Suddenly I Knew

Chapter Six.

"I can show you something huge," said a voice behind me. Judging by the looks on Damien and Caleb's faces, I knew I wouldn’t like whoever had made that comment.

I turned around and came face to face with them—my bullies, Brody and Stefanie Shaw. Yes, they’re brother and sister. Brody was in the same classes as Damien and Caleb, while Stefanie was in ours.

"Brother, you wouldn’t want any diseases she has," Stefanie said, her minions laughing hysterically as if it were the funniest thing they’d ever heard. Before I could say anything, Damien, Caleb, and Logan—who I didn’t even know cared about me that much—stood protectively in front of me. That’s when all hell broke loose. The Shaw siblings completely lost it. Stefanie screamed at the top of her lungs, "NO! IT CAN’T BE HER! YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS ABOUT THIS! IT WAS MY PLACE! WHO IS SHE TO TAKE IT FROM ME?"

"It was never your place," Musa interjected, surprising me by taking my side. "You guys only slept together once. You know how it works—he rejected you. It’s not our fault he figured out what a nasty girl you still are."

When she saw my stunned expression, Musa winked at me. Stefanie, however, turned red with rage, which was hilarious—until her eyes shifted from their usual blue to an unnatural red.

"Violette, you need to step back now," Melody said urgently.

"Why? I have literally three guys in front of me, all over six feet tall," I replied.

"Believe me, step back. Now," she growled.

The growl that came out of my mouth startled me as much as everyone else. Around us, the crowd stared at me like I’d grown a second head.

"Well, as interesting as this is, we need to go, Stefanie. We don’t want to break the treaty or risk a war with them. Father would kill us, and you know it," Brody said, looking at me with an odd glint in his eyes. As soon as I noticed him staring at me, a low growl rumbled from behind me. I turned to see Rose, Musa, Logan, Caleb, and Damien glaring at him like they were ready to give him a "free facial renovation." Damien and Caleb moved to either side of me, with Logan and Rose standing to our right and Musa to our left. It was clear the Shaw siblings were heavily outnumbered. Realizing this too, Stefanie backed away slowly until she was beside her brother, never daring to turn her back on us. Once they were out of earshot, we all broke into awkward laughter.

"Well, that’s not something you see every day," Musa said, catching her breath.

"This won’t go unnoticed. You guys do realize that, right?" Logan said, glancing worriedly at me. Damien and Caleb seemed distant like they were communicating silently.

"They’re mind-linking," Melody explained. "It’s something werewolves can do if they’re part of the same pack. And yes, I mean a legit pack." When the brothers snapped out of it, they noticed I still hadn’t eaten. To be fair, my appetite had vanished.

"You have to eat something, even if it’s just a snack," Damien said firmly. He grabbed the tray that Caleb had set on the table to keep the food from spilling.

"What would you like to eat?" Damien asked. What amazed me was that, even while talking to Damien, I could still sense what Caleb was doing—and vice versa. It was kind of funny, considering that last week we barely spoke to each other, let alone had this kind of relationship. The thought made me giggle, catching Caleb and Damien’s attention. They stared at me in amazement.

"I’d like maybe an apple and a bottle of Coke," I said to Damien. When he realized how little I was planning to eat, he frowned and added a bag of chips to the tray.

"Just in case you get hungry later—better safe than sorry," he said in a know-it-all tone. I rolled my eyes but couldn’t help smiling a little. It felt nice to be cared for, a welcome change from constantly making sure I wasn’t a bother. My mom did everything she could to make me happy, but sometimes her efforts meant she wasn’t always home. And sometimes, all I really needed was a mother who was present—someone I could talk to about boys or who would know I’d been bullied for the last five years. Don’t get me wrong, I was grateful for everything she did for me, but it still made me feel lonely. Seeing Damien, Caleb, and the others… were they my friends too? I wasn’t sure yet, but I needed to figure it out for myself. Despite my uncertainty, the thought made me feel hopeful—like there might finally be a place for me. When Damien reached the checkout and paid, I noticed the amount of food on his tray. I felt almost full just looking at it.

“There’s some food on here for Caleb too, so don’t worry about anything going to waste,” Damien explained.

“Is my face that easy to read, or is it just you and your brother?” I asked as we walked back to our friends.

“You’re easier to read for me and my brother than you are for most people—well, except maybe Rose, but that’s because you two are best friends,” Damien explained. His response made me feel a little better. When we got back to the table, he set the tray down and handed some of the food to Caleb.

“Logan and Musa, I have a question for you two,” I said.

“Sure, what is it?” they asked simultaneously, which made them chuckle for a moment.

“Are we friends now? It’s not that I don’t want to be friends—it’s just me making sure for my own sake, so I won’t act awkward around you,” I explained. What most people don’t know about me is that I’m socially awkward and a little autistic. The fact that Rose is my friend is already a big deal for me. “Violette, are you sure you want to tell them?” Rose asked, her face showing worry.

“If this is going the way I think it is, then they have a right to know,” I said to her with a smile. I took a deep breath and looked them all in the eye.

“I’m socially awkward, and I’m autistic. For me to understand things, I need to ask about them. Emotions are still something I don’t understand very well,” I admitted. Caleb and Damien looked a bit confused, which hurt a little. Then again, it shouldn’t matter if I have a mental condition.

“To answer your question: yes, we’re friends. I’d like to believe we are,” Musa said with a smile. Logan glanced at Rose, then back at me. To everyone’s surprise, he got up, walked over to me, and hugged me. The unexpected gesture made me cry and prompted a series of growls from Damien, Caleb, and Rose. When Logan stepped back and saw my tears, he looked confused.

“I don’t get many hugs—only from Rose, and that’s different from a big guy like you,” I said with a chuckle. My comment earned me questioning looks from everyone.

“This is going to be fun, watching you explain this one, Vi,” Rose said with a smirk. Musa got up, walked over to me, and hugged me too.

“Well, since we’re friends now, you’d better get used to the hugs you’re going to get from all of us,” she said with a smile. Before I could respond, the bell rang, signaling that we needed to hurry to our next class. Feeling smug, I realized I didn’t have to explain why I’d never gotten many hugs. But my smugness disappeared when I remembered I had gym class next. I groaned as I got up and walked to the gym. When I arrived, I saw that we’d be playing dodgeball. I quickly changed into my gym clothes and walked back into the gym. As I entered, I felt someone’s eyes on me. The feeling wasn’t pleasant. Looking around to find out who was staring, I was suddenly bumped into—on purpose—making me fall to the ground.

“Excuse you! Didn’t you see I was coming your way?” came the most obnoxious voice ever. The voice belonged to Stefanie.

As if this class couldn’t get any worse, the teacher told us to split into two groups. And, of course, I ended up on the team opposing Stefanie’s.