Page 45 of Pack Baines

Unfortunately, I must not mutter quietly enough, because Munro’s eyebrows raise in shock and he nods slowly, as if he’s in agreement. “Plenty of those around here.”

“Not you?” I wonder, curious about the guy I’m trying to make my friend. Honestly, it’s too weird.

Munro shakes his head, donning a smirk as he eyes a particularly preppy-looking bunch of kids I cringe at the thought of befriending. Absolutely not. I’d rather make friends with a feral cat that would claw my eyes out if I got too close. No thanks. “Nah. I’m on scholarship. Won’t see me dead in a polo and khakis.”

I snort. “Same, on both fronts.”

“See? My people. Come on, let’s eat. Best thing about this place is the grub,” he informs, jerking his head toward the food court at the far end of the massive room, several students waiting in line to be served. “There’s a bunch of shit here to choose from. Fries, pizza, spaghetti bolognese. Salad, if you’re into that.”

Pulling a face that could only be called a grimace, I decide relatively quickly. “Pizza.”

“Pizza,” Munro agrees. “And fries.”

“And fries,” I mumble, side-eyeing the guy, convinced he’s me in another form.

I follow after him as he leads us to the queue for pizza, and we grab our food in record time. Munro carries our tray to an empty table and sits with a tired sigh, handing me my food before diving straight into his own without so much as an attempt at small talk. It’s quite possibly the best human interaction outside of my pack that I’ve had.

Just as that thought bubbles across my mind, a bright, bubblegum princess plonks her ass right next to me. The overpowering scent of bubblegum fills my nostrils, and my eyes widen in horror when I realize it’s the girl from my first day here. “Oh, god. It’s you.”

“Don’t sound so excited to see me, kitten. Put the claws away and turn off friendly fire. I come in peace,” the Pastel Parade laughs, winking at me as she unwraps a… is that a whole red velvet cake? Like, an honest to god frosted, prettily decorated red velvet cake?

When Silver sees me staring in absolute awe at the baked confectionary before her, she shrugs and unabashedly says, “Don’t judge. I have free will, and that free will allows me to eat cake during breaks between classes. You want some?”

Weirdly enough, I do, my hankering for all things sweet and sugary driving me to accept. So, like all respectable people, I nod. I mean, only stupid people turn down cake.

“Omegas, kitten. We just understand one another,” she snickers like she’s in on my inner conversation, cutting me off a slice that could rival the size of my head, and I gape as she plops it on a napkin and slides it over. When she eyes Munro, who sits opposite me with a scowl in Silver’s direction, she raises an eyebrow and asks, “Want some, too, you little thundercloud?”

That scowl deepens, and I clear my throat to break his stare down of the pretty little pixie with pastel hair, baby-blue, wide-legged pants, and a pale-pink cropped shirt with strawberries patterned all over it. “Thanks, Tink.”

“You know her?” Munro asks bluntly, eyeing Silver with a tame sneer, before discarding her.

Sadly, it’s Silver that answers. “Of course, she does. We’re best friends. Met on her very first day and it was love at first sight. She can hardly be away from me for a single second. It’s beautiful.”

“Oh my fucking god,” I breathe, cutting my cake in half and sliding the other side to Munro. Just because he didn’t answer Silver, doesn’t mean I didn't see the look he sent the cake before realizing it was the Pastel Parade that brought it. “I think you dye your hair too much, because I’ve never known anyone to be more delusional.”

“You say delulu, I say wishful thinking. Not that I want you madly in love with me in a romantic way. You’re a total babe, but you’re sadly not packing the stuff I like. But we’re definitely besties. Idecided the moment you told me I smelt of unicorn farts. Never received a better compliment,” the girl quips, right before she stuffs her mouth with a slice of cake in a way that most girls would be embarrassed to.

“What a sad life you live,” Munro quips with a bite that shocks me. Probably because he’s only spoken to me like he’s floundering through making friends as badly as I am.

Instead of slinging back a quirky quip like I expected, a darkness falls over Silver’s gray eyes and she chews on her cake, peering down at the table before she mutters, “Yeah. Sad.”

I don’t know why, but my heart aches at the look that crosses her face, but it’s gone in the next blink, and I realize straight away what she’s done. A mask has fallen in place, secured with nuts and bolts, welded to her features, and all darkness and that heartachingly sad sorrow she wore for only a moment disappears just as quickly as it arrived.

“So, how’s your first day going, Juniper Baines?” she wonders, licking the frosting from her cake.

I hear Munro choke on his inhale, and I look over to find him glaring at the table like it spit on him and called him a little bitch. What the hell is his problem?

“Good so far,” I answer, a little distracted by my new friend, who is doing everything to ignore the little omega enigma beside me.

Sure enough, Silver catches it, and she nudges me before she whispers loudly, “Who’s the breathing bad attitude?”

“My… friend?” I answer, though it comes out like more of a question, my gaze still on Munro as he ignores the cake and eats his pizza, keeping his own eyes off the pixie that smells like a candy store.

“You telling or asking?” she snickers, dropping her chin in her hand as she continues to stare into the soul of the guy doing his best to pretend she doesn’t exist.

“Uh,” I mumble. “Telling?”

“Oh, Kitten,” Silver sighs, full of amusement. “You’re so friend-makingly inept that it would be laughable if it didn’tmake me want to hug you and tell you it was all going to be alright. Lucky you have me, right? Anyway, I need your number.”

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