4 PINK ELEPHANTS

4 MARCH, THURSDAY, BEFORE HOMEROOM

If I completely discounted the dream travel to Edward's castle and the mountain out of the molehill my betas and luna made over it after that, today was really a very normal day. It was also the second last day at Winderhill for me, which was kind of bittersweet. Mostly bitter though. I'm not sure why, but as my days at Winderhill drew to a close, I found myself more and more reluctant to leave.

So whenever the thought came up, I would try very hard not to think about it. By the time I got to the classroom, I realized I was rearing more than one pink elephant in my mind. Let's name the first one EDWARD and the second one GOODBYE-WINDERHILL. There was a third one too. It was related to Edward. Mainly, it had to do with chopping down the mountain my beta made out of the smoking jacket when I got home. I needed a good explanation - particularly for Bell, but I just didn't want to deal with that now. Not with GOODBYE-WINDERHILL at the forefront of my mind now that my car was driving up the road to school. I wanted to enjoy every last bit of Winderhill today, and worrying about what I was going to say to placate my mate and convince my betas to write off the entire episode as a non-event was just spoiling everything. Let's called this pink elephant MO - because it popped out from a molehill.

Harvey tried to update me and run through my schedule as we drove to school, but I couldn't concentrate with EDWARD, GOODBYEBYE-WINDERHILL, and MO running around in my head so I wouldn't be able to tell you what was happening today. Something about staying back in school for the Last Hurrah and shopping and visitors at tonight's Thursday Training Sesh.

Normally, I would rejoice at training sessions, but today the joy was dampened because it reminded me that it was already Thursday and GOODBYE-WINDERHILL stomped because it was my second last day at Winderhilll. I knew this day would come, but I didn't expect it to happen today. I mean, I knew Thursday came after Wednesday, but I didn't expect it to come so soon... I'm not sure why, but even as I had known all along that this was my last week here, suddenly the fact that it was Thursday made me realize I was running out of time.

I hadn't played enough yet!

As our car approached the school, cameras and random strangers holding flowers and ponies waved from behind the barriers. Harvey drove steadily forward, slowing only a little for the front gate barriers and gate to be pushed opened and our car to drive in without stopping.

The blue demons on motorbikes waved briefly to the crowd just before passing through the gates, and then everything was sealed shut behind us.

"Have a good day, Alpha." Harvey said politely when he let me out of the car.

"You too, Harvey." I smiled.

Fluffy and EJ appeared like magic in front of me, and I was quickly escorted past the foyer and into the school. Today, there weren't many student paparazzi. Either the fad was over or the reporters weren't paying for the photos anymore. Maybe the play yesterday morning yielded enough material for the reporters to feed their family for the rest of the century.

And for some reason, EDWARD the pink elephant popped up at the word "century" because our contract with the Ciara Coven was for one century - which sounded like forever when we first came up with it, but now I realize that there were those to whom a century was like a year.

It's a little like how I think I'm rich because I had a whole $40 in my wallet right now, but if I signed off a budget or expense at the FAO with the number "$40" in it, there would be in fine print at the top of the sheet, "To the nearest hundred thousand."

Yeah, it would be best if we just let the contract finish its course and end it there. I pushed EDWARD Elephant back to the back of my mind, only to have MO pop out. What if Bell killed Edward (the vamp, not the elephant)?

If it were Bell, I felt it would be entirely possible. My mate had killed a warlock, so I suppose a vampire lord wouldn't be too hard, BUT Edward had no heir yet. The Ciara Coven would go rogue... and then what? Would we have to storm it a la Black Forest vampire eradication army? I remembered the video footage of the mass slaughter.

If there were Common Rogues (i.e. Rogue wolves just trying to live normal lives), could there possibly be Common Vampires? Not that I felt the vampires would ever be entirely successful in their attempt, but it wasn't like they asked to be vampires, right?

Sometimes I get thoughts that sound so much like River talking that it was scary. I shoved MO back too.

"Earth to Zammi!" Krystal slammed a box of strawberry pokey sticks on my desk, and then a small box of chocolate strawberry candy, a bar of snickers, and a wad of gum.

"What's this?" I asked.

"The snacks I owe you." Krystal shrugged coolly as she turned the chair in front of my desk around to sit.

Oh. I had forgotten about it.

"Oh." Leia said as she sat herself next to Krystal, "I was wondering why you were buying all this other stuff "

"I got my pay yesterday." Krystal said. She opened a fresh packet of gum. It really was the same brand as Ben's. I recognized the packaging. Krystal misunderstood my hesistation and added, "From a NORMAL job."

"Yeah." Zara vouched for Krystal, "It's true Zammi, Krystal's working at the coffee shop with me now."

I nodded. It's not like I really minded.

Okay, fine. I was really upset about it when I found out, but for some reason, it didn't seem like a big deal anymore.

"Did you get into trouble with the school though?" I asked Krystal as I unwrapped the chocolate strawberry one.

Krystal shrugged, "Not really. I guess no one found out it was me."

Oh. That was lucky. And probably really bad administration security on the school's part.

I popped a couple of strawberry chocolates in my mouth. It was really just strawberry flavored gummy wrapped in chocolate. It was quite good. I passed the small box around.

"Thanks." Leia helped herself to a few, before saying, "I was sure that boyfriend of yours would have squealed on you."

"Yeah, but no one found out about him either." Krystal said, and lest we should think she would go stead with just anyone, she clarified, "And he's not my boyfriend. We just went on a couple of dates."

Zara accidentally poured out too many strawberry chocolates so she shared it out with Jasmine, "All our love lives suck."

Wait, what?

Krystal was officially single now.

"See, it says so in my channel status." She told me proudly.

She had been dating around a bit but the truth was she had hooked up with this really cool guy she met at some crazy party.

"But he has a commitment problem." Krystal shrugged, "So we're not dating exclusively."

And since the really cool guy was definitely dating other girls too, Krystal felt she shouldn't lose out - at least statistically.

So while she was sure he was probably dating hot models every week. She would date anyone who didn't have B.O.

"It can't be helped." She shrugged, "I'm sure this time, he's the one."

No, I'm sure he wasn't. But wth did I know about human relationships?

"I love his eyes, and the way he acts like he doesn't care...and his car..." Krystal gushed, "His car is super cool."

Like I said, what did I know about human relationships?

Leia was very troubled too. All her plans and preparation to ask Marcus out had been crushed because Marcus was dating Janice now.

O.o. oh wait. That's right. Opps.

"She's this nice girl and everything. If I take Marcus from her, everyone's going to call me a b****."

"They already do anyway." Zara informed Leia, "You might as well go for it."

But Leia was adamant, "It isn't fair. Everyone always takes the nice girl's side."

Zara's relationship with Ivan was over too.

"I don't know what I did wrong." Zara said.

"How about like everything?" Leia asked.

Krystal tutted, "Well, just take it as a learning experience."

Even Jasmine's love life was shakey - thus her early presence with us this morning. Liam had told her over the phone last night that he felt it would be better if they gave each other some space.

He needed to focus on his football training. To be honest, his coach told him their team might not make it to interhigh. He didn't have high hopes about making it to college without a football scholarship.

Maybe Jasmine deserved better.

"Wow." Zara said after the cool girls all paused to consider this, "That's true love."

No it wasn't! Shouldn't true love end with "and they lived happily ever after" TOGETHER?

"Looks like Zammi is the only one still lovey dovey with her boyfriend." Zara sighed and then decided to advise me, "You must cherish every moment."

"Yes." Krystal nodded sagely, "You need to love him like you're going to lose him."

Which not only sounded dumb to me but also suspiciously like the lyrics of a song she had been playing from her phone lately - with earbuds on, but at a volume so that I could still hear it.

If I were going to lose him, I would kick him out on his bum immediately. I had more important things to do than mope over a guy.

That's why having a soulmate, despite all its flaws was still the best way to go.

Forget about falling in love. Find your soul mate and love him.

Even if he turned out to be the End Game Boss of a Lycan legend. No one said loving your soul mate was going to be easier. But at least I know the only way I were going to lose him was if I killed the dumbbell myself.

Because I was the alpha. I will protect everyone. Including and especially my own mate.

"Oh no." Zara said, "Zammi's hair is angry."

"Don't worry, Sam." Jasmine said, "I'm sure your relationship will work out."

"I'm not worried." I flared. No one corrected me.

But as much as I hated to admit it, hearing my friends talk about their failing love lives did worry me a little bit.

On one hand, we did kiss. And ever since then, every time we touched there was this really quiet tingling just under my skin. On the other hand, we were still arguing and fighting at every turn (proof in point this morning on the porch). I worried if our standing on different sides of the good guy and bad guy camp could be part of the problem.

Like Leia's love, Bell was already clearly in a committed relationship (with Vengeance). Or maybe I was like Zara and just doing everything wrong. Maybe he was like Krystal's too-cool-to-care boyfriend, and what if Bell wanted us to give each other more space?

I would seriously chi-ka-boom.

Let's name Pink Elephant #4 DUMBBELL the flying elephant. Because this one really swooped in out of nowhere.