It was a lovely Wednesday morning, and the sun rose early, lighting the entire sky at once. After my bath, I opted to dry my body with a soft towel before putting on my sports outfit. It was Wednesday, and we were definitely going to dress in sports attire rather than uniforms. I dashed to the sitting room and met Derek, who was serving the dishes of food on the table. He grinned as soon as he spotted me, and I came up to sit next to him.
"Good morning, Derek. What about mom?" I asked, knowing it was my mom's usual routine to make breakfast for us before we go to school.
"She was extremely tired, Isabel. I told her not to bother. I caught her dozing while she was making breakfast. You know our parents had a long day yesterday so she must have been exhausted. She needs enough rest,"
Derek mumbled as he popped me on the nose playfully. He was correct, though; my mom needed ample rest. I wish I knew how to cook better now. She had always done the cooking. It's embarrassing that I still can't cook well. Derek is male, and he cooks better than me.
I smiled as I salivated over the meal on my table. Derek added some honey to the heated pancakes, creating a beautiful combination. I licked my lips, confident that it would taste nice. He walked into the kitchen and returned later with some burritos. My eyes widened at the sight of it.
"Don't tell me you made that!" I inquired, my eyes widening as I peered at him in complete disbelief. As he glanced at me, a slight smirk tugged on his lips, knowing I was skeptical that he created the burritos himself.
"I made it, Isabel. I thought you might not like pancakes so I decided to make some burritos as well,"
"Wait… since when have you woken up? I mean.. you're all dressed up and prepared for school as well and you still had time to make this for breakfast? Are you superman?"
I inquired, my jaw dropping as my face became confused. How could he prepare two foods for breakfast in such a short period of time?
"I got up around six o'clock because I was thirsty. I walked to the kitchen to fetch a bottle of water, and I noticed your mother asleep while cooking. She seemed tired and exhausted, so I decided to prepare the food and ask her to rest. I figured you wouldn't like pancakes, so I made burritos too.. I also made for our parents,"
Derek explained further and I couldn't help but drool as I stared at his handsome face.. not only was he handsome, but he was also a good cook. What a blessing it is to have a perfect mate like him?
"These are awesome. I love pancakes as well as burritos! Derek, you're such a great cook." I exclaimed, my gaze moving to the food on the table. With a smile, I took a mouthful of the pancake and chewed it. I closed my eyes to appreciate the flavor of the pancake and honey combination.
Derek smiled while watching me eat. He skipped the pancakes and went for burritos instead.
After breakfast, we planned to leave without awakening our parents. They're still asleep, and I'm sure they're not going to work today.
"Urm.. Derek." I called as soon as we stepped outside on the pavement, watching various cars drive by. I knew he intended to take a cab for both of us, but I didn't want us to depart for school in the same cab.
"Yes, mate.." He mumbled with a smile that displayed his dimples, his voice as fine as red wine. My wolf howled and purred again, and she loved how he called us his mate.
"Can we go to school in different cabs? I don't want everyone to know that we're step-siblings,"
I mumbled, expressing my worries. As the wind blew across our faces, a strand of my hair dangled in front of my face and Derek tucked it behind my ear, his green eyes radiating with comfort and bliss.
I bit my lip, knowing that it was a ridiculous request. We can't keep disguising the fact that we're step siblings from our peers and classmates. Everyone will find out in one way or another.
"I understand. We can take different cabs if you prefer," Derek said, eliciting a slight smile from me. When I was about to move, I noticed our old neighbor, Mrs. Briggs, peering at us. My brow furrowed as I pondered why she gave us this focused attention. It's unusual for her to get up so early. What's with the expression on her face? Why does she keep staring at Derek?
I tried to ignore her by stopping a cab. I waved at Derek before entering the cab and sitting at the back seat. Our eyes were on each other till I was out of sight…
I bit my lips as I stared at the taxi driver through the rear view mirror. Was I wrong when I suggested that we use different taxis?
I know the truth about us being mates will soon be revealed to my classmates but I feel it's best to keep it hidden for now. I don't want my bullies to start picking on me when they find out at this time. I'm doing all I can to avoid them like plagues.
When the cab came to a stop on the side of the road, I stepped out with a smile, my gaze darting across the school's surroundings. Today was sports day, and I'm overjoyed since the leader approved my request to join the cheerleading team.
I let out a heavy sigh as I checked my sports gear, which consisted of a school top and black track pants. I was dressed in white canvas and socks, with my hair wrapped in a ponytail. My mark was disguised with cosmetics per Bonnie's advice, and I'm delighted it wasn't noticeable.
.
I glanced around, wondering if Derek had appeared with the cab he intended to board earlier. When I didn't see a sign of him, I scurried into the school building, clutching my bag tightly.
As I walked into the classroom, I noticed all eyes were on me and that alone made me extra worried. Okay.. what exactly is going on? What have I done to get those strange stares?
With a lump the size of a pea in my throat, reluctantly, I dragged my feet into the classroom, my eyes darting at every intense stare of my classmates.
My heart pounded as I wondered what was going on. I glanced around for Bonnie, and when I didn't find her, my heart totally crushed. She was the one friend I confided in whenever I was concerned or troubled.
"You're quite careless, lady. You forgot her diary once again.. Only the Moon goddess knows what you're always thinking about," Matilda blurted out, and the rest laughed along. My eyes widened as her words lodged in my mind. My Diary!!!
Did they read the pages of my diary? How on earth could I forget something so crucial in school? No. I'm sure I didn't forget it. Someone must have snatched it out of my bag. Someone is attempting to mock me and cause trouble again. I am sick and fed up with them...
My eyes flew across every mocking face of my classmates, attempting to figure out who was holding my diary.
"Come get it, Bela," Gerald, the head of the male bullies, called as he waved my diary in his hand, grabbing my attention. Laughters erupted from the rest and I'm very certain that they read my diary. How evil can they be?
I walked up to him, enraged, and tried to yank it away from him, but he quickly switched his hands to the other side, allowing me to capture the air in turn. I almost fell, but before I could restore my balance, Maria stretched her legs forward, knocking me down. The laughing erupted again, louder than before.
It reverberated in my ear, making me irritated. I creased my brows as I tried to get up, dusting off the sand on my body.
"Give that to me!" I yelled as I jumped in an attempt to grab my diary from Gerald's hands. "Why are you so bothered about it? I guess you don't need it which is why you kept it in the class,"
"No. I didn't forget that. One of you must have taken it from my bag…. You maniacs! Give that back to me!" I yelled as I attempted to grasp it, but he moved it away from me, causing me to fall into his chest.
"I'll only give it to you if you kiss me.." Gerald stressed as he focused on my lips. Who the hell does he think I am? I'm aware that he irritates people by purposefully challenging and mocking them, but requesting a kiss from me was far from that. Who the hell is he to expect me to want to kiss him?
"Come on! You really want this back so do as I say,"
He threatened, and my eyes widened in disbelief. First, he was wrong for ceasing my stuff and reading through it, and now he's threatening me since my stuff is in his possession.
How foolish can he be?
More laughter broke out, making me angry. I smacked Gerald on the cheek, and everyone's eyes opened in shock. Never before had a girl done something like that!
Well.. I don't care.. All I need is my diary. They already made me heartbroken by reading every detail in it and now they're making me depressed by joking around with me.
Gerald tossed the diary to his friend, Diego. He turned to face me with a smirk on his face.
"I guess you don't need that, urh? Next time, you wouldn't dare raise your hand on me!"
"Give me back my diary! What else do you want? Haven't you done enough by reading every single line in it?!" Blurting, I hit him hard on the chest and he grabbed my shoulders before drawing me closer to him.
I stifled a gasp as I watched him bring his face closer to me.. "Aren't you Mason's puppet? Since he already broke up with you, why can't you be my puppet as well?"
His statements infuriated me, and before I could respond, I saw someone jump into the scene and strike Gerald in the face. Gerald fell as a result of the collision, and the person proceeded to punch him hard.
My eyes widened when I realized it was Mason who had come to save me from those bullies. "Give her her diary you idiots!"
Mason exclaimed loudly while Diego nervously handed over the diary to me. Patricia stood in a corner, her eyes glaring at me. She was undoubtedly upset that her mate had abandoned her to save me.
I took my diary and clasped it tightly to my chest. Thank the Moon goddess that I never mentioned Derek being my mate in it. I turned around to see Derek's perplexed expression as he walked into the classroom.
Bonnie walked into the classroom and dragged me out of there….