TWENTY-THREE: PERFECT DISTRACTION.

The next day at school, we were in the locker room discussing stuff before Pink came by, placing her arms around me and Clary's shoulders, displaying a big smile on her face.

"Hey, girls, guess what?"

We all stared at her, trying to get the answer from her cheerful face as she giggled under her breath.

"Lemme guess, we're having a girls' day out together with Clary," Eska was the first to speak up as she signed, resting her back against the locker.

Amazed, Pink said, "Wow, that's a great idea, but no, try again."

That's when Summer snickered. "Are we going shopping?"

Pink chuckled. "Nope, but it's something that will blow your minds."

We glanced at each other before looking back at her, waiting for her to spill.

"Well, I came up with an idea, talked it over with Mrs. Adams, and she agreed. Now, we're going to have a mid-term party!" She whooped, which got us all jumping and giggling.

"Oh my gosh, Pink, that's great!" I commented.

"Yeah, I could not have guessed that," Clary added.

Eska smiled, watching us celebrate. Then she signed, wondering out loud, "But how could Mrs. Adams agree to such a thing? I mean, that's unlike her."

"Well, at first she didn't. It took a lot of convincing, and besides, we do need the distraction," Pink said.

"Yeah, I agree with Pink," Summer quickly aligned with her.

"Good, with that settled, I have already planned the whole agenda, and I'm going with Jesse."

"Wow, we can bring dates?" Clary asked, already boiling with excitement, as Pink nodded.

"Now, all we have to do is let the rest of the school know." Pink said, and then we took out our notes from our various lockers and retired to our separate classes.

After class, in the hallway, the speakers went on, and Mrs. Adams' voice crackled in.

She started by greeting everyone and listing all that had happened the past few months. Then she mentioned the idea Pink had, and the hallway filled with cheers. They were definitely happy and looking forward to a nice and decent celebration.

During recess, Rejoice walked onto the basketball court, looking around for a few seconds. Then she spotted Jesse sitting on a bleacher in the second row.

She walked up to him, standing in front of him, smiling. "Hoping to find you here."

He smiled upon seeing her. "Hey, Joy, what brings you here?"

"Well, I'm kind of looking for Martinez. Have you seen him around?" she asked, and he chuckled.

"Nope, what did he do this time?"

Rejoice scoffed and sat next to him. "Have you heard about the party?"

"Yeah, I heard. You have a date?"

"Yeah, I do. What about you?" Rejoice said, teasing him. "Lemme guess, you're gonna ask Terra?"

"What?" They both laughed.

"You better! I noticed the way you looked at her. I think you should ask her out. Besides, you two are made for each other."

He smirked. "You're kidding, right? Besides, Pink asked me already."

"She did? Wow." Rejoice smiled, looking up as silence swept through.

...

At the janitor's closet, Jennie and Sofie were seen in one corner, reading through a map of the outskirts of the city that they stole from the grand library.

Jennie briefly narrated the plan to Sofie, pointing out places on the map.

Sofie, leaning on the wall with her arms folded, scoffed. "All this for one creature?"

"Well, that creature has the ability to take down an army," Jennie snapped, hitting her hand on the map that was on a crooked table.

Sofie came over to her, placing her hand on her chin, and said with a calm and loving voice, "Look, I don't mean to upset you, but in a few weeks, there's going to be a mid-term party. Don't you think we should at least spend some time together? Last I checked, we never really spent any quality time together."

"You may be right, but the party can serve as a perfect distraction to plan our defense strategy."

"Jennifer!" Sofie yelled, which caught her attention. "Are you listening to me? We've spent most of our love life having sex and chasing monsters. All I want is just for us to spend time together like the couple that we are."

"But..."

She held Jennie's hand, looking into her eyes. "You're dying, Jennie. I don't even know what's wrong because you won't let me in. I don't even know how long you have left. All I want is to make good memories before I lose you."

Jennie quickly freed her hand and grabbed Sofie's jaw. "You're not gonna lose me, Sofie. I'll kill the alpha before that happens."

Sofie sighed. "I just need your time, Jennie. Can I have it, at least for a day?"

Jennie sighed, taking hold of her hands again. "Fine."

Sofie smiled, looking into Jennie's eyes. They stared at each other for a minute before their lips met.