Twenty Nine.

Dylan

Everything had started out fine this morning and I even got to walk to school with Cruz. He happened to show up outside my house right when I was leaving. 

Supposedly it was due to the fact that he had just gotten off of some kind of patrol training, but regardless the reason, I didn't mind the company. 

For the past few weeks there hasn't been a day where at least one of the Silveras haven't been with me. It was an odd feeling to have people around who seemed to genuinely care for me. 

Soaking it all in was therapeutic and I even imagined all these new memories hopefully replacing some of the ones I wish so desperately to erase.

Everyday with all of them was beginning to slowly fill up the emptiness that existed in me little by little. Even the interactions I've had with others besides those three have even seemed so much nicer. 

I was starting to feel like maybe, just maybe, these people were starting to see me as something other than just the daughter of some lowly traitors hardly worth remembering.

One particular person had really thrown me for a loop, especially since after the night he had shown up with the others I haven't seen or heard any sign of him even at school. 

I wanted to ask Cruz about it since he seemed closest to him, but I didn't want him to get the wrong idea. So, I tamped down the lid on my curiosity. Being alone with him now made that extra hard.

That night had started off a little awkwardly because it seemed that even though he was there, Eren looked as if he wished to be anywhere else. 

Unsure how I was supposed to act, I was at a loss as well since our previous interactions had either been him bullying me, him seeing Rae, or him being with Alpha Rogan.

I wanted to ask him why he had helped me that night, but I honestly didnt know how to approach him. The fact that he seemed so uncomfortable that night didnt help with my confusion either.

Lecia and I had stayed up one night after that on the phone talking about that entire nights events. She decided that we needed to dissect the whole evening and provide additional commentary on certain areas.

Besides the in-depth recap she also felt that I needed Eren's back story and the origin story of how he became friends with her brothers.

Learning that he had lost both of his parents softened my heart a bit, but it hadn't made me forgive all the things he'd done to me.

As I walked in pleasant silence with Cruz, those were just some of the things going through my mind. I guess I had been really distracted because I hadn't heard him talking until he reached out and tapped my arm.

"Earth to Dylan, are you okay," he asked sweetly with so much concern in both his voice and his eyes that I couldn't help but feel a bit bad for ignoring him.

"Yeah, yes. I mean, I'm sorry," I stumbled on the words, "I didn't mean to ignore you, I was just a little lost in thought."

Honestly I wasn't really used to walking around with anyone so I only ever talked with Rae or to myself if I was being honest.

The smile that played across his softly tanned face made him look so, well, handsome that I had to take a small step back. It didn't matter that he was younger than me, he was at least half a foot taller than me.

Maybe it was my reaction, but I could have sworn that the broad smile that spread across his lips had a hint of something other than just kindness behind it.

"Don't apologize," he said as he moved his hand around smoothly and hooked our arms together, "when you're a twin you forget how to be around regular people who don't speak your language."

Regular people? 

Speak your language?

What did he mean by that?

Rae laughed in my head and said, "he jests little one. Twins are special. They are blessed with a soul who matches their's in every way, shape, and form. They are blessed by the Gods."

Wow, I had no idea that twins were just, wow. I looked at our linked arms and then up at his face and even though he didn't look at me, he smiled and said, "did your wolf tell you about twins?"

Shock ran through me and I stopped walking immediately.

Had he heard us? 

No, there's no way. I couldn't figure it out and I'm sure I looked as confused as I felt, but thank goodness he had pity on me.

Laughing, he squeezed my arm a little and rubbed his other hand across my hand, "don't worry, I didn't hear you. I had a feeling you were linking with your wolf and that she was explaining the stories of twins to you."

This has probably been the most exciting walk to school I've ever taken and I was so glad that he decided to walk with me.

Squeezing his hand back the way he had done mine, I smiled at him and said, "you and Nico need to show me your twin tricks next time."

The laugh he let out was so thick and warm and genuine that I couldn't help but laugh myself. Even Rae seemed to be laughing with us.

Our walk seemed to come to an end too soon because the second that we turned down the street the school was on I heard people whispering and murmuring.

Whatever joy had filled me was slowly seeping away as those old feelings began to penetrate the little bubble we were in. I tried to pull my arm out of his but he clasped me even tighter.

"F*ck them," he said loudly, "don't let any of these a**holes make you feel bad about being here Dylan. Jealousy looks ugly in any form."

He was right. Even though I didn't feel like being strong, I knew better than to show weakness to any one here.

Gripping his arm just as hard as he gripped mine, I smiled as we walked into the school yard and before I knew it, Lecia was running over towards us.

"Cruz, why are you man handling my friend," she chirped as she got closer to us and tried to pull me away from him. 

"Did you do anything else to her," she asked him while looking at me.

Before I could tell her that nothing happened and that he was just walking me to school, she continued to get after him.

"Is this why you took that patrol this morning, so that you could make your move on my bestie?"

Cruz was slowly removing his arm from mine, and when I looked at him, I saw that his cheeks were pinker than they had been on the walk over.

"Lecia, don't be mean, he went out of his way to walk me here and I think it was really sweet of him," I said as she has finally pulled us apart, "it's one of the best walks I've been on."

She had replaced his arm with hers and was pulling me into the building when she huffed, "don't say things like that, you're going to give him a bigger head than he already has."

Lecia and I had one morning class together and then we went our separate ways until lunch.

It was funny how much better I had been doing in my classes now that I was, well, happier. Hell, even the food in the school cafeteria seemed to taste better with my up beat demeanor.

Walking down the halls was easier and I dreaded it far less than when I was constantly bullied, but I should have expected something to happen today.

As I walked into the cafeteria, I walked past a table full of Eren's friends, and to my surprise, he was sitting in the middle of the group.

When I walked past, we locked eyes for a moment, and I wasn't a hundred percent sure what it was, but something looked wrong with him. The coloring of his skin and the circles under his eyes made him look sick or maybe hurt.

But as quickly as he had looked at me, he looked away and whispered something to the girl to his right.

I wasn't sure what he said, but she laughed loudly and looked right at me with a sneer on her face and she leaned in to say something to the rest of their group.

Wanting to get away from them before something happened, I quickened my pace, but apparently I wasn't fast enough.

Before I knew it, something wet and mushy hit me in the back of the head. Whatever it was felt slimy and warm as it slipped down my hair and fell both on my back and the floor behind me.

The laughter that erupted from the whole cafeteria was deafening and I didn't know what I should do. I knew someone from Eren's little group had been behind this, but I didn't have it in me to turn and face them.

Rae was livid, "do not let them bring you down little one, keep your head up and keep walking."

Easier said than done. I didn't even want to look down to see what they had thrown at me, but when I looked around at the table next to me, I saw that there was some kind of pasta on the plates around me.

Gods, had they actually thrown a plate of spaghetti at me?

Standing there, I looked around to see if Lecia was here. I saw her on the opposite side of the room walking into the back doors.

The moment we locked eyes I saw the hurt, rage, and fear play across her face. She started to rush towards me and her lips were moving like she was trying to say something, but the noise in the cafeteria was too loud to make it out.

I started to walk towards her when someone pulled my arm and twisted me to the side. Whoever it was didn't even give me a moment before they smacked me in the face with another plate of food.

This time it went everywhere, including all over my face. I could barely see, but I heard her words carefully.

"Oops, my bad. I thought they said to throw it at the trash. Don't be mad, at least it matches your hair," the voice laughed much too loudly.

If I thought it was loud before, I was mistaken. The cafeteria was so loud, I could barely hear Rae inside my own head.

"Stay calm precious girl, don't lose yourself."

Easier said than done. My emotions and thoughts were all over the place and I had no idea what to do. 

This was the first time that anyone had done something on this scale or in front of so many people.

Lecia finally reached me, and she was simultaneously wiping my face as she whispered in my ear, "it's okay Dylan, I'm here, I've got you."

I knew this wasn't okay, but I did feel a bit better from her embrace. I felt her leading me slowly towards the door as we both continued to wipe away the pasta and sauce from my face and hair.

Voices I knew rose above the rest and we had cleared enough of the mess from blocking my vision to see around me now.

Nico was right beside us and had a handful of napkins that he was desperately trying to use to wipe the sauce off my hair.

It wasn't Nico that I was watching though, it was Cruz, who was on the other side of the cafeteria running straight at Eren was seemed to be standing there just waiting to be tackled.

I wanted to stop him.

I wanted to join him.

I wanted him to hurt Eren the way that his friends had just hurt me.

But when I looked at Eren right before Cruz's fist collided with his face, he turned and mouthed something in my direction and I could have sworn he had mouthed, "I'm sorry."

The moment that Cruz and Eren went down to the ground, Lecia used the sudden rush of the crowd moving towards them to get me out the doors and rushed me towards the bathroom.

To my surprise, Nico came in with us, but they were both talking to each other and me at the same time and I couldn't focus on either of them.

"What the f*ck happened?"

"Who did this?"

"Why would someone do this to her?"

"Should we take her home?"

Rae was just as loud in my head as they were, "Dylan, you need to get away from here. We need to go home, now!"

As Lecia and Nico cleaned and wiped my hair and back they continued to talk really, at each other, but I wasn't sure if they noticed that they had stood me right in front of the mirror.

My eyes looked wild even to me, and the girls words from a moment ago popped in my mind.

She was right, the sauce matched well with my hair, and the longer I looked at it, I only agreed more.

The laugh that crept out of my throat sounded eerie, and drew Lecia and Nico's attention immediately.

"Dylan, I think Nico's right we should take you home. There's no reason for you to stay here."

I knew she was right. I knew they were all right, but I couldn't stop looking at the mirror. Looking at what they did to me, at what he did to me.

My mind kept bringing up images of Eren at my house, on my couch, laughing with the four of us while we hung out, and then to the way he looked moments ago.

Rae's anger had no words and neither did mine. I felt myself slip in and out of so many different emotions.

I was angry at myself for thinking things had truly started to change, hurt that he had tricked me, ashamed that I had wanted him to be different, and pissed that I had let my guard down.

There was no way in hell that I would let any of them get away with this and before I could stop myself, I ran for the door to make sure that I wouldn't hurt Lecia and Nico as I shifted.

Rae burst through the door and she let out an unearthly growl that filled me with a sick pleasure because I knew that Alpha Rogan would probably kill me for this, but right now I didn't f*cking care!