CHAPTER THREE - FRIENDSHIP

Jayla

I pull Edward along with me to our next class after our embarrassing encounter with The Jerk. Yeah, I call him that because that's what he is. A Jerk with a capital J.

My mind involuntarily drifts off to that party and I feel a pang in my heart when I think of him and how he pushed me away like I was nothing. I thought mates have to love each other.

I shake my head and try to concentrate my mind on the chemistry exercise in front of me. "Okay, so if the temperature is increased, will the forward or backward reaction be favored?" I mumble to myself.

"Shhh, Jay," someone nudges me from behind, and I shrug them off, knowing it's no one but Eddie.

I continue working on the exercise in my front when he pokes me again, this time with a pencil. I look back and hiss at him to stay quiet. He juts his bottom lip out and gives me a puppy dog look. I want to laugh so badly but I settle for giving him a stern look. He widens his eyes and they start turning dramatically glossy.

I snort. He's such a drama queen. I ignore him and proceed to complete my question paper when a paper lands on my lap and I gasp.

Did he just give me a paper chit? Does he not know we have a test going on? What if someone sees this?

I panic and decide to pick the paper up and throw it but it's too late because my teacher snatches it away from the floor. I screech and jump to take it back but he raises his hand and honestly, my 5'6 height is too small to reach my teacher's 6'2 frame. Soon I give up trying to reach for the paper and huff. He smirks at me triumphantly.

"Well well well," he says. "It looks like Miss Parker here has something interesting for us all." He opens up the paper and clears his throat, and starts reading out loud.

"Dear Jay,

I know you're mad at me for turning you down last night but you need to understand me, baby. The neighbors have started complaining, saying they can't handle the noises anymore. I guess our love is too loud for this world, anyway, honey. I promise you I'll find a world that accepts us and our loudness as we are. Till then, please forgive me.

Yours truly,

Ceaser, the mighty king."

My eyes widen and my cheeks flush pink at the contents of the note. Oh, God.

"Hmmm," the teacher says. "It looks like a lover's note to me. You can proceed with your test." He turns to me with an amused look in his eyes and a mock frown. "And Miss Parker, I'd suggest you take your lover's quarrels out of my class. I mean, I know this class is chemistry, but this is taking it too far."

Suffice it to say I got detention, too.

***

"Awwww, come on, don't be like that," Eddie whines but I ignore him and speed walk outside the room.

He jogs, almost runs, to keep up with me and I smirk internally. Eddie is a human and being a werewolf, I'm much faster than he is.

"Hey! S. . . Stop!" he says, panting as he catches up with me. "Why are you even so angry at me?"

I stop dead in my tracks, seething. "What do you mean by 'why am I even angry'? How can you expect me not to be mad, huh? I have every right to be mad at you!" I snap at him. "You created a scene out there! What was the need to do that, huh? Do you realize how embarrassed I was? That note sounded so wrong. And now everybody out there probably thinks I'm some sort of sex-starved slut!"

I'm breathing heavily by the time I finish and I look up. Eddie's face has paled and he wears a hurt expression. I'm already regretting what I said.

He hung his head low and mumbles. "I'm sorry, Jay."

My eyes soften and I open my mouth to say something but he stopped me. "It's just that. . ." he starts, kicking a stone on the way with his foot, his head still down. "You weren't acting like yourself today, and you looked so sad. I didn't like seeing you like that. I'm sorry for doing that. I just wanted to make you laugh. And I thought it was good. . ."

I cut him off with a big hug as I wrap my arms around his torso, burying my face in his chest. "Shhhh," I say. "Don't say anything anymore. Jay loves you!"

He stands frozen for a second before he unfreezes and wraps his arms around me, too. Chuckling he says, "I know, Jay Jay. Eddie loves you, too."

He kisses my forehead and I close my eyes, smiling.

***

Detention can't be that bad, right? Well, that's what I think while entering the room. But then I see The Jerk sitting in the room, too. At first, my stomach bursts into butterflies at the sight of him, and I chastise myself for reacting to his presence so strongly.

But when I look around I see that he isn't alone after all. His arm is wrapped around a brunette who is sucking his neck off. My heart stops and the butterflies from before feel like they died a merciless death.

The excitement from earlier turns into a feeling of deep hurt when I see him with her. My stomach drops and deep pain fills in my chest. The wolf I was no longer able to feel suddenly howls in agony inside me and I feel numb. For some reason, I can't tear my eyes away from them.

This morning I was cursing his wits off and hating him, and now I'm here, getting all hurt and envious over him. How hilarious, huh?

He must have noticed my presence because he lifts his head and smirks. I ignore him and decide not to think about how fucking gorgeous that smirk is and look away. The last thing I want to do is make him feel like I'm jealous because I'm not. I'm just territorial. He's my mate and I have the right to feel that way.

But why are the teachers letting them do this in class anyway? Oh, wait. There's no teacher present here.

They're occupying the last row, so I decide to sit in the front row, because, the farther the better, even though I hate sitting in the front. I feel like everyone at the back is staring at me and that creeps me out.

I'm about to seat myself when the classroom door flings open and the great Edward comes in with a triumphant look on his face. "Guess who's gonna stay with you, Jay Jay," he says excitedly and envelops me in a tight hug.

Only he can be happy about getting detention, I think while laughing. I hug him back too, feeling almost happy for a moment before a loud growl is heard in the room and I see The Jerk give Eddie a murderous glare from the corner of my eye.

Oh, God. The first minute of detention and I've managed to anger The Jerk. Who knows what will happen in the next fifty-nine minutes?