The Beta's Sister

Chapter 8

Nicole

“Titus!” I say happily as I walk in the class and approach his desk.

“Nicole. How is the first day going?” He asks as he leans against the front of the wooden desk with his arms crossed over his chest. 

“Well, I was super late to first period, I managed to get to second period on time with a little help, and I got here all by myself.” I say proudly.

“Sounds like you are doing pretty good then.” 

“Yeah, but this school is a maze. The only reason I got here just fine is because it was across the hall from my last class.” Titus chuckles at my explanation. 

“That, it is. I still find myself getting lost from time to time, and I’ve worked here for three years. Go ahead and grab your seat. You have about thirty seconds before everyone rushes in and take up the good seats.”

“Sure.” I turn around and take in the room, trying to decide which desk I should take.

“Oh, Ms. Greene?” I turn back toward Titus at my last name being called.

“It’s probably best if we hold off on the first names for when we are in a less professional environment.” 

“Oh!” I say as I cover my mouth with my hand. Realization hits me that I just called my teacher by his first name. Titus and Luna Kamaria were best friends growing up. Since then Summer and him have become close, and the three of them are always hanging out or going on triple dates. I have met him plenty of times at the pack house that it makes sense for me to forget to address him correctly. “I am so sorry, Mr…um…Lee?”

“Burklee.” He assists me with a chuckle. 

“I knew it ended with Lee!”

“Go ahead and find your seat.” Just as I turn around; pups start filing into the class and I make way to a middle desk that isn’t too front and center and not too far back either. ‘

A cute brunette with long curly hair takes the seat next to me. She gives me a smile as she takes a notebook out of her backpack. I smile back and mimic her actions, tapping my pencil on the desk, nervously. 

“Hey!” I look over to see the girl still smiling with her eyes on me. I look around, making sure she isn’t trying to talk to someone else. 

“Hey. I’m Nicole.”

“Paige.” She says turning her body more towards me in her seat. “Are you new here?”

“Yep. Brand new.” I say with sour sarcasm. 

“Are you tired of being asked that question?” Paige asks with a sympathetic look.

“Just a little.” I say trying to cover up my previous snappiness. Before coming here I knew I would stick out like a sore thumb. I just wasn’t prepared for all the stares. It’s only been three hours and I was already over it and allowing it to affect my mood. 

“If it will make you feel better, you are kind of the talk of the school.” I narrow my eyes at her causing her to put her hands up in defense. “It’s good talk, promise.” 

“I guess that’s something at least.” I reply with an uneasy chuckle. 

I drop my sour mood and talk to Paige until Mr. Burklee calls the class to attention. She is a nice girl, and I am grateful she looked past my grumpy mood and didn’t just dismiss me. Mr. Burklee goes through the expectations for the year and goes over the book list we will be required to read. Before I know it, literature class is over and I am packing my things in my bag. 

“So how are you managing with navigating around the school?” Paige asks as she stands up from her desk. 

“Ugh! Not the best. I guess it’s pretty normal to get lost here?”

“Yeah. Freshman year I was late to every class for the first month, at least. Let me know if you need a guide.”

“Thanks.” I say as we walk out of the class. “I really appreciate it.” 

“What do you have next?”

“Health. Downstairs. If the letter B in front of the number is a good indication.” 

“Yeah. That one should be easy to find. There are only a few classes down there.  We can walk down together. I have P.E. Do you need to go by your locker, first?” 

“Oh, right. I never did the whole locker thing. I got caught up with the counselor when I first got here and then went straight to class.” 

“Alright, let me see your schedule.” I pass the slip of paper over to her that has my class schedule and locker information. Paige reads through it then smiles up at me. “Well, looks like I will be your official guide. Your locker is a few down from mine. We can stop by and then rush off to class.” 

I follow Paige to find my locker, happy that I’m able to drop off some things instead of lugging them around the entire school. After, Paige drops me off at health class before making her way to the locker room. When I walk in the class, mostly everyone is already there. I stand at the door looking around for an open seat. 

“Nicole!” I hear my name come out in a squeal and look over to see Cierra rushing up to me then grips my arm excitedly. 

“Cierra, hey. Thank goddess you are in this class.” I say with relief. 

“Kent, trade seats with me.” Cierra calls out to a guy sitting on top of one of the desks that is next to a vacant one.  

“No. What’s wrong with your seat?” The guy who must be Kent calls back. 

“Come on, you can sit next to me.” Cierra says to me, ignoring his response. She walks us across the room towards Kent who is still sitting down. I can already tell he is slim and tall. He has sandy brown skin with a curly afro that is lined up around the edges. 

When we get to the desk Cierra motions for me to take the empty seat. She stands next to Kent who hasn’t moved from his position, her hands are on her hips and her eyebrows raised. Kent gives her an agitated look, but gets up slowly from the desk before walking over to where Cierra was when I walked in. 

“Give me my bag, please.” Cierra says behind him as he walks away. Soon as he gets to the new desk he picks up her bag and throws it at her. Cierra is quick and catches it just before it hits her head. “Ass hole.” She mumbles under her breath. She takes the now vacant seat next to me and gives me a smile just as the teacher walks into the classroom. 

The teacher, Mr. Nilson, welcomes everyone and tells us what we should expect out of the class. All of the other classes I have been in today are pretty much similar to classes I would have had at human school. This class, however, is going to be different. We will be discussing the mate bond, marking, pup birth, and everything in between. Definitely things that are wolf specific. 

“Mr. Nilson?” Kent calls out with his hand raised. 

“Yes, Mr. Valor?”

“If we are already years ahead in s*x education, can we skip those sessions and get a passing grade?” Kent says with a grin and a wink at one of the nearby she wolves. The class laughs and a few others nod in agreement. 

“You don’t get special treatment just because you are a hoe.” Cierra answers for the teacher who seems mildly entertained by the conversation. 

“I’m not a hoe. I’m experienced.” Kent retorts.

“Okay, you two.” Mr. Nilson interrupts. “To answer your question, Mr. Valor, no. We will be discussing valuable information and this class is a REQUIREMENT to graduate.” He says ‘requirement’ with a loud emphasis which cuts short any other jokes on the matter. 

The class ends with a few more jokes and plenty of banter between Cierra and Kent. I am surprised when Cierra tells me that they are actually really good friends. They always give each other a tough time, but they have been friends for as long as they can remember. We pack up our bags and make our way to the lunch room. 

Meeting new people has been a good distraction, but my mind starts wandering to Warren. I remember Cierra saying some of the Howling Moon pups go here and was hoping he would be one of them, but half the day is over already and I haven’t seen him. I realize only now how a good amount of my excitement for the day was centered around seeing him, and how disappointed I am that I have to wait until training to see him again. Never thought I would say this, but I’m really going to miss daily training