4. A Little Slip

Mrs. Cross’ desk had a ton of flowers and gifts on it. I smiled and pulled out a small little box from my backpack. Krista lugged in a box of diapers and slammed it down on her chair. Our last class of the day was Latin. Luckily, it wasn’t a block but it really wasn’t going to be a regular day anyways.

When our teacher stepped into the class from the bathroom, her eyes were all puffy. Today was going to be her last day. Mrs. Cross said that it was just going to be for a little while and she would be back teaching but most of us knew better.

“Mrs. Cross, where do we put gifts?” Lauren had a gift on her table as well.

“Oh my, you guys…you didn’t have to. Really!”

Krista snorted. “Too bad! Where do you want them?”

The class laughed, except for Rebecca and her cronies in the corner of the classroom. Of course they didn’t bring anything but then you’d actually have to show up to class to get to know a teacher. Mrs. Cross had actually moved up with us over the years. She decided to finally teach Latin to us Seniors but surprise, she and her mate were now expecting their first pup.

None of us believed she would be back to teach after having her pup. Rarely did she-wolves go back to work until their pups were in the teenage years. It wasn’t the standard but those of us who knew Mrs. Cross, and how kind she was, knew she would end up staying home with however many pups she decided to have.

“Bring them up, you can…set the bigger ones on the floor. Oh my, Krista…darling, thank you.”

“Of course. Never can have too many. Mom says that they are a little big but your pup will grow into them and it’s good to have a variety. My brother was born and he went straight into size two diapers. Which is kind of insane but he was huge. Mom said she had to have her entire vagina sewed…”

I pushed Krista aside. “She doesn’t need to be scared by you right now. Your mom’s horror stories would scar anyone into not having pups.” Smiling, I handed her the small little box I had. “I’m sorry I couldn’t do more.”

“Oh Winter, you didn’t have to.” Her eyes looked up at me and I knew the pity reflected in them.

Everyones did. The whole school knew my situation with my dad. It was hard to hide sometimes when he didn’t bother to care if I showed up to school with a black eye or broken bones. He was Beta and no one was going to speak against the Beta. A few teachers over the years tried to speak up but they would immediately find themselves out of a job. Or worse, out of a pack.

Dad had made a good job into scaring everyone into submission. Except Alpha but he made a promise to his Luna that he would stay out of it. Mostly because I asked her to promise to do the same. Once in a while I would ask for their help but for the most part, I knew I needed to do this on my own. My dad would have less ground to stand on when it came to my future and my mother’s legacy. When I finally pulled the rug out from all of them and brought back our families legacy.

So, for the most part, the teachers who wanted to do something just tried to help me within the realm of what they could do in the class. Others ignored me completely. Even a few over the years were on my dad’s side. Fortunately, for my senior year, that wasn’t the case. It would be smoother and I could handle it.

“It’s not much. But I thought…since mine meant so much to me...”

Mrs. Cross opened up the box and inside was a locket. Mine was a little different. It had a star in the center that might be a diamond but the design surrounding it were more like Celtic knots. The one I gave Mrs. Cross was your more traditional gold heart necklace. She was having a little girl and I thought it would be something nice to pass down.

“Oh Winter, this is lovely. I can put photos in it and everything. Thank you so much.”

I nodded and smiled, glad that she seemed genuinely happy about. She had a lot of baby things and flowers but nothing specifically for her. Something that she could pass down one day. It wasn’t expensive but at least it was something for her to cherish.

“Nice going.” Krista elbowed me as I sat back down in my seat.

“Who is going to replace you?” Rebecca snapped, rolling her eyes at everything and nothing.

Mrs. Cross wiped a tear from her eye and smiled at Rebecca. “From what I understand, Alpha Damian sent out a request to another pack. There wasn’t anyone qualified enough within the pack. They will be taking over tomorrow. So I want you all to be welcoming and kind. Is that understood?”

Rebecca rolled her eyes again but the rest of the class agreed. It would be weird having a different teacher part of the way through class but I hoped that they were good enough to follow up Mrs. Cross. Especially for Latin. It wasn’t the most popular language and there were only three classes of it currently, but those of us who had taken Latin 1 and Latin 2 with her, cared about it enough to stick it out.

“I won’t be back for your graduation…” Mrs. Cross started to cry again.

“Or ever.” Krista whispered and I chuckled but shushed her.

Mrs. Cross sniffled and tried to gather herself. “I have had many of you for all three years. You’ve stuck with it and I couldn’t be more proud. You are my Seniors. No matter what. I know you will be welcoming and kind but I also know that all of you are still here because Latin is something that you wanted to learn. I hope you will continue to learn and take the national literacy test at the end of the year. Many of you I know are ready for it and I can only hope that the next…” She started to break down again. “…that the next teacher cares for Latin and for you as much as I do.”

I smiled, my eyes tearing up as well. Krista was already crying as were many of the girls in class. Even a few of the guys, who had stuck it out as well, were looking up at the ceiling being as manly as they could be. Rebecca had her arms crossed over her chest.

“Well, let’s hope it’s someone hot. No offense, Mrs. Cross, but it’s sucked trying to learn from someone fat.”

There were a few gasps in the room and Mrs. Cross flushed red. Krista wasn’t having it. Before I could stop her, she threw her uncapped plastic water bottle at Rebecca. It was filled with her favorite concoction of Koolaid: Sharkleberry Fin and Cherry.

The water bottle tipped and splashed over Rebecca and the person sitting next to her, Ashley. They both screamed while Krista let out a hearty laugh. As the entire class started to laugh, I bit my lip to try and not join them.

“Krista St. James! Don’t go throwing things at fellow students!” Mrs. Cross looked devastated.

Krista continued to laugh. “Sorry, my hand slipped. I was trying to give it to Maverick. He asked for a drink. You know how I add weird combinations together. He just wanted to know how the mix tasted today.”

“It’s true, Mrs. Cross. I did.” Maverick was snorting, trying to compose himself. “Krista can’t aim apparently.”

I shook my head. This was going to be bad.

“What is this?” Ashley pulled her shirt away, now soaked in red liquid.

“Koolaid. Sorry, dear. That’s going to stain.” Krista flashed her a bright smile. “It’s the end of the day though, so you should be fine.”

Rebecca slammed her hands on the table, which splashed some of the liquid back up at her. “You bitch! You think you can get away with this? What? Did Winter tell you to do it?”

“Rebecca! Language!” Mrs. Cross was still trying to regain control.

I put my hands up. “I said nothing. She was just trying to get the bottle to Maverick. Don’t go pointing fingers at me. I know better.” I added at the end, glaring at her.

“I’m so sorry, Becca. It’s all my fault. Let me pay for your shirt. It’s the least I can do. Or in fact, I can give you a replacement. It’s three seasons ago, right? Is it from the GAP? I’m sure I can find it at a Thrift store somewhere.” Krista smiled brightly at her. “I would be happy to since it is all my fault. This is why I don’t play in sports. I just am absolutely terrible.”

“No thank you. I don’t want anything that comes from your grubby little paws. You wouldn’t be able to pick out something fashionable even if it licked your clit!” Rebecca was raging.

Krista sat back, smirking. “You’re right. I wouldn’t know how to shop for your size. I don’t think they make seasonable fashion in your size anymore. You must have had fun over summer break.”

Rebecca screamed and tried tossing the closest thing she had at Krista. Krista dodged it, of course. Her comment about being terrible at sports was an absolute lie. She just didn’t do any sports at school. Her great-great-great grandfather started a dojo and it was passed down through every generation. While her older brother would be taking it over, Krista was still training and working there after school.

“Please…please, calm down!” Mrs. Cross was looking worriedly at Rebecca who had grabbed her own metal water bottle next, ready to chuck it at Krista.

The back door slammed open and Principal Miles stepped in, his wolf present but not completely taking over.

“What the hell is going on in here?”