A VERY NORMAL DAY FOR ME

8 FEBRUARY, MONDAY, HOMEROOM

I got to class just like I did every day - okay, technically every weekday. Elena was there and she despised me as usual, but today she also asked to see my homework because there was a question she didn't know how to do.

I took it out for her, and she took it without thanks, but she was just a human.

I sat at my desk and felt my hair stand... Well, not the hair on my head, just on my neck and arms. The vampires were back! I could feel my skin crawl at their presence snaking into the school in their creepy train of mostly black cars.

I had forgotten how creepy vampire auras were. Although it didn't seem to bother the humans as much.

I guess it was hardwired into us wolves to either kill or run from vampires. (Mostly kill.)

It was nice though, to see Maria's cold flame again, even only momentarily when she came to drop off her bag. She looked coldly at me. I beamed. She produced a chilling smile, her flame leaping in greeting. I guess she was happy to see me too.

But she said nothing and left to the girls washroom to comb her hair.

I double checked to make sure my mind was sealed tight. It was. My mind now was by default completely sealed, the weakest points of entry was my mating bond (although it's often sealed on his side), my betas, and my family. So far, I've noticed that's where my feelings or thoughts would leak first, especially when I was tired.

But I slept early last night, so I wasn't feeling the usual head on desk exhaustion. Actually, I felt pretty good today, it was like every thing was magically going my way, or at least flowing normally.

Today was a very normal day.

When my friends came into the classroom, they squealed a little bit over matching earrings and hair accessories. Even Abigail was friendlier to us than usual.

Camps did that to you. I knew I always felt closer to my gang after every camp, and the Lycan study group organized lots of camps for us.

Okay, so last weekend wasn't a camping trip, but maybe that's why girls had stayovers and pajama parties. It really gives a sense of bonding.

But from experience, I also knew this sense of bonding is temporal. Camps were like the friendship catalyst, but you needed to keep building on it or it would fade. Like there were pups who only attended some camps. Maybe their parents wanted the week off or something. But they didn't come for Saturday Lycan Study groups, they didn't talk to my gang at school, and they didn't join us for ultimate dodgeball, or any of the other weekend activities... And we'd drift apart until the next camp.

I mean, my gang and I, even though we went to different schools, we were tight because we spent almost every weekend doing something together.

I've ever heard Delilah bemoaning how her parents wanted her to quit one ball team or the other because they wanted her to mix with the right crowd.

The Alpha, Beta, and Gamma's kids all attend Saturday Lycan Study Group and all the activities and camps it organizes. Running with them would build invaluable friendships.

I wondered if friendships were so easy to build? Over a few ice breaker games and overnight stays... I looked at the cool girls copying my homework. How did our friendship start?

I had never thought about it before. Mum had told me it's good to be friends with everyone. And since young, random adults had observed aloud how I was good at making friends and taking care of the younger ones.

Basically, all I was doing was roping them in to play with me. I mean, young pups were pretty fun to play with. You've played with puppies before right? They're usually quite happy to follow you in a game once they were warmed up.

I never thought about exactly when the friendship started... If they followed me, they were my friends.

"She's zoning out again." Someone complained. I think it was Zara.

"Earth to Zammi! Earth to Zammi!" Krystal rapped on my table.

I blinked.

"Quick, where's your essay?" Krystal demanded.

"You can't copy an essay!" But I took it out for them.

"Relax girl, we're just looking." Leia rolled her eyes. When we first met, Leia almost never spoke. I had mistaken her for the shy and demure type of girl.

"Jasmine said you always get A's for your essays." Zara said.

"Actually, I always get A minuses." I never got an A. I've been trying and trying...

"Do you have your previous essays?" Krystal said.

"They're in my locker." I said.

"Quick go get them!" Krystal ordered.

Eh? Now? But the bell... I stood up.

"Sam, the bell is going to ring soon." Marcus warned.

Henry smirked at me.

"Henry probably gets A's on his essays." I pointed.

Henry's smirk fell off when the cool girls got up and crowded around his table.

"I don't have them." Henry said, but it didn't deter them in anyway.

"Are all werewolves so smart?" Zara asked, "What about you Marcus? What do you get for your essays?"

"Straight A's" Marcus answered smugly.

I flared, "Not fair, why do I always get a minus?"

"Let me see." Henry held up his hand for my essay.

Okay, free essay clinic. I passed my essay to Henry. Both guys read it.

At first Marcus said, "This looks alright."

And then he made a face. Henry smirked.

They turned the page around to read the other side.

Marcus made a gasping "Wha~?"

And then they snickered.

"What?" I asked. I tried to remember what I had written.

"Sam, you spell like an elementary school kid." Henry said.

I do not! I flared.

The guys laughed.

"It's okay." Marcus the conisseur of essays said, "It's a good length, the writing is legible. The points are organized. The referencing is minimal but acceptable for highschool."

Henry added, "Your writing tone is too casual. Your spelling is atrocious. Your punctuation is lacking. And you missed out a couple of dates. You should always include dates in history papers. Overall, I'm surprised you got an A-. I would have given it a B+, tops."

Grrr...

The bell rang then.

"Thank you for your guidance." I said half jokingly. I added a good measure of sacarsam to make sure I got the message across.

The guys laughed.

But during homeroom, I really thought about it. Yeah, those guys were snotty and high handed at the way they picked on the essay I had worked so hard on. BUT what they said wasn't entirely wrong.

While Mrs Henderson played a sappy show about this family drama where the teen rebels because his parents were too strict and then his parents got stricter in a bid to protect him from getting into more trouble... In the end he goes to jail and writes a letter home to say he realised his parents were right and their discipline was out of love for him and a desire to protect him... Blah blah blah...

I took out my phone and checked online for the date references. And then I double checked the spelling for the bigger words, and added a few more commas. And then I opened the notebook in my phone where I had noted all the links of the references I had researched online and copied all of them out at the back of my paper under a new header "References". Even the ones I didn't quote.

Okay. Done. Let's see if I could breakthrough the A minus ceiling with this.

I finished about the time the show ended. Mrs Henderson wiped a tear from her eye and turned on the lights.

Now we had to discuss some questions as a class. Mrs Henderson wanted us to feel free to raise our hands and answer. There were no right or wrong answer here.

"Can anyone share about a time when you felt your parents were being unreasonable or unsupportive of what you wanted to do?" Mrs Henderson read out the first question from the freeze screen at the end of the video.

Nobody raised their hands.

Mrs Henderson looked around. I looked down to avoid eye contact.

"Samantha, I saw you taking notes during the video. Why don't you share?" Mrs Henderson asked.

I wrecked my brain for an appropriate answer. When mum wouldn't let me get a flip knife? Or when I get into a fight? Or when they insisted on adopting the little human?

"My parents have always been pretty supportive." I said finally.

"Yeah, her parents are really nice and buys her everything she wants." Zara affirmed.

Not really, Zara. I don't think there were any parents in the world who did that...right? I mean, was that even possible?

"Cos her parents are rich. She even has her own servants and cars." Krystal said.

Servants? Did Krystal just called my betas servants? Omo. Betas are the top wolves ranked only after the alpha in a pack. Traditionally, they represented the Alpha's will, and till today most wolves would accept their word without question and follow through a Beta's order faithfully.

It was hardwired into us. Wolves loyal to me, will naturally also follow my betas and protect my Luna. That's how we run together.

Mrs Henderson blinked and then she decided to ask someone else, "What about you, Arlene?"

Arlene smiled prettily and said she could not think of anything.

"Surely some of you must be able to relate to this video!" Mrs Henderson said. She sounded like she was at her wits end, "What about you Zara?"

"I don't know... I never really see my parents so we don't have much time to fight." Zara answered honestly.

"My parents are like in the video with my brother, but not with me, because I'm the good kid." Troy said.

Seriously?

"He's lying." Leia raised her hand to say.

"I'm not!" Troy yelled back really loudly.

Ivan said, "Look, we get the message Mrs Hen. Our parents nag and scold and make rules but they mean well, no one is going to run away and join a motorcycle gang. Can we move on?"

Oh woe to our hardened and unteacheable generation.

Mrs Henderson looked a little lost, she consulted her notes. Maybe she was troubleshooting, although I doubt the teachers guide had anything under "if your entire class finds this video a stale cliche".

"Well, maybe we can try another question." Mrs Henderson decided. She consulted the screen and picked one, "Can you suggest some things the protagonist could have done differently?"

This was just above the question, "What are some ways you could try to improve your own relationship with your parents?"

"He should have run faster when the cops came." Troy (the good kid) said. He didn't raise up his hand, I don't think he meant to officially participate. He just spoke aloud his thought and was too loud as usual.

"Okay..." Mrs Henderson tried to be open and encouraging, just like her counseling course had taught her, "What else?"

"What do you mean, okay, Mrs Hen?" Terrance scolded, "He was breaking the law. You're a teacher, you shouldn't say okay to that."

"Ah yes, I didn't mean it was okay to break the law, I meant that... that... okay, I heard." Mrs Henderson tried to explain. Terrance didn't look convinced.

"He should just tell his parents." I decided aloud.

The entire drama would have been over in two minutes if he just told his parents. Then we wouldn't have had to watch such a long video.

"No, he can't" Zara exclaimed.

"Not everyone's parents would be supportive like yours." Krystal said.

Although that was true, I felt quite sure my parents wouldn't have let me join a human bike gang that required that kind of ugly tattoo either.

But maybe if I started my own bike gang...

"Sam's thinking something weird again." Marcus prompted Henry.

What, was it something on my face?

"You bite your lower lip" Maria offered helpfully though our mindlink. Eh? When did she get into my head? I flared at her.

"Samantha, what would you do if you were the protagonist?" Mrs Henderson asked.

"Start my own bike gang." I blurted out because I was distracted making sure Maria wasn't in my head anymore.

The class burst out laughing.

"Class! Class! This is no laughing matter." Mrs Henderson said.

"I meant I would listen to my parents and not join the bike gang." I said, but from the look on Mrs Henderson's face the damage was already done, "I wouldn't do the tattoo. It was ugly."

The class laughed again.

Mrs Henderson looked like she was trying to figure out how to handle the situation. Maybe I went too far? But that wasn't fair, she did say there wasn't a right or wrong answer, didn't she?

"Samantha, this isn't like you." She said finally, "I don't really know why you are answering this way."

Henry smirked and raised his hand. I thought he was going to help me, but he only said, "The guy she is engaged to use to lead a bike gang."

Hahahaha... no wait. Suddenly I realized that Henry was speaking seriously.

Mrs Henderson opened her mouth and shut it again.

"Her family is a little on the wild side." Henry added.

And then Zara opened her mouth and asked loudly, "Is that why there were so many guns at your party?"

I shook my head, "Those weren't guns, they were air rifles. It was just a game."

"Because its normal for teenagers to run around in a basement dungeon with air riffles during a party." Henry prompted.

The class was abuzz with Abigail and the cool girls and the other girls all talking now about what happened last weekend (or what they heard happened because even those who weren't there had to contribute). I heard something about a steamy swimming pool, really hot guys, and a crazy party with live music and dungeon games.

To be honest, while the main points were roughly there, I was quite shocked by the way it made the party sounded so over the top and crazy that it had to be illegal.

"That must be quite a party." Mrs Henderson frowned.

"Don't worry, Mrs Hen." Krystal strongly reassured our teacher as usual, "It was very safe. There were adults there and only the kids who were trained to shoot were allowed to use the guns."

"Yeah, plus they had real guards with real guns outside to keep us safe." Zara added.

"Samantha, I'll have to see you after class."Mrs Henderson sighed.

I sighed too, "Yeah, okay."

I guess this was part of a very normal day for me too.