Chapter one
2154 Words
Clarabell's pov
“Move, dumbass newbie,” said a boy who looked twice my size, no sooner had I stepped into the classroom bubbling with the chatter of students.
“You're the one who's dumb, walking like a pirate who's got a starfish stuck on his butt!” I cursed under my breath, but surprisingly the egotistical jerk heard me.
He stopped walking and when he turned around, I nearly buckled over. He had the prettiest set of blue eyes I had ever seen with a physique that plunged me into countless states of daydreaming, all in one second. But all that admiration sapped away when he began walking towards me and snarled.
“What did you just say?” His eyes had darkened and his voice was low and smooth, almost like a good shot of jack. But if he hadn't been a jerk just now, I'm pretty sure he and I would have worked so well together. we would have been cool at least.
“You heard me,” I smirked, folding my arms across my chest.
In a split second, he was standing in front of me, his eyes darted to the guys who were beside him and although he didn't say a word, I couldn't help but feel like a silent exchange was going on between them.
“What?” I called, snapping my fingers at his face, “you can't talk now, huh?”
He groaned and closed the distance that was between us, “you’re biting more than you can chew newbie, trust me you don't want to get me pissed”
I scoffed, “Oh please, who are you anyway? the principal’s son or the alpha prince of the academy? you wish.”
The whole classroom suddenly went silent and everyone stared at me like I had just committed a grievous offense.
“What? Why is everyone suddenly quiet?” I asked, my eyes widening with curiosity but no one said a word or produced a sound. Instinctively my eyes returned to the jerk and he had a smirk pulling the corner of his lips up.
The guys enclosed around him and his lips started moving but I couldn't make any sense out of what he was saying. Suddenly the guys pulled apart and dashed out of the classrooms, laughing loudly as they sprinted away.
One of the guys pushed past me and if it wasn't for the fact that the principal had made it clear to me that fighting was a literal taboo, coupled with my mom’s stern warning after she dropped me off this morning, he'd have lost a tooth or two.
I let out a sigh, leaving the jerk who was just standing and staring at me like a viking warlord surveying his spoils to one of the empty chairs in the classroom.
I made to sit but almost immediately a hand reached from underneath the chair behind me and pulled away the seat. By the time I realized it was already too late, my butt had already connected with the floor and in a painful way.
“f**k!” I winced and stood abruptly, swerving around to see who had done that.
Not surprisingly, it was a boy.
“And what was that you just did right now?” I drawled, glaring daggers at him. He smirked, stood from his seat and strided towards where the jerk stood.
The jerkass smiled at him and patted his head, like a father did to a son. Disgust churned in my guts, just who did he think he was?! And even if he was someone meaningful, what business did he have with me?
With a curt sigh, I dropped my bag on the table and marched towards him. Just as I opened my mouth to speak, I felt a pouring sensation on my head, dirty water which smelled like it had been fetched from a fish pond and left to marinate for days coursed from my head down to my toes.
My mouth fell open, and that single mistake almost rendered my taste buds useless. the water spilled into my mouth into torrents. I quickly spat out the quantity that I could and began coughing, pounding on my ribcage to let out the remaining that somehow found their way into my throat.
While coughing, I looked up to see the jerkass smirking with his hands tucked into his pocket trousers. His minions had returned and to my dismay each held an empty bucket in their hands. It then dawned on me what had happened.
“Do you have a death wish?” I snarled, in between breaths.
He narrowed his eyes at me, “I did warn you, newbie, didn't I?”
“The name is Clarabell, dickhead!”
He huffed and before I could blink gripped my hair, wrapping it around his nuckles like a freaking boxing glove. pain seared through my scalp, I yelped and tried to break my hair free from his iron grip but that only seemed to intensify the pain.
“Let me go, asshole.” I screamed, raising my legs to strike his torso but his hand reached before my leg could and swung it away.
“Try that again and I'll make sure you limp back to wherever hole you crawled out from.” he warned. but it merely sounded like an empty threat to me. The worst he could do was have his minions fetch more dirty water and pour it on me.
I knew he couldn't see my face but I sent him a glare anyway, “A bluff, that's what you are dickhead! Now let me go!” My scalp still hurt but I wasn't about to give him the privilege of watching me cower. He didn't deserve it.
Without warning he let me go and I fell freely on the floor. Laughter erupted around me and I suddenly wished the ground would open up and swallow me. I was soaked. my scalp hurt and here I was, the center of mockery, all in just an hour.
I didn't wait to hear whatever he or anyone had to say, before storming off in anger.
“Dickhead!” I cursed as I trudged through the crowded hallway that led to the female restroom so I could clean the mess that jerkass had created on my uniform.
As soon as I stepped in, the girls in the restroom started whispering and snorting. Rolling my eyes, I ignored all of them, took off my clothes and began scrubbing the stained clothes. It took me a while but eventually I was done. I dried the wet clothes in the drying machine thereafter, leaning on to the nearest wall I found as I waited for it to dry.
In no time, the clothes were as good as new. My lips stretched into a smile as I wore the uniforms and walked back to class, feeling like one who just won a lottery.
—------
Classes went by quickly and before I knew it, the bell had been rung for the close of the day. I just couldn't wait to return back home. Scratch that. My new home.
My mom and I had moved from our former pack in Southside Chicago to Ravenshadow pack here in North Chicago the previous night. I had objected with solid reasons that every teenage girl would, but what could a daughter say or do to her lovestruck mother who decided to take another shot at love that seemed to be working just fine?
I heaved a tired sigh, flung my backpack over my shoulders and walked to the parking lot to meet my mom whom I thought would be driving me back. Thankfully I hadn't set my eyes on that jerkass after our encounter in the morning and I hoped it stayed the same.
Just as I reached the parking lot, my mom’s call came in. immediately I picked the call and her voice came on. “hey sweetie,”
I glanced around but her car was no way in sight, “what's up mom? your car isn't here.” I said dejectedly.
“Yeah. I won't be coming to pick you up. Ron’s taking me out to lunch and you know how persuasive he can get. plus its our first and official date in his pack so I really can't say no.”
“So what am I supposed to do?” I groaned, “we arrived last night and I have no freaking idea where the new house is.”
“Book an Uber sweetie, Ravenshadow pack is peaceful and they have really sweet people, you'll be fine sweetie.”
“How about when I get to the house? How am I supposed to get in?”
“The gatekeeper’s expecting you already, Clarabell, and the key is inside the flower pot beside the entrance of the house. I'll text you the address right away.”
I rolled my eyes and disconnected the call, suddenly wishing that I was back in my former pack with my friends and no Ron, tugging the sleeves of my mother.
Sighing deeply, I booked the ride with the address she later sent. The ride was a blur, I barely managed to catch a glimpse of the pack’s vicinity, however I was shocked to the bones when the driver pulled over at a white mansion standing so tall, plush and screaming luxury.
“Wow” I gasped. I caught sight of the driver stealing glances at me through the rearview mirror and I seized the opportunity to ask, “Are you sure you're not mistaken, sir? my destination is 13 crescent str–”
“You're at your destination ma'am. Not to worry.” he sounded slightly pissed but then that was his problem not mine.
I thanked him and hopped down the car, striding towards the gate. Immediately the gatekeeper saw me, he yelled out. “you must be clarabell? sir Ron’s step-daughter?”
I forced a smile, “I guess so.”
My steps quickened as I slid past the gate, not willing to engage further in any conversation with him. I reached the door and just as mom had said, there was a flower pot sitting pretty beside the entrance of the door with a key laying on top of the soil.
The door creaked open when I slid the key into the keyhole. I had thought the mansion screamed luxury, but stepping inside and getting my eyes greeted by plush wall decors and a stainless white wall? Hell nah. How did mom manage to pull off someone this wealthy?
I shook my head, my eyes widening in disbelief as I trudged through the corridor, heading straight to the living room. But nothing could have prepared me for the sight that awaited me. The same jerkass who bullied me in school, the bane of my new existence as a matter of fact, was lounging on the couch! watching TV like he owned the place!
Our eyes locked when I turned to meet him and we both screamed at the same time, “you!!”
My anger boiled over and I slammed my backpack on the floor, “did you follow me down here? Wait, are you a stalker?”
“Even if I was, why would I waste my time stalking someone like you? And you had better start explaining how you got into this house, cause I'm pretty sure you and whatever guardian you have can't afford this.”
the nerves he had! the freaking nerves he had berating I and my mom that way! My eyes narrowed as I spat fiercely, “Say that one more time and you'll be kissing your ear goodbye!”
“You heard me, newbie.” he said with a huff.
I kissed my teeth, ready to launch at him but before I could, my mom appeared at the top of the stairs with Ron beside her, beaming with excitement.
“I see you’ve met Ron’s son, Ryan.” mom squealed.
I halted, my eyes widening with disbelief. The jerkass was Ron's son?!
I turned to him and he had a smug grin plastered on his face, one that I so wanted to smack off. But why was mom just telling me about him right now?
“And what has that got to do with me?” I asked mom, darting my eyes away from Ryan, “And aren't you supposed to be having lunch with him?” I glanced at Ron.
She shook her head, “No sweetie. Ron suggested we stay back so we could inform you two properly about the news.”
“What news?” Ryan and I asked at the same time, much to my annoyance.
Mom and Ron's eyes lit up and the next thing I heard was, “We’re getting married!”
- Writer
