A/N: So I went through with making the live journal account for the bonus material and whatnot for my stories. Its .com Go and have a look see; after all, I made it for you guys. Anyway, here's the next chapter! R&R. Enjoy!
Chapter Eleven
After seeing the news broadcast, I bolted to my dorm room and nearly ripped my phone and it's charger out of the outlet. Going to my contacts, I found Dave's number and pressed the green phone button, calling him. Justin rushed in behind me and closed the door, locking it. Panting and feeling more than a little sick, I sat down on the bed and waited, getting impatient at just hearing the same damn ringing. Finally, after what seemed like forever, Dave answered his phone. He sounded rough and raw, like he had been crying, which made sense all things considered.
"John?" Over the phone, he sounded like a little boy, frightened and scared and needing a friend.
"Hey Dave. I just…I just heard the news…about Michael…" He sighed heavily, and I know that, if I had been there with him, he'd be nodding.
"Yeah… He went missing last night. I just thought he had gotten in a fight with his parents and drove off. I never thought… God, John, who would do something like that? And to a kid?" I bit my lip, not sure how to answer.
"I don't know, Dave. I honestly don't. How's his family holding up?"
"His mom and dad are messed up beyond belief, and his sisters aren't doing too well either. It was intense when they called me and let me know what was up…"
"How are you holding up?" Dave sighed. I felt for him; I really did. I mean, I know that if anything happened to Dan or any of my other brothers, I'd be a bawling, snotting mess on the floor. Yes, I realize that that isn't the manly thing to do and I don't care.
"He was a close friend… Michael could be an ass, but he was a cool guy. I just hope that they find…well, you know, so his family can bury him, all of him. I don't think they'd find closure if they couldn't do that."
"Yeah, I know. I'm really sorry he's dead, Dave. Is there anything I can do?"
"Can I see you? Sometime soon? I mean, I know you need to live at that school, but can't we just…go somewhere and hang out?"
I sighed inwardly, not really know what to say. The usual expectation for a Selected student when they moved to a Hell High school was that they, for the most part, they leave their old life, their human life, behind them in order to start a new one. And yes, that meant leaving behind friends and family alike. But I wasn't planning on leaving Dan or Matt or my other brothers behind at all; in fact, I know that I'll be missing them like crazy sooner rather than later, but what about Dave? Dave's my oldest and closest friend; the only one I've ever had, actually. Maybe we wouldn't have made up had it not been for my being Selected, but that didn't change my feelings for him.
And then, there was Justin. I've barely known him for a day. When I first met him, he completely and totally freaked me out and even pissed me off, but I was beginning to get comfortable around him. I mean, sure, he said that we were destined to be mates and all, but did that effect what I felt for him? To be honest, I'm not sure. But I am getting comfortable around him and I'm getting to know him and, through him, getting to know other kids here at school. This school was my home now, until I reached Completion or until I died, but either way, it was my home. Knowing that I had one person here with me, who would be helping me through a lot of difficult stuff that came with being Selected, made me feel better about everything that had been going on.
But did that outweigh my feelings for Dave? I don't know, not yet anyway. I felt the bed dip down beside me and I looked over and saw Justin staring at me with sad, soft brown eyes. Even though I didn't really know much about him as a person, and even though things had gotten off on the wrong foot, Justin was my only support here right now, at least until I got used to everything and made stronger connections to other students. Could I just leave him here and go see Dave to comfort him? Things could lead to different outcomes if I did and, honestly, I didn't want to leave. Perhaps it was because I was starting to like Justin; perhaps it was because I just didn't want to leave. Regardless of the reason, I knew my answer and even though it pained me to say it, it had to be said.
"I don't think that's a good idea Dave. I've got a new life here and, although I really like you a lot, I just…don't know." He stayed silent for a few seconds before responding.
"Okay, I understand. We're still friends though, right?" I released the breath I hadn't know I'd been holding.
"Of course we are."
"Then can we still meet up? I need a best friend; I need you, John." I chewed on my lip for a moment, thinking, before I replied.
"I'll see what I can do, because I don't know if I'll be allowed to leave the school grounds or not. But if I can, we'll plan something and meet up, okay?"
"Okay. Thanks John. I miss you."
"I miss you too, Dave. Get some sleep okay? Bye." I ended the call and placed my phone down on my bed. Neither of us said anything for what seemed like a long time. It was more than awkward and I had no idea what to say. Thankfully, Justin spoke up, breaking the silence and the awkwardness that came along with it.
"I'm sorry that that kid died…" I nodded and sighed heavily, scooting up so that I was leaning against my headboard.
"Thanks. Dave said his family's taking it really hard. And I don't think he's doing all that well either. Michael and him were on the football team for years and they were close." He nodded and looked at me.
"Are you okay?" His question surprised me. I mean, sure, I knew Michael from school, but we were definitely not friends.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just kind of…disgusted. I mean, who would do that to a teenager?" He grabbed my wrist and pulled me into an abrupt hug, nuzzling my neck and rubbing my back. I laughed softly once before I hugged him back. Although I hadn't known him for a while, I did know that Justin was a touchy-feely kind of guy, and I was okay with that. His body heat poured into me, warming me up and making me feel a bit more stable and relaxed, more so than I had been all day. Hell, the hug just felt right; being in his arms just felt right. Eventually, he pulled away and gave me a small smile, looking over at the alarm clock.
"It's almost five thirty. Dinner's at six." I nodded and stood up, picking up my phone.
"I think I'm going to go outside and walk around before dinner. I kind of need some fresh air." Justin nodded and stood up, following me out of our dorm room.
"Did you want me to come with you? Keep you company?"
"Nah, I'll be fine. Just save me a seat at dinner, okay?" He nodded and we walked down the hall and entered the common area. Sitting on one of the couches was Heath and Zeke, who waved us over.
"Justin, John! Wanna take a seat over here?" We walked over to them and Justin sat down.
"I'm going on a walk. I'll see you guys a dinner, okay?" Without even bothering to stay for their comments, I walked out of the dorm and took the same path that I had walked the night before when I went outside and unexpectedly met Dave.
Once I was outside, I kept to the sidewalk and followed it as it eventually curved around the corner. Ahead of me was what appeared to be the main entrance of the school. There were cars parked in the spaces provided, and on the empty spaces were the words staff parking painted on in white paint. The brick wall ended and large iron gates stood directly in front of the main lobby of the school. As I looked around, I realized just how large the school actually was. Beyond the iron gate were numerous trees and other plants and I wondered if the portion of forest where the school was now standing had to be cleared by man or was already a clearing. Suddenly, I felt claustrophobic. I didn't like feeling so caged in and, without even really thinking, I stepped off of the sidewalk and stalked towards the gates with a determined spring in my step.
Odds are they were locked, but for some reason, I wanted to go out and walk around the woods. Not far from the school of course, but outside of its walls, just to get rid of this closed-in feeling that was raging inside of me. Taking a deep breath, I reached out and pushed on one of the gates and, miraculously, it opened enough for me to slip through and venture out. Smiling, I slid through sideways and closed the gate behind me. Before me was the rest of the world, sitting stationary, all at my disposal. Feeling a little bit relieved and not as crowded as I had been feeling, I turned left and followed the wall, enjoying the woods around me. Inhaling the scent of trees and earth, I walked slowly along the wall. The sun was starting to set and the light was beginning to dim, but I didn't feel anxious or scared.
When I would go and hang out with Dan, we'd go to our mountain and talk or we'd go walking around the woods at his place. But this wasn't Dan's place, and although I felt comfortable walking out here, I kept to the wall. After walking for about ten minutes, I turned around and started back. The sky above continued getting darker and the creatures of the night were beginning to stir, awakening and calling out to tell the world that they were active yet again. From not too far from me, a few twigs and sticks snapped, and leaves rustled. It didn't bother me until I felt it again; eyes watching me, like yesterday at Dan's. Only when I looked around, I didn't see anything or anyone; I just felt, and at that moment in time I was feeling watched. Growling under my breath, irritated and annoyed, I practically stomped back towards the gate. After the past twenty-four hours of hell, I so did not need someone gawking at me like a weirdo. I had just decided to let hell loose if anyone approached me when I heard it. Or rather, when I didn't hear it.
Before, the woods were alive with the wind and the nocturnal animals just starting to wake up. But now, I heard none of that. In fact, I heard nothing at all, which was what startled me. I mean, I had been starting to get annoyed, but when I stopped walking and just listened, it hit me like a bus. There was no breeze. No animal sounds or calls. Everything was dead silent. Frowning, I started walking again, picking up my pace, when I heard a twig snap. My skin began to crawl. Something was stalking me, following me, watching my every move. As I moved, whatever it was was following along with me, and from not too far from me I could have sworn I saw something move within the shadows of the trees. Fuck this shit; I took off for the gates, running as fast as I could, not looking back and not caring if I was being chased or not. Thankfully, I wasn't too far from the gates.
I arrived at them within a few minutes and I yanked on them, pulling one of them open far enough for me to squeeze through. Once I was instead the school grounds, I closed the gates and started walking at a fast pace back the way I came. When I was on the sidewalk, I stopped and tried to calm myself down. This was ridiculous. Here I was, a newly Selected werewolf teen, and I was acting like a scaredy-cat. For the love of God, I was a man. Well, as much of a man as I could be at this point in time, all things considered. Glaring at nothing, biting my lip, I puffed up my chest and turned around to look back at the gates, planning on yelling in a completely child-like manner (because I'm a man and that's what we do when we're scared), and I came face to face with Mr. McMahon. Practically blowing air in his face, since I wasn't able to yell my totally manly banter of stupidity, my face turned red and I backed away, shocked and surprised to find him standing there, considering that I hadn't even heard him approaching.
"Mr. McMahon! I-I didn't know you were there. Sorry, I was just…uh..."
"Out for a stroll?" He finished for me. Feeling like a stupid moron, I nodded and closed my mouth.
"Yeah. That." He nodded and smiled.
"It's a good time of night for a walk, but considering the recent death of that teenage human, it'd be best for you to not walk alone. There's a murder out there and who knows what else that could be prowling these woods. Besides, it's dinner time and you need to eat something. Can't have too many of you kids dying on my, can I?" Patting my arm, he smiled and walked away, towards the main school lobby.
Nodding at myself, I continued walking until I got to the doors that led to the auditorium lobby and the cafeteria. Before I went inside, I thought about what Mr. McMahon said. What did he mean when he said that he couldn't have too many of us kids dying on him? I shook my head and opened the doors, getting inside and heading towards the cafeteria that was already full of teenagers eating and chatting their night away. I was stressed and shook up and I wasn't thinking clearly. Mr. McMahon was Provost of the school; I had nothing to be concerned about. At least, that's what I told myself. My gut was telling me something completely different though.
