Chapter Eight: New Kid Smell

After her last class, Sammy headed for the detention room.

“Hey Sammy, wait up.”

Sammy stopped and turned to Raye with a smile.

“I’ll walk with you to our torment.” Raye said with a smile.

Sammy laughed as they turned and headed for the room together.

“Sammy?”

Sammy paused and turned to Tracy’s voice.

“Go away, she doesn’t have anything to say to you…”

“Shut up Applebum.” Tisha said as she joined her sister.

“It’s Apple Baum.” Raye said as she pronounced her name properly.

Tisha shrugged her shoulders. “Who cares, we were talking to our friend, not you.”

Raye stared at Sammy in shock. Sammy felt the blood in her veins turn to ice. She had wanted to let Raye know herself, that she had been a part of The Circle, the leader.

“No need to go on the defensive, Tisha.” Sammy said as she looked between the twins and Raye.

“Why aren’t you hanging with us anymore?” Nina asked as she joined them.

“You know why.” Sammy said as she looked at Nina.

“We can kick Kendra out of The Circle.” Nina said with a frown.

“You know you can’t.” Sammy said with a smile. “She’s more fit for the group than I ever was.”

“But…”

“Let her go if she wants to betray us.” Tracy said as she held her hand up to stop Nina.

“I’m not betraying you, Tracy.” Sammy said with a sigh. “Look, I have been thinking about this for a while now, and Kendra’s crap was just the last straw. My camel’s back can only take so much.”

The girls from The Circle stared at her, as though she was talking a foreign language, but Raye laughed at Sammy’s low attempt at a joke.

“Who will lead us now?” Nina asked with a pout.

“I’m not following Kendra. She can’t be trusted.” Tisha said with a sour face.

“You run it.” Sammy said as she looked at the twins.

“Me?” Both girls said at the same time.

Sammy laughed. “Both of you. You know Sarah and Nina will listen to you. And if Kendra won’t, then kick her out. The Circle is all yours.”

Nina frowned. “But you’re our leader.”

Sammy sighed. “You take care.” She whispered before she turned and headed for the detention room.

“So, you’re their leader, huh? Could have fooled me, and wait, you did.” Raye said as she followed Sammy.

“Sorry.” Sammy said with a shake of her head.

“You’re not really one of them, are you?” Raye asked as she watched Sammy’s face.

“I never felt like it, and Boone says I’m not meant to be. So, I guess not.”

“Good.” Raye said as she linked her arm through Sammy’s. “Because I like you, and it’s too late to find a new friend to spend detention with.”

Sammy laughed. “I only have one day.”

“Then you’ll have to get into trouble again.” Raye said with a grin.

Sammy laughed. “How about I just wait for you.”

“Not as much fun,” Raye said with a grin. “But I guess we can slip notes under the door.”

Sammy laughed as they continued to the detention room.

~*~

“What do we do now?” Sammy asked as she and her two new friends walked out of the detention room.

“Now we party.” Raye said with a laugh.

“Not really in the mood to party.” Sammy said with a frown.

“How about homework then.” Boone said with a laugh as he threw his arm over Sammy’s shoulders.

Sammy shrugged her shoulders. He smiled and pulled her closer to his side as they walked to his car.

“I want to see Sammy’s house.” Raye said with a grin.

“It’s nothing special.” Sammy said as they stopped at Boone’s car.

“I can give you a ride.” Boone said as he motioned to his car.

Sammy nodded. She would love to spend more time with him. She looked at Raye and smiled.

“Do you need to call your parents?”

“Nah.” Raye said with a shake of her head as she pulled herself into the back seat of Boone’s car. “If you’re rich, why don’t you have a car?”

Sammy sighed. She has a car; she just prefers to walk to school.

“I like to walk.” She said as she got into the front seat of Boone’s car. She also didn’t like the looks she got from people when they saw her convertible. It had been a sixteenth birthday present from her parents, and she has driven it maybe a dozen times.

When they pulled up to the security gate at Sammy’s house, Raye sucked in a shocked breath.

“Nothing special, my ass.” Raye said as the gates opened, and Boone pulled into the circular drive.

Sammy held back her laughter at the look on her new friend’s face.

“My parents are rich, not me.” Sammy said as she stepped out of Boone’s car.

“That includes you, you’re their daughter.” Raye said as she examined her surroundings.

“Boone is rich too.” Sammy said as she pointed at him.

Boone laughed. “Not half as rich as you.”

“God, why is it such a big deal? So, my parents have money, that doesn’t change who I am.” Sammy grumbled as she headed up the stairs, to the front door.

“I know.” Raye said as she caught up to Sammy and flung her arm over Sammy’s shoulders. “It just means we can afford to get into bigger mischief.”

Sammy laughed as she opened the door.

“Sammy.” Lucy said with a smile when Sammy and her friends entered the house.

Raye whistled as she looked around.

“Can we have snacks and drinks, Lucy? We’re going to do homework in my suite.”

“Sure thing.” Lucy said with a smile as she headed to the kitchen.

“Your suite?” Raye asked with wide eyes as they walked up the winding stairs.

“Yeah, come on.” Sammy said happily. She’s never been this happy to have company before.

When they entered her suite, Sammy watched the looks on her friends’ faces, as they took it all in.

“A house within a house.” Raye whispered.

Sammy laughed. “I guess it is.”

“Okay, where’s the pinball machine?” Raye asked with a laugh.

Sammy shook her head. “Sorry, no pinball, but I do have a Pac-man machine somewhere.”

“You are spoiled.” Raye said with a laugh. “I wish my parents were rich.”

“No, you don’t.” Sammy said as she moved over to her couch.

Raye and Boone looked at each other before they joined her.

“What’s wrong?” Raye asked as she sat on the couch next to Sammy.

“I never see my parents. They’re always busy, making money and taking care of other people.” Sammy said with a sigh.

“I wish I never saw my parents. Especially when my dad is drunk.” Raye said with a frown.

“Oh.” Sammy said as she looked at her new friend.

“I would give anything to have your life.” Raye said with a sigh.

“Done.” Sammy said with a smile. “All I ask in return is your friendship and loyalty.”

Raye stared at her. “What?”

“You want my life, it’s yours. Well, this part of it anyways. The money, the games, the shopping…”

“What are you saying, Sammy?” Raye asked as she watched Sammy.

“You are always welcome here; I will even give you the code to the front gate.”

“What’s the catch?” Raye asked shocked.

Sammy smiled. “Nothing. Just friendship and loyalty.”

“She’s lonely.” Boone said from the couch across from them.

Both girls looked at him and Sammy shook her head.

“He always says that. I just have a good feeling about our friendship.” Sammy said with a smile.

“But you just met me today.” Raye said shocked.

“And you already annoyed my enemy, to get yourself put into detention with me.” Sammy smiled with a soft laugh. “I think that bonded the bines there.”

“You’re just plain silly.” Raye said with a laugh.

Sammy just grinned at her own silliness and picked up her backpack and pulled out her books.

Boone sat back with a smile as he watched them. When Sammy looked over at him, he mouthed, ‘I told you so.’ She stuck her tongue out at him, which just made him laugh. She smiled, and he came unwound.

~*~

The following weeks were the best weeks of school and life, Sammy had ever had. Boone had been right; she had been miserable with The Circle. All she had had to do, was get away from them and her true friend would appear.

They were sitting at a table in the lunchroom, talking about what they wanted to do after school; when a smell caught Sammy’s attention. It was familiar, yet foreign.

Sammy turned her head to look at the front of the cafeteria, at the same time Boone looked over her head. A boy stood there, looking around and looking totally out of place.

He looked eighteen, yet older somehow. He had blond hair, and a body almost as muscular as Boone. He wasn’t as tall as Boone, but he was still taller than Sammy. He spotted her staring at him and smiled. She felt a blush creep up her neck and settle in her cheeks.

She turned back to the table when he started to walk towards them. Why do the new people seem to flock to her?

“Hi.” He said as he stopped at their table.

“Hi, there.” Raye said with a smile as she looked at him.

Sammy could see the twinkle in her friend eyes and rolled her own.

“I’m Dermont, my friends call me Monty.” He said as he continued to stare at Sammy; as if he was waiting for her to talk.

Sammy cleared her throat. “I’m Sammy, and this is Raye and Boone.”

Dermont smiled at Raye then looked at Boone and let out a growl. She could swear she heard him say something like, Hunter. But that was crazy.

“What brings you here?” Boone asked Dermont.

“Education.” Dermont said with a growl.

“I meant to our table.” Boone said with a deep voice.

Sammy stared at him. She has never heard that tone in his voice before. It was kind of sexy and scary, at the same time.

“Oh.” Dermont said with a smile. “I just thought you guys looked like people I would have stuff in common with.” He said as he gave Sammy a pointed stare.

“Do you know him?” Raye whispered to Sammy.

Sammy looked at the boy who stood beside her table smiling. Did she know him? He felt familiar, but she knows she’s never seen his face before. Has she? His smell was familiar. He smelled like a forest and rain. Maybe he reminded her of Boone’s scent.

Sammy shook her head when Raye continued to stare at her.

“You can join us.” Raye said as she pointed to the bench across from her and Sammy.

“Thanks.” Monty said with a grin as he sat across from the girls, next to Boone.

Boone grunted when the wolf sat down next to him. Just as the wolf had detected his smell, he had detected the wolf, before he had even approached their table. His skin crawled as the wolf sat there, grinning at the girls. He looked at Sammy as if he wanted to devour her. Boone was going to have to keep an eye on this wolf.

Boone had spent the whole full moon last month, waiting for Sammy to wolf out, or do something. But nothing ever happened. She had stayed in her suite all night, not even bothered by the moon. The feelings he had gotten when he’d first seen her, over the summer, had been false.

Boone shook his head, when has his senses ever failed him? He was a born hunter. Magic flowed through his body. He can sense anything supernatural and has never been wrong, not once. Until Sammy. She felt and smelled like a werewolf. But she has never shown any signs of being one, not even when that man had almost raped her, after the homecoming game.

“What’s your schedule?” Raye asked Monty, interrupting Boone’s thoughts.

“I just got here a little bit ago, so not sure.” Monty said as he handed Raye his schedule.

She looked at it with a shocked look on her face. “You have all of the same classes as Sammy. Cool, I have almost all of them with her, we can all sit together.”

“Let me see that.” Boone said as he snatched the paper from her hand.

She didn’t seem fazed; she was used to his bluntness.

Boone looked at Monty. “You did this on purpose.” He accused.

“Don’t be so dramatic.” Sammy said as she pulled the paper from Boone’s hand. “This will be cool.”

“Cool?” Boone asked as he stared at her.

“Yeah.” Sammy said with a nod. “Cool.”

Cool indeed. Boone thought as he turned his head away from them. Monty has something up his sleeve and Boone was going to find out what. He had finally decided that Sammy had come into his radar for him to help her, not hurt her, and that is what he’s going to do.

He’s going to protect her from every monster out there, including the new kid.