"Here we are." We came to a stop after going downstairs and turning right.

He flashed me a smile and then scrunched his eyebrows together. "You don't talk much, do you?" I shrugged and didn't meet his eyes. "I'm Cole." He said, sticking out his hand. I gave him a small smile and shook it. "And you are...?" He pressed.

I closed my folder and he read my name out loud. "Eer-en-A?" Cole asked.

I suppressed a giggle and shook my head, smiling. "Air-en-A?" He tried again. I nodded enthusiastically and he grinned. "Eirenae. Cool name!" He checked his watch and widened his eyes. "Well I better get to class, but you'll meet Jaycee in Homeroom. Beware, though," he chuckled. "She can be a bit much."

He waved before disappearing around the corner and I took a deep breath. I didn't like the sound of this Jaycee girl. A bit much sounded more like too much for me.

I walked a few feet down the hallway until I saw the door to Mrs. Holland's classroom. I went inside to see only three others in the room so far.

I headed to a seat in the back row and plopped down. I put my earbuds back in and pressed play on my music. This time, You Belong With Me came on. I smiled and mouthed along to the words, the make-believe concert forming in my head to tune the rest of the world out:

You're on the phone with your girlfriend,

she's upset

She's going off about something that you said

'Cause she doesn't, get your humor like I do...

I'm in my room it's a typical Tuesday night

I'm listening to the kind of music she

doesn't like

And she'll never, know your story like I do...

But she wears short skirts, I wear t-shirts

She's cheer captain and I'm on the—

A tap on my shoulder made me jump. I stopped my music and took out my earbuds, turning to the right.

A girl with bouncy brown hair sat next to me, smiling so big it almost reached her ears. "I'm Jaycee," she introduced herself. Ah, so this is who Cole told me about. "You must be new, 'cause I don't recognize you, and this town is really small."

I gave her a small smile and pointed to my name at the top of my file. We went through the same thing I did with Cole. Eventually she said my name right and told me she knew we were going to be great friends. I grimaced. I wish I could tell her that can't happen.

"What other classes do you have?" I handed her the file and she looked through it. "Ooh! We have Homeroom, English, and Gym together. The rest you're on your own."

I looked at her, confused. What about Cole?

As if she read my mind she said, "Cole, Dexter, Kota, and Sydney make up the rest of our group of friends. You might have a class with them but even if you do, they're likely not to show up. You'll get to meet them today at lunch, though! Oh, and my little sister Eva. She's a freshman." I didn't answer, wishing I could make friends with them. I really hated Jack when it came to things like this. It also made me really miss my mom.

"So where'd you come from? What's your family like? When did you move here?" Jaycee bombarded me with questions. I sighed, she never stops talking, does she?

I felt bad ignoring her the rest of the period, but I didn't really have any other choice. Finally the bell rang and I shot up and out of my seat like a bullet.

I entered the crowded hall and ignored Jaycee calling after me. Soon enough, I got swept along by the crowd and she couldn't see me anymore.

I found my next class easily enough and slid into a seat just as the bell rang. I pulled out a notebook and listened as the teacher droned on and on about some ancient Egyptian village.

By the time lunch came, I was just ready to go home. I didn't have money for lunch, and obviously couldn't bring my own lunch, so I ended up going outside and sitting against a tree. I pulled out earbuds and a book and tuned out the rest of the world.

Movement close to me caught the corner of my eye and I looked up to see Jaycee crouched down in front of me. "Why are you out here?" She asked, lowering my book.

I shrugged and then widened my eyes when I saw she wasn't alone. Behind her stood Cole, a guy I didn't recognize with dark skin and a kind smile, and two girls.

Jaycee glanced behind her. "Oh, these are my friends I mentioned. There's Sydney," She pointed to the first girl, who's shoulder length blond hair was pulled back halfway with a pretty clip. Sydney gave me a small wave, but didn't smile. It seemed more like she was there because Jaycee made her come. "And Eva, my sister." Now that she pointed it out, the second girl looked very much like Jaycee, just younger and with darker hair and not as much of a tan to her light skin. "And Dexter, and then you know Cole."

I gave them a small wave, cursing myself for interacting so closely with them. If Jack finds out...

"Kota's inside, so you can meet him if you come with us." Jaycee continued.

I shook my head. I appreciated their kindness, but I couldn't go with them. I looked back down to my book.

"Eirenae, please?" Jaycee pleaded. "I can tell you're a sweet girl under that shell, and we want to make you feel as welcome here as possible!"

I swallowed and closed my eyes, leaning against the tree. Why couldn't they just leave me alone? Usually people just ignored me, weirded out by the "mute freak." So why were these guys different?

I heard a snort and opened my eyes. Jaycee stood up and whirled around. Apparently the snort had come from Sydney, because Jaycee got in her face, venom laced in her voice.

"Shut it, Syd! If you don't want to be a nice person, go ahead and leave! I don't care what Kota said, I can do what I want."

Dexter rolled his eyes. "Have fun explaining this then, don't forget he's your Alpha!"

I tilted my head, nervous but intrigued. Alpha? What did that mean? My silent question went unanswered, though, when a new voice joined the conversation.

"He's right, Jaycee. You can't just disobey an order like that. She's a rogue!" There they go again. What are they talking about? Alpha? Rogue?

That wasn't it, though. The newcomer's voice was deep, sending a shiver down my spine. I peered between Jaycee's and Cole's legs to see who it was.

The guy was tall and muscular, but not huge. He had dark brown hair and deep green eyes. Jaycee shifted her feet a little and I caught his eye.

The world stopped, everything disappeared, leaving just me and him. I couldn't hear anymore of their argument, all my focus was on those green eyes.

I was snapped back to earth when the guy let out an inhuman growl, making me jump. His eyes darkened. "Mate!"