HOW KRYSTAL BETRAYED ME (And Half the School's Male Population - according to Henry)

22 FEBRUARY, MONDAY, CONTINUED

"That's not all. This morning, on our way to school, she exchanged a fat envelope for a fat load of cash." Leia added.

Krystal hit her.

"Ow!" Leia flinched away, "Violent girl."

And then she smacked Krystal back quite loudly.

"What?" Zara raised her voice, "What did you sell to the reporter?"

Krystal rubbed her arm tenderly. It looked like Leia's tongue wasn't her only weapon, her fist was apparently just as painful when she lashed out.

"I didn't sell anything bad." Krystal said in her own defence. She looked to me, "Trust me, Sam. I would never sell anything bad about you."

The cool girls turned to gauge my reaction. Even Jasmine put down her notes.

"What did you give to the reporter?" I asked with a forced and quiet calm that I did not recognize.

Krystal had the decency to look ashamed, but then she shook it off and maintained, "It's nothing, really. I didn't give anything about you... more like..."

Her voice dropped, "More like I gave them a list of every guy in school who likes you."

"Hn. That must be some list." Leia snorted, "The envelop was this thick!"

She held up her thumb and index finger to show us exactly how thick.

Henry gave a low whistle, "How many guys do you have on that?"

The girls turned over surprised. I'm not sure how long it would be before the cool girls realize that those two could hear EVERYTHING at our table.

"Where did you cook up such a list?" Marcus asked in disbelief.

"I have my sources." Krystal boasted, "And once I got the list, it wasn't hard to get the photos and data from the school matriculation records. I just started dating one of the seniors in the student counsel and used his password to access them."

"And how much exactly did you get out of that?" Leia asked.

"Two..." Krystal mumbled.

All that for two hundred dollars? I mean she even had to date some guy to get that info!

"...thousand."

Oh.

"What the hell, you're saying you stole personal and confidential information about all the guys who had ever liked Sam and sold it to the press?" Henry reiterated. When he put it like that, it made it sound somewhat illegal. He also put it loud enough for the rest of the class to hear.

"How could you!" Zara was seriously upset, "You promised you wouldn't sell..."

"I promised I wouldn't sell any more PHOTOS of Sam." Krystal cut in, "And I didn't!"

"Wait, where did you get the list from?" Marcus was still stuck at that point.

What list? It's not like there's an online sign up where all the guys in school could confess on.

"Why?" Leia narrowed her eyes at her crush, "Why are you worried?"

"No... I'm not worried." Marcus shook his head quickly, "I just don't think the information is accurate."

Krystal smiled, her knowing smile, "Oh, its accurate alright. It's very accurate."

"Did you include their addresses and phone numbers?" Henry was more focused on what was leaked.

"Yeah." Krystal admitted, "He wouldn't have paid me so much if I didn't."

"Damn, that's illegal you know!" Ivan said.

The rest of the class started murmuring in the background.

It had suddenly become a class discussion.

"Am I on that list?" Terrence asked, somewhat panicked.

"Shouldn't you know the answer to that?" Leia asked evilly, "You can always check the news tomorrow if you don't. Maybe you'd find your name there."

Terrence looked at me with a horrified expression.

"If its that list from the start of the year, its seriously outdated!" Marcus pointed out.

Wait, there was a list? Why was there a list?

"I'm not on the list!" Troy declared loudly, "I don't like Sam. I never did."

"I know someone who would have paid more than two grand for that info." Fluffy remarked quite clearly.

"Eh, who?" EJ asked just as loudly. The class quietened just a little to hear what the pretty boys had to say.

Fluffy smiled his beautiful smile, "The Death God."

The class got really silent now.

And then Ivan scoffed, "The Death God isn't real."

"That's what he wants you to think." Fluffy smiled, "But he has been travelling with the blue demon warriors... I've seen him myself. Do you know why he rides with us?"

"Because you guys are killing wolves left right and center." Ivan, the one who didn't believe in the death god accused.

"At first, yes, but then he saw our Alpha..." Fluffy said, "And from the moment he laid eyes on her, he was dazzled by her sparkling purity that was brighter than the sun. It was love at first sight."

Fluffy was right, he had read a great deal of old Lycan tales.

"Doesn't Sam have a fiancé?" Abigail asked.

"Yeah, we all saw him on the news." A random girl added.

"He's very hot." Zara agreed, "Leia said he's hotter than a fightdog."

Leia hit Zara.

"OW! What was that for?" Zara grabbed her arm dramatically, "I need this arm to write later, okay?"

"You don't have to worry about our Alpha's mate, but I can't say the same for the guys on that list." Fluffy quickly refocused the conversation to his tall tale. He was definitely enjoying himself. His smile was less and less like a mask, and more and more evil glee, "If the death god got his hand on that list, he will hunt each and every one of you down."

"Why?" Terrence yelled, "But I'm too young to die! Not that I'm on that list - but if I am, I'm the only son! Who will take care of my mum when she grows old?"

"You're bluffing!" Krystal challenged Fluffy, "The death god isn't going to be bothered by something like that."

Fluffy smiled and shrugged, "If you say so."

EJ gave his wide eyed look, "Uh-oh! The death god is going to rampage our school!"

The general murmuring took a slightly panicked tone.

Henry sighed and complained to me, "Sam, seriously, the leak is troublesome enough as it is. Can you muzzle your wolves?"

What had any of this got to do with him?

"Mind your own business, Henry." I got up. I needed some fresh air.

As I stepped out of the class, I was vaguely aware of Fluffy and EJ getting out of their seats to follow, and I heard Zara said, "You've done it now. Zammi's mad."

"What?" Henry sounded defensive, "It wasn't me who sold out half the school's male population."

I felt my steps quicken. I think part of me didn't want to hear anymore. (Anyway, I was sure Henry was exaggerating.)

At first, I had thought to head to the washroom to a quiet cubicle, but in my upset, I took the first stairs down and ended up blindly walking, instinctively switching to my lucky sense of direction. I've gotta be honest, I wasn't sure exactly what I was running from, or what I was hoping for. I guess I just needed some space. Space to think without anyone telling me what I should be feeling right now.

My steps slowed and I found myself at the picnic table by the woods. Its been a while since I've come here to hang out. Once upon a time, we used to come here for lunch. Liam would play football. He wasn't dating Jasmine then. Pearl used to join us. We had plans to rule the school by our senior year. Henry was going to be the next student president. Marcus was going to have his own band. We were the only wolves in our level. Fluffy and EJ hadn't joined us. Life was simpler then.

Jasmine had warned me about the cool girls. Although she's also one of us now.

The cool winter air fanned my cheeks. The snow was still floating, very gently, and only just a little bit. I watched it silently.

Actually, I'm not even sure why I was so upset. Was I becoming one of those emo teenagers on TV? omo.

The picnic table was deserted now. Maybe it was the snow. Even though the Homeroom bell had not yet rung, this open area was quiet.

I took a deep breath and let the cool air clear my mind.

I wasn't really upset with Krystal. She was only human.

If I had to say what I was most upset about, it would have to be me. I should've known that sooner or later, my human friends would betray me. I should've known better.

Yet I trusted Krystal. I hadn't even suspected her once. Not even when I knew she was lying through her teeth, not when she talked about it, not when she suddenly got an expensive watch, not when she was the only one of two people who had that unedited photo in her phone. I never even once thought she'd actually do it.

"Alpha?"

I startled when I realized EJ had been trying to get my attention for a while now.

"Hoi, hoi! Alpha!" EJ stuck his face too close to mine. I tried to back up and ended up walking into Fluffy.

Fluffy didn't move. And EJ pressed himself forward so I was sandwiched between them. Did these two not understand personal space? I tried to make myself as small as possible between them. Oh wait, what was I doing? I was the Alpha! I flared a little, forcing the two guys to step back. That's better.

"Are you mad at us, Alpha?" EJ asked with puppy dog eyes.

Wait what?

EJ took my surprise as a negative, he continued, "Or are you mad at the guys who liked you?"

He frowned as if trying to reason it out, "I guess it could be annoying, but Alpha is very cute, so its not like the boys can help it."

EJ sighed over-exaggeratedly, "It must be tough being so cute."

No, no, no... I shook my head.

"EJ, I think our Alpha is brooding because of the human named Krystal." Fluffy tried to explain.

"Ah! Yes." EJ nodded, "Its always the pretty ones who break your heart."

What? I shook my head again, "What are you going on about EJ?"

"I don't know." EJ shrugged in false innocence, "I'm just repeating what people tell me."

I narrowed my eyes at him. He was clowning, I was quite sure of it. Bad boy. I was seriously upset here, you know!

"She betrayed my trust." Even as I said these words, I felt my voice crack. I hadn't meant to get emotional. I steeled myself to continue, trying to sound off handed about it, "This happens, it's a human thing. I've watched lots of tv shows about it."

"Oh. I watch TV too!" EJ said. He gave it some thought and then he broke into character with gusto, "Alpha, don't be angry. Hit me! If you're feeling angry, just take it out on me!"

EJ dropped to his knees and caught my wrist in his hand and used it to hit his head, "Just hit me till you feel better."

WTH? I pulled my hand out of his grasp. But I laughed, just a little. WTH was that supposed to be?

"How is that going to help anything?" I asked. I really don't understand what goes on in that redhead's mind.

Fluffy kicked EJ out of the way, "Understood. Please leave it to us Alpha."

And then Fluffy produced one of this throwing knives from his sleeve. Like a magic show, except this throwing knife didn't look flashy or showy. It looked dark and sinister.

"Wait, what exactly are you planning to do with that?" Didn't Fluffy know carrying weapons in school could get him expelled?

Fluffy smiled and put a finger to his lips, even whilst his other hand twirled the knife, "Dead men tell no tales."

How should I put this? I think EJ and Fluffy have been watching very different TV channels from the kind of shows I was thinking about.

But I laughed now, "No, guys. Not like that."

Fluffy's knife disappeared immediately, "Then what, alpha?"

"Hoi, hoi! Just give the order, Alpha!" EJ bounced up and down.

"That's enough. Thanks." I could smile now.

"Eh, really?" EJ stopped bouncing, "But we haven't done anything yet."

Which was probably safer for everyone involved, really.

Sometimes I forget how dangerous the wolves I run with were. They were always so... so...

The homeroom bell rang.

"Hoi, hoi! Let's go back and ace the exam!" EJ punched a fist into the air.

"For someone who's going to flunk, you sure are enthusiastic." Fluffy smiled.

"Hey!" EJ pouted, "I'm not going to flunk, okay? I have a plan."

Fluffy shrugged, "I'm not letting you copy my answers."

"Awwwww...." EJ whined, "Stingy!"

I didn't bother to wait for them. I hadn't been studying much... alright, I hadn't studied at all, and this was English - the only paper that I was going to ace this term.

But my wolves were so cute. Yeah, that was the word I was looking for. They were cute.

They might have their dark moments, complicated pasts, they could be a tad eccentric, a little rough around the edges, sometimes socially awkward, and clumsy when dealing with their alpha's emotions, BUT they were strong and brave, loyal to a fault, and they were cute. Because they always made my heart feel full.