Maya Pov

"I train alone."

"Alone is boring."

"Alone is safe."

"Safe is boring."

I almost smile. Almost. "You're really stubborn."

"Yep. One of my best qualities." She grins and steals a fry off my tray. "So is sharing food. These fries are terrible, by the way."

"I know."

We finish eating. The bell rings. Time for Chemistry.

I stand up to throw away my trash, and that's when I see them.

Brittany, Ashlyn, and Morgan—the three girls who've made it their life's mission to make sure I know I don't matter. They're standing by the cafeteria doors, watching me. Watching Jade.

Brittany says something. The other two laugh.

"Is that them?" Jade asks quietly.

"Yeah."

"They look mean."

"They are."

"Good. I like a challenge."

"This isn't a game."

"I never said it was." Jade throws away her trash and starts walking toward the doors. Toward them.

I want to grab her arm, pull her back, tell her to go a different direction. But my feet are frozen.

Jade walks right past Brittany and her friends like they're not even there. Doesn't look at them, doesn't slow down, doesn't acknowledge them at all.

Brittany's face goes red.

I force myself to move, to follow Jade before things get worse. I keep my eyes down as I pass them.

"Careful, freak," Brittany hisses. "Your new friend won't last long."

I don't respond. Responding only makes it worse.

But Jade stops. Turns around. Looks directly at Brittany.

"Did you say something?"

Brittany blinks, surprised. "Excuse me?"

"You said something. I'm asking if you were talking to me or to Maya."

"I don't talk to nobodies."

"Good. Then we're all set." Jade turns back around and keeps walking.

I'm too shocked to move. Nobody talks to Brittany like that. Nobody dismisses her. Nobody walks away first.

Brittany looks like she's been slapped. Ashlyn and Morgan look at each other, then at her, waiting for instructions.

"Who does she think she is?" Brittany's voice is low, dangerous.

I don't wait to hear more. I rush after Jade, my heart pounding.

"That was stupid," I say when I catch up.

"That was fun."

"She's going to make your life hell."

"She can try." Jade pushes open the door to the science building. "I've dealt with worse."

"You keep saying that."

"Because it's true." She stops at the door to Chemistry. "Look, Maya, I don't know your whole situation here, but I know bullies. And the best way to handle them is to not give them what they want."

"What do they want?"

"Fear. Submission. The knowledge that they have power over you." Jade opens the door. "So don't give it to them."

She makes it sound easy.

It's not easy.

I follow her into Chemistry and take my seat in the back. Jade sits next to me again, third period in a row.

Mr. Larson starts his lecture on chemical bonds. I try to focus, but my mind keeps going back to the look on Brittany's face. The anger. The surprise.

Nobody challenges her.

Nobody stands up to her.

And now Jade just did it like it was nothing.

My phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out under the desk.

Unknown number: Your new friend made a mistake. Tell her to stay away from you, or she'll regret it.

I delete the message and put my phone away.

But my hands are shaking.

---

Physical Training is last period every day for sophomores and juniors. The pack believes in ending the school day with exercise, something about burning off excess energy before we go home.

Really, it's just another hour of being reminded that I don't fit in.

The girls' locker room smells like sweat and cheap body spray. I change quickly in the corner stall, pulling on my training clothes—black sweatpants and a loose gray t-shirt. Nothing tight, nothing that shows skin. I learned that lesson the hard way.

Jade changes near the sinks, completely comfortable in her sports bra and shorts. She has abs. Actual, visible abs. And muscles in her arms that most girls our age don't have.

Several girls stare. Whisper. Jade doesn't seem to notice.

"Ready?" she asks when she sees me.

"Sure."

We walk out to the training yard together. The boys are already there, doing warmup laps around the perimeter. Some of the girls join them. Others stretch on the mats. I head for the back, away from everyone.

"Why do you always go to the back?" Jade asks.

"Less people."

"Less people means less opportunity to spar."

"I don't spar in class."

"Why not?"

Because if I spar for real, people will see what I can do. They'll see Nina pushing at my control, making me faster and stronger than I should be. They'll ask questions.

"Just don't," I say.

Coach Bryant blows his whistle. Everyone stops and forms lines.

Coach is old for a wolf—at least sixty—with gray hair and a permanent scowl. He was a warrior before an injury forced him to retire. Now he teaches teenagers how to fight and probably wishes he was back on the battlefield.

"Pair up," he barks. "Today we're working on grappling. Pin your opponent. Two-minute rounds. Switch partners every round."

Everyone moves at once, finding their friends, their usual partners. I stay where I am. Eventually Coach will pair me with someone, usually whoever's left over.

"Maya, you're with the new girl. Martinez, right?"

Jade grins. "Yes, sir."

Of course. Of course we're partners.

We move to an open mat. Around us, other pairs are already grappling, trying to pin each other. It's loud—grunts, thuds, Coach yelling corrections.

"How hard do you want me to go?" Jade asks.

"Normal is fine."

"Normal for who?"

"Normal for class."

"That's not an answer." But she gets into position anyway.

Coach blows the whistle.

Jade moves fast. She's on me before I can blink, trying to hook her leg behind mine and take me down. I sidestep, using her momentum against her, and she stumbles forward.

She recovers quick, spinning to face me again. This time she feints left then goes right, dropping low to grab my waist. I could counter easily—Nina's showing me exactly how—but I force myself to move slower. To let Jade get the hold.