Fallen - Jordan Wadley (good book recommendations txt) 📗

always been a package deal. If you wanted one of us, you had to take the rest of us as well.

As soon as we reached the table, Kassia sprang up and took hold of my arm. For a fairy-like girl, she had the grip of a wrestler. “Come get lunch with me?” She asked, already pulling me towards the line that I’d just walked away from.

“Okay. Let’s go before the line gets too long.”

Jayden sat down and we walked to the continuously growing line. There was this one time the cafeteria was serving...buffalo wings I think, and the line literally stretched from one end of the cafeteria to the other. The guys of the school managed to grasp three plates of wings. Thankfully, both of us had decided to pack lunch that day.

When we finally reached the long tragedy of a line, Kassia turned and around, almost shouting, “Are the rumors true?”

“I haven’t heard what they’re talking about exactly… are they bad?”

She shook her head. “No, but pretty much everyone’s talking about it, you, how Max wanted to sit next to you instead of Ally.”

I groaned in annoyance and exasperation. Why couldn’t he have taken the seat next to Ally instead of me? We wouldn't be in this mess. “Well, yeah that’s true...but it’s not that big of a deal, right?”

Kassia stared at me for a moment, studying me. She must’ve found what she needed because a second later she’s throwing her hands in the air from exasperation. “How is that not a big deal? One of the most popular guys in the school wanted to sit next to you instead of the school bike,” She sneered at the mention of Ally. It was true, Ally was basically our school’s bike, there was almost no one she hadn’t been with. Including Kassia’s ex-boyfriend.

I shrugged uncomfortably. “Maybe he doesn’t like her?”

“Oh, come on, Hanna! I swear, you’re so oblivious sometimes, I bet Max likes you!” I almost choked on my own saliva at just the mention of Max possibly liking me more than a French partner.

I felt my eyebrows shoot up. “Me? Yeah, okay. Max The Great would seriously waste his time on a nob-.”

Before I could finish speaking, Kassia cut me off and told me in a stern tone, “Don’t you dare finish that sentence, you’re not a nobody, okay? Maybe you aren’t exactly popular and maybe you don’t hang out with those crowds of snobs, but you have your friends, you’re not a nobody.”

“I gave her a gun. She always knew what to say that was partially why I became friends with her in the first place, she was always nice and understand. I liked knowing I would never be quite alone with Kassia around. That still didn’t mean if someone were to mention my name some day and Kassia or Jayden might say, “Who’s that?”

Then she had to go and ruin our sisterly moment by saying, “And you’re definitely not a nobody to Max.”

I pulled away, “Kassia, you don’t even know for sure, maybe he just doesn’t like Ally, or maybe he didn’t see the seat next to her, or-” My breathing hitched when I saw him rise from the table and look straight at me. Kassia didn’t miss it either.

“Ooh, someone’s in love,” she teased. “See, Hanna? I heard you stop breathing when he simply looked at you. So cliche,” She laughed. I couldn’t disagree with that either, everything I’ve felt when simply thinking about him sounded cliche and strange.

I scoffed anyways. “Love’s a pretty strong word, and ugh, we aren’t even friends.”

“Sure, whatever floats your boat,” Kassia sang. She started, “Max and Hanna sittin’ in a tree. K-I-”

“OHMYGOD Kassia, shut up!” I hissed. She topped, but it got worse.

“Hmm….” An all-too familiar voice mused. “Were you girls talking about me?”

My heart stopped. Traitor.

 

 

I got up out of my seat to go get some food, I didn’t want my friends to worry about my appetite. When I stood up, Hanna’s breathing stopped for a second realizing I’d been staring at her. I heard the silent teasing her friend was torturing Hanna with and grinned to myself, it seemed her friends realized the attraction between us before even she did. I chuckled. My mate was so oblivious.

Quietly, I headed towards Hanna and her friend. Then heard my name being mentioned a few times throughout the conversation.

“Max and Hanna sittin’ in a tree, K-I-” I wanted to laugh at the irony of our situation. I’d been such a long time since I’d heard that small playground chant, not to mention the fact that wolves can’t climb trees.

Hanna yelled in fright at her friend, “OHMYGOD Kassia, shut up!” A light blush tinged her cheeks and I took this as my que.

I stood directly behind her and leaned down, “Hmm… were you girls talking about me?”

Her heart seemed to stop and she jumped slightly resulting in a tiny laughter bubbling from the blond next to her. “Maybe we were,” Kassia answered boldly.

Hanna was still panting and I became concerned. “You okay? I didn’t mean to scare you that much…”

“Mhm, I’m okay,” She said softly. Her voice like smooth, warm silk to my ears. I leaned forward waiting for her to say more. Seriously? You are so whipped. I scolded myself.

“Hanna, hurry up!” Kassia called impatiently.

I gave Hanna a gentle nudge in the back. She stiffened and turned around. I felt it too, the same sparks that ignited when we bumped elbows. Her chocolate brown eyes were sparkling with wonder. My wolf wanted to embrace her and never let her go, we were almost in the process of doing so when she abruptly walked to Kassia, to my dissapointment. Nevertheless, I followed her feeling the eyes of my pack on m.

She turned around warily, “What are you doing?”

I faked mock hurt. “So you don’t want me around?”

Her face softened. “Well… I never said that, I only asked what you were doing.” She replied cheekily.

“In that case, I’m stalking you,” I smirked.

Hanna raised and eyebrow. “Oh, are you?”

“Yep,” I nodded solemnly.

Kassia was watching the exchange still managing to fight the smile that was barely winning upon her soft features. At least one other person wanted us to be together. “Well, I’m going to go back to Jayden now, he probably thinks we ditched him.” She waved goodbye and walked away, leaving Hanna and I alone in the line. I felt jealousy once again consume me when she mentioned running back to Jayden.

Hanna suddenly ran out of the line and to the doors, weaving her way through the crowd.

“Where are you going?” I shouted after her. Wow, I really did sound like a stalker.

She turned around and smirked, something I wasn’t expecting. “If you wanna stalk me, you have to catch me first.” She took off again and all I saw was the Mane of her blonde hair whipping behind her.

I smiled, loving the challenge, and ran after her. Wolves were famous for chases, but this was different, if I got ahold of her I wasn’t going to let go.

 

 

I gathered all my courage and started running away from Max. Hmm… he wanted to stalk me, eh? I knew that he was joking, but that didn’t make me any less scared of him or my feelings.

“Where are you going?” Max yelled.

I stopped and smiled, “If you wanna stalk me, you have to catch me first,” I said in a teasing voice, trying to make myself sound confident and took off running through the doors without stopping. I might as well have some fun with this while it lasts.

I dashed through the now-empty hallways, looking for somewhere to hide. Oh God, what have I gotten myself into? I was pretty sure that Max was a lot faster than I was; I needed a hiding place fast, I would never outrun him.

His voice rang out, “Hanna, come out, come out, wherever you are!” Max laughed.

Damn, I felt like I was in some sort of comedy horror movie. “Hanna!”

Damn, he sounded pretty close…

Looping around the block of classrooms, I found myself in front of a pair of doors. Of course! There were picnic tables outside, we ate lunch there sometimes. I shoved them open and ignored the stares, I ran straight for the trees. I went in about ten or so yards and picked out a sturdy looking oak tree and began to climb. Ever since I was young, about five or six years old, I climbed trees almost every day. You could say I was a pretty experienced climber.

I scurred up the thick trunk and swung myself onto a branch and kept going higher until I was at least twenty feet off the ground. I settled myself onto a branch, sitting precariously with my back against the trunk and my feet swinging below me. Hah. Bet Max wouldn’t find me up here….

 

 

I could smell Hanna’s scent and I followed it all the way to a grove of trees near the picnic tables. There were very few people standing outside staring into the woods with a startled expression, until there gazes rested upon me. Hmm, so she hid in the woods? I didn’t peg her as that sort of person when I first met her…Hanna seemed more like the type to stay indoors with her computer, content with reading a book and whatnot.

I tiptoed into the underbrush, using my wolf sense to listen for any movement. My wolf was telling me to turn right so I did and when I walked a few more yards, I became aware of another heartbeat in the trees. But it was above me, so I stopped and looked around confusedly. Damn it. Where’d she go?

Then I head the most marvelous voice singing, high and clear.

I dreamed a dream in time gone by,

When hope was high and life worth living.

I dreamed that love would never die,

I dreamed that God would be forgiving.

Holy shit, Hanna was singing?

Then I was young and unafraid,

And dreams were made and used and wasted.

but there was no ransom to be paid,

No song unsung, no wine untasted.

My wolf howled at the sound of our mate’s incredible voice, she sounded like the angel from above. But where the hell was she? It sounded as if her voice could be heard from all direction. I wandered around aimlessly, but not far enough away to lose the song. Her scent was definitely here, where was she?

But the tigers come at night,

With their voice soft as thunder.

As they tear your hope apart,

As they turn your dream to shame.

Her light voice carried over me and suddenly I realized it, she was probably sitting up in a tree!

And still I dream he’ll come to me.

That we will live the years together.

But there are dreams that cannot be,

And there are storms we cannot weather,

I had a dream my life would be

So different from this hell I’m living

So different now from what it seemed.

I spotted her yellow dress behind the green curtain of leave and grinned. Slowly making my way up, carefully but not before bending down to the ground to pluck something.

Now life has killed the dream I dreamed.

As soon as she sang the last not, I had already seated myself on a branch behind her and burst into applause. She stared, and turned around.

“Bravo!” I cheered, she jumped slightly but quickly recovered.

Hanna flushed pink. “You can stop now, I’m not that good a singer.”

I stared at her in disbelief. “Are you kidding? That was incredible!”

“Thank you,” She laughed, taking a fake bow. Or as much as the branch would allow.

I took this as the perfect opportunity to give her the purple wildflower I found growing at the base of the tree.

She held it gently in her hand as if it were made of glass, “It’s beautiful, Max.”

“Not as beautiful as you,” I told her smirking. God, that sounded so cliche, I nearly wanted to take it back and ask for an extra five minutes to come up with something more original one, but she smiled