Suddenly, I smell an unfamiliar feminine scent, knowing it's not my mother's perfume. 'You smell different. I can smell a woman's perfume on you, and it's not Mum's,' I say angrily.
My father's face pales, and he almost chokes on a bite of toast. He leans over and pulls a chair out, ‘I think you should have breakfast with me,’ he says.
‘Tell, Mum, I’ve lost my appetite,’ I say to him in disgust and walk out the door, slamming it behind me.
I don’t see Janie, so I approach her yard and throw stones at her bedroom window. The front door swings open, and Janie runs out.
‘Yeah, yeah, I know, I’m running late,’ she says.
‘You’re never late,’ I say to her.
‘I know, I didn’t sleep well last night,’ she says.
‘Something on your mind?’ I ask her.
‘A lot is on my mind, to be honest,’ she replies.
‘Same,’ I tell her. ‘I-I think my dad is having an affair. He’s never home, and I could smell another woman’s perfume on him,’ I tell her, saddened.
‘Rose, I’m so sorry,’ she says and hugs me. ‘Does your mother know?’ she asks.
‘Not that I know of, but if Dad knows that I know, he will have no choice but to tell her,’ I reply sadly. ‘So, why can’t you sleep?’ I ask her, wanting to change the subject.
‘I keep having this feeling that something is going to happen, and it’s not a good feeling,’ she says. ‘I think it might have something to do with my prediction of you last night,’ she adds.
We share a grim gaze of uncertainty.
We reach the academy gates, and Xander is waiting there. Janie runs up to him, and he catches her, pulling her into a tight embrace as they spin around in happiness. I can't help but feel joyous for Janie and her loving relationship with Xander. It makes me realise that maybe if I put more effort into my relationship with Brad, we can also experience such bliss.
I go to Brad's locker, where he's conversing with his friends. As I approach, he nods at them to leave.
'Your friends can stay. I don't mind,' I smile, kissing his cheek.
'It's alright, babe. I want all my attention on you,' he replies, pulling me closer to his chest. My stomach swells with butterflies as I wrap my arms around him.
Brad's lips crash onto mine, but instead of feeling passion, I sense something off. His kiss is rigid and forceful, causing pain to surge through my lips. I open one eye and notice his eyes wide open, scanning the crowd around us. It's like he's putting on a show for everyone else, and I'm merely a prop. I wish he'd just kiss me because he wanted to, not for the attention of others.
Unable to bear the discomfort any longer, I push against his chest with all my might. To my surprise, he stumbles back, and I can feel my werewolf side trying to take over. I take a deep breath, trying to control myself, as I regretfully look at Brad.
As everyone whispers, Brad scowls at me. But then he forces a smile to try and show the onlookers that he’s not affected by it.
The bell rings, signalling the start of class, and everyone disperses, except Brad and I who remain standing in front of his locker, alone. Brad grabs my wrist tightly without warning, pushing me against the locker.
'Ow, you're hurting me,' I tell him.
'Why would you embarrass me like that in front of everyone? How could you be so selfish?' he spits out through gritted teeth.
'Brad, please stop. It hurts, and I don't want to hurt you,' I plead with him.
'You physically assaulted and embarrassed me in front of half the academy. I'm only giving back the pain you caused me,' he retorts, his grip tightening.
'I'm sorry, I didn't mean it. It hurt when you kissed me,' I say, trying to reason with him.
Brad releases my wrist and pulls me into a tight embrace. 'I wish you would stop making me hurt you, Rose,' he says softly, cupping my cheek. Finally, he gives me the gentle, sweet kiss that I was hoping for in the first place and walks away to class, leaving me in confusion. I rub my wrist and notice the dark bruises. I don't want Janie or Imogen to see them, so I wait until my werewolf ability heals the bruises before heading to class.
I hear the sound of approaching footsteps echoing through the hallway, and soon enough, Janie comes running towards me, breathless. Concern across her face, she collides into me.
'Rose, are you alright?' she asks, still catching her breath.
'I'm fine, but are you?' I lie, a hint of worry in my voice.
'I left class. I might get detention, but I just had this feeling that you were in danger again,' Janie says, scanning me from head to toe.
'I appreciate your concern, but I'm fine,' I assure her, spinning around to show her I'm okay. 'Maybe your intuition is off today,' I tease her.
Janie chuckles. 'Maybe it is. Nothing's been making sense to me lately,' she admits as we approach class.
Mrs Higglepots scolds Janie for leaving class abruptly, and I receive a reprimand for being late. We sit on either side of Imogen and focus on our studies until lunchtime.
Sitting at the cafeteria table with my friends, my mind drifts to the upcoming journey through Felderia. I take a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves. One more week, I tell myself. You can do this.
Suddenly, Xander appears from the shadows and joins Janie, showering her with affection. Imogen can't stop grinning at how adorable they are together.
Then Brad approaches, wraps his arms around me from behind, playfully kisses my head, and ruffles his hand on my beanie. I quickly grab it and hold it down.
‘Whoa, Rose. It’s just a beanie. I think you look cuter without it,’ he says defensively.
‘I like this beanie a lot, as I’ve already told you,’ I reply. ‘So, please don’t touch it,’ I tell him.
He raises his hands in surrender, ‘Note taken,’ he says and smiles.