The next day at school, we were in the locker room discussing stuff before Pink came by, placing her arms around me and Clary's shoulders, wearing a big smile on her face.
"Hey, girls, guess what?"
We all stared at her, trying to get the answer from her cheerful face as she giggled under her breath.
"Lemme guess, we're having a girls' day out together with Clary," Eska was the first to speak up as she signed, resting her back against the locker.
Amazed, Pink said, "Wow, that's a great idea, but no, try again."
That's when Summer snickered. "Are we going shopping?"
Pink chuckled. "Nope, but it's something that will blow your minds."
We glanced at each other before looking back at her, waiting for her to spill.
"Well, I came up with an idea, talked it over with Mrs. Adams, and she agreed. Now, we're going to have a mid-term party!" She whooped, which got us all jumping and giggling.
"Oh my gosh, Pink, that's great!" I commented.
"Yeah, I could not have guessed that," Clary added.
Eska smiled, watching us celebrate. Then she signed, wondering out loud, "But how could Mrs. Adams agree to such a thing? I mean, that's unlike her."
"Well, at first she didn't. It took a lot of convincing, and besides, we do need the distraction," Pink said.
"Yeah, I agree with Pink," Summer quickly aligned with her.
"Good, with that settled, I have already planned the whole agenda, and I'm going with Jesse."
"Wow, we can bring dates?" Clary asked, already boiling with excitement, as Pink nodded.
"Now, all we have to do is let the rest of the school know." Pink said, and then we took out our notes from our various lockers and retired to our separate classes.
After class, in the hallway, the speakers went on, and Mrs. Adams' voice crackled in through the overhead system.
"Good afternoon, Caveroop high," she began warmly. Her voice echoed off the walls, pausing the post-period bustle. She went on to recap all that had happened the past few months. Then she mentioned the idea pink had.
The hallway exploded with cheers, claps, and even a few students whooped and spun in place. Backpacks were flung up for a second before falling with thuds. Someone banged a locker rhythmically like a drumbeat. Students grinned and clustered together in excited conversations, already speculating about themes and outfits.
As the noise swelled, Mr. Henzel, the maths teacher stepped out of class B4 scanning the crowd with his fierce grey eyes. He didn't shout, didn't even raise a brow. He just stood there, framed by the doorway, watching.
The noise didn't stop instantly but it faltered.
The man was tall, dressed in his usual dark suit, though today his black blazer hung open and a loosened burgundy tie dangled off his neck like he'd just walked out of a boardroom fight. In one hand, he gripped a thick mathematics textbook, the edges frayed, like it had been through more than just equations.
His eyes swept across the crowd like floodlights, sharp and unblinking. And wherever they landed, chatter seemed to cut short.
"Keep it down," he said, voice like gravel smoothed over velvet. "It's a celebration, not a riot."
He didn't wait for a reply. He began walking down the hallway, heading for the next classroom. And yet, as he passed, students leaned subtly out of his way. Some turned their backs even a group of seniors who are usually rowdy went quiet as he passed them.
I leaned closer to Clary. "Geez. What's the matter? Is he always like this?" I whispered.
She shrugged, still watching his back as he turned the corner. "He's the head of the disciplinary committee. So, yeah, always. I once saw him stop a hallway fight with just a look, you do not want to cross him"
I blinked.
When he was finally out of sight, the tension seemed to lift like a spell had broken. Voices picked up again, gradually at first, then louder and louder, until the cheer returned to full volume.
During recess, the sunlight bathed the basketball court in soft gold, casting long shadows across the cracked pavement. The sound of distant chatter and bouncing balls filled the air.
Rejoice walked in scanning the bleachers like she was searching for someone specific. She paused near the half-court line, squinting slightly.
Then she spotted Jesse, sitting in the second row, elbows resting on his knees, head slightly tilted back as he stared up at the sky.
She smiled and made her way up the steps, stopping in front of him.
"Hoping to find you here," she said lightly.
His gaze dropped, and a grin spread across his face the second he saw her.
"Hey, Joy. What brings you here?"
"Well, I'm kind of looking for Martinez. Have you seen him around?" she asked, raising a brow.
Jesse chuckled, shaking his head.
"Nope. What did he do this time?"
"Nothing… yet." She scoffed and sat down beside him, their shoulders almost touching.
A brief silence passed before she leaned back and looked at him sideways.
"So... have you heard about the party?"
He gave a short nod. "Yeah. Pretty sure the whole school knows by now."
"You have a date?" she asked, casually plucking at a loose thread on her sleeve.
Jesse glanced at her, smirking. "Do you?"
"I do, actually." She shot him a smug smile. "What about you?" Then her tone turned mischievous. "Lemme guess, you're gonna ask Terra?"
Jesse blinked. "What?"
They both burst into laughter.
"You better!" Rejoice said, giving him a nudge with her elbow. "I noticed the way you looked at her. I think you should ask her out. Besides..." she grinned. "You two are made for each other."
He rolled his eyes. His smirk lingered,
"You're kidding, right? Besides…" he rubbed the back of his neck. "Pink already asked me."
Rejoice's eyebrows lifted. "She did? Wow." She looked up as silence swept through the court.
...
At the janitor's closet, the dim lightbulb above flickered, casting a jittery glow over the dust-lined walls and rusted shelves. In one corner, Jennie and Sofie crouched over an old table, a worn map of the city's outskirts spread out between them, creases deep and torn edges. The corners were held down with cleaning supplies and a metal wrench.
Jennie's voice was low and clipped as she traced a finger along the routes with precision explaining the plan to Sofie.
Sofie, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, cut in with a scoff.
"All this for one creature?"
Jennie's hand slammed down on the table, the map rustling beneath her palm.
"That creature has the ability to wipe out an entire army."
Sofie pushed off the wall and stepped closer, her tone softening as she gently tilted Jennie's chin toward her.
"Look, I'm not trying to be insensitive. But in a few weeks, there's a mid-term party. Don't you think we should at least spend some time together? Last I checked, we never really spent any quality time together."
Jennie looked away, jaw clenched.
"You might be right," she muttered. "But the party can serve as a perfect distraction to plan our defense strategy."
"Jennifer!" Sofie snapped, grabbing her attention with an uncharacteristic sharpness.
Jennie blinked.
"Are you even listening to me? We've spent our entire relationship having sex and chasing monsters. All I want is just for us to spend time together like the couple that we are."
Jennie didn't respond.
Sofie stepped closer again, her voice trembling just slightly.
"You're dying, Jennie. I don't even know what's wrong because you won't let me in, and that's what terrifies me the most. I don't know how much time we have left… and all I want is to make good memories before I lose you."
Silence filled the room.
Jennie's shoulders stiffened. She reached out, gripping Sofie's jaw, not roughly, but with a strange urgency.
"You're not going to lose me, Sofie. I won't die. I'll kill the Alpha before that happens. I swear it."
But Sofie didn't flinch. She only looked at her, eyes glassy with unshed tears.
"I just need your time, Jennie. Can I have it, at least for a day?"
Jennie's fingers trembled slightly as she let go and took Sofie's hands in hers, more gently this time. Her voice cracked.
"Fine. One day. Just for us."
Sofie let out a shaky breath and gave her a smile. She squeezed Jennie's hand and leaned forward, resting her forehead against hers.
They stood like that for a moment and then, without another word, their lips met