“Hey, man. Did you have a good weekend?” Jack asked.
Trey was looking at Scarlett as she rounded the car, but there was no look of hunger in his gaze.
As Marshall opened his arms, Scarlett stepped inside them, and he held her tight. “Yeah, I spent the weekend with my girl.” He pressed a kiss to her neck, inhaling her sweet scent. “Didn’t we, baby?”
Scarlett nodded. She couldn’t form any words, and it was so utterly adorable.
“That shade of red looks good on you.”
Marshall frowned at his friend. Scarlett giggled. “Sorry. I’m not used to this.”
Taking her hand, Marshall walked toward the school.
“Oh, my, God, did you see that? Marshall was kissing Scarlett. He was actually kissing her.”
“Marshall’s got a thing for fatty.”
“It has got to be a joke. He never wanted anything to do with her. He was a total asshole to her.”
He forced himself to focus on Scarlett and Jack. Listening to their peers was driving him mad. Jack raised a brow at him.
Shaking his head, they walked toward Scarlett’s locker.
“Where’s Cheryl?” Scarlett asked, looking toward Trey.
“We broke up.”
“Oh, I’m sorry about that.”
Yeah, fucker, stay away from my girl.
He wasn’t going to give Trey the chance to try to steal Scarlett.
Marshall stood waiting as Scarlett grabbed her books out of her locker. He escorted her to her first class, dropping a kiss onto her lips before he left her. “Stay here and I’ll pick you up afterwards.
“You’re going a little overboard with the whole boyfriend thing.”
“No, I’m not. This is what I do for my girl.”
“You’ve never done this for any other girl,” she said.
“Exactly, no one has ever been mine.” He dropped another kiss to her lips. “I’ll pick you up here.”
Trey had gone off to his class, and Jack stood, waiting for him.
“So, it was a good weekend?”
“The best.”
“You’re sleeping in her bed at night?”
He glanced over at his friend as they made their way to math. “I never told you I was sneaking into her room.”
“Does she know you’re spending the night?”
“Yes, but how do you know?”
“She smells like you. In fact, no, she doesn’t smell like you. There’s a combined scent like our parents. They’ve got the same smell. Well, you and Scarlett are starting to have a similar smell.” Jack took his seat first, and Marshall sat beside him. “They’re all wondering what the joke is going to be.”
“The joke is going to be on them.” Marshall sat back, listening to the teacher. He wasn’t paying much attention. All he could think about was his girl. He couldn’t rely on the mating to keep her by his side. It was already Christmas, and it wouldn’t be long until they were all graduating. Scarlett was intelligent and would want to go away to college. Marshall hadn’t thought about college. He’d always figured he would stay home, work, and stick around the pack. If Scarlett left for college then he would have to follow her. There was no way his wolf would ever accept being parted from her for long periods of time. College would be a nightmare. There was no way he’d give her up.
He started to panic as he thought about graduating.
“Calm down, Marshall. Your wolf is close,” Jack said, whispering the warning against him.
Taking several deep breaths, Marshall pulled his cell phone out to send a quick text to his dad. He needed to think about the future with his mate. The end of the lesson couldn’t come soon enough for him.
Being escorted from one class to another was an entirely new experience for Scarlett. She wasn’t used to having anyone care enough that she got from one part of school to another. What she hated was the astonished looks from their peers. There was no way she could call them her friends. Not one person was convinced about her and Marshall being together. In truth, she didn’t really believe it herself.
Cheryl stopped behind her when the bell for the lunch break went off. “You don’t think he’s really dating you, do you?”
She ignored Cheryl as she gathered up her books. Packing them away in her bag, she waited until the last possible moment before she had to look at Cheryl.
“You do? That is so fucking sad. You’re fat and ugly. Marshall would never fall for anyone like you.”
Putting her bag on her shoulder, she started toward the door.
“I’m talking to you, bitch.”
Cheryl gripped her arm and shoved her forcefully. Hitting the table, Scarlett crashed to the floor.
Pain slammed through her and shock as Marshall stepped into the room. “You better get the fuck away from my girlfriend.”
“Come on, Marshall. This has gone on long enough. No one believes she’s really your girlfriend. It’s getting a little boring now.”
Scarlett got to her feet, but before she did, Marshall helped her up. He held her hand, stroking her cheek. “Did she hurt you?”
“I’m fine.” She didn’t dare look at him as she lied. Cheryl had hurt her.
“You touch her again and you’ll regret it,” Marshall said, looking at Cheryl. “I will make sure your life is so damn hard you won’t know what fucking hit you.”
Cheryl laughed. “Please.”
“I’ve got a lot more sway in this school than you. I put the word out that no one is to go near you, you’ll lose everything. Think about that the next time you touch what’s mine.”
Scarlett held onto Marshall’s hand as he led the way out of the room.
“The only thing Cheryl cares about is her popularity. I take it away, she suffers. If you want me to do that then say the word and I’ll have her life over in a heartbeat.”
“No, we’re in the last part of high school.”
“You’re too damn nice for your own good.”
She was shaken by Marshall standing up for her. It took her several minutes to realize they were heading toward the cafeteria and not outside. Jack was with them, and she noticed Trey was nowhere to be seen. She didn’t mind. Scarlett had liked him as a friend but not as anything more. He’d been a different kind of guy when Marshall and Jack accepted him into the fold, not one she liked in a special way. The feelings building inside her were directed at Marshall, no one else.
“I don’t eat in there. I’ve got my lunch.”
“You don’t eat in there because of all the bullying. I promise you, Scarlett. You’re with me, and no one is going to bully you ever again. You’ve got me, and you’ve got no reason to fear anyone again.” He cupped her cheek. “I want to hurt Cheryl. I want to make her suffer the way she made you suffer.”
Cupping his cheek, Scarlett smiled. “She’s not worth you being suspended. I like being around you, Marshall.”
“Please, I’m going to vomit,” Jack said. “Let’s go and eat before it’s the end of the day. God, I need to get myself a girl just so you two know what it’s like to be around you.”
Chuckling, Scarlett held onto Marshall’s hand as they entered the cafeteria.
She made sure she didn’t look at anyone else.
Marshall picked up the tray, loading it up as they made their way down the aisle. He paid for their food even though she offered. Scarlett sat down in the seat he pulled out for her.
“Everyone is looking, waiting to see if we’re going to trip her up,” Jack said.
Glancing around the room, she saw the anticipation in all of their faces. It was horrible to see.
“Not going to happen.” Marshall grabbed the back of her head, slamming his lips over hers.
Everything faded away as she melted against his kiss. Marshall knew what he was doing. Each kiss was far more passionate than the last.
He placed a plate filled with burgers and fries in front of her. “See, I went hunting for you.”
Shaking her head with laughter, she started to eat as Jack and Marshall talked. This was nice, and she watched Marshall. He hadn’t moved his hand from the back of her neck and stroked his fingers over her pulse.
She could gladly get used to his touch.
Trey joined them ten minutes into lunch. “Cheryl’s pissed.”
“Good. She touches my girl again and I’ll hurt her.”
“You don’t need to threaten everyone you meet.”
“With you, I do.”
He held her close throughout lunch. At the end of lunch, he tossed their empty cartons into the trash, putting their empty plates onto a tray. They walked toward English. Trey made his own way around school barely saying a word to her.
By the time track came, Scarlett was used to people staring at her. Marshall was waiting outside of the girls’ changing room when she appeared. “Hey,” she said.
“Hey. Are you ready to run?”
“This is all a little strange.” Trey was nowhere to be seen.
“Trey’s dating Tiffany now. He moves through them quickly.”
Nodding, Scarlett stared down at her hands. “I wasn’t really looking for him. I never had a crush on him. We were just friends, but I’m starting to wonder if he was using the whole neighbor thing with me. It was okay.”
“What was happening between the two of you?”