CHAPTER ELEVEN:
THE MIGHTY FUCK-UP

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EMBRY CALL WAS THE newest member of Sam Uley's so-called cult. The news had spread like wildfire when the boy in question returned to school with short-cropped hair and a spiral tattoo laid bare on his broad shoulder. He looked so different, and yet he was the same Embry Call that Maggie knew. 

According to Hayden, who had watched on in shock with Quil and Jacob as the boy walked past them flanked by Paul and Jared, Embry had gotten sick with mono the same day that Jacob blew up at Maggie for wanting to spend time with Paul. (From the get-go, Maggie was suspicious of this. Embry Call was not the type of boy who went around kissing girls. Him having mono disease out of nowhere didn't make any sense, at least not to her it didn't.) Regardless, he went M.I.A after running out on his mum and now he was back out of the blue, seemingly in full health but avoiding his old friends for dear life. 

This only worsened Jacob's sour mood. After seeing Embry laughing with Paul and Jared like they were his friends since diapers, he stormed off without a word with steam practically flying out of his ears. Maggie watched him go with a sigh before turning around to face Hayden and Quil. Hayden had her hand in his, squeezing in comfort as he frowned at Embry with saddened eyes. Quil Ateara wasn't the type to get angry. No, where Jacob spoke first and thought later, Quil kept in his emotions like they were something he was forbidden from talking about.

"Are you okay?" she asked despite knowing the type of answer she'd receive.

As expected, he shrugged his hand out of Hayden's and nodded half-heartedly at Maggie before hauling his bag further up his shoulder in preparation to leave. "I'm fine."

With that, he was following after Jacob, head down as Embry finally turned to stare in their direction. For a second, Maggie thought he looked just as upset as his old friends, but then he was smiling widely at something Jared said to him and the expression was gone like it was a mere trick of the light.

"I can't believe him," Hayden muttered incredulously, glaring at the side of his face like that would change anything. "How could he do that to his friends?"

Maggie sighed. "We don't know the full story, Hayden."

But Hayden just shook her head, unimpressed. "For once, I don't think I want to know it."

The bell rang which forced them to separate for their first period classes. Fortunately (or unfortunately, she wasn't sure just yet) she had her first class with Jacob and Embry. The former was already inside when she entered the room, bent over his desk and clutching the edges in an attempt to not knock Embry on his ass. As for Embry, he'd moved into the seat beside Maggie on the opposite side of the room. Normally, he'd sit behind Jacob and the two would talk so much they rarely ever got the work done, but something told everyone that if Embry had even breathed in Jacob's direction, he'd have eaten a fist. Maggie didn't mind having Embry beside her but she couldn't shake the feeling that something was off with him now.

Still, she wouldn't be rude and embarrass him in front of everyone. "Good morning, Embry."

He returned her smile with relief, shuffling his seat forward so she could manoeuvre around him to sit down. "Hey, Maggie."

Embry had heard a lot about the girl from Paul Lahote. She was all that was on his mind whenever the pack were shifted. The way all her teeth were on display as she smiled, how her hair sat around her shoulders, her soft-spoken voice that made him weak at the knees. The way she loved her dog with all her heart and always spoke about her family in high regard. Jared and Sam were nearly always teasing him about how soft he was, and where Embry would occasionally join in, he was happy to hear that Maggie Sullivan had found her person. He wanted an imprint like her one day, someone that made love make sense to him.

It was also a relief that Maggie was part of this. He hated not knowing when Jacob would shift, if Quil would shift at all, but Maggie was made for this world the moment she saw too much.

Or so he thought.

"I'm glad you and I are okay," he commented as she offered him a pen and spoke to him like he was normal. The first few days after shifting were the worst, or so Sam said. His body didn't feel like his own, neither did his emotions. Just hearing everyone whisper about him made him so fucking angry. It wasn't his choice, and he'd love to see them try and handle his new life. But Maggie Sullivan didn't even think twice before she told him about Scooby's trip to the vet that day with Vera and the recent crime documentary that she and Zeke had watched together. Surely, she understood him. "It's nice having someone know the truth that isn't Sam, Paul or Jared. A friend, you know?"

His words stunned her into silence. She blinked at him in confusion, the look catching him off guard. "Wait, what?"

"What do you mean what?" he repeated unsurely. Alarms were ringing in his head now. Maybe he should just stop speaking. "You know, right?"

"... Know what, Embry?"

Oh, fuck. Just his luck that on his first day, he almost revealed the supernatural to Paul's imprint of all people. Oh, god. Paul was going to kill him.

"Nothing," he brushed her off suddenly. The warmth in his voice was long gone, replaced by a cold shoulder underlined with fear. "Forget I said anything."

"But Embry—"

"Just forget it, Maggie," he snapped, jaw clenched. He saw the way she flinched and cursed himself more. If Paul was angry before, he'd skin Embry alive for being cruel to Maggie. He muttered under his breath, running a hand through his hair as the teacher made her way into the room. He had to get out of there. "Miss, I need the bathroom."

"Mr Call, class just started," the elderly woman scoffed as Embry rose out of his chair and gathered his things into his arms. "Sit back down!" But Embry wasn't having it. If he stayed, he would lash out or he'd spill his guts to Maggie in guilt. "Mr Call, you can't just leave!"

The door slammed shut behind him. The class sat in shocked silence before eyes turned to their teacher to see what she would do. She inhaled sharply before turning towards the board, muttering about the detention Embry would absolutely be receiving when he showed his face near her again. 

Maggie didn't know what to make of his fluctuating emotions let alone what he had said to her before he ran.

It's nice having someone know the truth that isn't Sam, Paul or Jared.

What was the truth? How did it involve Paul? And why was Maggie supposed to know about it?

■ ■ ■ ■ ■

"I'M GOING TO KILL you, Call," Paul growled as he cornered the boy in an empty classroom. It was lunch break, and the first text that Paul and Jared had seen on their phones was from the new wolf freaking the fuck out. Paul was amused at first by the thread of messages, but his amusement quickly morphed into fury once he got past the boy's keyboard smash to the message underneath.

This is going to sound so bad but I almost told Maggie about the supernatural and now she's suspicious. Please don't kill me.

Oh, fuck that. He was going to kill him.

"I'm sorry, okay?" Embry exclaimed, holding his hands up in front of him as Paul stormed closer and closer. "I didn't mean to, it just came out."

"How?" Jared asked, ever the middle-man. He stepped in between the two, a hand gripping Paul's shoulder to stop him from strangling the life out of Embry's eyes. He couldn't imagine Sam would be happy if they came home with a dead Embry. Despite his idiocy, the pack did need him. "Paul, just calm down, man."

"No," he spat.

"Well, tough," Jared scoffed at his hot-headedness before shoving him back and turning to Embry. "Why would you tell Maggie?"

"I thought she knew," he insisted.

"Why would she fucking know?" Paul snarled, blinking at him like he couldn't believe the words coming out of his mouth. He thought it was obvious by the distance between him and his imprint that he hadn't told the girl a thing. And even if he had, he should've waited for Sam's word before talking to someone about it. "How dumb are you, Call, like genuinely?"

"She's your imprint, isn't she? If anything, what doesn't make sense is how she's still in the dark," he snapped back. "Besides, she was carrying around a book about vampires all week before I shifted. If that isn't sus, I don't know what is."

Jared let out a sigh. "I hate to say it but he's right."

"Like fuck he is."

"Paul, she's this close to discovering the truth by herself," he pointed out. "So what, Embry helped her out a bit? It was going to happen eventually."

"Yeah, on my terms," he huffed out as he slammed a fist into a nearby desk. Jared just sighed again. There was no reasoning with Paul when his anger had gotten the best of him. Jared knew it, though Embry... not so much.

"I'm sorry, man, I really am," he mumbled.
 
Jared reached out to squeeze his shoulder comfortingly. He knew what it was like to be new to this world. Paul did too, but he was too wrapped up in the terror of Maggie possibly knowing to see Embry's perspective. If it was anyone else Embry had told, Jared wouldn't be so easy-going about it, but Maggie was written into their lives the moment she met Paul at Bella Swan's house all those months ago.

"And you're sure she knows?" 

"Well, I didn't say 'hey, I'm a wolf and so is Paul' but I told her there was a truth that only you guys and Sam know," he said. "So she's gonna be curious about how she's supposed to be part of it, and if I know anything about Maggie, I know she won't stop until she has those answers." 

"Great," Paul hissed. "Fucking brilliant."

"Paul, just get out of here," Jared said, eyeing the way the boy's fists were starting to shake at his sides. "Now, before you say or do something you regret."

That was all it took. With one last glare in Embry's direction, he was turning on his heel and rushing out the door. He heard Embry apologising profusely to Jared again as he stormed down the corridor, but he couldn't find it in him to feel bad about how he was acting. Before he knew it, he was storming around the corner only to come face-to-face with Maggie, Hayden Calder and Quil Ateara. The last people he wanted to see when he was so wired up.

"Hey, Paul," Maggie smiled at him but it quickly faltered when he didn't look at her. He couldn't, not if it put her at risk. "Hey, are you alright?"

"Not now, Maggie," he muttered with his sights set on the door. He needed to get out of there before he shifted.

"What's wrong?"

"I said not now, okay?" he snapped, pushing her aside before the sadness could hit him. 

Maggie watched him disappear outside before turning back to Hayden and Quil. Both were quiet as they looked between the main entrance and Maggie with wide eyes. Eventually, Hayden stepped towards her friend, looping an arm around hers in comfort as she frowned sadly.

"Hey, I'm sure he didn't mean to be so short with you," she tried her best to assure her, though she didn't quite believe it herself. Paul Lahote was known for his temper and it was stupid to think that Maggie was immune to it. "Come on, let's head to lunch, my treat."

Maggie just nodded before slowly following them towards the cafeteria, though her heart was long gone, taken by Paul when he left.