Jared:

I staggered into the class, unconcerned with my lateness—I had other things to worry about these days. Trying not to be late for school wasn't one of them. Trying not to freakin' explode in school, however… My muscles were still aching and my mind was exhausted. It goes from being blaringly loud to eerily silent in one phasing moment. Hearing and feeling everyone's thoughts one second, then suddenly feeling nothing the next was making me dizzy. On top of that, battling vampires was getting down-right tiring. For a creature that's meant to have super-strength, I was in an awful lot of pain right now. I wondered if I would ever appreciate being a werewolf…

I took my seat and tilted my head back, resting my eyes. It was finally quiet in my mind, and I momentarily revelled in this until I noticed it was also extremely quiet in the classroom. I opened my eyes and looked around. Everyone had their heads down, scribbling away on sheets of paper. I looked down at the desk in front of me: pop quiz. I wanted to roll my eyes. Of all the days to return… I hadn't even brought a pencil.

Not wanting to make a scene and leave to go to my locker, I turned to the person next to me.

She was sketching out a diagram, concentrating hard on her test. I hadn't remembered seeing her before, but from what I could see she was kind of pretty. Really pretty. I peered at the name written at the top of her paper; Kim. Suddenly curious, I sat staring at Kim for another moment until I heard the teacher clear his throat, looking at me expectantly.

Woops. Pencil, right.

I leaned over towards her.

"Can I borrow a pencil?"

I saw her frame stiffen, though she didn't look at me yet. She seemed hesitant, maybe scared to communicate during a test? Maybe just shy? I kept my eyes on her, almost willing her to just acknowledge me already. I didn't recognize her and just wanted a proper glimpse at her face.

Finally, she looked up and I

WHOA.