the back of the hall sounds better than sitting on the stage.” I moved around Dan and took an empty seat next to him. “Go on.” I gestured my hand for Chad to keep going.