"Ow!" I yelped, covering my cheek.
Adrian had pinched me.
What the—?!
I turned to glare at him, but he just smirked.
"You were thinking too hard," he said casually.
I gawked at him.
Was this how guys acted with each other?!
Because if so, I had a lot to learn.
Adrian's POV
I walked into class, my so-called new friend trailing beside me.
Friend.
The word tasted strange in my mind, laced with sarcasm. I wasn't the type to make friends so easily, so why did I agree to this?
Oh. Right.
Because something about him was suspicious.
As expected, all eyes were on us. The humans were curious—wondering since when their untouchable, always-distant Adrian had taken an interest in the new kid.
The werewolves? They were even more confused. An alpha casually hanging around a human? Unheard of.
Not that I cared.
Settling into my seat, I noticed my friends approaching, curiosity practically radiating off them. I exhaled sharply. Here we go.
"Adrian, why don't you introduce us to your new friend?" James smirked, arms crossed as he leaned against my desk.
"Why would I do that?" I shot back, not bothering to look at him. "He's not anyone special."
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Jace's reaction—calm, unreadable.
James, as usual, ignored my indifference and took it upon himself to introduce everyone. "I'm James, and these idiots here are Luke and Josh."
Jace barely nodded, uninterested.
Silence.
A heavy, awkward silence.
Josh, ever the peacekeeper, sighed and motioned for us to sit. "Let's just get to class."
I leaned back in my chair, tuning out the lecture, only to notice something strange.
Jace's gaze was elsewhere—distant, unfocused.
My curiosity got the better of me, and I subtly followed his line of sight.
He was looking at—
My eyes followed his gaze, narrowing slightly as I tried to see what had caught his attention.
Florida.
She was glaring at him, her eyes burning with barely concealed fury. Jace, however, looked unimpressed. In fact, he raised an eyebrow at her, almost as if he was daring her to do something.
Interesting.
Florida's face turned red with anger, but she didn't make a move. Not yet, at least.
I smirked. This could be fun.
Jace, however, seemed more amused than concerned.
"What are you doing?" I muttered under my breath, watching his little staring contest unfold.
"Nothing," he answered quickly, shifting in his seat.
Suspicious.
But before I could press further, the teacher's voice rang through the room.
"There will be a mandatory camping trip next Monday. Attendance is not optional."
Groans filled the classroom. Clearly, no one was thrilled about the idea of leaving their comfort zones.
Jace turned to me. "Are you going?"
I gave him a deadpan look. "Did you not hear the word mandatory?"
"…Stupid," he muttered under his breath.
I raised an eyebrow. "What was that?"
"Nothing."
I let it slide.
For now.
Just as I was about to refocus on the lecture, Jace suddenly let out a yelp.
I blinked.
Did… did I just pinch his cheek?
I smirked. "You were spacing out."
Jace clutched his cheek, staring at me in disbelief. "Did you just—"
"Pay attention," I interrupted smoothly, turning back to my notes.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him fuming.
Yeah.
This was going to be fun.
The class ended in a flash,
School activities were over, it was time to go home.