Rosalina's Hope by D.D. Dass (free novel 24 .txt) 📕

I picked up my bag, hurriedly walked out the door. I almost reached the cafeteria when I saw Robert, stopping I turned, going in the opposite direction. But it was too late, he’d already seen me.

“Rosalina!” I stopped and glanced over my shoulder to see him walking toward me.

Robert was taller than my five foot five by a few inches. He’d changed over the years, the childish face much too sharp. He was slightly built with green eyes and blond spiked hair. People were watching now, there eyes excited to see what would happen when Robert, who was walking with dramatic slowness, spoke to me. In desperation, my sisters’ face registered off to the sidelines beside a gorgeous brown haired girl. Her eyes panicked as I felt. My heart beating erratically, I smiled with false excitement. Finally he stopped before me, his green eyes sparkling. At one point that would have made my heart skip a beat, but today it made me wish I didn’t exist.

“You didn’t think you could go the whole school day without speaking to me did you?”

“Robert….nice seeing you again too.” He smirked, reaching between us to pull my hood down. I inwardly flinched, but outside showed nothing.

“Come sit with me. I know you missed me.” Not really, I thought annoyed.

“Maybe another time,” I mumbled, moving to continue towards the parking lot. A hand grabbed my arm and I froze dead, my breathing stopping. Everyone seemed to have frozen too, but they didn’t matter to my brain as it shut down the idea of being touched. I began to shake, willing myself to speak as my mind began to spin.

“Let her go!” My sister’s voice screamed in the distance, and I wished I could see her, but I couldn’t make my body move. Every feeling in me was shutting down besides where he held me. I was yanked toward him and finally able to say something.

“Please…” I choked. Suddenly his hand was gone, and I could feel my breathing deepen. The relief swelled over me in rivers. After a minute I registered what was going on around me. To my shock, Robert was on the ground, his hand clutching his bleeding nose, his eyes glaring daggers over my shoulder. I looked over to find the guy from French glaring back, his pose said he was Roberts’ superior and that he would easily kick his ass.

“Touch her again, and I will gladly break your hands next.” I watched unable to move until Robert began to get up, then before my sister reached me I ran through the crowd. Not caring who I pushed down just wanting to be anywhere but there. When I reached the parking lot, I walked out of the schools campus, and onto the sidewalk, my hands in fists as I willed the tears away.

It was expected that Robert would speak to me, but touch me? No, he’d never been that type of person. The Robert I knew would have given anything to protect me, but this Robert; well he was the expected jock. A pompous ass. I wasn’t aware I was being followed until the footsteps behind me became heavy. Stopping I expected my sister, instead the French boy stopped walking, sizing me up as if I would jump him. With a scoff I turned again, continuing to walk, wondering why he was following me. Didn’t he get that I just wanted to be left alone. He didn’t say a word although he continued with his stalking, so I whirled around, glaring.

“Are you expecting a thank you? If so, don’t hold your breath.” He flashed a smile, making me angrier. This wasn’t supposed to be comical.

“No, thank yous aren’t my thing either. I just wanted to make sure you were okay, and you obviously aren’t,” he murmured softly, his hazel eyes soft. 

“I’m fine,” I replied automatically, without a thought.

“Do you tell that lie a lot?” I glared at him, hating that he guessed right, I probably could be considered a fabulist; I lied about anything to close to the sad truth.

“S’not a lie,” I muttered half-heartedly, wondering why I stood here arguing with him. He looked like he wondered the same thing.

“That’s a lie too.” I let out a breath, figuring there was no point in lying about a lie.

"Are you always so perceptive? Or do you like stating the obvious?” The sarcasm in that sentence was heavy and he seemed to have noticed since his handsome face frowned. I almost felt bad for ruining his fun. Almost.

“Both.” I rolled my eyes, turning my back on him and continuing to walk.

“Wait!” I continued walking, ignoring him completely. I had the strangest urge to hum a jolly tune.

“You didn’t tell me your name.” I paused for a minute, didn’t he already know?

“Don’t you already know?” I didn’t turn to look at him, afraid I’d see the all too sincere façade most people who wanted to be my “friend” put on. 

“Should I? My name is Bastien by the way,” he called. I smiled a little, wondering why he was going through so much trouble to get my name from me when he could leave this second and ask anyone. His girlfriend even, and I was sure he had one.

“Rosa,” I called back over my shoulder, turning the corner. For the first time in two years a smile etched my features. The dazed kind of smiles.

“Roza,” the name rolled off my tongue awkwardly. The woman-child who rounded the corner was far from the rest of her peers. Not supernaturally abnormal, but different all the same.

Vulnerable to the world, yet stubborn enough that you might never guess so. The entire school had been gossiping of her return, stories spreading on why she’d been gone in the first place and why she’d decided to come back. Now, I was annoyed at myself for not having paid attention.

Most of the petty teenagers complained that she’d had the perfect excuse to stay out of school yet wasted it. Idiots, I swore. Pivoting, I headed backwards, for the school, which thankfully had calmed down since the hype of confrontation. Lunch was almost over I noted with relief, marking one more bother off the endless list: no teachers complaining to the Alpha about my behavior.

“Baby!” Inwardly, I winced at the familiar voice, unsure as to why she would be a bother to me; she was my girlfriend after all. Hailey Summers was perfect temporary girlfriend. I’d first met her the day I’d moved into this crappy little town, she wasn’t a she-wolf, but that was good. I wasn’t looking for a mate any time soon.

I look over to see her, alongside Rosa’s twin, Iren I think, walking towards me. In high heels and a short summer dress, Hailey was stunning, with exact curves, nothing out of place. Brown long hair surrounded her pretty face equipped with green eyes, and pink thin lips that practically had any guy kissing the ground she walked on. And yet…I could never find any real pull towards the girl. She was just nice to look at.

Beaming, she bounded up, lips touching mine for more time than necessary. I pulled away first, smiling forcefully at Rosa’s twin, who stood there awkwardly.

“Mon cher, you shouldn’t be rude.” Hailey looked confused before I gestured to the other. With a surprised “Oh!” she hooked a finger in my belt loop, glued to my side. Hailey might be gorgeous, but I was beginning to doubt there was anything more to her.

“Iris this is Bastien, Bastien this is Iris.” Iris –looked more like Iren to me –nodded.

“Thank you…for what you did back there for my sister. I hadn’t expected him to touch her…He wasn’t like that last year,” she muttered, still angry as she extended her hand. It didn’t surprise me that he hadn’t been that way last year, male Lycans rarely were the same after a first change –our wolves became the dominant.

I took her hand, aware of the subtle differences between the twins. While Rosa’s eyes were a deep, vivid blue, Iris’ were brown, depthless to me, while Rosa’s skin was pale, fragile looking; Iris’ was a healthy, tanned pigment, but more pressing, while Iris was a flare of life, Rosa was distant, too mellow, almost…scarred.

And it was Rosa who proved to be the intriguing of the two. “Rob’s an idiot,” I agreed dryly. Iris smiled knowingly before approaching, Josh, another one of my pack members, who I supposed, by the way he was staring at me – almost warning, was her boyfriend. Interesting.

Shaking it off, I let Hailey guide me to the Jocks table, where I slouched, gazing at nothing.

“Captain! Oh Captain! Why don’t you come up ‘ere and give your school some team spirit?” Jason’s loud holler in the school’s microphone sent a hush over the courtyard. I raised a brow and shook my head tightly. Jason, also a member of the pack, was a year or so younger than me –also the closest I’d ever come to having a “best friend”. His father was the Alpha of this pack and had made him start school later than most, which might’ve been deserved, Jason tended to act like a child more often than not. And weirdly enough, it was a trait I liked about the other, though I was almost certain he put up the clown act to avoid the soon-to-be Alpha statues. Being the son of the top Lycan was hard, I would know.

“C’mon guys! Don’t you want your captain up here? Gimme a hell yeah!” The cafeteria’s off pitch shrieks pierced my too-enhanced ears, starting a resonating ring in my head that I couldn’t stand without losing it. I snatched the microphone away from Jason, glowering. In response, the other grinned widely, in triumph.

“Anything to shut this idiot up right?” I stared pointedly at Jason as the cafeteria snickered. “We’ll be a legend this year, but I think you are already know that.” With that, I pushed the microphone back to Jason, who rolled his eyes as the teachers shrieks pitched into the students. An unlikely agreement.

I stalked off, away from the noise. Soon after, Jason caught up to be, gripping my arm. I suppressed a growl. “Be careful grabbin’ me like that pup.”

He smiled. “Pup?! Sebastian I’m only a year younger than you.”

“Act like it then.” He stopped short and I regretted opening my big mouth instantly. Jason’s parents often put him on the spot about being the jokester he was. Little did they know, they were slowly killing their son’s spirit.

“Damn mon ami, I’m a bigger ass than Robert now huh?” Jason shrugged half-heartedly, sitting at a vacant table where I leaned beside him, my elbows digging into the metal table.

“Way bigger. The biggest.” I sighed, unfazed. “What’s on your mind bro?” With a scowl I wondered how Jason could act so oblivious to everything, yet be so much more aware than anyone gave the guy credit for.

But what was bothering me? Even my wolf was more agitated than usual. The day had started off with the same old crap…then I met the girl. I met Rosa. Her name, even in my mind, made me stiffen expectantly. I didn’t know why, but the woman-child attracted me. Her scent, lavender, was