Chapter 17

I finally woke up happily for once, before I remembered what I had coming for me in school. I had blown my friends off just a few nights earlier because of the party and then had ignored their text all weekend. I knew it wasn’t what I should have done, but Mrs. Wolfe had told me to ditch my old friends and that was what I was going to do. Even if I didn’t do it very eagerly I knew they would be happy to leave me in seconds.

I quickly got dressed and ran down the stairs, tumbling the last few steps in my big rush. The one thing that could save me from their grasps was getting to school before them. It would take getting there really early but I could do it. I would do anything to escape listening to them rant about them finally making an effort to understand why I’ve changed and how I’m the one distancing myself from them now.

Running out into the garage I jumped into my car and began to make my way to school. It was supposed to be a short calm ride, but of course it was today that there had to be an accident in my way. Cars were honking from all directions, sirens were wailing as they tried getting through and all the angry people trying to get to work were yelling at each other. It was the biggest traffic jam I had ever seen. There were even people parking their cars in the middle of the street, before getting out and walking. I on the other hand decided to turn around, go home and walk to school. So much for getting to school early...

By the time I arrived in school everyone was already there, including my friends who were waiting for me in front of the school. In any other position I’d be pleased to see this but today I was really annoyed. The one day they actually had a reason to complain was the one day they waited for me. The only way I could get into the school without being noticed by them was to stick to a large group and that was just what I would do.

Finding a large group was harder than I thought it would be. In the end Ijoined the back of the group that had been trying to get me to become friends with them. It wasn’t the best, but it was something.

“Ashley you decided to join us?” A girl that was walking next to me asked.

“I’m just trying to get in.” I whispered towards her watching my friends with my eyes.

“Are you trying to ditch them?” She asked me in a hushed voice now. In reply I nodded and she pushed me in front of herself. “Let me help!”

We made our ways towards the schools entrance the group in front of me, the girl behind me. I was pretty much shielded from my friends’ view, except for a little gap that wasn’t occupied. …The little gap that ruined my day.

“Hey Ashley! We’re over here!” Hannah called out to me. I groaned and the girl who had offered to help me sent an apologetic look towards me.

“I’m sorry; I guess you have to do it the hard way.” She told me before disappearing behind the rest of the group.

“Hey!” I greeted my friends with fake enthusiasm.

“Where were you this weekend?” Abby immediately pounded on me. “We finally made a move to get to understand you and you didn’t even reply to our texts. I understand that you had family things on Friday, but you didn’t have them all weekend!”

“Yeah, it felt bad that you were even ignoring my texts.” Hannah spoke up.

“We were giving you another chance and you refused it!” Shawn added, while the others agreed in unison.

“I was busy. I’m sorry, I already made plans since I’ve had to get used to you guys ditching me.” I told them, not really sorry. Without them I had enjoyed one of the best weekends in a long time.

“Our not wanting to hang out with you was your own fault.” Ryan stated. To this I didn’t reply because that would result in either a big fight or me telling them about what I’m not supposed to.

“She won’t even say anything because she knows it was her fault!” Abby laughed.

“I know, it would be too embarrassing for her to admit that she is and always was the abnormal one.” Shawn laughed along.

“I agree, before now we would have gotten into a big fight and come out of it laughing. Now she isn’t even saying anything.” Chris laughed in the same opinion.

“Ash, I don’t know what’s going on, but if you can’t trust us then we aren’t best friends.” Hannah said a tear running down the side of her face. A while back I would have wiped it off and cheered her up, but now I felt my eyes watering up and before I knew it we were both weeping.

“See, the old Ashley would never do something like that!” Chris stated.

“She would cheer Hannah up, not cry with her!” Shawn added.

“The real Ashley must have been abducted.” Ryan said and everyone groaned.

“Stop messing around Ryan!” Abby snapped at him.

“You know. I’m right here!” I told them, pulling myself together. “You keep saying that I’ve changed, when maybe I’ve just never showed this side of me to you.”

“Ashley, we’ve seen all your sides.” Hannah replied.

“We’ve been friends ever since elementary school! We know each other inside out.” Ryan continued for her.

“We know all the dark secrets any of us hide and that won’t change.” Hannah took back over.

“Or it wouldn’t have if you hadn’t gone crazy over a homeroom class and family problems.” Shawn complained.

“Now we have our doubts about you and everything so far.” Chris nodded.

“Just everything that involves her.” Abby muttered under her breath.

“If you guys were truly my friends then you wouldn’t be here complaining about how I’ve changed! You would be helping me get out of that homeroom class, even though I don’t want to leave it anymore and you’d be trying to solve my family problems even though I’ve already solved most of them for myself.” I told them maintaining a somewhat calm voice.

“You won’t even tell us what your problems are!” Hannah shot back at me.

“You don’t know how many times I considered too, only to be called crazy and stupid, which always made me change my mind!”

“You’re being called crazy because you are!”  Everyone was enjoying this but me and Hannah. The boys and Abby were laughing from the side, the other students were staring at us and even the group had stopped to watch.

“I am not crazy.”

“That’s just it. You won’t admit it just like Chris won't admit he doesn’t even like you anymore as a friend.”

“Well maybe if you guys spoke to me I would know.”

 “I haven’t told you yet because I didn’t want to add a load to your heap of problems, even though they are why I don’t like you anymore. I don’t like your new personality. I liked your old one.” Chris spoke up now.

“Well, if being friends with me is such a big problem for you then we should ignore each other from here on.”

“We should!” He agreed.

“Fine.” I stated. I had realized that all we did with Chris was fight these past weeks. Leaving him wasn’t adding to my problems it was actually making them less.

“Are you not even sad about that?” Hannah asked me shocked.

“Why should I be?”

“You just decided not to talk to the person you’ve been best friends with for years, over something stupid!”

“If somebody can’t learn to accept someone, and only likes them one way and not the other, than they aren’t true friends. I mean I had a few family problems and he suddenly doesn’t like me anymore? Nobody’s perfect!”

“The Ashley I knew would be crying buckets right now.”

“I have no real reason to."

“You had a fight with your past best friend two minutes ago and you’re not even sad!”

“You don’t know what I’m feeling inside.”

“I would know if you told me!”

“You don’t deserve to know!”

“Wow, I can’t believe I was ever friends with you!”  

I couldn’t comprehend what she was saying. After all our sleepovers, triple dates and girls night outs my best friends was completely turning on me. She had taken it way too far. I couldn’t stand for this anymore.

“I have not changed! Why can’t any of you understand that? I’m the same person as before! A few problems erupt in my life and suddenly you can’t be friends with me because I’m not little Ms. Perfect like all of you expect me to be.”

“Nobody expected you to be perfect, but we expect you to be the strongest one of all of us like before. You don’t know how off balance it’s throwing us that you’re the one in ashes.” Ryan spoke, since he was the only one who was able to reply something that made sense.

“Why did I have to be the strongest one? I’m just a person; I can’t keep all of you intact while trying to solve my own problems!”

“Ashley we can’t be friends with someone who’s going to drag us down.” Abby cut in, finally saying something.

“That’s it! You’re friends with me while I’m up and running supplying energy into you, but when I need a friend to be there for me you all leave! Go ahead and find a new supply of strength for yourselves!”  I was so angry I knew I was going to shift. They were going to take it so far that my anger would reach my wolf and it would cause me to shift right here in front of them.

“Don’t worry we will!” Shawn told me and I started taking deep breaths. The group must have noticed because in an instant they were by my side, pushing me to the ground. They quickly surrounded me before stepping into action.

“Calm down Ashley, calm down.” Megan was whispering into my ear.

“Don’t release your wolf!” Tyler commanded, but his power didn’t have any effect on my body.

“Keep taking deep breaths!” Megan commanded as I started to give in.

“It’s not working!” The red haired girl who had helped me earlier shrieked.

“Go get Mrs. Wolfe!” Tyler commanded her and she ran off.

“Please, don’t give in to her!” Megan pleaded me while the others were off. I nodded my head in reply and tried getting a hold of my wolf. I tried pushing her in a little box in my head. Slowly she was making her way into it, but I couldn’t get the last bits in.

“Somebody who would do that to you wasn’t a real friend.” Mrs. Wolfe then started soothing me. I felt my body relax with every one of her words and the others relaxed too. “No real friend would have a screaming fight with you over you supposedly changing in front of the school.”

“What if they’re right?” I asked her.

“They aren’t. The first few weeks of being a wolf are hard and mess with humans minds. You haven’t changed one bit, they are the ones who see you differently.” I nodded but started weeping. I couldn’t believe I had called them friends once.

“Don’t worry. Come on let’s get you cleaned up. I’ll write you pass for first period,” Mrs. Wolfe smiled while the others made a pathway for us to leave.

“Thank you!” I told them and with that we were off, and I was missing first period for the third time this year.