A New Friend

Vane sighed. 'Another day at high school with the immature hormone-crazed teenagers.' He smiled a little to himself as he pulled his restored 1986 Chevy Camaro into a parking space. The car was black with dark red racing stripes and didn't seem to fit in well with the other student cars in the parking lot. A lot of wealthier kids attended this school so it was mostly newer cars that you saw. He didn't mind attending this school though. The boys here could be good company when they acted more mature and when they didn't he didn't mind being alone. He frowned a little as he thought about how he was going to have to leave and move onto another town in a couple of months. He should have left already but there was just something about this town that he loved.

Bride pulled into the last parking space available. She slung her crappy backpack over her shoulder and locked her old Dodge Neon. She didn't know why she bothered locking it after she looked around and noticed all of the Corvettes, Volvos, Mercedes and every other high priced car you could think of. Nobody would want to steal a car that was in need of a good paint job. At least not in this town. She pulled out a map and started to head towards where she guessed the front office was.

The chubby redhead at the front desk smelled of grandma perfume as Bride approached. The redhead smiled at her. "How can I help you, honey?" Bride smiled good-naturedly. "I'm a new student." "Name?" she asked as she turned to her computer. "Bride McTierney." As the redhead printed her schedule, Bride wondered how often she'd have to repeat her name today. The desk clerk gave her a pass so that her tardy would be excused. Bride hated the idea of being late on her first day. It was embarrassing.

The moment the door opened, Vane's head was filled with the smell of roses and cinnamon. His head snapped up to look at the new comer. He was stunned by what he saw. Long auburn hair, fair skin, definite curves, full lips and bright green eyes. Everything a man could ask for. Everything he could ask for. Her hips swayed in a seductive rhythm as she walked to the desk in front of him and sat down.

The bald headed teacher came over to hand her an English textbook. "Keep this home" he said and then returned to his desk. The classroom went back to their conversations that had been interrupted. Bride was so thankful that he didn't make her introduce herself or anything like that. She hated standing up in front of people and putting herself on the spot. She was pretending to read the cover of her textbook when she heard a deep voice from behind her.

"Don't worry. You won't be needing it. He never assigns anything."

Bride turned in her seat to look at him. She had noticed how incredibly handsome he had looked on her way to her desk. He looked more like a 21 or 22 year old than a senior in high school. He had midnight black hair that was long and thick but cut short. Tanned skin covered a well muscled body and he smelled so good.

"So where are you coming from?" he asked her.

"Florida" She wrinkled up her nose.

"Ugh. I hate it there. It's way too humid for my taste. I'm Vane."

"Bride." Vane. I like it.

"Bride? That's different. So what else do you have on your schedule Bride?" Okay why are you asking her so many questions. You look like an idiot.

"Uhm.. I don't know.." She found it strange that this guy was talking to her right in the middle of class. But then again, everyone else in the room was doing the same thing as if this were normal.

"Can I see?"

She handed her schedule to him.

"Well, this and French are the only classes we have together. That and lunch. But I can tell you that your math teacher is very particular about you showing your work." Why was he talking to this girl? He had to leave soon. What was the point?

Bride smiled at him. "Thanks." She looked back at her schedule and her map as she tried to memorize where everything was.

When the bell rang to dismiss class Vane stood with his practically empty backpack and slung it over his shoulder. "So why did you come to New York if you don't mind me asking?"

Bride put her bag over her shoulder. "My dad took a promotion."

"Oh." He followed her outside to fall into place walking beside her. They were mostly silent as they walked to French together but somehow it wasn't an awkward silence like they had both expected. It was a content and comfortable silence.

As they entered the classroom he said, "You can sit anywhere you want. Just as long as you're here she doesn't care." Vane walked to the back row and sat down. Almost instinctively Bride followed him and sat down beside him. Vane smiled a little as she sat down. She was already becoming his. But then he frowned. You're leaving remember?

Four weeks later, Vane knew he would have a hard time leaving. He felt guilty thinking about the fact that he was her first and so far only friend in a new place and soon he would be abandoning her without any explanation. But he kept his spirits up when he was around her. He had to keep her smiling. She was the type of woman he wanted for a mate. Something he thought he would never find. But she was human. Completely innocent and unaware of the dangers his world was made of and he had no pack to help protect her.

Bride had never been the type of person to have a 'crush' on someone but she had to admit there was just something about him that she kind of liked..or maybe even loved? She got nervous when she was around him. She felt her heart flutter in her chest every time he came into the room and she could swear it stopped completely every time he smiled or grinned. She hoped he wasn't just toying with her emotions. People had done that to her at her old school in Maine. She had always told herself to wait until collage to date so that the guys were at least a little more mature. But if Vane were to ask her out she knew she would say yes in a heartbeat.

God how she wished he was here now. She pushed as hard as she could against the chest of the boy who was now rubbing himself up against her but it didn't do much good since he probably weighed at least twice of what she did. "Get off of me you bastard!" she growled in frustration as she tried to push him away again. She would have kneed him in the groin but he had her pressed so hard against the lockers that she couldn't really move her legs much at all.

Bride's heart skipped a beat when she saw a large hand clamp down on the jerk's shoulder with a death grip. Vane pulled the creep off of Bride as if he were a piece of trash stuck on the bottom of his shoe and pinned him against the lockers on the opposite side of the hallway.

In the wolf world he would have ripped the guy's throat out and howled in victory. He was still considering it. But they were in the human world right now and he needed to make sure his girl was okay. Maybe just one little punch then. He pulled his arm back, ready to strike, when a soft touch on his arm stopped him. He turned his head and looked down at her. "He's not worth you getting in trouble Vane." Vane would have protested if it wasn't for the tender look in her green eyes.

He pulled the kid up off of his feet and growled a low warning to him that only he could hear. "If I ever see you near her again I will rip your throat out."

Then he released him and wrapped an arm around Bride's waist. He led her outside and then stopped. He tilted her chin up to look at him and frowned when he saw tears on her cheeks. Rage and tenderness battled inside of him as he fought to choose which one to succumb to. In the end, tenderness won. He wiped her cheeks clean and kissed her forehead softly.