The Reincarnated (Book 2A of Wolfcreek Series)

Chapter 42

"That is not just me, Cassidy Anne," Charlie warned, and I looked at him and grinned. He scowled, but he was more amused than anything else. "It is something that everyone that knows you says, including your friends."

I busted out laughing and nodded, and my phone vibrated in my pocket. "Speaking of which," I said and took my phone out of my pocket, "I think that it is them." I raised an eyebrow, the urge to answer my phone was strong but the urge to be respectful to them was stronger than that.

Grayson raised an eyebrow while it continued to ring. "Well?" he asked and gave me a look. "Aren't you going to answer it?"

I looked at my phone and hesitated before I looked at them, nervous. "Are... you sure?" I asked softly and hesitantly, and Grayson rolled his eyes and scowled.

"Just do it, Cass," Bryson said when Grayson didn't respond, and I looked at him with wide eyes that were filled with nervousness. He smiled and nodded, and I had a feeling that he understood what was going on through my head. "I am sure that they are getting worried about you because you are taking too long to answer anyway."

I hesitated but nodded before I cleared my throat and looked at my phone. "Ok," I said, my voice barely above a whisper before I answered the phone call.

"Cass!" five voices exclaimed as soon as I answered the call. Worry and fear filled their voices, and I had a feeling that they thought I had been injured or worse, especially since I hadn't answered them quickly like normal. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, I am fine," I said and rubbed my forehead with a sigh. "Did you all need to say it at the same time, though?"

"Yes," Jack said, and I rolled my eyes and scowled at him. He smirked before he grew serious and gave me a glance over to make sure that I was alright. "What took you so long to answer? Normally you take about a second, if that much."

"Well, I didn't want to be rude..." I said, "it's not just Charlie and me today. I have brought some guests with me, even though they invited themselves."

"She's lying," Bryson said, leaning over my shoulder to look at them. "She said if we wanted to join her then we could. I was trying to get her to sit with us." He looked at me and winked, and I rolled my eyes while he smirked. "But she didn't take us up on that offer."

Mack pushed her brother out of the way and shoved her face into the camera. "We?" she inquired and raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by "we?" Did you start making some friends?" She said the last part a pitch higher, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes and scowl at her.

"Hey, attention hog, move out of the way," Jack said, shoving his twin out of the way so that I could see the rest of the gang and my old principal seated at a conference table that I was used to being at myself. "And you ca-"

"Wait, why are you eating lunch with Copo?" I asked, interrupting Jack from arguing with his twin. I grinned, wickedly. "Ooh, did you all get into trouble?" I teased.

"Not this time, Miss Lanchester," Copo said, and the grin instantly turned into a pout. "They don't have the main person that gets them in trouble here." He gave me a pointed look, and I couldn't help but grin, mischievously.

Grayson snorted and looked at Bryson, his eyes gleaming with amusement and mirth. "Maybe we should send you over there," he teased. "I don't know how we'll survive with two trouble makers."

"Technically, Copo does have two trouble makers," I said, "besides me, of course." I looked at my best friends from childhood and grinned. "And they can be quite the handful without me by their side."

The twins shrugged and grinned. "But we don't top you, Cass," they said in unison, and I snorted and nodded because that was the truth.

"Then again, no one does," I replied. I cleared my throat and grew serious. "But why are you all eating with Copo today?"

They looked at each other before they looked at me.

"Well, no one else would let us eat with them," Jack said.

"And we wanted to talk to you and keep you company," Mack added.

"And not freak out because Mr. Brickson wasn't here either," Harry said.

"And because we were kicked out of the library," Kayla said and shrugged. "Mrs. Deston did not want us to be there for the next thirty minutes while we video chatted with you."

"I don't think she likes us," Jack said.

"It's not that she doesn't like you all, Mr. Freeman; it is because she doesn't like you," Copo said and gave him a pointed look.

"Oooh," we jeered while Jack sunk in his seat.

"Ok, but I am not that bad, not as bad as Cass," Jack defended himself and pouted. "Why is it that she likes Cass but doesn't like me?"

"Uhhhh... books?" Mack replied and raised an eyebrow in question. "Why else would she allow Cass to be there and sometimes stay there for hours on end?"

"That and my thirst to seek the truth," I replied, "to see what the writer means behind the words." I shrugged. "And to see the inconsistencies between books that deal with history and wanting to find out the actual truth even if there isn't one to be found."

Jack pouted and folded his arms across his chest. "It is also because you can charm yourself out of anything, Cass," he said, and I laughed and nodded. "I mean, you can give anyone that big eyed stare with eyes filled with innocence and make them love you."

"Some people," I reminded him and gave him a pointed look, and Jack nodded because he knew what I meant.

"Treble," Mack coughed, and I wrinkled my nose in disgust while I pursed my lips. "Treble the terrible."

Grayson looked at me and raised an eyebrow in question. "Who is Treble?" he asked. "Also, who are they?"

I leaned back in my seat and pressed my lips into a thinner line. "Max Treble is someone that I am not fond of at all," I said coldly. "He is not a food person and someone that you want to stay away from."

The other group looked at each other and looked at me.

"How bad is he?" Grayson asked, finally breaking the silence. "I mean, if this is coming from you, then he's pretty bad... right?"

I slowly nodded and looked at Yaz. "No offense and all, but your brother is a dick. What he did today was uncalled for on so many levels, but I'd feel guilty if I say... kill him."

"Hold up," Jack said, interrupting Yaz from talking. He frowned and narrowed his eyes while he studied me. "What happened this morning? Why would you kill them?"

"We'll talk later," I said with a small flick of my wrist, dismissing him. "Anywa-"

Jack looked at Chewie and saw that he looked unfazed about what I had said. "Why weren't you protective of this?" Jack asked, interrupting me. "I thought you'd be all gungho over this."

Chewie didn't respond and looked at Jack. He stayed silent and blinked, looking unfazed, but I could tell that he was a little protective of me.

Jack scoffed and rolled his eyes when he didn't say a word. "Come on; you're suppos-"

"Jackson," I warned, and he took his gaze off of Chewie and looked at me. I frowned and narrowed my eyes, warning him to shut up.

Jack closed his mouth and cleared his throat. He shifted in his seat but didn't say another word.

I rolled my eyes at my best friend and cleared my throat. "Anyway, the reason why I said that is because I wouldn't feel guilty about killing Treble, not one ounce of remorse, especially because of who he is and what he has done. That is how bad he is and why I say that he is not a good person at all."