Loved By Danger

Chapter 6

    The day went on so slow but Aden looked forward to his third period.  This was the class they shared other than advisory and lunch.  She must've had a lot of advanced courses because he barely saw her until they shared the art elective.  Which was right before lunch.  He found out that she liked to be called Jo when she had corrected the advisory teacher that morning with a look on her face that was very feisty and Aden didn't understand why that made him laugh.  But this was art class and the students were able to pair up with one another.  This was also the period that he and Creed were apart because for his elective he chose drama class.  Aden wasn't really an artist he just liked the idea of not having to do so much and the little he would do would still get him a grade.

    Jo had taken her place in the back today and Aden decided to sit next to her.  He could feel her curious eyes on him as he sat next to the window.  Trying not to look so obvious.  He felt like she got a quick peek of a smile out of the corner of her mouth.  The teacher carried on as the start of the bell rang and she was busy going through slides about contemporary art.  There in her bag, Aden could see a rolled-up parchment.  Aden didn't know what to do only that he really wanted to speak to her.  She didn't speak much around school, so he really didn't know what her voice sounded like.

    Aden looked at her finally and she looked at him, both were wondering what the other one was thinking.  Finally, the lights came back on and the teacher called for everyone's attention, "Okay class we have the honor of having some of our students' art pieces featured in the harvest festival coming up.  If you have any submissions in mind we can all take a vote on it every Friday and if anyone was to purchase the funds would go to the orphanage charity.  Now the piece should be something fresh and something from a strong place within your mind.  It could be an experience or a moment in time."

    Aden watched as Jo raised her hand reluctantly.  Some of the girls in the class whispered to each other as she started to walk to the front of the class with the parchment that was in her bag.  She gave it to the teacher who opened it and her expression said everything.  His art teacher was always one for the dramatics, Aden had always thought she, joined the wrong profession.  But still he reaction was spot on because when she turned the piece to the class Aden was starring at himself but in wolf form.  It was the moment they shared last night under the nighttime sky.  He looked more regal in that painting than he had ever felt in life.  That was some evidence for him that she too got something out of that moment. 

    At the end of class, he walked up to the painting for a closer look.  He could never imagine himself like this in a million years.  He looked like he was at peace and happy.  The moonlight shining down on him glistening on his fur.  This was how she saw him, well how she saw his wolf form.  The artwork looked so real he thought the wolf was going to jump right off the parchment.

    "You like what you see?"  He could hear a low and gentle voice behind him.  It took him off guard a little bit as he turned to stare at Jo's dark brown eyes, "I painted that late last night.  I couldn't really sleep in this town being new and all."

    Aden could feel nervousness well up inside him not sure when he started to get nervous talking to girls.  Normally he would just brush them off because he knew that nothing could come about him dating a human girl.  That was another absolute law of the packs'.  But something about her made him want to stick around a bit longer and continue to talk to her, "You want to walk to lunch together?" he asked her.  She looked surprised by his invitation, "I want to know more about what made you paint that."

    Jo looked at him with a side-eye, his face was more chiseled up close and far more handsome than she had thought.  They walked together to the cafeteria talking about what she felt when she painted the lone wolf, which she named the piece.

    "Where are you from?  I mean we don't get a lot of new kids to this school."

    "I can tell from all of the starring I get.  But my parents move around a lot and they wanted to make a stable home here I guess.  My mother's parents are from here.  I guess they wanted to move back.  I'm not used to being around so many people.  Most of the towns I was in were just that...towns.  Not large cities like this."

    "Well, that's because there aren't that many cities.  Megadonna is by far the largest on this side of the states.  But we still don't get that many new people.  Most of the families that are here have been here from the time before."

    "I see," they both took their seats at the lunch table and they could notice the number of stares they were getting, "Wow, you have some fans I see."  She nodded in the direction of a group of girls that were scowling at her.

    "Fans?  Me?  Nah, I think they're just being noisy."

    "Wow, a handsome guy who doesn't even know their handsome."

    "You think I'm handsome?"  Aden could see a few of her cheeks flush red underneath her peanut butter skin.  She wasn't like most of the girls around there he could tell because she was very upfront with whatever she was thinking.

    "I think you're exceptional looking that's all," she could feel her cheeks getting hot again as he laughed a little bit, "Where is your friend?"

    "Who?" just then he remembered that Creed wasn't with them, "Oh, Creed.  He must be doing some extra work for his drama class.  They have a big production coming up for the harvest festival."

    "I don't think he likes me much."

    "What do you mean?  He doesn't even know you."

    "Yeah but he always gives me this look like I stole something from him.  I never said two words to the guy."

    "He's okay once you get to know him.  He's wary of other people."

    "Like the people in this school?"  Aden starred at the small mole near her lips and her smooth skin.  She smelled like fresh soil almost like she just planted a garden that morning.  He was about to say more to her but his thought process was interrupted when someone else walked up to their table.

    "You were supposed to wait for me," the young man said.  He looked like Jo and then it dawned on him that this was her brother that Neko had told him about.  He was looking at Aden like he was an insect.

    "I told you I wasn't going to wait for you, Derrick.  I can walk on my own thanks."

    "Oh, little sister so nieve.  We're in a new city, who knows what creeps are lurking in the shadows," Aden could tell Derrick's insult was partially directed at him, "I'm Derrick Terrell.  I'm new to this school," he was holding his hand outstretched to Aden but Aden didn't return the gesture.  He was getting bad vibes and his animal instincts were ringing in his ears.  This man had a lot of wolf blood on his hands.  His scent was so strong with it.  It didn't fill Aden with fear but rather an anger.  He flexed his hands because he could feel his joints getting tight like his wolf paws were about to reveal themselves.

    "Not a talker are you, friend," Derrick continued to get Aden's attention, "That's okay I have no problem letting people warm up to me on their own.  I have a feeling we are going to be good friends, I can tell."

    "Derrick you're being annoying."

    "Now that you mention it...this is the guy you painted.  Yeah, I can recognize his face now.  I was wondering if you were a figment of her imagination.  But you're the real deal."

    Jo's anger started to show itself as she pushed her tray off the table, it made a loud clatter on the hard floor, "GO AWAY!  You're such as asshole!"  She stood up and left the two at the table.  Aden wasn't sure what to be surprised at, the painting comment or her anger.  But either way, her brother had come along to stir up some kind of trouble.

    "Little sisters," Derrick shrugged, "You have any?"

    "No," said Aden trying to play it cool, he stood up as he saw Creed finally walking into the cafeteria at the same time the bell rang for the end of the period, "I'm the only child."

    "Lucky," Derrick looked at Creed who was on his way over to them and he gave a smile, "As I said...we are going to be good friends I can tell."  Derrick left Aden standing there as he walked over to a group of girls who were giving him flirtatious looks.  

    Creed had another one of his nervous looks on his face once he reached Aden, "Is everything okay?  I leave you alone for only a class period and you get yourself in trouble."

    "I wasn't in trouble Creed, just getting to know the new kids."

    "Why?  How is getting to know them important right now?"

    Aden remembered how Jo was saying Creed didn't like her.  He wondered why, "Well, to get some info Creed.  Why do the scouts have to do all the work?"

    "I think you're just bored and are finding other things to avoid real responsibility."  Aden just shook his head and kept quiet for the rest of the time Creed wanted to nag him about him talking to the Terrell's.  At the end of the school day, Aden's phone rang and it was his mother telling him he had to come straight home as soon as possible.  She didn't say what happened over the phone but he could hear the urgency in her voice.