#Chapter 3: A Wolfless Outcast

"What?" I stared at Jessica in disbelief, my heart racing in my chest.

 

The weight of her words bore down on me, filling me with confusion.

 

"We've heard the rumors," Jessica said, her voice filled with both amusement and superiority, as she casually pointed to her group of friends surrounding her. “You’ve been keeping yourself pretty busy today. Haven’t you, Shana?”

 

All of her minions stood there, smirks etched across their faces.

 

Shadow High was a hub of gossip and rumors where whispers spread quickly.

 

Every week there seemed to be a different story that students focused on.

 

But as an outsider, I had always remained on the outskirts, unaware of the intricate network of information swirling around me.

 

I had no friends, after all. There was no one to gossip with.

 

"What rumor?" I asked in a barely audible voice, feeling a sense of unease creeping up my spine.

 

Rolling her eyes, Jessica took out her phone from her pocket, a wicked smile playing on her lips. “Don’t even pretend like you don’t know. We’ve all seen the evidence.”

 

She shoved the screen in front of my face, revealing a photo of me at the hockey rink, desperately calling out to Lucas.

 

My heart sank as I realized how bad this looked on my part.

 

It became evident that the hockey players were behind this cruel act.

 

They had captured that vulnerable moment and shared it throughout the school via various group chats, ensuring everyone in the school would be able to see it.

 

But that’s not what I was doing! I wanted to shout. This is all so wrong!

 

As I read one of the text messages displayed on Jessica's phone, a wave of humiliation washed over me.

 

"LOL Shana just confessed her love to Alpha Lucas! Does she think she has a chance? She's WOLFLESS and the school's biggest LOSER. How pathetic!"

 

Jessica's laughter echoed in my ears, intensifying the pain caused by those hurtful words. "Seriously, Shana, what were you thinking? You and Lucas? You're not even worthy of being in the same league as him."

 

Each word burned me and felt like a knife piercing deeper into my already wounded spirit.

 

"He's an Alpha, and you're just a nobody," Jessica continued, her voice filled with scorn, an arrogant smirk on her face. "He would never lower himself to be associated with someone like you."

 

Her friends nodded in agreement; their faces twisted with disdain.

 

“Yeah, just take a look in the mirror!” one of them said.

 

“Lucas would never fall for a girl who is damaged goods,” another one of them said.

 

I allowed their insults to go through one ear, and out the other.

 

Hearing that they thought I was fragile was nothing new. They’ve been calling me the wolfless freak all school year.

 

So, amidst their torment, as usual, I tried to protect the remnants of my shattered self-esteem in my mind.

 

I am just different. I will find my own way in this world.

 

I’ll appear unbothered by their cruel words and menacing stares because I’m not the weak girl they think I am.

 

But that encouragement quickly faded when one of Jessica's friends noticed the diary clutched tightly in my trembling hands.

 

"Wait, is that a diary?" the friend jeered, pointing mockingly at my cherished possession. "You still keep a diary?"

 

Their mocking laughter reverberated through the cafeteria, intensifying my feelings of isolation and vulnerability.

 

The weight of their mockery threatened to crush me, but I mustered the strength to step back, desperately trying to shield myself from their taunts.

 

“Just leave me alone,” I said with as much courage as I could.

 

Unaffected by my plea, Jessica lunged forward, attempting to grab the diary from my grasp.

 

Swiftly sidestepping, I managed to avoid her, protecting the sanctuary of my private thoughts.

 

I cannot let Jessica see my diary. It recorded everything that happened with my mother and all the things Jessica and other students did to me. It held words I used to encourage myself throughout the years being branded the “wolfless weirdo”.

 

My emotions and tears will not bring them any compassion. If anything, it will invite even more mocking from Jessica.

 

"You can't hide your feelings for Lucas from me," Jessica sneered, annoyance evident in her voice as she closed the distance between us. "I know what it's like. You see, Lucas and I were very close. He's my ex-boyfriend, and I'm pretty sure he still can't forget all the... enjoyable times we had together."

 

A lump formed in my throat, and I swallowed hard, shocked by the revelation that Lucas had once been involved with Jessica.

 

The only person in this school that I thought could possibly respect me, might be no different from Jessica.

 

My illusions shattered into a thousand pieces as the ground beneath me seemed to crumble.

 

Desperation flooded my veins, urging me to resist.

 

Shaking my head, I tightened my grip on the diary, clutching it protectively against my chest.

 

"No," I managed to whisper, my voice trembling with defiance.

 

I stood my ground, refusing to yield to their demands.

 

But as I looked into Jessica's menacing eyes, I realized I was no longer just an outcast; I was now at the mercy of their horrible whims.

 

Jessica took another step forward, her fingers curling around the delicate crystal necklace hanging from my neck.

 

With a sudden jerk, she pulled hard, tearing the necklace away from me, and severing the fragile thread that connected me to my mother's memory.

 

My neck stung with an ache as shock and anger surged through me, igniting a fierce determination.

 

"Give me that back!" I shouted, my voice quivering with a mix of fury and desperation.

 

My mother’s necklace meant so much to me. It was one of the few things of hers that I had left, and she had given it to me to keep and cherish.

 

Seeing the necklace in Jessica’s hands made my blood boil.

 

She wasn’t worthy enough to be holding onto that.

 

Carelessly, Jessica tossed the necklace to one of her friends, who caught it with a triumphant grin.

 

They started playing a twisted game of keep-away, tossing the necklace between them each time I tried to retrieve it, reveling in my anguish.

 

Every failed attempt to reclaim my mother's precious necklace heightened the pain that threatened to consume me.

 

Tears welled up in my eyes, blurring my vision, as their teasing weighed me down.

 

I didn’t want to cry, but I couldn’t help the inescapable feeling.

 

I realized the cruel reality that I had become a victim of their relentless bullying.

 

And they would never stop.

 

The more I resisted, the more they enjoyed my suffering, and the louder their laughter became.

 

I blamed myself for this situation, regret gnawing at my heart.

 

If only I had ignored their questions about Lucas, maybe this torment could have been avoided.

 

Maybe I could’ve walked away, and they would’ve left me alone?

 

But then again, when had they ever decided to leave me alone and not torture me?

 

Exactly, never.

 

And now, I was stripped of my dignity and my mother's necklace.

 

Uncertainty engulfed me.

 

Would I ever get my diary and my necklace back? The items that rightfully belonged to me.

 

Suddenly, the necklace flew through the air and landed in the hands of someone else.

 

Startled, I turned around, ready to retrieve the necklace, only to collide chest-first with the person who had caught it.

 

"Please, give me that back," I pleaded.

 

"This is yours?"

 

Hearing that familiar voice, I looked up, my teary eyes meeting a pair of deep ocean-blue eyes radiating an inexplicable warmth.

 

It was Lucas.