Chapter 12
Bag Of Bones
~MABELINE~
The school bell rings, and for the first time in years, the sound does not fill me with dread.
It fills me with relief.
Because I survived. An entire first day at Valenridge Academy, and I am still standing. Still breathing. Still in possession of all my limbs and most of my dignity, which is more than I expected when this morning started with a coffee crisis and Rafe calling my living situation a communal dump.
Small victories, Mae. Celebrate the small victories.
I start gathering my things from the desk, stacking textbooks and sliding loose papers into a folder with the careful precision of someone whose bag is held together by safety pins and sheer determination.
The classroom is buzzing with end-of-day energy, students shoving notebooks into expensive backpacks and making plans for the evening in voices loud enough to carry across the entire room.
The scent of the space is overwhelming. A full day of Alphas and Omegas crammed into classrooms has created a perfumed fog that clings to every surface.
Cedar and leather and bergamot from the Alphas, mixed with florals and citrus and honey from the handful of Omegas scattered throughout the student body.
My nose has been working overtime all day, sorting through the cacophony of pheromones, trying to categorize each one and file it away.
Most of them are unremarkable.
A few are actively unpleasant.
And three of them have become annoyingly familiar in the span of twelve hours.
Vanessa rushes past me in a cloud of jasmine perfume so thick it makes my eyes water, heading straight for Rafe's desk like a heat-seeking missile locked onto its target.
Her blonde hair swings behind her in a perfect ponytail, her uniform somehow looking designer despite being the same standard issue we all received.
"Rafe!" She slides into the desk beside his, tilting her head with a practiced sweetness that makes my stomach turn. "Are you going to be on the rink today? I was hoping to watch you guys practice."
Rafe huffs, not even looking up from shoving his single notebook into his bag with the carelessness of someone who has never had to worry about replacing damaged belongings.
"No. We are not training until tomorrow. They are resurfacing the ice today."
Vanessa's pout could win awards for theatrical disappointment.
"Well, do you want to come hang out with us and some of the team then? We are going for milkshakes and burgers at that new joint on Fifth. Kyle said it is really good."
I look away from their conversation, focusing on packing my own things with an intensity that is definitely not jealousy.
Because I have no reason to be jealous. Rafe is not mine.
Rafe is barely civil to me. Rafe thinks my home was a dump and my bag is a disaster and my existence is a temporary inconvenience he has to tolerate for six weeks.
Not jealousy. Just observation. I am observant. That is my thing.
"Mae."
Etienne's voice arrives at my desk along with his scent, evergreens and old books cutting through the classroom fog like a blade through butter. He leans against the desk beside mine, those storm-blue eyes warm and curious.
"How did the first day feel?"
I consider the question, tucking the last of my papers into my folder.
"Weird," I admit. "Being in a classroom again after years of just existing.
Having a schedule. Having teachers who call on you and expect you to know the answer.
" I pause, then allow myself a small smile.
"But I did enjoy some of the classes. Literature was actually fascinating.
And Creative Expression was not as terrifying as I expected. "
"You were the best one in there," Etienne says, his voice carrying that quiet certainty I am learning means he has already decided he is right and will not be moved. "Your essay response was incredible. Professor Marsh could not stop reading it."
He noticed that? He was watching me during class?
Before I can respond, Cal materializes at Etienne's side, his amber eyes bright with the energy of someone who thrives in social environments and finds classrooms mildly entertaining at best.
"So?" He drops into the chair across from my desk, leaning back with his arms crossed. "Is Mae still a nerd?"
I give him my best pouting look, eyebrows drawn together, lower lip jutting out.
He holds up both hands in surrender.
"Not in a teasing way! In a matter-of-fact way. You answered every question in Biology like you wrote the textbook. I just want confirmation."
I smirk, rising from my desk and slinging my sad excuse for a bag over my shoulder.
"Either way is shit, but to answer your question, yeah. I am still a smart-ass. That particular trait did not get lost in the years of poverty and social rejection. Turns out being a nerd is recession-proof."
Cal whistles, low and impressed.
"Damn. MaeBell’s got balls now too."
I smirk wider, tilting my chin up.
"It is a pussy, actually. One that can handle all the bullshit you Alphas put us through on a daily basis. Balls are fragile. Ask Rafe. He knows."
Cal presses his lips together so hard I can see him physically restraining the laugh.
"Hmm." He shakes his head slowly, that amber gaze glinting with amusement and admiration. "This feisty version of you can be dangerous."
I flip him off with a sweet smile, and he barks out a laugh that turns several heads in the classroom.
The moment is interrupted by the sound of the classroom door banging open with the force of a small explosion.
"MABELINE!"
Sage bursts through the doorway like a natural disaster in human form, her short hair spiked in every direction, her tie already loosened to the point of uselessness.
Jace follows behind her, hands tucked casually in his pockets, his expression carrying that perpetual calm amusement that seems to be his default setting.
A guy near the back of the room groans audibly.
"Take your tomboy ass somewhere else, Sage. Some of us are trying to exist in peace."
Sage does not even break stride. She flips him the bird without looking, her middle finger aimed with a precision that speaks to years of practice.
"Go eat grass, Tyler."
She weaves through the desks with Jace trailing behind her until they reach my desk, both of them grinning like they have been waiting all day for this exact reunion.
"First day!" Sage exclaims, grabbing my shoulders and shaking me slightly. "How was it? Did anyone give you trouble? Do I need to fight someone? I am prepared to fight someone. I stretched during gym specifically in case I needed to throw hands after school."
"No one needs to fight anyone," I say, laughing despite myself.
Cal leans forward in his chair, his amber eyes shifting between Sage and Jace with open curiosity.
"You know them?"
"This is Sage and Jace," I say, gesturing between them. "My friends. We met during orientation."
Cal leans over toward Jace, giving him a once-over that would be intimidating if Jace seemed even remotely capable of being intimidated, which he does not.
"And why are you in the dynamic?" Cal asks, his voice carrying the territorial edge of an Alpha assessing potential competition.
Jace laughs, the sound easy and unbothered.
"Aww. Not even a full day and you are fawning over our best friend already? Wild." He shakes his head, still grinning. "She is not that easy, Graham Knox. Trust me. We have been trying."
Cal huffs, his posture stiffening.
"Did I show interest? No. She is our roommate. Or whatever. I am just being protective of the living arrangement."
"Protective," Sage repeats, drawing the word out like taffy. "Sure. We will go with that."
Before Cal can fire back a response, Etienne turns to me with an expression so casual it could only be deliberate.
"So," he says, his storm-blue eyes meeting mine with a warmth that makes my pulse flutter. "What should we do for our first date?"
I shrug, trying to match his nonchalance despite the blush creeping up my neck.
"I have no idea. What is cool around here? I have not exactly had time to explore the local entertainment options between the crying over coffee and the kicking people in the groin."
The reaction is instantaneous.
"WAIT A DAMN MINUTE!"
Cal, Sage, and Jace all say it at the exact same time, with the exact same volume, with the exact same expression of wide-eyed, jaw-dropped horror.
They stare at Etienne and me like we have just announced we are eloping to Vegas and need witnesses.
"Repeat that," Sage demands, pointing between us. "Repeat what I just heard. Right now. Because I SWORE I just heard Etienne Laurent ask Mabeline Mae Rose on a date."
"A date," Cal echoes, his voice climbing an octave. "He asked you on a DATE? When? How? WHY?"
"This morning," Jace supplies helpfully, having apparently pieced together the timeline with remarkable speed. "In the parking lot. I saw them walking in together holding hands."
"YOU WERE HOLDING HANDS?" Sage shrieks.
A voice cuts through the chaos from two rows over.
"He did ask her out, you deaf fools. And us smart people need to study after class, so if you could take this circus elsewhere, that would be appreciated."
I turn to find a guy with wire-rimmed glasses and sandy blond hair pushed back from a sharp, angular face.
He is sitting with perfect posture amidst a fortress of textbooks and color-coded notes, his expression radiating the specific irritation of someone whose study time has been invaded by people with social lives.
Sage groans.
"Archie, do not piss me off. I am having a moment here."
"Your moment is interfering with my GPA."
I look at him with genuine interest, recognizing him from our earlier class. He had answered every hockey-related question the professor threw out with the confidence of someone who grew up breathing the sport.