JOLYN'S POV
"What the heck are those?" Bailey's voice was laced with disgust as she furrowed her brows at the uniform lying on the bed.
It was a white blouse with a black printed skirt and suit jacket.
I tilted my head to the side, narrowing my eyes as I examined it more closely.
"I can't believe Mrs. Karp wants us to wear that to school," Bailey groaned, ruffling her hair in frustration.
"I guess it's the academy's new policy," I sighed.
Walking over to the dressing table, I dropped into the chair, staring at my reflection in the mirror.
It's been a week since I last went to class, and even now, I still wasn't in the mood to attend.
With the new academic structure, there was no doubt I'd run into either Luscious or Rynder.
I still couldn't bring myself to face either of them. I've done my best to avoid Lucious, but I knew it was only a matter of time before he cornered me.
"So..." Bailey's voice snapped me back to reality as she dropped onto the bed.
Her fingers were casually typing on her phone, not caring about the sound it was making.
"I was thinking... maybe it's time you went back to class," she said softly, barely audible.
I could tell she didn't want to upset me, which was why she said it so gently.
I let out a deep breath, puffing out my cheeks in the process as I rested my chin in my hand, elbows propped firmly on the table.
"Listen, I know you've been having trouble adjusting to Ryner's arrival, and I know you've been avoiding Lucious."
When she mentioned Lucious, my heart skipped a beat, and I darted my eyes over to where she was sitting.
"I'm not avoiding Lucious," I argued, trying to sound firm, but my voice betrayed me instantly.
I hadn't told her about his love confession yet. Not that it mattered anymore—nothing was ever going to happen between us.
"Really?" Bailey pursed her lips, arching one of her brows, her arms crossed as her eyes narrowed slightly.
"You mean like how you always pretend to be asleep whenever he comes in, or..."
Hearing my escapades from her perspective made it sound even worse than I had imagined. If she had noticed, then Lucious was fully aware of what I'd been doing.
A wave of embarrassment washed over me.
"It's okay. I'll... I'll go to school today," I blurted out before she could kill me with more questions.
Bailey jumped up excitedly, quickly swinging her arms around my neck and pressing a gentle kiss on my cheek.
"Thank goodness, because I don't know what I'd do without you. The class has been so boring without you."
From the tone of her voice, I could tell she was excited to have me back.
A part of me felt guilty that I had partially abandoned her because of my feelings.
"Now..." Bailey groaned, her face darkening with disgust again.
"What are we going to do about those hideous uniforms?"
I chuckled, shaking my head. "I don't think it's that bad, right?"
She clicked her tongue as her shoulders dropped low, still eyeing the clothes on our bed.
"I hate Mrs. Karp."
Pressing my lips together, trying to suppress the laughter boiling in my belly, I retorted, "The feeling is mutual."
---
Bailey and I walked through the hallway, and I noticed a few things had changed.
There were a lot of new faces, and it was clear they weren't werewolves.
As we stopped by our lockers, Bailey pinched the side of my arm.
"Ouch, that hurts," I gritted my teeth, giving her a "why did you do that" kind of look.
The chattering of the students echoed in my ears as I opened my locker to grab my books.
"Don't stare too much. These new creatures can be really hostile," she warned.
"Oh, I see," I shrugged, taking out my notebook and gently slamming the locker door.
"So, do you mind filling me in on the latest?" I asked, noticing the stares I was getting from the students as they walked past me.
"Well, it's nothing," she shrugged, but I quickly caught on to the way her heart thumped a beat faster.
"Are you sure? Because these people are giving me death stares as if I stole their candy or something," I hissed, trying to avoid eye contact as much as I could.
But I could still hear their whispering, and the way their intense gazes bore into my back wasn't helping at all.
"Well... someone posted anonymously that you might not be the Lycan Princess and that you are a big liar..." Her voice trailed off, and she pressed her lips together when she saw my face lose color.
I gritted my teeth as I huffed. Why can't these people just leave me alone?
The rest of the walk to class was filled with silence because I had lost the strength to even speak.
When we got to class, I was more than grateful that the teacher wasn't here.
I didn't want to be the center of awkward attention again.
I scurried behind Bailey as we walked over to our usual spot.
The moment I dropped my bag on my seat, I felt a force push me, and my knee buckled against the iron frame of the desk.
"Hey, Tricia, are you nuts?" Bailey yelled, her eyes blazing with fury.
Tricia was a female alpha from some rich pack. I had always known she didn't like me, but the fact that she had the nerve to show it openly was on a whole other level.
"Watch the way you speak to me, beta," Tricia hissed out a taunt as she snapped her fingers at me.
My knee was still throbbing as I felt the blood pooling against the wood. My bag lay spiraled on the floor.
I had my hands on Bailey's desk, my back crouched down as I winced in pain.
"Look at you, crying over a knee injury," she scoffed. "And you call yourself a werewolf princess. What a joke," she hissed.
Her words echoed in my ears, and I felt my heart beating fast. I raised my gaze at her.
The tension between us was thick, and I could feel everyone's attention on us.
Why must I always be the center of attention?
"Was I cursed?" I pondered.
Despite the anger brewing in my chest, I forced myself to remain calm, even though I wanted nothing more than to wipe that grin off her face.
But I knew I was no match. She was a born alpha, and I could see her two little dolled-up betas standing beside her.
They would beat me to a pulp.
"Tricia, I don't think I've done anything to offend you, so please, I just want my seat," I said with a straight face, my voice void of any emotion.
Tricia took a step forward, and Bailey instantly came over to my side.
Her body protectively shielding me.
"Leave her alone," Bailey growled out a warning.
"And what are you, her lapdog?" Tricia chuckled, and the whole room burst into laughter.
I clenched my fists as I held my breath.
I hated this feeling of being cornered, of dragging Bailey into my mess.
"How dare you," Bailey snapped, stepping forward in front of me. "Say that one more time."
"Wow, so after your mate rejected you, you go seeking refuge in the hands of a female beta?" Tricia scoffed. "How pathetic."
My eyes widened as my world began spinning in my head.
"What did you just say?"