We headed back into the building together. It was the first time I was walking through the hallway with my school pack.
It was funny how we intuitively fell back into our positions. Henry walked in front, Marcus and I slightly behind him. Liam, Jasmine, and Pearl were in the rear.
Walking together like this made me think of the cliché scenes where the popular kids strutted down the school hallways while the other kids gaped from their lockers.
Was this what Pearl meant by being the populars? But that was beside the point.
My point was that I realized I didn't hate walking behind Henry.
The realization caught me by surprise. I had to do a double take at our walking positions. It wasn't that I think I would enjoy walking behind him all the time. But right now, it wasn't a bad place to be.
Jasmine and Pearl stopped at the washroom.
The guys hung back along the hallway to wait for them. Naturally, they had to do this as if it were some kind of necessary inconvenience a gentleman must bear. I would have told them it wasn't necessary, but whatever.
"I'm going to "disappear" for a bit," I told them, borrowing Marcus's word. I waved in departure.
The guys just waved back and settled against the wall to talk about whatever guys talk about when they are left to themselves.
I used to think this was mostly complaining and football, but now I saw it could also be plans to secure our little pack's future in high school.
I guess being alpha wasn't just about asserting my alpha wolf, joking around, or beating up whoever threatened my pack. I was kind of glad Henry was around to make plans that took care of everyone.
I was also really ticked that I hadn't thought of any of this myself. Epic fail on my part.
I found Maria at the library, and we took the long way back to class, slowing down at Dino's class as we did at the end of lunch every day.
When we got back to class, the other wolves were all back. I sat in my new seat next to Maria. I was still beating myself up internally for being an imbecile.
Pearl turned to smile at me. I smiled back.
"I don't like her," Maria told me again.
"Be nice. She just had a rough time," I told Maria.
"You are too kind for your own good," Maria said.
I raised my brow at her. "So I should stop walking with you to visit Dino?"
Maria pouted but kept quiet.
Pearl tossed a folded note onto my table and threw me a wide smile.
Jasmine looked sheepish from next to her. She had a purple pen in her hand, and looked a little embarrassed.
I opened the note to see what was up.
In blue pen, Pearl had written: "Choose one: Henry, Marcus, Liam."
I saw a purple heart around Liam's name. Lol. I guess that was Jasmine's heart.
I looked up at Jasmine, who ducked her reddened face. I don't think she had expected Pearl to show the note to me. Why was she showing me this note?
"You're supposed to circle one," Maria told me.
Was she reading my mind or just my note?
{I'm reading Pearl's.} Maria clarified.
{Stop it.} I shot back at Maria. I was distracted by the note in my hand and didn't notice she was speaking directly in my head.
{I'm not doing anything bad.} Maria demurred.
{Yeah right.} Because I was still distracted.
I wrote in the note, "None of the above."
Maria shook her head. {That wasn't an option, Alpha.}
{Get out of my head.} I warned.
She withdrew.
I returned the note to Pearl.
Pearl read it. Jasmine read it. Then Pearl wrote in it and tossed it back to me.
I was starting to tire of this game.
"Who else is there?" the note demanded in blue caps.
I crumpled the note and tossed it back at her. I was annoyed now.
I would have shrugged off the note as another girl talk thing that I never understood anyway. But then Pearl passed the note over to Henry and Marcus.
What kind of girl talk got passed on to boys?
I saw Jasmine panic.
Oh right, wouldn't her heart on Liam's name be exposed?
Henry looked confused at the crumpled ball of paper.
"Read it," Pearl mouthed at him with another wide smile. WTH? Why?
{I told you so.} Maria had a cold, small smile on her face.
I stood up before Henry could uncrumple the note and snatched it out of his large hands. Not knowing how to dispose of it, I handed it to Jasmine.
It was her secret after all.
She quickly pocketed it and ducked her head down to check under her desk and arrange her books there.
Henry blinked at his large empty hand.
I growled a low warning at him to shut up.
He smirked and let it go.
I returned to my seat, refusing to look in Pearl's direction.
{You're too nice.} Maria thought to me.
{There's no such thing as too nice.} I thought back at her. I double-checked to make sure the rest of my mind was securely blocked.
I guess this was the closest thing to a mind link I could make with Maria. With practice, I was getting adept at controlling my mental access permissions.
Today was like a really intensive mental training program.