Pride, Mates, and Past Mistakes

A Lot Can Happen In Five Minutes

*Sierra*

“Oh, my moons, Casey,” I moaned, clinging to her arm. “I can’t do this. I really can’t.”

“Of course you can,” she said matter-of-factly, straightening her neon green elbow sock. “I’m right here.”

I had successfully avoided the majority of the pack at breakfast, ignoring Casey’s nagging (“If you don’t face them now, how will you face them at school?”) and on the ride to school by hitching a ride with Casey. I had even gotten past level three: the parking lot.

But now, we had to brave the hallways of the jungle.

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I knew I was in trouble the minute Drew Lacorn spoke to me in AP Chemistry.

I mean, she’d been my lab partner since the beginning of the school year, but we hadn’t said anything to each other than “Pass the tube” or “Fill the graduated cylinder to 20 milliliters.”

“So, uh,” she began slowly, “There’s a lot of rumors floating around these days.”

Drew Lacorn was known…for knowing. She knew everything, from what pack anyone belonged to to what couple broke up yesterday, and why. I’m guessing this is her latest attempt to remain on top of the gossip chain.

“And there’s this one rumor,” she said, pretending to look nonchalant as she siphoned some drops of HCl into the flask, “That uh, you and um…Cody Rogerson are mates.”

My heart skipped a beat and I froze, my hand still against the titration burette. 

How did they find out?

“Where did you hear that?” I asked, fighting to keep my voice steady.

“I mean,” Drew said quickly, placing the Erlenmeyer flask under the burette with more caution than necessary. “There’s also another rumor that, um…it’s not true.”

My hand relaxed a bit against the burette. My heart began to return to normal pulse rate.

“But,” she said in a smaller voice, “There’s another rumor that, uh, you made it up. To…um…get attention.”

Oh, this was going to be a long day.

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I set my lunch tray down carefully with shaking hands, avoiding Casey's demanding stare across from me.

Oh, and the stares of everyone else in the room.

The whole day, I’d been dodging question after question about my so called ‘fake mate’ story— and found out by eavesdropping on some girls that the rumor mill decided to add me to the DAFA list—the Desperate Attempts for Attention.  As if I didn’t have enough going on in my life.

No one had outright made fun of me (yet) but it was only a matter of time before they believed Deanne and thought I was desperate for attention. Or worse, desperate for Cody’s attention—who I’d found out through my lovely eye opening chat with Drew this morning, was one of the biggest players in my school.

Right next to my brother.

I hadn’t given Drew any information, simply avoided the topic until we left the lab area and returned to our seats.

After this thirty minute torture period, I had one more class, and then I was free.

I could do this. I hadn’t smelled him all day, only small whiffs and traces of scents that sent a pang through my heart, but nothing I couldn’t live without.