Private Finished If you're calling me out, count me out

"Thanks Jake, I'm glad you're so understanding, you're a really good guy," Kaz said, and he started to pick himself up from the table.

He wasn't ready to leave, not yet. But he couldn't stay sitting anymore. The energy that was humming through him was intense and starting to make Kaz feel almost giddy. Plus, standing up like this had drawn the attention of the tables around him.

Someone walking by recognized Kaz and came over: his ex-roommate, the notorious Cabel Sokol.

Cabel had the tendency to give people exactly what they wanted, whether it was a drug or information. And he was close enough to hear it when Kaz said, "It just can't be helped that you're gay and I'm not, Jake. And I'm sorry."

The tables next to them fell silent.

There was no pretending that they hadn't heard.

And there was no mistaking the way Cabel's eyebrows shot up with the addition of this new information. It would travel around the school and be common knowledge by midnight.

Now, if Kaz was aware that he, too, was gay, having someone as hot as Jake making a low feral growl and tackling him in the middle of the cafeteria for all to see might have been pretty hot.

As it went, Kaz had no idea that he liked other boys. He had no idea why he had that weird flicker of warmth in his gut before he thought, oh, shit, and saw Jake fly off the chair at him. With the strength from Jake's own misery, Kaz reflexes were enough that he was able to turn around and at least get his arms up before Jake tackled him to the floor.

Kaz did not want to die. He did literally everything he could to stop himself from dying, including betraying the only person he felt close to.

Kaz never anticipated that he might actually die any other way.

At least, part of his brain thought, it had kind of a poetic irony to it, right?

The other part of his brain had another thought.

This was only going to make Jake more miserable.

Because now, not only was he gay, but he was also a violent werewolf.

Kaz would take a few scars for this.

"Jake," Kaz said his name, letting the surprise come into his voice before his back his the floor and the wind was knocked out of him. Fuck that hurt.

Kaz felt Jake's teeth come around his throat.

He thought, this is it.

The slow scrape of the canines against his windpipe made Kaz surprisingly grateful and surprisingly angry. He'd never thought he'd die like this. He would do everything in his power to stay alive.

But how could he stop a huge wolf that he'd goaded?

And then everything happened very quickly. There was a new voice, and a professor or something pulled Jake off of him. Jake seemed distracted, so Kaz scrambled back on the floor, picking himself up and pressing back a few steps until he was just another part of the crowd of onlookers.

Despite everything.

Kaz felt okay

For the first time in weeks.

The professor lady came over to Kaz and Kaz froze, his heart pounding in his chest. Though he felt marvelous—in fact, Kaz was almost giddy with the sheer energy that was in his body—he still couldn’t stop himself from feeling a sudden burst of fear as she approached.

“Yes, m’am?” he asked, and when she mentioned the infirmary, Kaz shook his head.

Regretfully, Kaz was very familiar with the infirmary. He motioned and said, “No, m’am, I know my way there, thank you.”

And then, to further seal in what had just happened, Kaz looked over where Jake sat on the ground and then looked back up at Sofia.

“Ma’m?” Kaz said. “Could you just please make sure Jake is okay. I don’t know what came over him, but he’s a really nice guy, and I hope he’s okay.”

Kaz touched his fingers to his throat, which would probably bruise tomorrow but right now Kaz didn’t care.

He was alive.

“Thank you,” he said, his voice quiet and polite. Though it was directed to Sofia, Kaz couldn’t help but think he was saying it to Jake, too.