Chapter 2 The Big Red F

VANESSA'S POV

History class is usually the only time I can actually relax. I sit in the very back corner, right next to a window. I keep it open just a little bit. The fresh air helps hide the smell of twenty-five teenagers who used too much body spray before class. My nose is sensitive, so those smells usually give me a headache.

But today, the air feels different. It's heavy and thick. My wolf is restless again. I can feel a weird energy in my legs that makes me want to jump out of my chair and run until I reach the trees outside.

"Vanessa, you okay?"

I blink and look to my left. Alex is leaning over, looking at me with a worried face. Alex is a nice guy. He's a gamer who stays up until 3 AM playing video games but still passes his classes. He doesn't care about the rich kids or who is popular. He just wants to talk about computers and games.

"I'm fine," I whisper. I give him a small, fake smile. "I just didn't sleep much."

"Dope," he whispers back. He turns to his notebook and starts drawing a dragon. "This class is probably going to be boring anyway."

I wish it was boring.

I look toward the front of the room. Adrian is in his usual spot in the center of the front row. He's leaning back with his legs crossed. He looks so relaxed, he doesn't even have a notebook out because he thinks I'm going to do all his work forever.

Next to him is Melissa. She's leaning toward him, letting her long blonde hair touch his shoulder. She whispers something in his ear, then she looks back at me. She gives me a mean look, like she's already decided she hates me. I look down at my desk before she can read my face. My heart starts to beat faster.

Mrs. Gable walks in and the room goes quiet. Usually, she's pretty calm, but today she looks angry. Her face is tight, and she's holding a stack of papers like they're covered in dirt.

"Class," she says. Her voice is loud and sharp. She drops the papers onto her desk with a loud bang. "I spent my whole night grading your essays on the Cold War. Most of you did an okay job. Some of you were clearly not paying attention. But one of you…"

She stops and looks directly at Adrian. My stomach feels sick. This is it. The bomb is about to go off.

"One of you decided to write a joke instead of a serious paper," Mrs. Gable says. She picks up one specific paper. I can see the pink heart I drew over the 'i' in Adrian's name from all the way back here. "Mr. Thorne. Why do you think the Soviet Union won the Cold War because they had, and I quote, 'better disco dancers'?"

The room is silent for a second.

And then, everyone starts laughing.

A guy in the second row laughs so hard he almost falls. Even Melissa's friends are giggling. Within a few seconds, the whole class is making fun of him.

"Disco dancers?" someone shouts from the back. "Adrian, did you stay up watching old dance movies?"

"Look at the name!" another guy shouts. "There's a heart over the 'i'! Is Adrian a secret softie?"

I bite my lip. I want to laugh so bad. Seeing Adrian Thorne, the king of the school, looking like a complete idiot in front of everyone is the best thing that has happened to me in weeks. It feels good to finally win.

But then I look at his face.

Adrian isn't laughing. He's sitting perfectly still. He looks like a statue. His face is turning a deep, dark red. He looks like he's about to explode.

He slowly turns his head around. He ignores the teacher and his laughing friends and looks straight at me.

His gray eyes are sharp and focused. He isn't bored anymore; he's furious. He knows I did this to him on purpose.

"Quiet!" Mrs. Gable snaps, hitting her hand on the desk. The laughing stops, but people are still whispering and pointing at Adrian. "Mr. Thorne, this is a serious class. This paper is an insult to this class and to me. It is a giant, flaming Red F.”

She walks over and slams the paper down on his desk. The red ink is so bright I can see it clearly.

“I expect a five-page apology and a new essay by Monday,” she says, walking back to the board. “Now, let’s get back to the actual history

For the next hour, I try to hide inside my hoodie. I don't take any notes because my hands are shaking too much. I can feel Adrian's eyes on me from across the room.

Every time I look up, he's still watching me. I feel like a small animal being hunted by a predator. It's funny, because I'm actually the wolf here.

I've spent eight weeks being the girl nobody sees. I worked so hard to stay in the shadows so my family would be safe. If anyone finds out what I am, we're dead. And in one moment of being petty, I threw all that safety away. I wanted to see him look stupid, and I got what I wanted.

But now, the king is mad.

When the bell finally rings, it's the loudest sound I've ever heard. I grab my bag fast. I need to get out of this room before he catches me. I don't even wait for Alex. I just run for the door.

I thought this would be a fun prank, but looking at Adrian's face, I realize I made a huge mistake. He isn't just going to let this go. He's going to make me pay for making him look like a freak.