I'M SURE THERE'S A PERFECTLY GOOD EXPLANATION

4 MARCH, THURSDAY, LUNCHTIME

Today, our lunch table was just us - Henry, Marcus, Fluffy, EJ, and me. At first, I thought it was because we were early. Gym usually ended late and needed extra time in the shower rooms after.

But after a while, the rest of the school population filled out the other tables. Even Abigail made her appearance at the cheerleader table amidst an extra dose of air kissing.

Fluffy took the initiative to serve us tea.

Abigail's birthday party was tomorrow evening. Yes, the one at the fancy club that she didn't want the cool girls coming to.

Yes, in fact, according to Fluffy's version of events, it was the invitation I threw back, right at Abigail's birthday face, in front of the entire class. (I did not throw the invitation back. I politely declined.)

But anyway, the party had effectively upped her popularity factor, and all the cheerleaders loved her now. In fact, anyone who was anyone in our school was expected to show face at the party - even seniors like Beta Matthew and Beta Julius.

Abigail's birthday party was going to the end-of-term social event for everyone to let down their hair and party one last time together before the seniors got busy with college entrance exams.

I finished eating my yummy lunch while the guys talked about the country club venue. It was supposed to be very classy and there was a strict dress code. All the guys were expected to wear collared jackets or shirts. And footwear had to be heeled or toe-covered even though it was a pool party.

It was like school rules but to go to a party, and unlike school rules, they'd turn you away at the door if you messed up. Maybe someone should suggest this to the school too. I'm sure there wouldn't be so many students flouting the dress code this way. I'm sure there wouldn't be so many students at all. Hahaha.

By the middle of lunch period, I realized Jasmine and Liam weren't coming. I made the mistake of asking.

Marcus shook his head, "They have to talk."

I nodded.

"I mean," Marcus felt he had to emphasize, "They really need to TALK."

Yeah, I heard him the first time.

"Oooohhhh..." EJ's eyes widened, "Like THE TALK?"

"Yes." Marcus nodded grimly, "THE TALK."

WTH was THE TALK?

"Wait, aren't they already going steady?" EJ asked.

"Ah no, I mean the other talk." Marcus said.

"Ohhhh, THE OTHER TALK." EJ nodded.

Don't look at me, I didn't even know what the first talk was. I shrugged and kept my lunch box in the blue cloth bag Ki had wrapped it with.

I was going to the library, but I remembered at the last moment that Maria (and the other vamps) weren't in school today. And then the guys started talking about which of the cheerleaders was the prettiest and I decided to go to the library anyway.

"None of them can hold a candle to our pretty alpha though." Fluffy smiled at me.

I froze for a moment, pink elephant alert! Who said stuff like that? Was it like how none of the Jewels of Ciara could hold a candle to me? Omo.

I guess the Pink Elephant called EDWARD wasn't vanquished after all. I quickly took my things and made my escape.

EJ had jumped up to his feet when I stood but I waved him down with a firm "Stay."

The guys laughed when I left. Stoopid boys.

I didn't slow till I got to the hallway outside Winderhill's old library. This part of the school building was old. It was so old, I could smell the mold in the walls, but I didn't hate it because I knew the other side of the wall would be my sanctuary.

Pushing through the heavy wooden doors, I let myself into Winderhill's old library. Inside, it wasn't just the walls, the furniture all looked like it was made from the same wood as what they used to make the stools in the science lab. Every shelf and table was a matching solid varnished plank - the good old-fashioned type that was probably older than me, and hardier than anything you could find at a store today.

I wandered along the shelves and breathed the old book smell. I knew where I was headed - up the stairs to the second floor, right at the back, to the single-shelf collection of Lycan hand replica books.

This was my favorite shelf since I found it. I was quite convinced that in all of Winderhill High, these books were the most valuable treasures - which really gave me pause as I remembered how Madam Silvia talked as if Winderhill High was poor.

I mean, it wasn't the Langston, but we did have decent heating and this shelf of books.

Did that mean the Lorent Girls School would have even more original hand replicas? Like even more than our packhouse library? Even more than the Warlock? Would their collection rival the Tyger's cave library?

Wait no... That was impossible. Nothing in the Colored Mountains was possible.

Because I tend to pick my books based on the cover and my lucky sense of direction, I accidentally took a book I've read before. Oh well, it might just be the last time I read this book - and it was my favorite. It was like a full collection of old Lycan classics - just like in one or two-page summaries for each tale, and all with hand-painted pictures.

Like the story of the first Lycan, the white wolf named Shiro, who prayed every day to be with his human girl. And the girl who prayed every night for a mate who would love her and also be able to cook and clean. And eventually, the Moon Goddess turned Shiro into a man, so the two soulmates could be together forever.

In this book, the picture was of the back of a blond girl in a white nightdress against the backdrop of the night sky and full moon. Despite not seeing her face, I was sure she was a beautiful girl.

It was also the book with the story of little red riding hood and the wolf who was her soulmate (and did not eat her grandma.) I remembered how traumatized I was by the human version of that tale.

Yeah, this was the one with the red ink that Maria said was blood. I suppose since she had to be bitten to be marked by her mate, some blood would be only natural, but nobody told you these things.

Instead, they would tell pups things like, "Mating would be the most memorable experience of your life."

For the longest time, I had thought the mating mark would appear just by meeting your soulmate. I had checked every evening, just in case, I had accidentally met him and not known it.

Of course, now that I wasn't a dumb pup anymore, I knew better.

The best part of the book was the pages of medicinal and poisonous plants and flowers, hand drawn and painted in. Someone had kindly translated the ancient Lycan text with its English equivalent below it.

When the bell rang, I reluctantly put the book back into its space in the shelf and went back to class.

My friends were already back and something was up. I knew from the moment I stepped into the classroom and Marcus announced, "Sam's here."

The funny thing was the way he said it like how a beta might dutifully announce, "Alpha is here."

EJ bounded over, jumping the last two desks, "Hoi hoi! Pretty Alpha! Guess what?"

So it wasn't like the guys were trying to hide it.

"What's up?" I asked. I mean seriously, someone tell me what's up?

"Zammi!" Krystal and the cool girls were obviously in on it too, "You can make it right?"

"Oooohhhh.... Say you can come!" Jasmine begged.

I looked to Fluffy. Wth was going on?

But it was Henry who ordered me, "Tell your betas to clear your schedule on Friday Night."

"We're going to Abigail's birthday party!" EJ burst out and then he started making tooting sounds while the cool girls clapped and cheered - coolly though. In case anyone should mistake them for cheerleaders.

But Abigail was in class AND smiling and the random girls were all clapping and smiling too.

Which either meant that Abigail and the cool girls had made up and were now friends. Or something annoyingly complicated had sprung up while I was enjoying a quiet moment in the library.

The only one who wasn't terribly happy was Pearl, who's wide smile looked forced even from behind Abigail's shoulder, and some of the boys, represented by Troy who loudly declared, "Who wants to go to a dumb party anyway?"

Not everyone was invited. Abigail had made that clear from the beginning.

"Sorry, Sam." Abigail shrugged, "I gave your invite to someone else. But since all the guys are fighting to take you as their plus one, you're most welcome to come."

I wished Abigail told me this earlier - I would have loved to work this kind of tone and expression into Buliet's performance.

"Hurry up, Zammi." Krystal ordered, "Pick a guy."

I flared. Wth was this? I looked around for the candid camera. Should I say no? Or should I say "all of the above"? Hahahaha.

But something in the way the cool girls were looking at me made me hold my tongue. Instinctively I felt quite sure that making a joke at this moment would cost me dearly.

"Like any guy?" I tried to stall.

"Not me!" Terrence announced upfront, "I don't have an invite."

"Who would pick you?" One of the random girls sneered at him, "Please, even if you had 10 invites, you wouldn't be able to get a single girl to come."

"My mum would come." Terrence argued and the random girls laughed unreservedly at that.

I know I had asked already, but wth was happening?

I looked at Fluffy. I think if there had been any time in my life that I could do with my "favorite strategist's" input, it would be now. Especially since I still hadn't a clue what was happening.

Fluffy beamed, "Excellent choice, pretty alpha. Please rest assured that I will make Friday night the best night of your life."

Now I flared fully, "What the hell is going on?"

And my friends - at this point, I realized they were really my friends because I just turned krackened in front of them and they all laughed.

"It's fine." Henry waved down the other panicked students in the class.

"Oh my god, Zammi." Zara said, "Your hair is like the ultimate shampoo ad."

No, Zara. It's the ultimate weapon! Weapon! Not shampoo ad!

But my friends were laughing again.

"Alright then." Henry conceded, "Fluffy's taking Sam."

"I'll take Jasmine." Henry decided in the next breath. Wait, what?

I whipped around to Jasmine who nodded and then to Liam who shrugged. WTH?

I know! I must have fallen asleep in the library and was dreaming some super weird convoluted dream right now. Yeah. That was my only explanation.

And so, my dream went on to pair all my friends:

Me with Fluffy.

Henry with Jasmine.

Marcus with Leia.

EJ with Zara.

And Liam with Krystal.

Ikr. Mind blown right there. It had to be the end of the world. I mean, I'm sure there was a reasonable explanation for this... Like the apocalypse.

"Alright, it's all set, scary alpha." Fluffy reported like a smiling angel, "Big Brother Beta says he will reschedule accordingly."

Wait! Wth! Don't just bypass me and go direct to my betas! Grrr... This was becoming a bad habit with Henry.

But because my friends were truly and completely secure in our friendship, no one paid heed to the fact that I was growling.

I was seriously mad guys!

But could it be that my friends knew me better than I did? Because when I stalked to my desk and plopped down in all my fury... There, right in front of my face was a small mountain of strawberry-flavored candy and snacks. Including a gold box of imported strawberry pokey - the ones only sold in the human towns of the Red Packlands with real strawberries - the proof being the little red specks in the pink cream.

I picked up the box to check that it was for real. I had only ever seen this box in advertisements.

Henry smirked, "I can't believe that worked."