Jax moved in and closed the distance between him and Lola. He reached out his hand and roughly gripped her chin. Her head was forced back, and her fingers wrapped around the edge of the metal table behind her.
"What were you doing with him?" he asked again, slower, colder, and his eyes darkened more and more for each word.
"We- We were having coffee."
Jax's eyes flickered down to her lips, and they parted as though they obeyed his silent wish. His hand slid down around the back of her head, and he drew a deep breath. He leaned his other hand on the table, caging her in.
"Lola." Her name was the only word that he didn't speak in pure anger.
"Yes," she whispered.
"Clementine Hall doesn't exist. Stay away from him," he warned.
Lola leaned her head back and gazed wonderingly into his eyes. Jax's words repeated in her head, and she sighed, feeling stupid for thinking that she would make a friend.
"How do you know?" she asked.
Jax clenched his jaw and pulled away. Lola looked as his hands fell to his sides, and she could stand straight with a few inches between them.
"I looked into it after meeting him yesterday. There's no record of him anywhere. I don't know how he managed to enroll at Lilac, but we're looking into that as well. Until he's taken care of, steer clear." Jax turned around, but Lola reached out and grabbed his arm.
"Taken care of- How?" She dreaded the answer.
"However necessary," he answered coldly. Jax left her standing in her own messy mind, alone in the café. The blinds were still drawn, the door softly closed, and the loud silence pressed her down to the spot.
Lola took out her phone and looked up Clay's contact information. Her finger hovered over the delete button, and all she had to do was press it.
"Who am I supposed to believe?" she asked and turned her phone off. Deep down, she knew that Jax was probably right in telling her to stay away from him, but at the same time, she had run away. Lola had left to start over somewhere new where nobody knew her. What if he was doing the same thing?
* * *
She walked back into school and searched for Clay on the way. The empty halls would soon be swarming with students, and she would be hurrying to the next class in the building across the parking lot, so she hoped to talk to him before that.
Passing the cafeteria, she was met with yet another empty spot. He wasn't in the break lounge or the library, and by the time she gave up, the doors opened, and students exited. Some would go to class. Others would be going to the café and notice the barista's absence after Jax scared her away.
Amid all the faces, his stood out.
"There you are." Clay grinned and walked past everyone to get to her.
"Where were you?" she asked.
"I went to the lab to see if Mr. Potter was there. I needed assignments that I have missed."
That sounded plausible, she thought.
"Can we talk?" Lola asked. She looked around, knowing she should be getting to class, but this felt more urgent. Clay turned to the side. A girl walked into him and dropped her book, but her friend picked it up for her immediately.
"Sorry about that," Melissa said. She and Lola shared a glance before her eyes darted back to Clay's.
"No worries," Clay said and turned away.
"Come on, Lola." Clay started walking, expecting Lola to follow him, but she was frozen in her spot, trying to say something to Melissa. Before she had the chance, Melissa walked away with her friends.
"Lola, wait!" Melissa called out.
Lola's heart started speeding when Melissa came running back to her.
She stopped and slowly cast a glance over her shoulder. "Who is that guy?" she asked.
"Clay. He's new," Lola explained. They stood in an awkward silence before Melissa turned back around. She didn't say another word and walked after her friends.
* * *
Clay and Lola turned the corner of the corridor, and he held open the door to an empty classroom.
Before she stepped inside, she stopped and thought about what she was doing. Jax had told her to stay away from him, and now she was entering a room, alone, with the guy.
"You said you wanted to talk," Clay explained and furrowed his brows.
"Yes." Lola walked in, and the door closed.
Clay turned on the lights as Lola stepped up to the table. A sound echoed in the room, one she was all too familiar with. She jumped around and stared at his fingers pinching around the lock.
"Did you lock the door?" Her heart jumped up to her throat.
"I thought we should talk in private without anyone accidentally walking in on us."
Lola ran over to the door when the air became thinner. "Not like this," she said and unlocked it.
Clay shrugged his shoulders and seemed unbothered.
"Sure," he said. He put his hands in his pockets and waited for Lola to speak.
"Who are you?" she asked carefully.
"I'm Clementine Hall. Who are you?" He chuckled as though Lola was joking. However, it wasn't a joke to her.
"I mean, who are you?"
His face stopped moving for a split second as realization hit. He lifted his head and narrowed his eyes. "I genuinely did not think that he would tell you. From the information I'd gathered, you two aren't very close." He took his hands out of his pockets and crossed his arms.
"What do you mean?" Lola's brow lifted, and she made sure to stand close to the door.
"Blackwood looked into it, didn't he? I knew that after I met him, he'd run back home and tell his folks. He'd dig up any information he could, and in that, he would realize that there was none. I just never imagined he'd tell you... That's new." He flicked his tongue and looked inquisitively at Lola's soft hand reaching for the doorknob.
"I'm gonna go," she said and spun quickly on her heels. She opened the door a few inches before it slammed shut in front of her. Clay's hand pressed against the door, and no matter how hard she pulled, it didn't move.
"How'd you-" she breathed and felt her heart ringing in her ears.
He was standing too far away to be able to come this quickly. His speed wasn't human. Clay shook his head. A dark amusement played in his eyes as he scanned her from top to bottom.
"No, sweetheart, I'm not a werewolf," he mused.
Lola moved away from him and hurried to the window. They were on the first floor, so she could jump. A breeze swept around her, and Clay stood by the window just when she reached it. She extended her arms and slammed into him as she stopped.
"Clay." She backed away with her hands raised.
His lips pulled up in a smile. In one swift move, he grabbed her wrist and tossed her across the room. Lola's body rolled on the floor until the wall stopped her.
"I planned it out," he seethed, anger seeping into his words. "Everything was meticulously planned, and this was not how it was going to end." He pulled her up and threw her against the desk.
Lola grabbed the wooden edge and steadied herself as the corner pressed into her core. She winced in pain. Clay grabbed her waist and spun her around. His face contorted in a grimace, his eyes turned red, and black veins started growing around his iris.
"No," she breathed as his fangs extended.
He opened his mouth. "Lucien says hi," he whispered before diving down to her neck, his fangs penetrating her skin.
The pain shot out in waves through her body. Lola screamed without a sound leaving her lips as his hand came up over her mouth.