SLIPPERY CRAVINGS: FORBIDDEN ADDICTION

Maya

Today was my first day at the school’s cafeteria, or rather the second time after I was discovered to be without the wolf gene. The first time, after that life changing event, had been brutal and traumatizing. It was the first time I was bullied.

Now, standing before the matron who was dishing my food, I wondered if I had made the right choice, listening to Naomi.

Naomi was my only friend. The only one who had remained by my side after the pack doctor’s diagnosis on my sixteenth birthday: the diagnosis that had set my perfect life on fire.

Naomi had insisted that I follow her here today. It’s been a year and six months since that fateful first day, yet the memory still had a firm grip on me. I was actually counting the seconds till someone threw me a juice can, or half eaten pizza.

“Maya, stop fretting. Mother promised me that the Lycan King has resolved the bullying issue. It’s over finally, best friend. Take a deep breath. Your hands are shaking.”

She was right. My hands were shaking.

Take a deep breath?

I will, when I walk out of the cafeteria, without being bullied.

After I took my order, and turned around, hoping to follow Naomi to whatever table she would choose, I came face to face with Noah and Timothy.

Noah was the second son of the Lycan King. The second, amongst the triplets, and the chief of my bullies.

Timothy was Naomi’s brother.

Both were handsome. Too handsome for their own good, their evilness notwithstanding.

At the moment, Timothy was looking at his sister with disapproval.

Okay, I saw this coming.

“What are you doing here with her?” Timothy questioned harshly, a scowl blanketing his face simultaneously.

I mentally slapped myself for ever having a crush on the idiot right in front of me.

“I had thought that Noah was joking when he talked about you bringing her to the cafeteria. Did you lose one of your brain nuts?” Timothy kept on with the interrogation, choosing to spare me a disgusted glance right after the query.

“Tim, you are sickening,” Noami started, without missing a beat. “However, in reply to your question, mother had informed me that Maya was free now to do as she wanted, just like any member of this pack. So, I suggest you take your complaints to her, or the Lycan King.”

She paused, and turned to me, her aloof countenance not slackening at all. “Maya, let’s go. The food is getting cold.”

With all pleasure, dear.

Howbeit, before I could take a step further, Noah covered the little distance between us, a smug smile on his lips.

Oh god, what now?

“Did you honestly think that I was going to let you walk away? What are you doing in the cafeteria today? This place is off limits for you. I’m sure I made that clear the last time.” He mentioned, staring at me with a malicious glint in his eye.

I opened my mouth to apologize, to explain Naomi’s reasons, but before I could even do that, he flung my tray out of my hands, causing it to fall to the ground and make a loud clanging sound. This of course, attracted the attention of those in the cafeteria, if the boys approaching me hadn’t been enough to garner the right attention in the first place.

“No food for you today, my playtoy. I think I have something better planned for you.” He stated, causing me to shudder in fear.

Naomi tried to come between us but Timothy pulled her back, restraining her strongly in his arms.

Why were they so hell bent in frustrating my life? Had I made myself wolfless? Shouldn’t the goddess be bearing the brunt of their anger? I thought, taking in the satisfying looks on the faces of the students in the cafeteria. They couldn’t wait for the ‘something better’ Noah had in stock for me.

To hell with all of them. I cussed mentally, balling my fists by my side in anger.

“Do you want to hit my brother?“

My flaring anger suddenly faded away when I heard Adam’s voice. Sheer terror took its place.

You see, Adam was the firstborn of the Lycan King. First of the triplets, and the silent partner of the bullying party. He rarely spoke, never contributed to my bullying ordeals, yet never stopped it. If I should take a guess, he found it amusing. An entertainment. Probably why his presence now sent tendrils of fear down my spine. Why was he speaking?

Immediately, I unfisted my hands, but of course Noah had been fast enough to catch my action. I nervously waited for the outcome.

I didn’t turn to look at Adam who had increased my bullying quota for the day with just a question, but I knew he was seated across from me. Perhaps in the midst of girls. He loved all girls, apart from me.

“Oh my god!” Noah shouted a second later, taking a few steps back and laughing like a psychopath.

“The playtoy seems to be getting some back bone…well, why don’t we break it, huh...” He muttered, the laughter on his face giving way to a wicked determination that caused another batch of fearsome chills to run from the hair of my head to the sole of my feet.

I watched, fear stricken, as he picked yogurt from one of the tables close to him, and poured the liquid-slowly mind you-on my hair.

Naomi stared open-mouthed, shock overriding her features, unable to do anything.

“You still want to fight back?” He asked, pushing my forehead with his thumb, the laughter of the students spurring him on.

But I said nothing to him, feeling the humiliation wash over me, aware that my siblings were among those laughing and pointing fingers at me.

Step-siblings.

Yet Noah was not done.

He walked elegantly to another table, carried a plate of food, and walked back to me. He grinned, ear to ear, as he plastered the food on my face, swerving his hand on the flat plate from side to side as if wanting to make sure that the food particles would sink into the pores of my skin, before letting the plate fall to the ground.

A tear escaped from my eyes as I felt the food remains slide into my clothes and stick to my neck.

I would need to go home after this, I decided, not caring about detention or suspension. I couldn’t possibly stay in school after this.

In this humiliated state, I wanted to sit down until Noah was done pouring whatever he had to pour on me. And that was why when Daniel—the third triplet—came up to me and gave me a hard push, causing me to fall to the ground, I made no effort to stand up.

I sat down there rather, listening to the deafening laughter from the students, whilst trying to cut myself away from reality-to remain aloof to everything.

But, even that was hard.

I felt another liquid get dumped on my head, and bit my lips, unable to stop the train of tears this time around.

I closed my eyes, wishing and willing that one of the matrons would call one of our teachers to stop this madness.

Perhaps they already did, but time seemed to take much longer.