Chapter Thirteen: Griffin's First Day

Griffin stared out the window for a while, seemingly in deep thought. He turned back to me, staring at me without a trace of humor in his face. I sat up straighter, trying to mimic him. His hard stare didn't falter for a second. He was serious. I slumped down, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Do you always get attention from guys? In a sexual way?" He asked in all seriousness.

"What exactly do you mean?"

"The way that guy was looking at you last night. It was sexual harassment. You were too out of it to notice. I'm wondering if that's how you're treated all the time," I could tell it was bothering him.

I shrugged, "I don't know. Probably. That's just the way guys are."

He shook his head, a frown taking over his face, "Sexually harassing a female and getting the excuse of being a male is unacceptable. Males and females are both capable of controlling themselves for the respect of others."

I sighed, "You're right, it shouldn't be like that, but it is."

"And you're okay with this?" He questioned.

"Of course not! I hate it. I wasn't created to fulfill some man's desire. But what can I do about it, you know?"

"No, I don't know. I don't understand why you allow such things to take place," Anger was starting to become evident in his voice. He was reverting back to his normal way of speaking.

"What do you propose then, Griffin?" I crossed my arms.

"I want to go to your school with you. I know you hate the idea, but if this is how all guys treat you, I need to know so I can put a stop to this. You may not be willing to, but I am," He wasn't joking. Not even a bit.

I felt my anger starting to bubble up. It may not seem like a big deal, but it is. Griffin going to Applewood would send the school spiraling out of control. Taylor wouldn't leave him alone and when he leaves, she'll come flocking to me. Since he's supposed to watch over me, Micah will definitely notice and probably try to fight him.

Then there's Griffin himself. He's older, so he's more mature both physically and mentally. His age isn't the only problem. He's from a different world completely. He's not like the rest of teenagers these days. He isn't glued to any electronics and he's not up to date with anything, so pop culture references fly over his head. I didn't want him thrown into a world like Applewood.

"Griffin, you and I had a deal. One more incident. Nothing's happened so-"

"I also told you I'm here to protect you. That is my job, regardless of anything," He spoke over me.

"High school here isn't like your high school. Teenagers are assholes. Besides that, you're nineteen in a school full of people who are eighteen and younger. How would that even work? It won't," I explained. "I'm sorry, but I'm not about to willingly put you in a position where you could get hurt or transformed into something that isn't you. The answer's no."

"With all due respect, Mackenzie, I'm perfectly capable of protecting myself. The gesture is kind, but if going means I'll be able to make sure you're safe, I'm going. All that aside, I'm older than you."

-*-

I woke up Monday morning with a ball of nerves in my stomach. Today was Griffin's first day at Applewood. This could go horribly wrong or just bad. Either way, this wouldn't end well. It took me a while to get up. I hoped that keeping my eyes shut would make the day disappear. When that didn't work, I tried using my telekinetic powers to will the day away. Then I realized I didn't have powers and I just looked like an idiot.

I finally rolled out of bed and got ready for school. I pulled on a white shirt and jeans. I made sure to wear a white tank top under my shirt. I slid on my white Converse and slipped out the front door with my bag. My walk to school was one of the only times I get time to myself. I definitely appreciated it. My mind kept returning to Griffin. I knew he was right, but I couldn't help but worry.

High school is a place of no return. You never leave as the same person as you started as. I was no exception. It four years of growing up and fitting into some sort of category that you've assigned to whether you want the title or not. Even the kids who "don't fit in" fit into a category. I didn't want the people there to change Griffin. He was perfect the way he was. Besides, he already went through his change. He didn't need to go through another.

As soon as I got to school, I went straight to my locker. A few people greeted me along the way, as always. From what I could hear, Griffin hadn't arrived yet. He had fifteen minutes before he was considered late.

Maybe he decided not to come. I smiled at the thought.

As if on cue, I heard everyone around me fall almost silent. I knew Griffin had just arrived. I groaned, resting my chin on my locker shelf. I mentally prayed his locker wasn't near mine and he was just visiting me. I wasn't sure I could take how much gossip I'd heard about him on a daily basis.

"Why is your school so quiet?" He asked.

"Oh, don't worry. It'll be louder than ever once the initial shock disappears," I assured him, shutting my locker and turning to him. "I'm off to my first class. Catch you later."

He nodded and I headed for class. Immediately, the gossip started. I knew I was going to be a part of it soon. I was the first person he came to, so they know we know each other. I could imagine what they'd say. I didn't care much about them talking because talk is cheap and meaningless. However, I knew how it looked. Micah and I just broke up and here I am with a new guy. If he thinks I was cheating, he's not going to think rationally.

I spent the first half of the day lost in thought and worry. Thankfully, Griffin and I didn't have any morning classes together. Kira walked me to our new lunch table. Our special spot was still under some sort of construction so we had a temporary home in the cafeteria. Indie was already sitting at the table munching on a sub. Our food was sitting in a bag next to her.

I grabbed my sub and took a seat across from her and Kira. She gave me a look that said rumors were already spreading. I sighed, taking a bite of my sub. A few minutes in, I felt someone take a seat next to me. Unsurprisingly, it was Griffin.

"This school is... interesting," He set down his tray and stared at it. "What... is this?"

"Probably some sort of meat they got from a creature native to some far-off land that can only be found on the fifth red moon. The moon has to be at a certain angle for the land to become visible," I shrugged. He gave me a puzzled look and I laughed, "I'm kidding! But a word to the wise, don't eat it."

He slid the tray away from him. I continued to eat, ignoring the feeling of people watching me. Tomorrow they'd stop staring and start approaching him. That or the rumors I have yet to hear would get worse. Either way, it was better than an entire lunchroom watching me eat.

A few minutes later, I heard heels clicking towards our table. I wanted to run her over with a car. This girl really didn't know when to stop or what "go away" meant. I bit my tongue to keep from snapping at her right away. Even though I knew what she was over here for, I decided to wait and see how it played out.

"Oh my- you're like a mosquito!" Indie grumbled loud enough for the table to hear.

"Hey, friends!" She waved with a fake smile.

We all- except Griffin- muttered a less than pleasant response. She ignored us and turned her attention to Griffin. I couldn't help but notice how much skin she was showing. If it were me wearing that, I'd be in the principal's office calling my parents. She must have some sort of connection.

"I remember you from the party! That was so fun," She giggled.

Griffin raised an eyebrow at her, "I grabbed you by the arm and kicked you out of Mackenzie's house. You have a really strange definition of fun."

She took a seat in the middle of us, pushing me away in the process. I took a deep breath, willing myself not to shove her off of the bench and onto the ground. She propped her elbows up on the table and put her head in her hands. I rolled my eyes and took the table's trash to the nearest trash can. When I came back, she had taken my seat entirely.

"Taylor, that's my seat," I kept my cool, though I was getting annoyed by how close she was to him.

"Oh really?" She frowned. "I can't find your name on it."

"You're gonna find a cheap lip gloss mark on it from your lips if you don't move," Indie growled.

"I'd like to see you try," She scoffed.

Griffin stood up before Indie did, "You can have my seat, Mackenzie."

"What?!" Taylor roared.

"Yeah," He gestured for me to take a seat. "I'm leaving anyway."

"Leaving?" Taylor and I said in unison.

He shrugged, "The table's obviously full. I'll just go somewhere else. Problem solved."

He walked away, leaving Taylor alone with Indie and Kira. Kira just glared at her while Indie was prepared to pounce. She whipped her head around to us, pissed. I could tell this was about to go downhill quickly. I had to defuse the situation before it even started.

"Indie, Kira, let's go. Taylor, you can have the entire table," I shot Taylor a fake smile before dragging my best friends out of the cafeteria.

Once we were out, I explained to them how I was going to find Griffin and how I didn't want them killing Taylor. They both nodded and we split up. I knew he'd find me if I just called his name, but I had to make sure we weren't around anyone. Especially if he decided to appear out of thin air in front of me.

I made it outside and checked to see if anyone was out. Everyone seemed to be in the school. I took a deep breath, wondering why I even came to talk to him. I guess I wanted to know if he was okay. I also wanted to apologize for not warning him around Taylor. I felt bad that he was forced to leave the lunchroom over some petty argument about a seat.

"Griffin?" I called out, hoping it would work. When he didn't appear, I tried again. He still didn't answer.

I sighed before turning to go back inside. I opened the door to see Griffin standing there. I jumped, feeling my heart race. He had a habit of doing this and I wasn't sure I liked it.

"Are you okay?" He immediately checked behind me.

"I could ask you the same thing," I smiled sympathetically.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"I dunno, you left the lunchroom pretty quickly and I was wondering if you were okay. I know you're probably not used to stupid arguments like that. Also, I'm sorry about Taylor. Well, I'm not apologizing for her, I'm apologizing for not warning you. And for the whispers around the school-"

He chuckled, a small smile appearing on his lips. This was new. Griffin doesn't usually smile or even chuckle. It was a pleasant sound. It made me think of a fireplace in winter. It just made me feel comfortable and warm. I decided I wanted to hear that sound more often.

"Mackenzie, I've been through high school. It's not that much different than this. Except the fact that our food was edible," This time I chuckled quietly.

"So, you're okay?" I asked after a while.

He nodded, "Haven't found a reason not to be. As for Taylor, I've had to deal with plenty of people like her. Clinginess isn't a real problem.

I sighed with content and we headed back inside. The rest of the day went smoothly. It turns out, Griffin and I have three afternoon classes together. Three out of the four. I'd have to spend the end of the day with him. The final bell rang and Griffin and I walked out of class together, talking about the work. He hated how simple it was and felt like I was being cheated.

As we were walking, I noticed Micah glaring at both of us. I blew him a kiss and kept walking.

Maybe Griffin coming to school with me wasn't so bad after all.

//

I've been inspired to write lately. This chapter may not be that exciting, but the next few chapters have a few things in store. Stay tuned for that. I'm writing this on July 4th so happy Independence Day/Fourth of July to all of my fellow Americans out there! Anywho, thanks for reading!

Tatty Bye! <3

PS: I'm publishing this now (Sunday instead of Monday) because I most likely will forget tomorrow. A lot is happening and I don't want to put this up late. Okay bye again x