Crushing Gravity

Chapter 4

Leah's POV

Before the sun even rises, I know that I'm going to have a bad day. It's just a feeling I get as I climb the stairs exhaustedly to get ready for school.

Sam had me on patrol all night, and I'm just getting in. A headache, which is pretty much impossible for a shifter, throbs in my temple.

As I struggle to pull my shirt over my head, I trip over something, maybe my book bag, and fall into the bed.

Screw it, I'm skipping, I think, and with the shirt still halfway off, I slip into a dead sleep.

I wake up only five hours later, still feeling somewhat exhausted but not so much as fall over and sleep, tired.

I finally slip the shirt the rest of the way off and see that it was, in fact, my book bag that I tripped over earlier.

I thought werewolves were supposed to be graceful, I scoff mentally. Again, I get the feeling it's going to be a bad day, and I'm never wrong with these feelings.

I debate going to school at all today, but mom would be mad, so I do.

It doesn't take any time at all to arrive and it looks like they're just being let out for lunch, which is great because I'm starving. I hadn't had anything to eat since before patrol.

As I reach the normal table, Paul looks up at me and grins this shit-eating smile full of menace.

"There's Wolfy-girl, Sam keep you out all night again so he can bang Emily?"

The table gives a collective sigh.

"Dude," Embry says.

"Common bro."

"Really?"

My shoulders start to quiver, cause I'm really not in the mood for this. I know they all hate me being part of the pack, they hate being in my mind; well guess what? They can deal with it because I have to be in the fucking mind of my ex boyfriend, and listen to his loving thoughts of my cousin.

And I can't even fucking blame him for it because he imprinted.

I slam my hands down hard on the table and lean in close as it quivers under my strength.

"Shut the fuck up Paul. You don't want to pick a fight with me right now because I am not in the mood," I growl.

"Sam wouldn't like that," he taunts.

Sam, Sam, Sam, Sam, I really hate Sam. I hate him so much I can feel it in my bones. But it still hurts so much to see him.

I start to reach blindly for his throat, but a hot hand holds me in place. It's Jared, who is next to his own imprint, Kim.

"Go run it off," he commands, looking seriously at me.

I snarl and shove away from the table, only to hit someone hard and make them fall. Food crashes on top of the girl, and I might feel bad if I weren't so pissed off.

"Shit," I curse, about to snarl at the innocent victim too, just for getting in my way, when she looks up at me with the most stunned expression, like she can't quite believe what happened.

And everything changes.

The anger, the resentment, it all vanishes the moment I look into those impossibly green eyes. I can hear a snip whispered in my ear, like the fates cutting my sting, and I suddenly have a cable tying my life to her. Everything that I thought meant something, is meaningless. All of it.

All that matters is her.

And then she glares so very harshly at me and I realize that we are in the cafeteria and I had just dumped what looks like her entire lunch on her.

"What the hell?!" She says climbing to her feet, and half of it falls to the ground with an audible splat.

"Shit," I say again, leaping at my imprint to help clean her off some. What a wonderful first impression this must be.

"Don't touch me!" She shouts, shoving my hands away. It didn't hurt any, but it still felt like a slap in the face.

"I'm sorry," I stammer, freaking stammer! What do I do?

Get her some napkins! My wolf snarls at me.

I reach quickly over to the table and snatch several from Seth, Paul, and Jacob. They all have stupid incredulous expressions on their faces but I don't have time to deal with them now.

"Here," I say, offering them to the girl who is still flicking what might be soup off her pants.

"Fuck off!" She shoves past me with a glare that has my wolf showing its belly and whimpering on the ground.

I helplessly watch my imprint, whose name I don't even know, walk out the doors, picking cake out of her long raven hair.

"I thought she would have been Paul's imprint," Brady finally snorts after a minute of my staring.

"She's mine!" I snarl, spinning so fast and sudden that the youngest members cower and Jared puffs up protectively in front of Kim.

Even though Paul didn't say anything, I glare so fiercely that Jacob, who is sitting next to him, starts to shift uncomfortably.

He starts to grin slowly, and I know that whatever he is going to say next is going to make me shift on the spot if I don't get out of there.

So I turn on my heel and dart toward the door to go for a run like Jared originally suggested.

She doesn't look like any of the Natives on the reservation, she's kind of pale, so she must be knew. Brady did mention something about getting a foster sister, right? What did he say her name was?

I run faster in frustration.

Why wasn't I paying more attention?!

By the time the last bell rings, I still haven't calmed down any, but I'm not angry at any of the pack.

I'm angry at myself. Why'd I have to knock her down? What was I so angry about in the first place? It's so stupid!

I barge into each of my classes to pick up missed work. By the time I make it to third period Science, I'm slamming doors.

There's a loud thunk! as I throw it open, and a "Fuck!"

I can't believe it. How is this happening? I'm frozen; I don't know what to do.

Apologize!

I'm about to when she stops hopping around in pain to glare at me again.

"What the fuck?!" She's still clutching her head. What if I gave her a concussion?

Oh god, oh god, oh god.

"Go to hell!"

What? Oh, she was talking to Mr. Brunner.

I glance at his stunned face, remember why I was here in the first place, and turn around to race after the girl.

"Hey wait," I call, rushing to catch up. She was already halfway down the hall. "I'm sorry about the cafeteria and door..."

"Whatever," she scoffs, and I finally catch a look at her forehead.

Oh god, it's already bruising!

"Are you okay?" I ask anxiously. "I hit you pretty hard." I must have if it already looks like that.

I know I'm not acting like me. I would feel bad if I hit someone like that, but then I would apologize, roll my eyes for them not being fast enough to get out of the way, and then move on.

"I will be once you leave me the fuck alone." Ouch.

I stop walking. I messed up. I messed up bad.

Isn't the imprint supposed to work both ways? Isn't she supposed to like me too; or be drawn to me? She can't wait to get away from me!

She pauses, tilts her head back, sighs. Then she turns to face me.

"I'm Sam," she offers in a way that seems like an apology.

I start to smile before her words catch up in my brain. Because now I remember what I was so angry about at lunch.

The fates must be laughing at me, and before I can help it, I scowl.

"Of course you are." Really, what are the chances?

Then again, what are the chances that I knock over my imprint and spill lunch on her, and slam a door into her head the only two times we meet?

She raises an eyebrow, and her eyes are so much prettier when she's not glaring at me.

Fuck it, I love her name, I love her eyes, I love the little dusting of freckles on her nose, I love her long hair, I love her... Love her...? Her...?

I just start to realize something very important and it makes me feel so very stupid. I imprinted on a girl. I think she is incredibly pretty. Since when am I gay?

She still has that brow raised in a silent question and, fuck it, I don't care.

"My ex boyfriend's name is Sam," I offer as explanation and start walking again to catch up. She clearly doesn't mean for me to leave her alone anymore. "I'm Leah," I smile at her.

She looks back in front of her unaffected.

"Cool," is all she says.

I search for something to talk about. "So you're living with Brady?" I grimace, realizing that it might be a sensitive topic. What is she still misses the last foster home she was in? What if that's why she seems so angry even when her face is blank?

I really need to cool it; I'm not acting like myself at all.

"For now," is all she says, and I blink.

For now? Does that mean she's just here temporarily? But I just got her; she can't leave. We're supposed to be together. She's supposed to love me too... Right?

"Bye," she says.

Bye? She's leaving already? Right now?

But then I realize she just shoved her backpack into her locker and she's walking off.

Oh...

Man I'm an idiot.

Hehehe. Reviews make me so happy! :3

~Silver~