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I pushed my thoughts away as I entered the classroom, needing my focus for the final I planned to ace.
***
My stomach grumbled as I hurried toward the lunchroom. The final in my last class had been more difficult than I’d thought and made me late for lunch as I’d spent extra time double checking my answers. The halls were empty for once since everyone was already in the cafeteria.
I slowed at the sound of voices, my head tilting at the familiar tones, as I came to a stop at the corner.
“Hey,” Leah said, “I’m surprised you’re not already in the cafeteria. Shouldn’t you be at the cool kid’s table?” She teased, her voice happier than it had been in a while I was startled to realize.
“Yeah, I’m supposed to be there,” Caleb answered, his voice lower than normal.
“You don’t sound too enthusiastic,” Leah noted and I peeked around the corner. She stood by her locker, head tilted up as Caleb propped himself against an adjoining locker.
He gave her a tight grin, more pained than happy, and I eased back around the corner, deciding not to interrupt them by walking by. “I’m not sure I belong there,” he admitted, startling me.
She glanced at him in surprise. “What do you mean? Aren’t you leader of the pack?” She zipped up her bag but when he didn’t speak, she paused. “You belong there,” she told him confidently, brushing her hand against his arm. He glanced down at where her hand rested lightly on his forearm, rotating his wrist so the palm of his hand touched her skin.
“You’re the first person to reach out to touch me since I killed him,” he admitted, staring down at their hands resting against one another. “It feels like that decision separated me from them.”
“It was the only decision you could have made,” Leah murmured, pressing the tips of her fingers into his skin. “They know that.”
“Knowing and feeling are two different things.” He glanced at her, a shaky breath escaping him. “Going in there…I don’t know what to do,” he confessed. “I’m not their friend anymore. I’m their Alpha.”
“You sit with them,” she said, her eyes pained as she studied him. “Until it feels normal again.”
Caleb’s head bumped against the locker but he kept their hands connected. “My father always sat at the head of the table.” He shook his head. “I never thought twice about it.” Leah waited patiently for him to continue as I rested my head against the wall, my heart breaking. “Now, I’m supposed to sit at the head of the table. His spot. His place. And I’m supposed to be the man he was.”
“Caleb, no one expects you to be your father,” Leah responded and he gave her a doubtful look. “They don’t,” she insisted. “They expect you to be Alpha, to lead them, to protect them, but you can choose how you do it. You don’t have to sit at the head of the table, Caleb. You can sit next to them.” She squeezed his arm, her hand slipping away and he let her, straightening up as she stepped back. “You’re one of them, you know that, right?”
He smiled bitterly as he corrected her. “I’m not one of them, Leah, I’m all of them.” A mask came over his face then as he nodded to her. “I also owe you a thank you for saving my life.” He ignored the shake of her head, his smile brittle as he said, “Thank you,” before striding away. Her worried gaze followed him down the hall, and she bit her lip when he walked straight past the cafeteria doors.
The clang of her locker door shutting startled me and I watched as she shrugged her backpack over her shoulders and headed to the cafeteria. I let out a sigh, not sure who I felt worse for as I followed them down the hall.
Chapter Twenty
The intercom buzzed as I reviewed my notes during sixth period. The substitute who’d replaced Ms. Nichols wasn’t coming back next semester and she’d allowed us to treat the class as a study hall when finals started.
“Jess Carter to the office.”
A few oohs erupted and Anna gave me a worried glance. I shrugged, not sure why I was going to the office this time, but also equally positive I would fight kicking and screaming if someone tried to kidnap me again. I shoved my notebook into my backpack and lifted it to my shoulder, deciding to take it with me. Class was almost over anyway.
When I entered the office, there was no one behind the counter. I shifted awkwardly, my stance growing wary as I glanced around the empty area.
“Jess, thank you for coming,” Principal Davis said, exiting his office as he smiled at me. The smile was fake, not reaching his eyes and I knew whatever he was about to say wasn’t good news.
