Christian's P.O.V.-
The consequences for our actions were surprising to say the least. Of course Jack got suspended for bringing contraband items onto school property. But Paul and I shockingly got off with a warning. Principal Grinds, an old tiger, said the horrific sight of real blood made our protective instincts kick in. I don't know if that's true; well, it is for Paul, but I never considered my own protective instincts before. All I knew that I was mad- madder than I'd ever been in my life. And I'm pretty sure I'd deck Jack again the next time I saw him. Twenty punches weren't enough in my opinion.
What was not surprising was that all football games were cancelled for the rest of the semester as punishment for the whole team joining in on the fight. It's probably a good thing, mind you. Lots of us were battered and scraped up. Some even had broken bones. I was covered in scars but aside from that, I was healing quite nicely. All scars had faded after a month or so.
One month…. Has it really been that long? I contemplated that while I sat beside the school's pool, gazing down at my reflection in the water. My fingers flicked it a little. I hadn't realized time was passing so fast. "Heads up!" I peered up to see Jason toss me a bag; he'd gone to get us food from the cafeteria. "Sorry for the wait! There was a line-up," he came over to sit beside me. "No problem. Thanks," I opened the bag to pull out an egg sandwich. I then handed Jason his.
"So, when are you gonna start eating in the cafeteria again, dude? It's been a month; no one cares anymore," Jason took a bite of his sandwich. "Does Paul eat in the cafeteria yet?" I questioned. He swallowed and looked at me with understanding. "Yeah, I get your point. He hasn't gone in either; rumour has it that he eats with a bunch of herbivores in the meadow." "The meadow, huh? Sounds like a nice place to eat," my eyes lowered. Sounds like a bunch of flowers would be there….. Flowers.
"It's so nice not having Jack around anymore. That guy was a douche," Jason chimed. Yeah, mega douche. "Still mad at him?" He gazed at me from the corner of his eye. I kept my eyes down; I really didn't like to think about that night… "I don't know if I'll ever stop being mad…." I uttered honestly. "Yeah, I think the rest of the team is with you on that. But you don't have to worry about it so much anymore. Don't let this ruin your senior year." "It's not… it's just…. I've always tried so, so hard to keep myself in check. I know it's not the norm, but I've never been proud about my strength. What's there to be proud able? I didn't earn it; I was born this way. And on top of that, what's the point of being this strong if I'll never use it? See, that's my problem, but Jack…." My eyes narrowed. "Jack's different than me. He is proud, and he doesn't want to hold himself back. The hard truth of the matter is that carnivores like us are strong for the reason of hunting prey- that's it. That's why I don't want to broadcast my own strength. Jack, on the other hand, seems to not only know this but relish in it. It's pisses me off, the lack of self-awareness he has….. Herbivores aren't dumb, and they can see us…"
A minute of silence passed between us as I had to take a breath. Jason watched me in an awe briefly before glancing downwards along with me. A slow, small grin grew across his pale lips. "You really sympathise with the herbivores, don't you?" "I suppose so…" "Christian, your feelings are your own; you're allowed to feel them. If what Jack did makes you angry, then accept that. But don't be ashamed of who you are. You're a wolf- there's nothing wrong with that either." "I know," I peered up at my best friend with a side grin. Yeah, he's right; I know he is. Still…..
The bell rang and we were on our way back inside to class. Jason strolled along beside me. "To be honest, I thought you've been acting strange lately. And I'm not talking about your issue with Jack." "Oh, really?" My eyebrow raised up. "Yeah; I've been kinda worried." "You were?" This was new to me. "What was the trigger that started this?" "Trigger? Uhhhhhh, I'm… not really sure." "Well, could it be….? Oh, I know! Could it be maybe love?"
This made me foot freeze mid-air. My eyes widened and my mouth dropped open a tad. Love? Why would he bring up love? Obviously Jason knew what this meant, gasping in astonishment. "No, seriously?! Bro, you're in love? With who?! She is a wolf? She is pretty? Does she go to our school?" "Shhhhhh, quiet! No, I'm not in love with anybody," even I'll admit I didn't say that with much confidence. "Uh huh, sure," he smirked, and I winced internally. "You've never even looked at a girl your whole life. You've had your awakening, dude!" "Would you shut up? Come on, we've got to get to class," I began walking again, much faster this time. But you know Jason- he just refused to drop it. Ugh, if he wasn't my best friend from childhood, I'd hate him.
"Who is it? Did you imprint on her?" Imprint? I don't…. think I've ever imprinted before. But then, how would I know? "You have to tell me something, man!" "Fifth period is starting." "That's not what I meant; about her! Tell me something, anything about her! Do I know her?" "Shut it! We're gonna be late!" My feet sped up. "Let's see, there are three female wolves on campus. That narrows it down!" "You sure have- good job," my eyes rolled exasperated. "If it's not a wolf, it is a canine? Come on, throw me a bone man!" Oh, hell no.
Anastasia's P.O.V.-
"One song, I have but one song…" Paul watched on as I picked flowers and sang softly to myself. The meadow was gorgeous out today; the sun felt so good. It's been weird- I ended up not going to that infamous game against the Chargers, and it's a good thing I didn't. Paul refused to tell me why the fight started in the first place but there were rumours that it had something to do with herbivores, whatever that means. Kate, Jose, and I were horrified when we saw the condition Paul was in after the match; he had to go to the hospital ward to get his arm taped up after getting bitten. Yet despite him being the one to get injured, he's been extremely protective over us, particularly me. He was constantly texting me and checking in; he got really antsy whenever a carnivore came around our friend group. I don't know why he's so on edge and what it has to do with that football game, but I decided to humour him. It wasn't hurting me and if it made him feel better…
I paused to look over at him; my arms were full of blossoms. He smiled at me, which I returned. Yeah, I'm ok with this. If Paul suddenly doesn't trust carnivores like he used to, I'm sure he has his reasons. All I have to do is trust him- trust him as my friend.
My dear, over-protective friend.