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Chapter 31

"Hey, Sophia!"

The unexpected greeting was accompanied by the presence of lavender as Sophia hung her coat up in her locker. Turning, Sophia was surprised to see Maggie, still in her coat, standing there. Maggie flashed a friendly smile and gave a small wave.

"Hey," Sophia greeted the other girl cautiously. "What's up?"

"Oh, I just saw you on the way to my locker and wanted to make sure you knew about the Outdoors Club Christmas party," Maggie told her. "Craig sent out an email about it over the weekend."

"No, I must have missed it," Sophia answered, trying to remember if she had even checked her email over the weekend. "When is it?"

"Thursday, after school," Maggie replied. "We're all getting together in Ms. Taylor's classroom with punch and cookies. We'll mostly just hang out; it won't be anything formal."

"Oh... I was hoping to..." Sophia caught herself, bit her lip and blushed. "That sounds fun."

Maggie giggled and then covered her mouth before saying, "Special guests are welcome too!"

Sophia felt herself blush harder and felt her heart pounding, "uh, we'll see."

"Great!" Maggie chirped. "I need to get to my locker; see you later!"

"Later," Sophia squeaked as she took the opportunity to escape.

---

Okay, maybe Maggie forgot about it, Sophia's heartbeat hastened as she replayed their conversation in her head for the thousandth time. Damn it, why did I email Craig that I was coming? I haven't even seen Shadow in days and I'm going to be working all weekend.

The thought of the wolf made her heartache. She had nearly turned down the invitation before recalling the wolf didn't want her out in the dark anyway.

"Remember, your essays about what it's like being an adolescent in our society are due tomorrow," Ms Evans announced as they entered the final minutes of the school day. "Two to three pages, in the class dropbox."

Crap, I forgot about that. At least I have an excuse not to stay long. Reaching up, she futilely grasped for a strand of hair to put behind her ear, forgetting she had just done that a minute before. The bell rang and she joined the throngs of students in the halls.

The faint smell of cookies greeted her the moment she started down the science hall, along with the stronger and highly unpleasant odors of various chemicals. It was evident the chemistry class had been busy not long before. The stench got worse as she made her way down the hall and her gait faltered as her nose started to burn.

"Hey... Sophia? Right?" A male voice from behind her called out.

Sophia turned to see Craig a few feet behind her.

"Yep, Sophia," she confirmed with a nervous smile. "Craig?"

He nodded and she resumed walking as he caught up to her.

"Glad you could make it," he said and then grimaced. "Of course, we scheduled it for a chemistry lab day. I hope the room isn't like this."

Sophia couldn't help feeling relieved it wasn't just her bothered by the smell.

"At least the cookies smell good," Sophia commented without thinking.

Crap, Sophia felt ice run through her veins at the slip.

"I'm sure they will," Craig responded, not seeming to notice.

They arrived at the room and she let him lead the way in. To her undying relief, the smell of chemicals wasn't nearly as pungent in the room. The only other person there was Ms. Taylor, who had donned an elf hat since Sophia had seen her in class.

The teacher looked up from the paper bag she was unloading as they entered, "Craig! Sophia! Happy Holidays!"

"We the first ones?" Craig asked, as he hung his coat on a chair.

"Camden is getting the punch from the cafeteria fridge," Ms. Taylor told him. "But otherwise, yes."

Craig nodded, "There were a bit over a dozen names on the list; we'll see who shows up."

Before the teacher could reply, footsteps sounded from the doorway as Maggie walked in. Right behind her was Patrick and a dark-haired boy Sophia didn't recall seeing at the last meeting. The new kid's face was blotchy and covered in acne and he looked young next to Patrick. As he came closer, she noticed a distinct oily odor seemed to accompany him.

"Patrick! Sam!" Craig welcomed them cheerfully. "Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas!" Patrick returned the greeting. "I won't be able to stay long, unfortunately. I have a big project for AP Computer Science due tomorrow."

"That's too bad," Craig sounded genuinely disappointed. "We'll have to do something over break." Then he turned to the younger boy. "Hey Sam, I don't think you've met Sophia."

"Aren't you Wolfgirl?" Sam asked curiously, peering intently at her.

"Yep, that's me," Sophia confirmed with as much nonchalance as she could muster.

Don't ask about my eyes... Don't ask about my eyes...

The boy's eyes widened with excitement, "is it true you ate a dog biscuit?"

Sophia winced.

"Sam!" Craig warned, crossing his arms. "Come on!"

"Just wondering!" Sam mumbled defensively, rolling his eyes and then shuffling away.

"Alright," Craig glanced at the clock. We'll see if anyone else shows up. The only regular we're missing is Katie."

As soon as Craig finished, Camden appeared in the doorway cradling several 2-liter bottles of carbonated fruit punch. His beefy arms and chest made the bottles look tiny. Close behind him was Katie carrying a bag of plastic cups and napkins.

"Hey guys," Camden's voice boomed as he strode over to the lab bench with the cookies on it. "Ready for a par-tay?"

With a meaty hand, he twisted off the cap of one of the bottles. A second later, Sophia could detect the sweet smell of various fruits. Camden proceeded to fill a plastic cup for everyone in the room.

"Let's get some music going!" Camden suggested loudly as he grabbed a large handful of cookies and a cup.

"Good idea, but I'll pick the station this time," Ms. Taylor responded sardonically as she picked up her phone from her desk. "Something festive."

Camden's shoulders slumped, but he hit the power button of the speaker anyway. Sophia noticed Craig trying and failing to hide an amused smirk with his hand. It wasn't long before gentle holiday music filled the classroom.

"This basic stuff is going to put me to sleep," Camden grumbled as he sat down at a desk, then he finally noticed Sophia. "Hey, Wolfgirl is here! Right on!"

"Hey," Sophia replied with a self-conscious smile before standing and joining the small line.

Oh no.

Sophia fought down a surge of panic when she realized she was behind Maggie. As on Monday, the smell of lavender hung around the girl, if much fainter in the afternoon. Maggie glanced over her shoulder and her eyes lit up when she saw it was Sophia.

"I heard there have been more wolf sightings on the northern edge of town in the last week," Maggie commented conversationally from in front of her. "Of course, I'm sure you're all over it already."

Sophia swallowed nervously, "huh, I haven't heard anything."

I'll have to warn Shadow he needs to stay further away.

"Really?" Maggie reacted with surprise as she grabbed a napkin and several cookies. "Just one wolf I guess. Don't they usually travel in packs?"

"Maybe it's a coyote?" Sophia suggested, trying to ignore the strong aroma of ginger and cinnamon.

Maggie picked up on Sophia's discomfort anyway, "is there something wrong with the cookies?"

Sophia forced her face to relax before replying, "Oh, no, my nose just itches."

The sugar cookies should be okay, right? Sophia selected a couple of frosted sugar cookies and grabbed a cup. I don't think these have spices.

"A couple of guys in bio said they saw it and it was too big to be anything else," Maggie resumed their prior conversation. "It would be pretty cool to see it though!"

"Yeah, definitely," Sophia agreed, trying to feign enthusiasm. "I'll keep an eye out for it."

Sophia made her way back to where she had been sitting. To her chagrin, Maggie sat next to her. Lifting a cookie to her mouth, Sophia bit into it. As she had grown accustomed, the cookie smelled stronger than it tasted.

"How was Chaudoirs?" Sophia asked after she had chewed and swallowed, trying to sound friendly.

"Great! They had some really cute clothes on sale!" Maggie answered after taking a bite of her own cookie. "I found a really nice dress for Christmas."

"Is she still talking about that dress?" Katie asked mockingly with an exaggerated eye roll as she sat down next to Maggie. "You're such a girl!"

"Hey, Sophia asked!" Maggie protested defensively.

Katie laughed, "I'm ribbing you! It did look good on you." She turned to look at Sophia, "Good to see you again, Sophia! What are you doing for Christmas break? Anything fun?"

The mountains and Shadow... Sophia lowered her now half-eaten cookie as she took a preparatory breath.

A mischievous grin tugged at Maggie's face as she interjected before Sophia could say anything, "Anyone to see?"

Katie lowered the cup she was about to drink from, cocked an eyebrow and leaned forward expectantly.

"Well, uh," Sophia's mind went blank and she shifted uncomfortably. "We used to visit my grandparents in Ohio, but I haven't seen them since..."

She trailed off, unable to complete the sentence as tears formed in her eyes. Maggie's eyes softened and she took Sophia's hand gently.

"I'm sorry," Maggie consoled her. "I didn't mean..."

Katie looked puzzled, but she said nothing.

"No, it's fine," Sophia replied, shaking her head and forcing back the avalanche of emotion before continuing. "My dad hasn't been able to afford it anyway. I'll be working a lot over the next few days but after that I..." Despite all of her effort, she couldn't keep the quiver out of her voice and she felt herself starting to blush. "No, I'm doing nothing after that. I mean, who would I even be seeing?"

Maggie flashed a knowing smile and teased, "Oh, right, nothing. Fine, fine, keep your secrets girl."

"How about you?" Sophia asked hastily, trying to get attention off of her. "Going anywhere?"

"Me?" Maggie replied. "My dad's parents are hosting this year. My fam will be headed to Billings on Monday and we're spending the week. I'm actually looking forward to it, my sister is coming with her fiance. Then they're coming back with us."

"Oooh, when's the wedding?" Sophia asked, relieved to be out of the spotlight.

Maggie thought for a moment, "Next August after she graduates college. She asked me to be one of her bridesmaids!"

Katie giggled, "My little brother would die of embarrassment if I asked him."

"Speaking of, you doing anything with Rob over break?" Maggie asked, a hint of suggestion in her voice.

It was Katie's turn to blush, "He invited me to his family's Christmas dinner, but my mom insists we have it as a family."

"Aww!" Maggie said in exaggerated indignation and rolled her eyes. "Parents!"

Katie sighed, "Yeah, it's frustrating, but we'll have the rest of the break at least. I actually invited him tonight, but he's getting ready for a game."

"Ooh, what does he play?" Sophia asked.

"Basketball!" Katie replied proudly. "It's a home game and I'm headed to the gym to cheer him on after this."

"Speaking of, Molly mentioned she has gym with you and said you've really improved in the last few weeks," Maggie told Sophia approvingly. "She seemed really puzzled by it."

"Huh," Sophia replied, shifting uncomfortably. "I don't know why; I'm the same klutz I always am."

Maggie laughed, "Give yourself some credit girl! You do look pretty good; have you been working out?"

"No," Sophia answered. "I guess I'm doing more walking."

"Well, if you figure out the secret, tell me!!" Maggie told her.

Turn into a werewolf and spend all your time in the mountains? Yeah, I'll get right on spreading the word.

Katie looked at Sophia appraisingly, "You could try out for softball in the spring with me. That would be fun!"

Sophia shrugged, "Sports aren't really my thing. I much prefer hiking in the mountains."

"You're certainly in the right club!" Maggie commented. "But hiking will have to wait until the spring."

"There's always cross-country skiing," Katie pointed out. "Maybe we should look into doing that this winter."

"Eh, I'll just wait for spring," Maggie shook her head. "Snow really isn't for me. I'm sooo moving somewhere warm when I graduate."

Katie opened her mouth to say something but stopped and looked up. Sophia turned in time to see Camden striding over from where he had been talking to Craig, Sam and a couple of guys she hadn't noticed come in. He stopped next to where she was sitting, seeming to tower over her.

"Hey girls," he greeted cheerfully. "You gals up for hanging out at my house for a New Year's Eve party? There'll be food and my dad is going to let us use the snowmobiles!"

"That's cool!" Maggie exclaimed and then her face fell. "But my sister is going to be visiting and my parents already have plans."

"Ah, well, let me know if anything changes!" Camden replied, sounding disappointed.

Katie looked up from her phone, "I'll check with my parents and Rob, but that should be fine!"

"Right on!" Camden looked down at Sophia. "How 'bout you Wolfgirl?"

Me? She glanced at Maggie and Katie uncertainly, but they were both on their respective phones.

"I don't have a way to get there," Sophia replied.

"No problem; I can pick you up," Camden said, waving his hand dismissively.

I don't know if it's a good idea, isn't that the full moon? Sophia considered the idea. Oh, right, it's the night after. I could hang out there and spend the next day with Shadow. That might work out well - especially if there's a lot of food.

"I guess that should be okay," Sophia said slowly, meeting Camden's expectant gaze.

"Sweet!" he exclaimed. "I'll email you all more details when we get closer."

He started to walk away before stopping and turning back around. He swept the girls with his gaze before focusing on Katie and grinning before saying, "Oh yeah, boyfriends are also welcome!"