Chương 28: SALAMANDER

Finally! The girls were ready to return to class. We started in the right direction, but then all of them had to stop at the washroom downstairs (since the one on our floor was still under renovation). By now, I had completely run out of patience, so I left Jasmine with them and headed back to class on my own. On my way back, I remembered seeing vending machines near the picnic bench by the woods the other day. It was nearby, and there was still time, so I took a different turn and headed over to check it out.

There was a small clearing on the side where the guys were playing football. The fresh outdoor grassy smells were mashed with mud and food and boys… I realized this must be the "usual place" they tell each other to meet before school/at lunch/after school. Henry and Marcus were finishing their lunch at the picnic bench, but I ignored them to peruse the vending machines. There were four—two for drinks. I put my money in and bought a can of Coke. One was for snacks, although most were sold out.

And one was for hot sandwiches. Jackpot! I carefully studied the menu while I sipped Coke from my can.

"Hey, Sam!" Henry shouted.

"Over here!" Marcus called. I walked over, still drinking my Coke.

"Hey, guys." I didn't waste any time with small talk.

"Is the food from the machines any good?" Henry shrugged. What? Alphas don't eat from vending machines? Marcus wrinkled his nose.

"They're kind of small."

"Oh." That was disappointing. Liam sauntered over, topless. The air was still cool, but Liam's face was flushed from running with the boys. He picked up his shirt from the pile of clothes on the bench. I angled my body to give him privacy so that I could keep drinking my Coke and talking to Henry and Marcus. If you grew up in a werewolf pack, you kind of learn how to give each other space like that. Out in the field, the human boys noticed Liam's disappearance. Troy and a couple of other boys jogged over.

"Hey Liam—the bell's not out yet…" And then they saw me.

"HEY! NO GIRLS ALLOWED!"

"Yeah! This is boys' turf!" Their ire drew the attention of the other boys. They made their way over from the field, presumably to chase me away. Liam stepped in front of me, now fully dressed sans his tie. His blue blazer was still lightly pressed, and his back looked casually immaculate compared to the rumpled, sweaty bunch facing us.

"Is okay," Liam told them.

"But no girls allowed!" Troy whined loudly. I didn't think anything kind of him, so I kept my thoughts to myself.

"I wouldn't say Sam is much of a girl anyway." Henry reasoned with the humans; he sounded way too amused. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"Go jump in the lake, Alpha," I told him. Henry and Marcus burst out laughing like it was the funniest thing. I was done. I walked back to the school, crumpling my empty can by force of habit and shooting it into a passing bin. Stupid boys. But I had a smirk on my face. That was a little bit of fun. As if to ensure my departure, one of the larger boys from my class chased up to me and, shaking and waving wildly from the side, started singing, "Samantha the Salamander! Samantha the Salamander!"

I continued to walk away. I didn't even turn my head. It was just not worth my attention. Boys may be stupid and highly irritating, but at least they aren't boring. Back in the classroom, it was still quiet. Most of the girls from the lunch table weren't back yet. How much time did an average human teenage girl spend in the school's washroom? Maria was in class. So were those two girls. Maria stood up the moment I stepped into the doorway.

I assumed she wanted her walk to Dino's class before the bell rang, but the way she rushed over—just a tad quickly—alerted me. I quickly scanned the empty classroom for danger and frowned when I noticed those two girls. They were bent down, huddled tightly, facing away from me. What was that? I didn't know what to make of it.

"Let's go," Maria told me. I nodded, deciding it was better to forget what I had seen. We walked, arm in arm. Because it was such a long way around the school to "naturally" pass by Dino's class, it felt a bit like a daily quick patrol. I sensed around, enjoying the familiarity of the after-lunch streams of students. Had it only been five days since school started? It felt way longer. We got back at the bell.

By now, most of the girls were in their seats, or in their friends' seats, talking and putting stuff in their bags or taking them out. The guys were all over the place—sitting on tables, swinging their legs, throwing their stuff at one another, and tossing and kicking a football in front of the classroom. Maria slid back into her quiet corner. I returned to my place with my pack. I heard Henry and Marcus arguing in their seats. Henry called our classroom a shithole. Marcus insisted that it was more of a hellhole.

Jasmine was reading a magazine, pretending she didn't hear them. Liam was in front, copying something on the board—no doubt a note or reminder from a teacher. One of the boys tried to wipe off Liam's note, and another jumped in to defend Liam, shoving him off. More boys joined the fray, forming a noisy scuffle in front of the classroom. And then the large boy started to sing loudly and badly.

"Salamander! Salamander!" I didn't quite register it at first—not over the din in our classroom—but after a while, it was hard to ignore, especially since he had made his way to the back where I was, singing right in front of my desk. Jasmine wasn't reading her magazine anymore. The two guys behind me did nothing to hide their amusement. Nothing at all. I felt the heat crawling up my face.

It was generally very embarrassing to have a large, sweaty, messy boy jiggling in front of your desk, singing the word "Salamander" at you repeatedly.

"If you can't pronounce my name, don't say it," I ground out at him. His face flushed a very dark red, his eyes crossed, and he slammed my desk hard. I shot up at once.

"Oh, you so scary when you mad."

"What'd you say?" the boy threatened.

"You are so fierce, I'm scared." I mimicked a fake whimper. The guys behind me were laughing so hard. What was so funny? Marcus had fallen off his chair. I was waiting for the big guy to take the first swing. I wanted him to hit me so I could hit him back. A look of uncertainty flickered on his face, and then he said awkwardly, "You, you don't have to be scared. I won't—I won't hurt you." Now it was my turn to freeze.

"What?"

"I was being sarcastic, you know," I mumbled as the teacher stepped in. He looked at me blankly, and then nodded.

"Yeah, don't worry. I know." Then he thumped his chest with a fist and gave me a look before retreating, lumbering back to his seat. I sank back into my chair. The teacher pointed to the list of names Liam had copied onto the board earlier.

"These students owe homework." I double-checked to make sure my name wasn't on the board. Troy was singing, "Terrence and Samantha sitting in a tree..." He was being too loud, as usual.

"Blam!" The big guy slammed his hand on a desk. It rattled, and he heaved, red in the face. The teacher sent both boys out of the classroom, then glared back at us until the snickering and hooting subsided.

"Take out your textbooks."

"That Terrence," Marcus chuckled from behind me.

"I don't think he understands the meaning of 'sarcastic'."

"I don't think he understands the meaning of any word longer than two syllables," Henry added happily. I tried to sink deeper into my chair. I think it would be better to forget what had just happened.