Chapter 18: Growing Friendships

Lilac’s P.O.V

“You’re being awfully quiet.” Dani took a seat beside me at the cafeteria. “Are you sure you’re ok?”

I looked up at her through my lashes from where I had my head down on the table. All I could do was give her a small nod before closing my eyes once again, ignoring the chatter all around me.

Everyone knew about me spilling drinks onto Alpha Elijah…no one knew what happened after. How my world had tipped off its axis and everything had just came crashing down around me…

I don’t know who gave them the orders or told them to keep shut, but even Kaleb and Hoji have been awfully quiet and have been avoiding me since this morning.

“Lily?” Dani placed her hand on my shoulders comfortingly, but I just didn’t have the strength to shrug her off.

I loved Dani, I really did. She was my biggest support inside the pack, my best friend…but at this moment, all I wanted was to be left alone. I had had a tiring day…a tiring week…a tiring fucking life. And each day just seemed to keep draining more and more of me.

“Someone’s grumpy.”

Startled, I looked up to find Liam and Tawin walking over to our seat with their lunch trays in hand before they placed them onto our table and took their seats right opposite to us.

Dani gave me a surprised look before turning back to the boys as I sat up straight, looking at the two of them in warning. If they were here to discuss last night with me in front of Dani, they were dead meat. She didn’t need to know everything that went on in my life, she was worried enough as it was.

“See?” Liam smirked at Tawin, who just smiled at shook his head. “I told you she gets grumpy as soon as she sees me. After all, I’m dad’s favourite.”

“We’re not related, Liam.” I frowned. “There’s no competition.”

“But there is.” He gave me a wink. “Assignment’s due next week. When are we gonna start preparing for it?”

Shoot! I’d forgotten all about the assignment.

“When do you want me to get it done?” I asked instead, pressing my fingers to my temples to suppress the oncoming headache. “I’ll hand it ov-”

“I never said I need you to do the whole thing for me.” Liam said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “We’ve been assigned as partners for a reason. So we finish the project together, but for that we need to start the project together as well.”

“You want to start now?” I asked him feeling exhausted. But if he wanted to work on the project, I might as well.

“Hell no.” He scrunched his eyebrows. “You look like death warmed over. Let’s get your mood back up first. Wanna join us to the fair at Garden City?”

“The fair?” Dani looked instantly excited. “Oh my god! I’ve been wanting to go for ages but my parents haven’t had the time to take me!”

“Parents?” Tawin and Liam gave each other looks before bursting out laughing. “What are you, five?”

“No, we’re social outcasts, dumbasses!” She stuck her tongue out at them. “If we could go on our own, then we would have done so a long time ago.”

“Then come with us now.” Liam offered. “Let’s finish lunch, ditch school and have fun.”

This time, I was the one giving Dani the wide-eyed look.

Was that…even possible?

Ditch school? Have fun at the fair?

I’ve never been outside the pack…in fact, I couldn’t even remember being outside my old pack…it’s like I’ve always been cooped up and distanced from everything around me.

“But…we aren’t even dressed properly…” Dani protested weakly, clearly wanting to go.

“Dani, if you’re going to wait for the perfect dress or the perfect hair, you’re going to miss out on all the fun opportunities in life!” Liam sighed before turning to look at me. “We’re all in jeans and shirts. What’s wrong with that?”

I nodded. He was right, there was nothing wrong with what we were wearing. And it wasn’t like I had anyone waiting on me anyway. The Soup House wouldn’t even notice if I didn’t return to the attic for one night.

“Call your mom and tell her we’re you might be late.” I told Dani. “Tell her I’ll be with you.”

The smile that lit up her face was enough to warm my heart. Without another word, Dani took out here phone and excused herself so she could call her mom while I stayed behind with Liam and Tawin.

“Thank you,” I told them once she was out of ear-shot. “For not bringing up last night in front of her.”

“Wow…you seriously have low expectations of me.” Liam shrugged, but before he dug into his lunch, he offered me half of his sandwich.

“It’s fine.” I shook my head, but he shoved it into my hands with narrowed eyes.

“The drive will take forty minutes.” He told me with his mouth full. “You won’t get to eat in the meantime. So stuff up.”

I took the sandwich from him, not showing on my face just how grateful I was for the little gesture. Liam’s behavior with me might have seemed forced at the beginning…but it didn’t feel that way anymore.

Was we…really becoming friends?

“Mom agreed!” Dani jumped onto my back in excitement, giving me a tight squeeze before she went back to have her lunch.

After lunch break was over, the two of us went to the washrooms to fix our hair and to use the loo. Liam was right about one thing, if we waited for the right dress and the right hair, several opportunities might one day pass us by. So we just straightened out our checkered shirts as I rolled the sleeves up to my elbows and I let my long hair loose from its messy bun, applied a bit of lipstick that Dani had snuck into her backpack and then we headed out of the school to find Liam and Tawin waiting for us in the Silver SUV.

“Wanna ride shotgun?” Tawin offered, moving away from the passenger’s seat.

I paused for a second, looking at Liam who was already inside the car in the driver’s seat. He only raised his eyebrows at me.

“Sure.” I agreed; opening the door and getting into the passenger’s seat as I saw Liam smile from the corner of my eyes.

A second later, Dani and Tawin also got into the backseat and we all fastened our seatbelts.

“Ready?” Liam called out.

“Yes!” Dani and Tawin’s excited voices came from behind, not even skipping a beat, while I just nodded my head.

“Ready.” I whispered.

“Then let’s go.”

Liam started his car and soon, we were speeding down the road, out of school, out of pack territory.

I had never been outside the pack before and the instant we crossed the borders, a sense of freedom began to settle inside my heart. It felt like a huge weight being lifted from my chest as the cool air from the window blew back my hair from my face.

So this is what it felt like, to be free?

I knew Krimson’s territory extended to the entirety of Kansas…he was after all the first Alpha to have control over a pack as large as the size of the entire state. But still…I was no longer inside the pack territory, and that in itself felt amazing.

Briefly, I felt fingers brush over the back of my hand that I had placed on the seat. I didn’t need to look towards him to know who it was. And in that moment, I knew he understood what I was feeling…and I knew that this sudden trip had been his idea to help cheer me up.

Because even though Krimson was supposed to be my mate, my protector… in the end, it had been Liam who had come to save me.