Phoenix's Wolf

Chapter 6

“Come on, give it back, Jakon,” Sarah said, impatiently trying to grab the book that he was holding over her head. “It doesn’t belong to you.”

“Why should I give it to you, Sarah? It’s not yours either. I just want to know what thoughts, if any, go through that little know-it-all head of hers. Besides. What are you gonna do? Go cry to the teacher again?” Jakon chided as he stepped just out of Sarah’s reach. Just then, Phoenix reentered the room to gather her things to go to her next class. She had been using the restroom when the bell had rung. She stopped frozen in her tracks when she saw the book that Jakon was holding.

He was holding her diary up just out of Sarah’s reach, and he was trying to read it. Her face flushed bright red as she rushed forward.

“Oooooo, here is a good one. Hey guys, listen to this,” he called over to his buddies who were gathered around the window. “I wonder if he even knows that I am alive. I hope he does, I hope he asks me to the junior prom. I can only imagine the jealousy on the other girls’ faces to see me hanging on James’s arm. He is just so hot,” Jakon finished reading as he looked down at her. “Why would anybody want to go out with a nerdy know it all like you?” With that, he slammed her diary closed and tossed down to the ground in front of her. “Besides, you’re not even pretty. Oh, hey James, I didn’t see you standing there.”

Phoenix felt tears welling up in her eyes from anger and embarrassment as she turned to see James, the boy that her diary entry had been about, standing in the doorway of the classroom. The look on his face told her that he agreed with Jakon. Phoenix swooped down, grabbed her diary and her bookbag and ran from the room before the tears could fall from her eyes. Sarah was close behind her.

“Phoenix, slow down. It’s not that bad. Maybe James didn’t hear what Jakon read,” Sarah said, trying to catch up to her.

“You saw the look on James’s face when he looked at me, Sarah. He heard it. I can never talk to him again, I’m so embarassed. I am going home and never coming back, I won’t be able to look him in the eyes anymore and not see the digust. I hate Jakon, I hate him so much for ruining my life. I wish he had never moved here. This isn’t even the worst thing that he has done. He was adopted by a friend of my parents. They come over to the house all the time, and he does nothing but push the smaller kids around that live near us. He acts like he can never get in trouble for anything. Like he is better than the rest of us, he is so high and mighty. He pushed one of the younger boys, little Tommy, off the top of the monkey bars at the park near my house and he ended up in the hospital for almost a full week because he hit his head on a rock. Jakon doesn’t care about who he hurts. He only cares about himself,” Phoenix was practically sobbing as she pushed her way into the girl’s bathroom.

“He probably only acts like that because he is a kid of the system. He may have gotten away with the things before and doesn’t know how to act in a real home. I am not condoning his actions in anyway, just saying that might be why he acts that way. He is just a big jerk and you shouldn’t let his actions bring you down. Besides, James might be a good piece of eye candy, but he is just as big a jerk as Jakon and you deserve better than that girl,” Sarah said, wrapping her arms around her best friend. Phoenix buried her face in her friend’s shoulder as sobbed.

“Phoenix?”

“Yeah, Sarah?” Phoenix said, letting go of her.

“Phoenix?” Sarah said again, while looking right at her.

“Pheonix? Honey, wake up. It is almost time for school. I am going to take you in this morning,” Casey said, gently rocking her daughter. Phoenix groaned as she opened her eyes and stretched.

“Mom? What time is it?” Phoenix said as she rolled over to look at her clock. It said seven o’clock and she sat bolt upright. “I must have slept through my alarms, ugh.”

“Phoenix, can I talk with you while you get ready?” Casey asked, watching her daughter rushing around her room.

“Yeah, of course, mother,” Phoenix said, kind of taken off guard by the question. Her mother never asked permission. They had never had anything that they couldn’t talk about.

“It’s about Jakon,” Casey started cautiously. Phoenix rolled her eyes.

“What about him? Is he feeling better?” Phoenix asked, trying her best to act kind of non-chalant.

“Yeah, he is. Grant has cleared him to go to school and play in the game today. It seems like the cyanide passed through his system faster than Grant initially thought it would. But that is not the reason for my question. What is going on between the two of you? I noticed that after you left the medical room last night, Jakon started acting like he was upset. Then you have been acting strangely towards him as well since the last shift moon ceremony. But what really stood out to me was the fact that Jakon not only seemed to know that we were at the school, but he also knew those boys where breaking into my car. Did he happen to come across the kids breaking into my car, or did you tell him?” Casey asked, curiously. She watched Phoenix closely as she paused the more her mother talked.

“What do you mean? He told me that he was going to go up to the school to look for Helen. I guess he saw the kids at the same time that I did. I don’t know,” Phoenix said, not looking at her mother. She was looking very intently for a shirt in her closet.

“But, I have looked through his messages on his phone and there are no messages to you about him going to the school. Grant showed me. I have also noticed that since the last shift moon, Jakon has changed the way that he talks to you. There seems to be a very genuine caring look in his eyes when he looks at you. I would even go as far to say love,” Casey said, pressing. When Phoenix didn’t say anything, she continued, “You know, I have seen that look before. In fact, I see it every time that your father looks at me.”

“I think that he is my mate,” Phoenix sighed. It almost sounded like she was defeated in admitting it out loud.

“You think?” Casey asked gently, moving to stand behind Phoenix. She put her hand on her shoulder and gently turned Phoenix to face her. She was surprised to see her crying. She wrapped her in a tight hug. “Phoenix, honey, what’s wrong? What’s going on?”

“I just can’t believe that the Moon Goddess would make someone like Jakon my mate. He is an arrogant jerk. I haven’t liked him since he moved here. He is so mean to the younger cubs and since he got his wolf, he has picked on the newer wolves. Not to mention he humiliated me in front of the boy that I had a major crush on at school. Why would she fate me to someone like that?” Phoenix said, sounding like it was taking every fiber of her being to not start sobbing. Her reaction was not what Casey was expecting.

“He is young, and he was raised to believe that his station made him better than the lesser wolves of the pack. His father, may the Goddess rest his soul, was the same arrogant wolf. But I think, given the chance and the right mate by his side, he can change and be just as magnificent of a wolf as your father is,” Casey said, giving her daughter a very encouraging smile as she released her from the hug.

“Maybe, but why does it have to be me?” Phoenix said, moving to sit down on the edge of her bed. “I mean, I was the one he was being the meanest to up until the last Shift Moon Ceremony, when I got my wolf.”

“See, he is already trying to change, by the sounds of it. It just took him finding his mate. Are you not wanting to even try to accept him?” Casey asked gently, sitting down next to her daughter.

“I don’t know. I mean, before I found out just how much of an arrogant jerk he was, I did find him attractive. But that’s it. He was just eye candy to me,” Phoenix admitted.

“Well, there is no law that you have to accept him right this minute. Why don’t you just watch him and see if he has truly changed. But I think he has already changed more than you think. I mean, he did go looking for Helen. Do you think that is something he would have done before he got his wolf?”

“No, he wouldn’t have. That I am sure of. Maybe you are right. Maybe he has started to change,” Phoenix said, standing and going to her dresser as her mother stood up, smiling, and left the room.

Maybe mom is right. Maybe he can change, as much as I don’t want to admit it. He did step up to protect me in a manner of speaking, Casey thought to herself as she finished getting ready for school.