The Reincarnated (Book 2A of Wolfcreek Series)

Chapter 14

I bit back a snort and rolled my eyes while I pressed my lips into a thin line. "Very funny, Jack," I said coldly, and he shrugged indifferently. "Why do you say that I will make a pack full of them?"

"Because you might be able to get a pack full of friends," Jack defended himself. He cleared his throat and shifted on the bed while he grew serious. "You don't know that. You've only been at school for a day, and you can't just base that on one day."

"No, but everyone knows everyone here," I said. I moved a hand through my hair and grimaced while I shook my head. "I am the outsider, and almost everyone looks at me with this curious and wary gaze, and I hate it."

They looked at each other before they looked at me. Concern filled their eyes, and I could tell that they were worried for me and my well being.

"Did no one offer you a seat today at lunch?" Ren asked. He pressed his lips into a thin line, and he looked annoyed at everyone that was at the school.

I moved a hand through my hair and sighed before I shook my head, no. "Bryson did," I said and shrugged. "However, due to everything going on, I had to get out of the lunchroom a-."

"And eat lunch with Charlie like usual," Jack said, interrupting me. He shook his head at Ren and tsked, and I rolled my eyes at one of my best friends. "There is no need to go Papa Bear on her if no one offers her a seat, Ren," he said, and Ren turned his gaze to look at him.

Ren stared at Jack with an unblinking stare, and Jack's face slowly fell. He stared and stared at the other male, and Jack slowly grew uncomfortable with his staring that he started to shift from side to side.

"Uh... Cass, can you control him?" Jack asked and looked at me before he looked at Ren again. "He's scaring me."

"He always scares you," I said, and Jack scowled and flipped me off. I smiled and closed my eyes while I leaned closer to Xav. "Be nice, Chewie," I said. "Stop scaring Jack, even though Jack needs to be scared more times these days since I am not there."

"Gee, thanks," Jack said, and I smiled innocently. "But still, I think you should see if Bryson minds going with you to eat with Charlie," he said, changing the subject.

"I might..." I grimaced and opened my eyes to look at my best friends. "But I don't want to take him away from his friends. Ya know?" I shrugged and cleared my throat. "I don't know why my parents decided to up and move me this year and not wait until after Senior year was done. Then I wouldn't have to be the new kid."

The group looked at each other and had another silent conversation before they looked at me. They all had the same grave look on their faces that had me groaning out in annoyance because I did not like them looking at me like that.

"Stop," I groaned and buried myself further into Xav's side. "It makes me think that you all know something that I don't know."

"Well..." Jack began but trailed off when Ren hissed at him. "Stop your hissing," Jack said and looked at Ren. "I wasn't going to say anything."

I rolled my eyes but didn't say a word. I sighed and looked at the time to see that it was time for me to log off because Mom had wanted me home soon. "I got to go," I said solemnly. "Mom wants me home because we're going to have to eat out tonight."

Jack snorted and interrupted Kayla from saying something, and Kayla scowled and glared at him. "Did your dad break the house again?" he asked and raised an eyebrow in question, and I nodded in confirmation. "What did he do this time?"

"He broke a fuse or something," I replied and shrugged while I grimaced. "I don't know because I didn't want to ask. I wanted to just get my stuff and then go."

"Why?" Jack asked, and an amused smile appeared on his face.

"I didn't want Xav to have to wait for too long," I replied. "I didn't know if he would have left if I didn't come back when I said that I would."

Xav nuzzled me before he laid back down again. He wagged his tail a bit, and I had a feeling that was his way of saying that he would have waited until the ends of the earth for me to get back to him.

"I am sure that he would have waited," Kayla said. "At least until it got dark, and he had to get home himself." She finished her makeup and looked at herself in the mirror to make sure that everything looked fine. "And anyway, as I was going to say before, I was rudely interrupted; I do have to get going too." She glared at Jack, and Jack shrugged because she didn't scare him like we did.

I cringed, my heart twisting in guilt because I hated missing stuff, and here I was missing something else because of the distance between us, even though all I wanted to do was support whatever my best friends were doing, even if it meant giving up something myself. "Another pageant?" I asked, and she nodded in confirmation. "I am sorry that I can't be there, Kay."

Kayla brushed off my apology and shrugged. "Hey, I know that it isn't your fault," she said. She cleared her throat and grew serious. "Send us what you are doing, and we'll send you what we are doing. Maybe we can work something out and cheer everyone on like we have done in the past."

I nodded. "I will," I said. "Maybe we can set something up sometime soon where you all can come to spend the night. I really miss you guys."

"We miss you too," they said in unison.

"Call us if you need anything," Ren said, and I nodded. "Even if it is just someone to listen to your worries."

I smiled and nodded, grateful that they were still looking out for me. "I will," I promised. "Thanks, guys."

"Bye," they said, and one by one, they ended the call until I was only staring at myself on a blank computer screen.

I sighed and shook my head before I closed my computer, my heart aching.

Xav whined and nuzzled my face, and it was only that I realized I was crying. Worry filled his eyes, and I could tell that he didn't like seeing me cry.

I shook my head and cleared my throat. "I'll be fine," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. I cleared my throat again and wiped my eyes. "Just give me a minute, Xav, and after that, I'll be fine."

Even though my heart will always be with my friends...