Chapter 5

Alex opened her locker and retrieved the books she needed. A scoff met her ears and when she turned her head she saw Gigi and her minions snarling at her. She rolled her eyes and returned to her locker; maybe if she ignored them they would go away.

"I see you finally decided to return to school." Gigi started.

Alex slammed her locker shut and turned to face the blonde.

"Did Dean finally realize that you're worthless and break up with you? Were you hiding out for a week?"

"No he didn't." Dean said as he strolled towards the scene. He threw his arm around Alex's shoulder. "I didn't break up with her and I'm not planning on it because she's not worthless. She's beautiful, passionate, caring, funny…the list keeps going."

A small smile found its way to Alex's lips at her boyfriend's words. She was so grateful for him.

"Keep telling yourself that." Gigi raised her eyebrows as she shot the couple a look of disgust.

"Get out of here, Gigi." Dean warned. He watched in amusement as Gigi huffed, spun around and strutted down the hall with her friends behind her. Dean looked at his girlfriend, pushing her dark curls behind her ear. "Are you okay?"

Alex nodded with a deep breath. "Thank you. I…I'm not really in the mood to deal with her."

"You shouldn't have to be." He said. His hand found hers and gave it a gentle squeeze as he gazed into her chocolate eyes. "You're not worthless, you know that right? I meant everything I said."

She blinked back tears. She didn't doubt Dean meant his words, but she felt worthless. She didn't deserve the guy staring at her with love and concern in his eyes.

"Alex…" Her name fell from his lips with worry at her silent response. "You are not worthless."

"Okay." She muttered, but by the crack in her voice Dean knew she wasn't convinced. He made a mental note to bring this up later; he didn't want to dig into this issue deeper two minutes before class started and risk her falling apart. He could tell she was struggling to keep herself together.

"I love you." He said before leaning down and softly kissing her lips.

"I love you too." She whispered as their lips disconnected. "I guess I should get to class."

They said their goodbyes before departing their separate ways. Alex managed to get through the first two periods smoothly. She was grateful that she had art next; the one class that she actually enjoyed. Harper was also in that class which made it all that much easier.

Alex entered the classroom and started for the seat she sat in every class. She stopped in her tracks and inhaled sharply as her eyes landed on the tall, chestnut colored hair male in the seat beside hers. He looked up and locked eyes with hers. A smile spread across his lips, displaying his dimples on his defined face; the dimples she once fell for. Her stomach lurched. She was paralyzed with fear. She blinked her eyes, praying that this was a nightmare. Somehow she knew it wasn't; that he was actually sitting on the stool with his eyes glancing up and down her trembling body.

"Hello Alex." His words fell from his lips so casually. His British accent made her stomach bubble with nausea; it used to make her heart melt.

Her throat felt like it was closing. She tried to move, but her limbs felt as though they were glued to the ground. She was back in that bedroom, pushed onto the bed roughly. His hands wandered her body hungrily, his lips on her neck, nipping at her delicate flesh.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Harpers angry voice brought her back to reality. The red head stormed towards Mason with aggression. Her fists were clenched by her side.

"Hello to you too, Harper." Mason replied with sarcasm. "My family moved back here."

Alex swallowed the bile rising in her throat. Her face had turned a ghostly shade of white. Her hands were clammy, yet her body felt so cold. She jerked away violently as a hand met her shoulder. She whipped her head to find it belonged to Harper.

Harper retracted her hand quickly. "I didn't mean to scare you. Are you okay?"

Alex looked at her friend, but didn't respond. She turned back to Mason, whose dark eyes were ogling her. Something in her snapped and ignited anger. She was angry; angry at what he had done, angry that he had stolen everything from her, angry that he was acting so casual, angry that he made her feel so terrified.

She stormed towards her stool and plopped her bag down. She spun on her heels to face Mason. "You're not sitting there."

"Of course I am." He chuckled, which only infuriated her further.

"No you're not. This is my seat and you are not sitting next to me. So get your pathetic ass up and move someplace else." She spat furiously. Her heart was pounding and her legs were quivering, but she wasn't going display her fear to him.

"Don't be so cold, Alex. We had such a good time before I left." His lips turned up into a twisted smile; his eyes gleaming deviance.

Alex wanted to run out of the room and find a secluded place to curl up in a ball and cry. She refused to give him that power though. She swallowed the lump in her throat and hissed at him bitterly. "You mean when you drugged me?"

"I don't appreciate that accusation. You knew exactly what was going on that night. You wanted it." His smiled grew wider and it sickened Alex.

The façade she was wearing was beginning to deteriorate. The room was spinning. She felt herself losing her balance, but somehow Harper was by her side instantly and supported her.

Harper lowered Alex onto the stool. "Are you okay? Did you eat today?"

"Yes." Alex whispered angrily.

"Enough of this! Take your stuff and move." Harper demanded. She didn't give Mason a chance. Instead she took his books and threw them onto a stool on the other end of the classroom, furthest from Alex.

Mason stood reluctantly, but winked at Alex. "I'll move for now, but you can't stay away from me."

Alex spun herself around so she was facing the front of the room. She couldn't look at him anymore. She placed a hand over her stomach as another wave of nausea hit her. She chewed on her bottom lip as thought after thought raced through her mind. She was trying to fight the images flashing in her mind; Mason's pinning her to the hard bed, his hands gripping her wrists in a bruising hold, his teeth grazing her neck, his hands fumbling with the button on her jeans. Her pulse raced. Her breath shallowed. It was too much. It was all too much.

"Alex!" Harper called for the third time. She could tell Alex was lost in her thoughts and by her reaction she knew they were bad ones.

She whipped her head towards her friend, her shiny curls bouncing with her head. She took deep breaths, feeling her heartbeat gradually slow. She was grateful for Harper's intervention. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. Are you okay?" Harper asked, her eyebrows knitting together.

Alex hated that question. She heard it a thousand times a day. She was far from okay, but she refused to admit it. So instead she ignored it. "Why is he here?"

"I don't know." Harper shrugged with a frown. She couldn't imagine what Alex was thinking and feeling right now. Harper was scared; scared of Mason's intentions and reasons for returning. This must have been terrifying and emotionally exhausting for Alex. "Mr. Laritate is here, maybe you should tell him what's going on."

"No!" Alex shouted louder than she intended. She shook her head and lowered her voice. "I'm not telling anyone about anything that's going on. You, Dean, and my family are the only people who are allowed to know."

"Okay." Harper nodded. Even if she didn't agree with her friend she would do what she wanted. "Do you want me to take a walk with you or get Dean?"

"No, I'm fine." She muttered. She wasn't fine and she wanted to be in Dean's safe arms more than anything, but she refused to leave. She refused to give Mason that power and satisfaction.

Mr. Laritate greeted Mason enthusiastically and welcomed him back to the school. Alex wanted to vomit every time she heard that British accent. She didn't know how she was going to get through this class. She didn't know how she was going to get through the rest of the day or school year with Mason here.

"Miss Russo, welcome back as well. Are you feeling better? I'm glad I got the flu shot. It's apparently going around." Mr. Laritate walked to the front of the room, smiling at Alex as he passed her stool.

"Yes, much better." She forced a smile at her teacher.

She struggled to pay attention to Mr. Laritate's art lecture. When it was time to paint, Alex stared blankly at the canvas in front of her. The assignment was to paint an object displaying the line techniques Mr. Laritate had spent fifteen minutes discussing. Alex was stuck; she couldn't find any inspiration to paint when her mind was racing with terrifying thoughts and uneasiness swam in the pit of her stomach.

"Why don't you paint something that will express your emotions or whatever you're thinking right now?" Harper suggested as she meticulously glided a thick paint brush across her canvas.

Alex nodded at her friend and stood suddenly. She grabbed her materials and dipped her brush into the paint. She spread the pigment across the canvas, pouring her mind onto it. She let herself get lost in her work as her brush stroked the canvas effortlessly. She dropped her brush in the cup of water when she finished and took a step back.

Harper peeled her eyes off her own finished work to look at Alex's. She smiled sadly as her eyes absorbed the tattered and bloody clothing scattered around the canvas. She could only assume it was Alex's tattered and bloody clothing from the night where everything had gone wrong.

Alex turned to bring her cup and brushes to the sink. She stopped in her tracks when her eyes caught Mason's painting; a can of cherry, vanilla Dr. Pepper being poured into a red solo cup. Her body went cold and she was paralyzed in her spot again- he seemed to have that effect on her lately. Her mind flashed back to the night of the party once again; bringing the red cup to her glossed lips and swallowing the cherry, vanilla beverage as she leaned against the wall. It wasn't a coincidence and she knew that. She knew he was messing with her head and he was succeeding. He knew what she was drinking that night, which means he must have been watching her. She had gotten her own drink that night. She grabbed the can from the cooler of drinks and grabbed one of the red cups that was stacked on the nearby table. She snapped the can open and tossed it in the nearby recycling. He must have been watching her closely, so closely that he knew the exact drink she had poured before she tossed the evidence.

The bell rang, startling Alex. The cup of water slipped from her grasp, crashing onto the tiles and splashing its contents. Mr. Laritate babbled about finishing projects at the beginning of next class as students quickly grabbed their items and began to leave the room.

Alex snapped out of her paralysis when she saw Harper spreading paper towels over the puddle. Alex squatted down and grabbed one of the sopping paper towels, bunching it up. "I'm sorry."

"What happened?" Harper asked and she placed another paper towel over the mess.

Alex opened her mouth to reply, but suddenly Mason was standing before her. He winked at the scared brunette. "See you later, Alex."

She watched as he strolled out of the room and she exhaled the breath she had been holding. It was just her and Harper in the room now and she was grateful for that. Her knees gave out from beneath her and she hit the ground gently. She brought her hands up to press her fingers against her temples.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Harper offered, wiping up the last of the spill.

"His painting…it's the exact drink I had that night." Alex shut her eyes tightly to stop the tears from forming. She shot them open several seconds later after images of Mason floated behind her eyelids.

Harper found the painting Alex was referencing. It sickened her that he was doing this to mess with Alex. "Maybe you should report him to the police."

"No!" Alex's shouted as her eyes widened frantically. "I told you nobody is to know about anything!"

"But they can help you." Harper's said cautiously.

"No they can't. It would be my word against his. And what do you think he's going to do when he finds out I reported him? He'll come after me or worse my family and what happens if they go after him? He'll just turn into werewolf." Alex ranted agitatedly. She pinched the bridge of her nose before planting her feet on the floor and standing up.

Harper straightened her legs so she was standing too and tossed the wet paper towels in the garbage. "Is there some kind of wizard council you could report him too?"

"It's still my word against his and he'll still come after me. I'm not reporting him to anyone." She said adamantly. Her heels clicked against the hard floor as she walked back to her stool to gather her belongings.

"Okay." Harper said quietly. She had no other response. She was going to do whatever her friend wanted because she already had too many choices taken from her. "Do you need me to do anything? Hang out in here with you or take you home or get Dean?"

Alex shook her head and quickly wiped at the single tear that escaped her eye. "No, I have to get to my next class. Thank you for everything. You've been great through this all. You're a good friend. I'll see you at lunch, okay?"

"Okay. Text me if you need anything." Harper said as she watched her friend walk out of the classroom.

Alex was relieved when she discovered Mason wasn't in her next class. However, that was all she could think about during the class period. She wanted to know what his intentions were for returning? Was he after her or did his family just coincidentally move back? Something was telling her it wasn't a coincidence.

Alex's heart raced her in her chest as she walked through the halls. Her eyes scanned the hallways carefully for Mason. She managed to make it to her locker and the cafeteria without seeing him.

Alex spotted Harper standing on the lunch line. She walked over to her friend, greeting her as she stood beside her. She didn't see Dean yet and she was not sitting at the table alone. She feared Mason would find her.

"Would you mind holding this for a second? I'm trying to find my wallet." Harper said as she held her tray of food out towards Alex.

Alex nodded and took the tray in her trembling hands. She watched as Harper shifted her bag on her hip and dug through its contents. A large hand met her arm. A startled gasp escaped her lips as her body jolted away from the touch. The tray slipped from her grasp and the tacos and rice tumbled to the ground. The taco shell cracked as it hit the ground shattering upon the meat and mixing with the scattered rice.

"I didn't mean to scare you." Dean looked at his girlfriend with concerned eyes, still shocked at what had just happened.

"Oh my god, Harper. I'm so sorry." Alex cried as she quickly kneeled to the floor to clean up her mess.

"Alex, it's okay. I can just get another one." Harper watched her friend clean up the food frantically. She met Dean's eyes and they silently exchanged concerns for the brunette.

The school janitor arrived with a broom and pan and politely dismissed Alex. She apologized profusely, but he reassured her that it was okay. She then offered to get Harper's lunch and pay for it, but Harper insisted that she didn't need to do that and that Alex needed to sit and calm down.

Dean walked with Alex to their usual table and took a seat beside her. "Is everything okay? You seem…extra jumpy."

Alex's eyes jumped around the cafeteria before settling on Dean. She chewed on her lip. "I…um…. Mason…h-he's back."

"What do you mean he's back?" Dean's jaw tightened.

"He's back here at Tribeca Prep. He claims his family moved back." She fiddled with the ring on her finger.

"Did he come near you? Did he say anything to you?"

Alex hesitated as her eyes casted down to her hands. "He's uh…in my art class."

Dean clenched his fists. He knew she was hiding something. "What happened?"

"He was just messing with my head. He was telling me we had a good time before he left and that I…wanted it. But he painted this picture of a cherry vanilla Dr. Pepper…" Alex's voice trailed off as a shudder ran up her spine.

Dean closed his eyes for a moment. That was Alex's favorite drink and the one she had been drinking at the party. He recalled her getting excited when she spotted the drink in a cooler of assorted drinks. The memory made him realize that he hadn't seen her drink the beverage since that night and he knew why now. "I'm going to kill that son of a bitch."

Harper took a seat across from Alex. She could tell by Dean's words that he found out about Mason's return.

"No you can't go after him. That'll make things worse. And you have to remember that he's a werewolf, he could seriously hurt you." Alex panicked at just the thought of Dean getting hurt.

"Maybe we should…" Dean began, but was interjected by his girlfriend.

"If you're going to say report him or tell Mr. Laritate or someone else the answer is no." Alex said tightly. "I already had this conversation with Harper and I'm not having it again."

"Okay." Dean whispered because he didn't want to push her, especially not in the middle of school. The three were silent for a few moments. Dean noticed Alex's lunch bag had not been opened. "Alex, you have to eat."

"I can't. I'm nauseous." She muttered. It wasn't a lie. She had been nauseous since she saw Mason's smug smirk as he sat on the art stool.

Dean sighed and reached for the brown bag. He pulled out its contents and unwrapped the aluminum foil. He slid the peanut butter and jelly sandwich in front of Alex. "Just eat half."

Alex pressed her lips together. "I'm going to puke if I eat."

"You're going to go back to the hospital if you don't eat." Harper countered.

Alex narrowed her eyes at her friend and opened her mouth to speak. The words escaped when she saw Harper's eyes widened and felt the seat beside her shift. An arm wrapped around her shoulder. Her breath got caught in her throat and her body tensed. She shrugged him off, but he squeezed her shoulder roughly. She winced at his grip. "Get off me."

Dean was on his feet in seconds. He grabbed Mason by the back of his shirt and tore him off the seat. The vein in his neck throbbed. His teeth were clenched tightly. He saw red; utter rage for all the pain and suffering Alex had to deal with because of him. He pulled his arm back before colliding his fist with Mason's face.

Mason was quick to react. His face contorted into fury. His eyes squinted at Dean. They gleamed with hatred. His hands grasped Dean's shoulders. He pushed at him hard. Dean sent a punch to Mason's abdomen.

Alex gasped as she watched the scene unfold before her. She stood on trembling legs, but felt helpless as she watched the two males fight. "Dean stop!"

Her words fell on deaf ears. Her chest tightened. "Dean please stop! It's not worth it."

"Break it up! Break it up!" Mr. Laritate shouted as he pulled Dean back from Mason. "What is going on here?"

"He attacked me out of nowhere!" Mason accused, pointing a finger at Dean. The rest of the cafeteria was silent as everyone watched the scene.

"He…" Dean started, but paused as his eyes looked towards Alex.

"Don't." She choked out. It was taking everything in her to hold her tears back right now. She couldn't cry here, especially with everyone watching.

"He was annoying Alex." Dean said with a hint of defeat in his voice. He wanted to reveal her secret; to let everyone know how awful of a person Mason was, but he would never betray Alex.

"My office now, Mr. Moriarty!" Mr. Laritate shouted. "I'll talk to you later, Mason."

"No, I can't leave her here." Dean nodded towards Alex worriedly. He feared Mason would go after her without him there.

"I believe Miss Russo can survive without you for a few minutes." Mr. Laritate replied bitterly.

Dean looked at Harper and she nodded her head. The two seemed to understand each other without any words often lately. He reluctantly walked out of the cafeteria with the principal. Somehow punching Mason didn't make him feel much better.

"You've got a real winner there, huh Alex?" Mason taunted.

"Go away, Mason!" She barked harshly.

He closed the distance between them so he was looming above her. He leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Is that anyway to speak to the guy you gave your virginity to?"

She felt his hot breath against her neck. Her stomach lurched. Her muscles tensed. She swore she could hear her own heart beating as it raced in her chest like a marathon runner. Harper yelled at Mason, but Alex couldn't make out her words. She couldn't focus on anything except that Mason was too close to her. She hated that he did this to her; that he had this power over her. She gritted her teeth, but refused to meet his eyes. "I didn't give it to you, you stole it."

Alex stormed out of the cafeteria, her heels clicking loudly as she disappeared through the corridor doors. Harper glared furiously at Mason as she gathered Alex's lunch and her own belongings. "Haven't you done enough to her? Can't you just leave her alone?"

Mason opened his mouth, but Harper didn't wait for a response. She followed the tracks of Alex out of the cafeteria. She searched the school for her friend and finally found her sitting in the art room. She opened the door and stepped in quietly. She smiled sadly at Alex who sat on the stool with her feet resting on the bar and her head hung down.

Alex lifted her head as the sound of the door clicking open. She held her breath, but released it in relief when she saw Harper standing before the door. Her eyes moved to the brown paper bag in her left hand. "Are you here to force me to eat?"

Harper followed her eyes to the bag and shook her head. "No. I would like you to eat, but I came to check on you. Make sure that you were okay."

"Nothing is okay." She whispered as her eyes returned to fumbling hands.

Harper frowned and took a seat on the stool beside Alex. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Alex shook her head. She couldn't talk about it. Talking about it would lead to crying and she couldn't do that here. Harper knew Alex was bottling in her feelings, but she didn't want to push her. So she sat there, her presence silently comforting Alex.

Uh oh- drama ensues...Thanks for reading! Review!