Phase (18 page)

I grabbed her hand. “So you just left?”

“I couldn’t handle being stuck in my room as punishment. So I snuck out.”

“You snuck out of a house with three shifters who smell and hear better than the average person?”

She glared at me. “Yeah.”

“Just wondering.” I looked back at the road. “You OK?”

“Better now. Just being away from that spoiled brat makes me feel a million times better.” She leaned back. “Your parents cool with this?”

“Um, yeah, sorta. Don’t tell them you snuck out, though.”

Her smile was more of a grimace. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

* * *

We didn’t stay up late, but crashed around nine like the lame girls we were. Once Jules had vented about Naomi, she seemed fine and unbothered by it. I was glad to be an only child without siblings accusing me of things I hadn’t done.

She was in the shower when I walked downstairs to get breakfast. Mom was emptying the dishwasher.

“Morning.”

“Sophie, I talked to Meredith Varden last night.” She leaned against the counter. “Juliet snuck out.”

I couldn’t lie, so I just nodded.

“Honey, we’re going to have to talk about this.”

“Mom, I know it sounds bad, but she was accused of something she hadn’t done.”

“Which happens. We aren’t some haven for her to run to, Sophie. I know you want to be a good friend. And if something really awful happens, then this would be OK. A simple argument is not dire.”

I hugged her. “I know. I’m sorry.”

“Your father and I are disappointed.”

I pulled back, feeling the weight of her disappointment.

“You will always ask before going out there or her coming here, OK?”

“Yes.”

“And you can’t go over to her house or have her come over here for a few days. Now, get some cereal and go to school.” She patted my hair. “We’ll talk more about this when Dad comes home tonight.”

“OK.”

She left the kitchen, and I pressed my hand to my stomach. I hated getting into trouble. It happened rarely, but it had never involved a friend before. I felt like my life was spinning out of control. I took a deep breath to calm down the anxiety that had taken hold of my heart.

I was gonna be OK.

Jules came down later, and we had breakfast. When we got to school, we went to my locker first to get my books and then trudged over to Jules’s.

Ezra was waiting.

“Stalk much?” Jules asked.

He rolled his eyes, giving me a short nod in greeting. “Mom and Dad are pissed.”

“Really? It’s not like they called or anything.” Jules opened her locker, nearly hitting Ezra in the face. He stepped back with a big sigh.

“They did,” I said. “Mom told me this morning.”

“You in trouble?” she asked, her brow furrowed.

“More like probation.”

She nodded, looking back at her locker.

“We all knew where you’d gone.” Ezra gestured toward me. “The accomplice.”

I saw the wolf figurine I’d given Jules in her locker and smiled. “She called. I showed up.” I lifted my chin, wondering if he would chastise me too.

One corner of his mouth lifted. “Tonight you have to stay home.”

“Grounded?” Jules picked a book.

“Dunno. We’ve got…” He stopped, his eyes on me. “Stuff.”

“What stuff?”

Ezra inclined his head toward me.

Jules got it. “Oh.”

Watching the Alpha ceremony wasn’t enough to let me in? What more secrets could there be? “Fine, I’ll just see you in class.” I left the two of them so they could discuss the supersecret pack event without me.

After the morning I’d had with my mom and then being left out again, I was annoyed and worn-out. Not that I wanted to go through what Jules had.

When Jules showed up right before the bell rang, I looked at her expectantly. “So? Secret underground meeting or what?” I asked, forcing a smile to my face.

“Just more pack stuff.” She didn’t look my way and just shrugged.

“Well, guess that’s fine. I’m on probation after all.” I tried not to sound clingy or whiny. I didn’t succeed.

Her smile was sad, like she was sorry for me.

Being human sucked.

* * *

I stared at the back of Ezra’s head all through second period, hoping somehow I’d be given the gift of telepathy and could start reading his thoughts. What were they doing that they couldn’t even tell me about? I knew so much. What else could there be?

My eyes started blurring, and I switched my attention back to the lesson. Ezra was a guy. I probably didn’t want to know what he was thinking.

Ever.

Class ended. I shoved my books into my bag, annoyed at the world. Left out after I’d gone against my parents to go and pick her up. No good deed goes unpunished.

“Sophie.” Ezra spoke, but I didn’t look up. “I wasn’t sure if you and Jules were planning on hanging out tonight, but—”

“No, I have to discuss stuff with my parents about me being the escape plan for Jules. I got the message earlier, Ezra. Pack stuff. Me human. Not invited.” I stood up abruptly.

He jumped back.

“I’m not stupid.”

He blinked, sniffed once and then did a real good impression of a sad dog. “You’re angry.”

“Not a bit. What made you think that?” I breezed past him. “Have fun tonight.”

As I got out to the hall, I felt bad. It wasn’t his fault I wasn’t special enough to hang out with them. I turned around to go back and apologize, but the hall was so crowded I wasn’t sure I’d be on time for third period.

I thought the day would get better. But with a mediocre homework grade in two classes and Jules being quiet, the day getting better was unlikely. At lunch, she kept digging in her bag, pulling out stuff.

“What’s wrong?” I asked at her wrinkled-up nose.

“Something stinks.”

I leaned over and sniffed her bag. “Smells like nail polish.”

She dug her hand in and took out a bottle of bright red nail polish. “This yours?”

I held up my hands. “Do I look like the type of girl who paints her nails bright red?”

She chuckled. “Maybe it’s Naomi’s. I wonder if she threw it into the wrong bag.” She shoved her hand in deeper. “Crap.” When she pulled out her hand, it was red.

“It spilled?” I asked stupidly.

“I really don’t like her.” Jules grabbed her napkins and started wiping out the inside of her bag.

“Maybe she has some fingernail polish remover at home.”

“Awesome.” Jules shook out her sticky red hand, and then smiled at me. “I look like Lady Macbeth.”

I laughed, feeling better.

* * *

I headed to Jules’s locker after school, where an argument was starting.

Naomi shouted at Jules, “How could you?” She sounded teary. “This is so mean.”

Micah, Aidan, Nick, and Ezra rushed past me. Gil stopped. “Hey, Sophie.” He grinned.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“I have no clue.”

Closer, I could see that Naomi held something red and small. It was the wolf figurine I’d given Jules, but appeared like it had been dipped in red paint, looking like blood. I gasped.

“Look, her bag is covered with it,” Naomi cried.

Micah grabbed Jules’s bag from her while I joined the group.

Jules seethed. “I didn’t do anything, you brat,” she snarled.

“This is yours, isn’t it?” Naomi asked, shoving the figurine in Jules’s face.

Jules snapped at Naomi, almost like she wanted to bite her. Ezra stepped in front of his sister. I smelled the nail polish.

“Jules doesn’t even wear nail polish,” I said. “That’s probably Naomi’s.”

The whole pack looked at me like I was an anomaly. Like I didn’t belong.

“She stole it from me.” Naomi wiped her eyes.

A bloody wolf. A shiver ran down my spine. I glanced at Jules and for just a second, doubted. But it didn’t seem possible. Jules had just shown me the nail polish as if she had no clue it was there. What was I thinking? Jules would never do that.

Micah shoved the bag back at Jules. “Juliet, this is serious.”

“I didn’t do it. Someone would have had to get it from my locker, which is locked.”

“Does anyone else know the combination?” Nick asked.

“I do,” I said. “I’ve seen her do it so many times.”

Micah glowered.

“I’m just saying, anyone could have done it. It’s not like anyone is supercovert about hiding it.”

Again they all peered at me strangely, Micah with narrowed eyes.

“You hate me so much. I’ve never done anything to you.” Naomi continued to sniffle.

“Mic,” Ezra said, “still humans around.”

True, a few students were still milling about. I caught the eyes of Summer over by her locker. She glared at me, and I dropped my gaze.

“We’ll talk about this tonight.” Micah grabbed the wolf from Naomi and sniffed it, his nose wrinkling. “The polish is too strong to indicate who did it.” He tossed it into his bag. “Head straight for the house. Now. And that doesn’t include you, Sophie.”

The same hurt I’d felt earlier came back in full force. I scowled. “Thank you for spelling it out.”

Micah continued on his way with Aidan following. Jules was still glowering at Naomi.

“Naomi, go ride with Micah, all right?” Ezra said softly. “I don’t want to deal with the two of you in the same car.”

“Whatever. You like her better.” Naomi ran to catch up with the boys.

Ezra sighed deeply and rubbed his face. “We’d better go. Wanna ride, Nick?”

Nick nodded. “Come on.” He took Jules’s arm.

She wrenched away from him. “I’m fine.” She met my gaze. “I’ll call you later.”

I nodded.

Jules and Nick walked toward the outside doors. It was quiet in the hall. Everyone had gone home or to whatever extracurricular activity they had.

Except for Ezra, who said, “You’d better head home.”

“What is going on?” I asked, bewildered. “I mean, you can’t believe that Jules would do something like that.”

“I don’t. But it is something to be worried about. Wolves make people think. Even something little can be…” Ezra ran a hand through messy hair. “Anyway, don’t worry. I’m sure it’s just a weird thing. Naomi has girls who hate her guts.”

“Why?”

Ezra snorted. “Um, ’cause that’s what girls do?”

I frowned at him. “Nice… Um, sorry about snapping at you earlier.”

He grinned. “It’s cool. Don’t see you angry all that much. It’s entertaining.”

I glared at him.

“Or not.” He chuckled. “Go home, human.”

“Don’t let Micah bully Jules,” I said.

Ezra grinned bigger and started walking next to me. “I think Jules can hold her own.” He sounded…admiring.

I eyed him. Did he like Jules? Like, really like her? Didn’t suppose anything could be worse than that.

“Yeah. Anyway, you better go.” I slowed, wanting to be alone.

He turned but kept moving, walking backward to face me while talking. “Don’t worry so much,” he said. “See ya tomorrow.”

I waved halfheartedly as he spun back around and jogged out into the fall air.

* * *

Jules didn’t call me that night, but e-mailed me a brief note.

No one really believes Naomi, but nobody knows who could have done it. They’re thinking a human. Maybe Summer? She has it in for me. But why a wolf?

Even I have to admit that the wolf looked creepy.

J

I closed the window on my computer and opened up my Pre-Cal book. I remembered the bloody wolf and shuddered. Definitely creepy.

School the next day was unremarkable. Jules didn’t go into details about the night before. Ezra and the rest of them seemed quiet, which really wasn’t a big change from normal.

“Do you have Show Choir after school?” Jules asked me at lunch.

“Yeah. For a little bit.”

“Wanna come over? After, I mean.” She looked surreptitiously at Connie and Nicole who were discussing if the Disney channel guy was hotter than the guy from that vampire movie.

“I can’t.”

”Why not?”

“After you snuck out…I can’t hang out after school with you for a few days.”

“Oh. Jeez, they’re strict.”

I nodded, but I kind of agreed with them. Jules had totally snuck out and used me as an accessory to her crime. “You didn’t get into trouble?” I asked.

“I did, I just figured I could sneak out again.” She sighed heavily. “Maybe this weekend?”

* * *

Mom and Dad let me go over after Sunday dinner because I was good and asked. I drove out as soon as the last dish was washed and dried. I could drive to the Vardens in my sleep these days.

I arrived to find only Meredith at the house. “Pack run?” I asked.

She nodded. “Come in though. They’ve been gone almost an hour. Should be back soon.” She went to sit on the living room sofa. An open book rested on the nearby coffee table. “How have you been?”

“OK. Just school and everything.” I sat on the armchair. “I’m sorry.”

“About?”

“The stuff with Naomi and Jules.”

Her eyes clouded over. “Yes, I suppose it’s normal enough. I always wanted another girl. It’ll work out. Just an adjustment.” She smiled, but her eyes were exhausted.

“Yeah. I’ll go wait for them outside on the deck, OK?”

She nodded again, and I went out through the sliding doors and shut them behind me. I walked to the railing and breathed deeply. I loved fall—the colors, the clean smell of the air, the sweaters and scarves I got to wear.

I heard rustling in front of me, but couldn’t see anything through the trees. I saw a flash of black fur pass through the woods, then disappear.

“Hello?” I called.

A head popped out from behind a tree.

“Hey, Gil.”

“Hey, Sophie.” He jogged up to the steps.

“You’re the first one back,” I told him.

He wiped his brow. He wore jeans and was slipping on a shirt as he stood by me. No shoes.

I was kinda getting used to it. “Where are the others?”

Next to me on the deck, he wrapped his hands around the railing. “Dunno. It was just a run. It’s to keep our skills sharp. That’s what Micah says.” He scoffed. “Thinks he runs the world.”