2. Monkey Girl

: : : Kieran : : :

High school... What a load of crap.

The sterile halls of Sterling High School stretch endlessly before me as I walk with lame steps, a monotonous maze that I've grown to despise. It's my senior year, just a few months away from escaping this mind-numbing institution, and yet time feels like it’s not moving.

I mean, seriously, this place is such a waste of time.

I would much rather be at home, honing my skills, and standing by my father's side as we lead the pack. But instead, I'm forced to trudge through these halls, enduring mindless lessons on freaking trigonometry and engaging in superficial small talk with people who barely register in my consciousness.

“Hey, Kieran,” says a girl as I walk past her.

“Kieran, what’s up, man?” says another guy.

“Hey, Kieran! Happy almost eighteenth birthday!” say a group of kids.

I only nod at everyone. That’s about as much energy as I have for these people.

Look, I just hate small talk, okay? They’re meaningless and pointless.

None of these people actually know me other than the fact that I’m an Alpha’s son. They’re either social climbers who want to hang with me so other people will think they’re cool — or, they’re spies sent from the other packs, trying to get information about our pack.

I know the Mighty Seven are supposed to be living in peace and all, but I call bullshít. Don’t be fooled by all the fakeness that goes around here. There are packs out there that are always looking for an opportunity to strike when they see a weakness.

And when they do, they’re not gonna hold back.

“Yo, Kieran!”

A familiar voice cuts through my train of thought. I look over and I see Jayden jogging over. My face lights up when I see him, ‘cause out of the thousands of people in this school, he’s the only person I actually like.

“What’s up, bro?” Jayden dabs me up.

“Hey, what’s up, man?” I reply.

Jayden and I go way back. We’ve been friends since we were kids, playing together at little league. At first, I used to think he was annoying ‘cause he was so bubbly and happy all the time. But after a while, he kinda rubbed off on me.

“Nothing much, you had a good break?” he asks.

“I was just training a lot,” I shrug.

“Dude, are you competing in the Olympics or something?” he laughs.

I give him a glare and he quiets down.

“It’s no joking matter, Jay,” I say firmly.

I’m talking about the whispers that we hear around the pack lately. There are talks that the other packs in the Mighty Seven are interested in some of our territories. If that’s true, we need to be able to defend ourselves. And since I’m the only son my father has left, I have to be on my game in case the worst happens.

“It’s just a false threat, Kieran,” Jay says reassuringly. “People’s been going around talking like that, but nothing’s gonna happen,”

I wanna believe that too, honestly. But if Jay’s been through what I’ve been through, he might not be so optimistic.

“Look, I asked my dad too, okay?” he whispers lowly. “He said he didn’t hear anything. It’s just some baseless rumor,”

At this time, we’ve reached the courtyard, at the middle table where we usually hang out before class starts. Connor’s already sitting there with a few of our friends and he beams as he sees us.

“Broskis! Welcome back!”

Jayden and I change our expressions quickly, pretending like everything’s cool. We greet him back and say hi to our friends before sitting around the table.

“Hey, babes,” Krystina Hall and her brother then join the table. “How was your spring break, you guys?”

She sits down in between the guys and her skirt is pretty damn short. Not gonna lie, I did catch a glimpse. But whatever. I don’t care. This girl’s way too thirsty and that’s not my type.

As my friends start chattering about their luxurious vacations and trivial exploits, I start to feel somewhat irritated. If I have to go through one more hour listening to someone’s vacation in the Bahamas, I’m gonna shoot myself.

Like seriously, is there nothing more to life than this?

Okay, patience, Kieran. It’s just two months and two weeks and three days away. That’s all I have left until graduation. After that, I’m gonna be free and I can start doing things that actually matter.

So until then, I guess all I can do is tune everything and everyone out. Until the time comes, this too shall pass.

---

By the time lunchtime comes, I've had enough of the charade. Everyone’s trying to talk to me about the party this weekend, but I’m so over that shít already. If it were up to me, I’d rather not have a party. But dad thinks that it’s a good idea to have one and invite everyone from the Mighty Seven. That way we can gauge who our friends and enemies are.

“Oh my God, I’m so excited for your party, Kieran!” says a girl.

“Dude, can I bring a plus one?” says another guy.

“Can I bring my cousins? They’re from out of town,” says another person.

“Do whatever you like,” I say with a bored stare.

The cafeteria buzzes with activity, but I have no appetite for empty banter. Without a second thought, I decide to skip lunch and find someplace quiet. I know I can't go to the field ‘cause the football team’s out there and I’m not in the mood to talk football either. Thinking fast, I then see the sign that points to the library.

Hm.

I’ve been going to this school for almost four years and I don’t think I’ve stepped foot into the library once.

The library is actually the perfect place to go ‘cause no one will suspect that I’m there. As I step into the library, an unusual peaceful hush envelops me. The place is pretty much empty, and all I see are the rows of neatly stacked books, creating a comforting solitude.

I start roaming the aisles, searching for a book that might offer a respite from my mundane reality. Amidst the sea of literary options, suddenly, I catch a glimpse of movement.

In a secluded corner, I see a girl with strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes. She’s got her earpods on, humming a tune as she goes from bookshelf to bookshelf, arranging the books in its correct order.

It doesn’t seem like she notices me because then she starts singing.

“Oh Julia~ Fix me a blue sky in the world sun~”

I can’t help but smile. She’s kinda off key too, but it’s kinda cute.

She has one more book left in her arm and she looks up at this tall bookshelf, probably thinking of ways to reach the top where there is an empty spot. Standing back, I cóck my head to the side, waiting for her next move. Then, to my absolute surprise, she jumps up and starts scaling the shelf! This girl’s wearing our school uniform, her skirt is not too high but as she’s climbing up the shelf, I get a full view of her underwear and I don’t know why I feel like I’m blushing a little.

Wait, what?

This girl intrigues me. My steps echo faintly as I approach cautiously, my curiosity piqued.

But then suddenly, her footing slips as she’s reaching upward, and she slides down the shelf with a scream. Quickly, I dash over and I catch her as she’s feeling. She’s flailing her arms as she falls, and her nails dig into face before pulling down at my shirt.

I can feel my shirt ripping as she holds on for dear life. My knees buckle slightly too, but I hold her as tightly as I can so that her body won’t hit the ground.

"You alright there?" I inquire as she looks up at me in shock “Monkey girl?”

The girl startles, losing her speech for a moment before regaining her composure. Her eyes meet mine, and suddenly, it’s like my mind goes blank. And then I catch a whiff of her scent and it’s unlike anything I’ve ever known before.

She smells sweet. Like a field of roses, but there’s some depth to it too. A deep scent like oud or oak.

What is this smell…?

• • • • • To Be Continued - - - - -