LOVE PULLED A FAST ONE ON US

In this way, laughing and messing around, we got through our rehearsals.

Henry didn't want to admit it, but he was obviously nervous about the Talent Time. We were already rocking it, but he made us practice the same song over and over again. By the time lunch rolled around, I had performed the same song in six different versions. My favorite was the "angry at everybody" version. Henry just said he was glad we got that version out of the way.

"If you have any more crap versions, please get it out of your system, Sam." He ordered.

So maybe it was my fault that Henry felt like we had to practice so much.

Of course, I had to do a LuvMuunMuun version next. It wasn't so much that it was in my system. In fact, I didn't plan it. LuvMuunMuun was really EJ's doing.

All I did was start the next run in the cutest singing voice I could make. I discovered today that if I sang from higher up in my throat (if that makes any sense), I would be able to make this super cute cartoon girl voice. It was everything I could do for the chance to watch Henry's face crumple in consternation. I'm sure he would have thrown his bass, except he needed it for the Talent Time later. And also because he was THE ROCK who had to keep playing and I was the Drip who had to keep irritating him. Hahaha.

The moment I started in an upbeat cutesy voice, EJ's brown eyes (I could confirm his correct eye color now), lit up and his beatboxing took a new spin. We went into what I could only describe as a super happy techno dance track kind of thing. And just before the chorus hit, EJ called out, "Dance like me, Pretty Alpha."

So just as I had imitated Ben on stage the other time, I stepped in line with EJ so that we were next to each other and I mimicked him step for step. EJ pulled off some kind of cute skip and spin and peace sign thing. I laughed and followed. "Nanananana..." we sang. By the end of the chorus Fluffy gave up the violin and joined us. We shook and skipped and shimmied in a row. Fluffy and EJ were very good at girly dance moves.

"Now pose!" EJ was really in his element. He threw some ridiculously cute heart pose and shouted out at an imaginary audience, "Love love moon! Love moon moon!"

THAT was the point when I realized we were doing something muunie.

But it was fun to prance and dance and have Henry's low irate growl play through the song. Maybe he thought he had really better let me get this one out of my system. He didn't have to worry. I wouldn't do this in front of the whole school even if he begged me! It would shred my imaginary street cred.

After practicing everything but how the song was actually supposed to go, we ate lunch. By now, Henry had figured out he wasn't going to get anything more from us.

"There's such a thing as over-practicing." Fluffy informed Henry sagely.

Henry only grunted-growled back.

We ate in the music studio because none of us were wearing our school uniform. I guess we changed our clothes too early. Hahaha. Over-enthusiastic noob mistake.

Henry had made Liam and Jasmine fetch lunch over from the cafeteria. Seeing the two of them walk over together side by side with paper takeaway boxes stacked in their hands like that made me forget they weren't dating anymore.

I'm not sure why, but I felt a little sad about it. It's not like they were soulmates or anything, but Jasmine had liked Liam since Middle School. She had chosen Winderhill just to attend the same school as Liam, and worked hard to become cute and get into the cheerleading team.

But now, Liam thinks she's too good for him. Why?!?!

Because Jasmine had found things she liked to do for herself - like write our latest hit production, Horneo and Bulliet? Or because she started studying in earnest because she wanted to try for college? How could any of that be wrong? It felt very unfair.

I thought they'd stay together forever... Or at least till we graduated. Then again, I thought we'd all graduate together too.

I guess love and life were unpredictable like that.

Unless it was Bell or whoever was their actual soulmate. A soulmate was 100%!

Wait, no... Soulmates could die. Or you might not meet yours. Or you might meet yours in a fight cage... okay, this was an example specific to Ki, but you know what I meant. You never know even with soulmates.

I felt a little sad when I thought about it that way. How nothing in life was guaranteed, but it didn't get me too down because I had always been a "the glass is half full" kind of wolf.

If nothing in life was guaranteed, then the bad things too wouldn't be here to stay. In that same logic, then if love could be lost, love could also be found.

And there was a lot of hope for my new wolves.

Even without a soulmate connection - hahaha, I might be stoned alive for saying this, BUT maybe, just maybe, the love Janice had for Marcus, or Liam and Jasmine shared... Maybe they were just as real as the love between soulmates. It certainly looked like breaking up hurt them too.

Maybe love was something separate from a soulmate connection. The humans certainly seemed to fall in love quite successfully without it.

"Sam! What the hell. Why does she always zone out like that?" Henry sounded pretty cheesed.

"Mou, it's because of Alpha thoughts, of course!" EJ piped up.

Henry growled.

"Pretty Alpha, what are you thinking?" Fluffy tilted his head in front of my face. I pushed it away. Personal space, Fluffy!

"Have any of you guys ever fallen in love?" I wondered aloud.

"Ah, yes. A very alpha thought." Marcus chuffed.

Henry smirked, "None of your business."

"I fall in love and break my heart all the time." EJ boasted.

"Is Pretty Alpha in love?" Fluffy asked, his beautiful smile widening.

I shook my head and then nodded, "No, I mean yes. I mean with Bell. Cos he's my soulmate."

"How boring" Fluffy sighed.

Wth. I shall just ignore him.

"So have you guys fallen in love before?" I asked.

"None of your business." Henry was being surprisingly prickly about it. I decided to ignore him too.

"I did." Marcus gave Janice a pointed look, "But we all know how that turned out."

And then Janice, the tragic heroine who had been silently poking at her food all through lunch burst into tears and ran out of the music studio.

"What?" Marcus asked when I glared at me.

"She's the one who broke up with ME." Marcus felt he had to qualify.

"To go out with Ivan!" He continued when I didn't stop glaring.

He looked to Henry, "Right?"

"No!" Why was Marcus being so dumb? "She obviously still loves you! You need to go after her!"

I mean that's what happens on TV right?

"Right." Marcus nodded and put down his food, "I'm going."

Marcus got up from our lunch circle and headed out.

"You should've just left it, Sam." Henry said.

"But..." I protested.

"If they make up, Leia's going to lose her date for tonight." Henry pointed out.

Dope! GAH! I was an idiot! Leia's going to be crushed!

In trying to fix Janice's broken heart, I inadvertently caused Leia's heartbreak.

"I'm such an idiot!" I said for the umpteenth time while waiting for Marcus and Janice to come back.

"Not at all, Pretty Alpha." Fluffy smiled, "Now Marcus would have the opportunity to date both girls at the same time."

"It doesn't work that way!" I flared. One of the clips in my hair snapped.

EJ shot up to retrieve the broken pieces. Fluffy was immediately behind me with his comb whipped out to do damage control.

"Anyway, Marcus isn't that kind of guy." I muttered to myself.

Marcus came back alone.

"Where's Janice?" I asked.

"I...ah, maybe she went to the washroom." Marcus said.

Oh. Okay. Yeah. Human girls liked to go to the washroom after lunch.

"I talked to Janice." Marcus continued seriously, "She understands now. It's over."

"Wait, what?" I flared again. Fluffy's hand immediately caught the back of my head. If my hair was in blade form, his hand would have been in pieces.

"You didn't make up with Janice?" Fluffy asked with his usual smile, his hand still on my head. I shook it off.

Marcus shook his head too, "No. I've thought about it since yesterday. I was crushed, of course, but I realized Jan and I are very different people. She would never understand my work, or my life in my pack. We aren't really on the same wavelength..."

"I broke up with her properly." Marcus reported gravely, "She's a really nice girl, but I need to move on."

Wait...what? How, what, why...did it become like this?

"How could you!" Henry smacked the back of Marcus' head.

I couldn't stop the look of surprise on my face. I totally wouldn't have put Henry as pro-Janice.

"If she doesn't show up for the Talent Time, it's on you Marc." Henry growled.

Oh, right.

That would be bad.

"You could've at least waited till after the show, you know." Henry grumbled.

"Timing is of utmost importance in the game of love." Fluffy quipped.

I wished Henry would smack him too, but Henry only sighed and ran his hand over his face (again.)

He had been doing that a lot today, but right now, there was a slight difference, "What the hell, Marc."

So it wasn't me.

I guess love just pulled a fast one on us.