My head is almost completely supported by my drowsy arm, and my eyes fight to reopen after every blink. The world shifts in and out of focus as my brain battles for the sleep I'm denying it. I'd love to grant its request, but I have to remain semi-conscious.
A subtle yet unexpected movement on my left jerks me awake. No one has taken that seat in weeks, yet here is my lab partner, smiling as though he hadn't missed a day.
"Good morning!" Seth greets me cheerfully. He is as perky as he would be after a full night's sleep or a large coffee, though I doubt he's had either.
"Hey stranger!" I smile. "What are you doing here?"
"Preparing to enter the fascinating world of chemistry. How about you?" he jokes.
"Same, but without the enthusiasm," I reply stifling a yawn. "Are you back for good? Because you've left me without a lab partner for a while now."
He nods. "Everything's pretty stable over at the Cullens', so Jacob said quote 'get your furry little butt back in class, because if you fail tenth grade you'll lose your status, and I won't let you date my sister'."
I grin. "So you're obviously just in it for your status, right?"
He nods sarcastically. "Yeah, because that's the only thing in my life I care about." He looks at me with those loving eyes that make it hard for me to breathe properly.
Jacob's rebel pack has spent the past few weeks ensuring that the situation at the Cullens' remains unchanging. Because Jake imprinted on Renesmee, Sam refuses to even consider harming her. Despite their now separate packs, they still think of each other as brothers, and Sam would never hurt his brother in such an unforgivable way. To be perfectly honest, I guarantee the only reason Sam didn't kill me that day I threatened him with a crowbar was because of Seth.
Yes, the renegade pack took a vote and decided to remain a pack. Jake made Leah his second, saying he needed a Beta who would be willing to kick his butt; he certainly got his wish. Jacob and Leah have grown to be close friends and comrades. Although they still bicker constantly, there is a more joking edge to their banter. Seth was slightly annoyed at first that he was only Jake's third, but that changed when Quil and Embry joined Jacob's pack. Even though they are older and more experienced, and Jake has known them longer, he ranked them under Seth. Suddenly, Seth was thrilled to be Alpha's Third, or "Gama". He feels he deserves a "cool Greek letter" too. His words, not mine.
Once the pack was set, Jacob talked things over with Sam. The two Alphas agreed that their packs would be able cooperate well, and might even be a practical solution to the record number of werewolves. Okay, maybe that one's a stretch. Still, the peace between the packs has remained for a few weeks, and I'm sure that's why Jake finally feels comfortable sending his Gama back to Chemistry class.
I've spent an unacceptable amount of time away from Seth lately. We have seen each other a few times since almost crashing into that tree (which resulted in the both of us being banned from the Rabbit unless Jacob was also in the car), but it's not the same as seeing him every day.
The bell rings, officially starting first period. Our incredibly animated teacher, Mrs. Garret, enters the room from the chemistry storage closet with a large, empty coffee in hand.
"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen!" she calls gleefully before taking a sip of the fresh coffee waiting on her desk. She scans the crowd of zombie sophomores, and her eyes go wide with excitement upon reaching my table. "Ah! Seth! You're back!"
"Yup. Glad to be back," he says sincerely.
Mrs. Garret presses her hands to her face and flashes a set of puppy dog eyes. "We are so glad to have you back! I pray you're feeling better? Sarah informed us that you were sick?"
Seth nods. "Yeah, I had a pretty bad cause of pneumonia. But I'm fine now."
"Good, good." She puts her hands on her hips and jokingly scolds, "I trust you turned a doctor's note into the office?"
"I did. Signature and all," he promises. I laugh internally while imagining Seth asking for Carlisle to sign off on his "illness".
"Excellent, excellent! I knew that you, being the responsible gentleman you are, would take care of that promptly," she holds her hands up defensively, as though to promise she never doubted him.
Seth grins appreciatively, and Mrs. Garret grants him a nod of approval. "I have the work that you missed, I just need to gather it together- if we could discuss that after class?"
"Sure."
"And please feel free to come to me with any questions. Or you could ask your lovely lab partner, Sarah," she smiles warmly at me. "And perhaps," she holds her hands defensively again, "if you're lucky enough, you'll be able to have conversations not directly related to chemistry." She purses her lips and her eyes glow with the excitement of watching young love. I can't help blushing slightly.
"I'm just assuming that, a young lady as wonderful and beautiful as you," Mrs. Garret says to me, "would naturally attract attention." She furrows her brow and nods. "Maybe he could attract yours. Maybe."
"Maybe if he plays his cards right," I say with a slight glance at Seth.
Mrs. Garret almost loses herself in her excitement, but manages to retain her composure by hiding her face in her hands. She then claps her hands together and smiles softly. "I always love when I see the other kind of chemistry in my students." After a prolonged smile, she nods. "Very good. Now, who can tell me when we use Avogadro's number?"
The door opens and a unfamiliar girl walks in. "Is this Chemistry with Mrs. Garret?" she asks timidly.
"Yes it is! You must be Miranda!" Mrs. Garret says excitedly. The girl nods shyly. "Wonderful! Everyone, this is Miranda. She and her mother recently moved here from the Makaha tribe. I'm sure that you will all get to know each other in good time. Why don't you go sit next to Taylor?"
Miranda, not yet used to Mrs. Garret's pep, seems a little freaked out as she takes her seat at the table to Seth's left. Being the friendly guy he is, Seth offers her an encouraging smile. She returns the gesture, and her eyes continue to wander towards Seth as the class continues.
Meanwhile, the poor Gamma is having a terrible time with the notes. His cheerful demeanor ceases to exist after about ten minutes of hard-core chem notes, none of which he understands. After fifteen minutes, he gives up on trying to comprehend the lesson and instead resorts to blind copying. When the bell finally rings for the start of homeroom, he sits back and covers his face with his arms.
"That was terrible!" he moans to me. "How am I ever going to learn all of this?"
"Don't worry, I'll help you. You're going to be fine, trust me." He peeks one eye out, then offers me a half smile.
"Thanks. And I'll find some way to make it up to you." Seth puts his arms down and winks. "I'm going to talk to Mrs. Garret. Try not to miss me too much."
"I'll try," I say.
Miranda's eyes follow Seth as he heads towards the front of the classroom. "Wow. Where do I get one of those?" She wonders aloud.
Her lab partner, Taylor, answers. "That's Seth Clearwater. He is pretty hot, isn't he?"
"Not even a question," Miranda replies. The lust in her eyes doesn't go as far as to make me jealous, but I am certainly uncomfortable.
Taylor continues to give Miranda information. "Yeah, but he's part of some gang or something? I don't know, he's always been a nice guy as long as I've known him."
"A bad boy. Perfect," Miranda watches Seth like a hunter watches a prancing deer. A prancing baby deer.
Finished talking to Mrs. Garret, Seth walks back to his seat. His face gives no indication of whether or not he overheard Miranda and Taylor's conversation, but I'm sure his werewolf ears picked it up.
Miranda stands up and sits casually on top of our lab table, so it's almost like she's sitting in Seth's lap. "Hey there! Seth, right?"
"Yeah," he nods, slightly uncomfortable at her close proximity.
"Miranda Summers." She extends her hand to shake, and he hesitates for a fraction of a second before taking it. Miranda's hand jerks back at Seth's unnaturally warm touch.
"Sarah Black." I extend my hand, forcing myself into the conversation. She shakes my hand and nods curtly.
"So, Seth, you look like you're good at Chemistry. My old school was a little behind- do you think you could help me catch up?" She smiles innocently and flutters her lashes.
"Um, actually I just recovered from a really bad case of pneumonia. I missed a couple weeks, so I'm about as helpful as that pencil sharpener," he apologizes.
Miranda laughs much, much longer than necessary. She obviously takes Seth's friendly conversation as him being interested in her. Encouraged, she slides closer to him and replaces her innocent expression with one that is much more seductive. "Well, maybe we can get caught up together," she purrs.
Partially to save Seth from this uncomfortable situation, and partially to keep that (insert choice word here) away from my man, I say, "Miranda, I hate to break it to you, but he already has a girlfriend."
Miranda turns and looks at me as though I'm mud on the bottom of her shoe. She then slides on a faux-kind expression and replies, "That's fine. I'm just being friendly!" She smiles sweetly at Seth, who looks both confused and awkward.
"So how long have you been dating her?" Miranda asks Seth. She is leaning away from him slightly, which I know he appreciates.
"Four months," he answers. His eyes glass over and he smiles into the distance, no doubt picturing the day he won me over.
"That's not a very long time to get to know someone," Miranda scowls. "She could be-" she stops herself. "Seth, I know we just met, but can I be honest?"
"Sure?" Seth says slowly.
She puts a hand on his arm, then quickly removes it. "Are you still sick?"
"Um, yeah," he says, covering for his body temperature. "I might still be contagious. Maybe you should back up." Once again, she was a little too close for comfort.
Miranda shrugs. "I'll take my chances. Anyway, I wanted to say, well, you're a really nice guy, and you're attractive. I'm just worried your girlfriend might be using you." While Miranda puts on a decent show of concern, I can easily spot the cracks in her mask and see the ulterior motive underneath.
"I don't think so. I've actually known her since kindergarten," Seth replies defensively. Miranda is lucky that this conversation is happening at this point in his stretch as a werewolf. Four months ago, he would have killed her by now.
"I'm not saying she's a slut, I'm just trying to look out for you. I don't want a sweet guy like you to get hurt." Seth merely nods, using all his effort to maintain his composure. Meanwhile, I am using all my effort to keep from laughing. "What's her name? I know a few people," Miranda offers.
"Sarah Black," Seth responds with an amused half-smile.
Miranda's eyes go wide with shock and embarrassment. Her head snaps towards me and displays a caring face. "That's so great!" she says at about an octave or two above her normal voice. "I'm so happy for you both! And you know I wasn't calling you a slut," she promises.
I pull a Seth and just nod, not trusting myself not to start cracking up. The bell rings, sparing us more awkwardness.
"Well, I'll see you guys later, I guess!" Miranda says with a forced smile. She then grabs her bag, and I watch her exit the room, mumbling to herself.
"What's she saying?" I ask Seth in a whisper of my own.
"She's calling you several names I'd rather not repeat," he grumbles.
I put my hand on his chest and look him in the eye. "Calm down. I could honestly care less."
"Yeah but I care!" Seth says in a voice of barely-controlled calm.
"I guess this means I have nothing to worry about?" I ask, trying to change the subject.
Seth stares at me. "Sarah, even if we weren't dating, I'd ask you to pretend. She scares me." He shudders.
"More or less than my brother?" I ask.
"More. Wait- why?" he asks, raising an eyebrow.
I point at the clock. "Because we're going to be late."
Seth's head snaps towards the clock in time to watch it change to the start of second period. The bell rings, and Seth frowns. "Less than Jake." He groans and sprints for the door.
