J X K

The First Day Back

Jared's POV

"Keep this up, and you're going to have to be held back," Sam's warns. His massive body fills up the entire small kitchen, demanding order from every square inch of the room. "Jared, you can't keep ignoring this. You have to go back to school."

"I don't want to go back!" I roar back, slamming my hands down on the kitchen table too hard, a sickening snap hitting our ears. The table under me splinters, caving into itself then crashing into the title floor into a jagged pile at me feet.

"Jared," Sam forces his voice into a collected tone, but his eyes are still dangerous. Sam's will power is impressive, but with a closer look you can see how much he's struggling to hold himself back."Control yourself."

Finger tips pulsating with rage, my hands curl up into tight fists at my sides. Sucking in a big mouthful of air, I slowly feel my shoulders sink as my mind clears up. I'm still not use to the newly acquired strength. I don't just get pissed off anymore, the wolf gets angry too.

"I'm sorry," I grumble, kicking at the heap of broken wood. "I'll buy you and Emily a new one."

"No, don't worry about it." Sam sighs, looking exhausted as he waves it off. I know Emily sure as hell is going to worry over her kitchen table. Her favorite room in the house is the kitchen. "You did better today. You still get mad, but you always manage to keep yourself together. That's good progress, which is why it's time for you to go back to school."

"I said I don't want to go back." The composure I fought so hard for immediately turns blistering hot, frustration going straight to my head and burning through all my senses. Through all the anger I can barely make out how nervous I am to go back to school. I've changed. The naive human Jared has changed, I'm unrecognizable. How am I suppose to ideally sit at a dinky desk surrounded by all those normal teenagers? How can I pretend to be normal? One look at me now, and it's obvious something is wrong.

"I know you don't." Sam gives a curt nod, crossing his arms over his chest. "But you'll go, Jared." A growl slips through his mouth, a small threat that makes me stand up straight. Sam doesn't leave room for argument, it's an order.

Kim's POV

Jared hasn't been in school in three weeks. In a school this small, the tiny student body has noticed how Jared just stopped coming to school. Rumors have spread, some like Jared runaway, or his parents are home schooling him now, or how's he grounded and can't leave the house. The rumors about a ninth grader who missed five weeks, Paul Lahote, are just as harsh as the ones being said about Jared.

It's hard sitting next to an empty desk, my brown eyes keep drifting to where he use to sit. I even find myself watching the door sometimes as if he's just going to stroll in with a coy smirk, and talk his way out of dentition like whenever he was late to class.

The first day I waited for him to show up. The second day I tried not to notice how he wasn't here. By the end of those three weeks, I missed him a little bit more with each day.

I'm stunned by my own behavior, embarrassed actually. I can't even explain to myself why I miss him so much. Jared and I are not even friends, he wouldn't even call me an acquaintance. He's just a guy from one of my classes, and to him I'm some girl he sits next to in a boring class. More distracted than ever, I'm sure I'm doing worse in history than before when Jared was right over my shoulder.

When—if he does come back, is he just going to keep avoiding me? He hasn't even looked at me since that future Mrs. Cameron incident. I lazily roll my eyes at myself, knowing I'm a complete loser to be so preoccupied by a crush with a guy who doesn't even talk to me. I remind myself to focus on my own life, I should be busy with myself; like how my mom wants to invite my grandma and all my aunts to pick out a prom dress, or how I haven't clean my room in a month, or how my friends have been begging me to see them in the school play, while I'm stressing for a great SATs score.