Chapter 26: The Jocks

Wryn strode to the back of the classroom without a word, her boots clamping against floor in a rhythmic fashion. When she reached her seat, she dropped into it with an audible thump, the chair groaning slightly under the force.

The silence in the classroom stretched, thick and suffocating. No one dared to speak. It was as if Wryn’s presence alone had sucked the air out of the room. Quiet enough that you could start hearing the distant footsteps from the hall and the occasional creak of shifting chairs.

Kael was the first to break it, her voice a hushed whisper. “Well. That was… you know.”

I didn’t respond immediately, my curiosity getting the better of me. Slowly, I shifted in my seat, just enough to sneak a glance toward the back of the room.

There she was, slumped against her desk, her head resting on her crossed arms.

Her ears twitched slightly at some noise outside, but otherwise, she looked completely detached. As if nothing happening around her was worth her attention. That she’d rather be anywhere else but here.

Her scowl had faded, leaving behind something that almost resembled boredom or exhaustion. It was hard to tell. But what was obvious was that she didn’t care.

About the class. About the looks people threw at her. About anything.

I turned back around, only to find Kael watching me closely.

“Careful,” she whispered with a smirk. “You stare too long, and she might think you wanna fight.”

I rolled my eyes. “I wasn’t staring.”

“Mhm.” She leaned in, grinning like she had something on me. “So? What do you think?”

I hesitated. What did I think?

That she was intimidating? Obviously.

That the rumors about her might not have been exaggerated? Probably.

That I had just caught a glimpse of someone who wasn’t just dangerous, but utterly untouchable?

...Yeah.

I didn’t say any of that, though. Instead, I just shook my head.

“I think,” I murmured, “that I should probably avoid her.”

Kael let out a soft snort, clearly amused. “Smart choice.” Then she turned back to her own desk, muttering, “If you can.”

I shot Kael a slightly surprised glance at her ominous words, my brows furrowing as I leaned in a little.

“What do you mean by that?” I asked, keeping my voice low. “Does she… go after students like me?”

Kael’s smirk stretched wider. “Oh, yeah. Absolutely.” She nodded, her eyes gleaming with mischief. “The moment she locks eyes on someone, it’s just a matter of time. A week? A day? Maybe even today.”

I stiffened. “You’re messing with me.”

She shrugged dramatically. “Am I?”

My stomach did an uneasy flip. I stole a glance back toward the wolf girl at the back of the room. She hadn’t moved an inch, still sprawled across her desk like the rest of the world didn’t exist. But… had she actually looked at me earlier? I wasn’t sure anymore.

Kael snickered. “Oh, man, your face-”

I shot her a glare.

She finally dropped the act, shaking her head with a laugh. “Relax, relax. I was just fucking with you. Wryn’s not gonna hunt you down in the halls or anything.” She waved a hand dismissively. “She’s still too busy dealing with Ferox bullshit to care about messing with some newbie.”

I exhaled sharply, rubbing a hand down my face. “You could’ve just said that instead of making it sound like she was out for my blood.”

Kael grinned her tail swishing slightly behind her like she was enjoying this. “Where’s the fun in that?”

I exhaled, slightly getting annoyed from her just extracting my reactions. “Anything else I should keep in mind?” I asked, keeping my voice low.

Kael hummed, her tail flicking idly behind her. “Nah, just the usual. You got your nerds, your slackers, your-” She paused abruptly at ‘jocks,’ her ears perking up as if a sudden realization struck her. “Oh. Oh.”

I raised a brow. “What?”

“You’ll need to watch out for them.”

I followed her gaze as her eyes darted toward a group a few rows ahead. They sat in a cluster, their postures loose but exuding an air of confidence like they owned the place.

The first was a rabbit girl with dark brown hair, leaning back in her seat with her long ears twitching lazily.

Beside her, a rabbit boy, probably related, was scrolling through something on his phone, not even looking up as he smirked at whatever was on screen.

Next to them sat a cat girl, long raven hair draping behind her, emerald-eyed and stretching with a yawn, her sharp teeth just barely peeking through as she cracked her knuckles.

And finally, a black haired orc, easily the largest of the bunch, leaned back with her arms crossed, her thick, muscular frame making the chair seem too small for her. Her sharp tusks jutted out slightly from her bottom lip,

The way she carried herself told me she didn’t need to speak much to get her point across.

“They’re the jocks,” Kael explained in a hushed whisper. “Kind of the popular kids in the class. Not the nicest people, but they don’t really bother you unless you bother them first.”

I squinted. “So… just your typical school sports team?”

Kael scoffed. “I wish. They’re basically the powerhouse of the class if you take Kelvin and Wryn out of the picture.” She shot a quick glance toward the back of the room, as if to make sure Wryn was still very much out of it.

I frowned slightly. “Powerhouse?”

“They’re stronger than they look,” she said. “And they know it.”

I didn’t have much time to process all of that before the teacher cleared her throat, signaling the end of our hushed conversation.

Class resumed, and I did my best to keep up, but it didn’t take long for me to feel completely lost.

The lecture moved fast, the teacher rattling off terms and concepts like we were supposed to have them ingrained in our bones. The words blurred together: innate biological advantages, and some theory on the aerodynamics of races. I had no idea what half of it meant, and before long, my brain started tuning things out in self-defense.

I stole a glance at my classmates. Most of them followed along just fine, some even taking detailed notes like this was second nature. Kael, on the other hand, looked completely checked out, tapping her fingers against her desk absentmindedly.

Wryn hadn’t moved an inch from her sleeping position in the back. And Kelvin… well, looked smug as hell every time he answered a question.

Before I even realized, the bell rang, and recess started.

I blinked, the weight of confusion still sitting heavy on me. That was fast…

Kael stretched her arms over her head, then turned to me with a grin. “Sooo, what do you think? Fun first lesson?”

“I have no idea what the hell just happened,” I admitted.

She snorted. “Yeah, you’ll get used to that.” Then she nudged me with her elbow. “Come on, let’s grab some food before the cafeteria gets packed. After that, I’ll show you around. You should at least know where not to get lost.”

~~~

We made our way to the cafeteria quickly, weaving past students who had already flooded the halls. The scent of food hit me before we even stepped inside, savory, sweet, and everything in between. My stomach growled at the sheer variety.

The place was massive, almost like a mall food court, with different sections offering all kinds of meals. Some trays were piled with roasted meats glistening under the lights, others had bowls filled with rich, thick soups or dishes that smelled like fresh-baked bread.

My eyes wandered over the displays, stomach already making choices before my brain could.

Kael caught my distracted stare and smirked. “Word of advice? Read the labels.”

I glanced at her. “Why?”

She grabbed a tray and started picking through the options. “Some of this stuff looks good, sure, but you do not want to eat something your body can’t handle.” She nodded toward a steaming dish that smelled disturbingly good. “That? Fungal Stew Extract. Looks tasty, right?”

I looked at the name and immediately took a step back.

She grinned. “Exactly. That stuff is made with stuff you don’t wanna know. If you’re not built for it, enjoy hallucinations for the next few hours.”

“Good to know.” I made a mental note to double-check everything before putting it on my tray. My eyes drifted to another section, a platter stacked high with golden-brown pastries. The name caught my eye: Whispering Bites.

“What the hell is a Whispering Bite?” I muttered.

Kael peeked over, then immediately burst out laughing. “Oh, that one’s fun. Eat one, and it starts whispering embarrassing memories back at you. Loudly.”

I grimaced and promptly moved on.

As we navigated through the crowd, the cafeteria suddenly felt heavier, like the air had shifted. I didn’t have to look to know why.

Kelvin had entered.

He strolled in like he owned the place, his spade-tipped tail flicking lazily behind him. Around him was a small group of students, with the jocks Kael had pointed out earlier, mixed in with a few others who were probably just basking in his presence.

I was about to turn away when his gaze flicked toward me.

Our eyes met.

His lips curled into a slow, deliberate smirk. Something I knew meant they were gonna brew some shit up.

I exhaled sharply through my nose, forcing myself to shake it off. “Let’s just eat somewhere else,” I muttered, gripping my tray a little too tight.

Kael paused mid-step, blinking at me. “Huh? Why? This is, like, prime cafeteria real estate.” She gestured vaguely at the open seating, as if I was blind to the perfectly available tables.

“I just don’t feel like eating here,” I said quickly, eyes darting toward where Kelvin had been. But when I looked again, he was gone. Just the usual students remained, going about their business.

A weird pit settled in my stomach.

“…Never mind,” I muttered under my breath, grabbing something simple.

Kael grabbed something as well, balancing her tray with practiced ease as we made our way to a table near the back.

The moment she sat down, she dug in.

“Oh my goodness, oh my damn” she groaned, practically melting into her seat. “This is how bacon is supposed to be. You bite the fry, the fry bites back, my man.”

I raised a brow, picking at my own food. “Didn’t take you for a junk food connoisseur.”

“You don’t understand. This isn’t just some weak junk food. This is food with strength!”

A voice cut through our conversation.

“Oh? Tell us more.”

I froze, my fork halfway to my mouth. Kael stopped too, her expression falling as a shadow loomed over us.

They stood there, forming a loose semi-circle around us. The rabbit girl had her arms crossed, a smirk tugging at her lips. The cat girl lazily flicked her tail, looking disinterested but clearly paying attention. And the orc girl? A slow grin spread across her face, none with any good intentions in mind.

Only one missing from the bunch was the bunny boy, who had hopped off to play who knows where.

I tensed the moment they sat down, my grip tightening around my fork.

The cat girl slid in smoothly to my left, her tail flicking behind her as she threw an arm over my shoulder like we were old friends. “Relax, new guy,” she purred, her voice teasing.

To my right, the orc girl plopped down heavily, arms crossed, looking me over with an appraising gaze.

Across the table, the brown-furred rabbit girl leaned forward, propping her elbows up and resting her chin in her hands. She studied me but said nothing. They were least bit interested to include Kael into the ‘conversation’.

Kael shifted in front of me, her usual chatty energy dimming just a little, sensing the shift in the air.

The cat girl finally broke the silence. “You’re new, so let’s make this easy. I’m Selina.” She tapped her chest before gesturing with her chin.

“That’s Odhran,” she nodded at the orc girl, who gave me a slight up-nod of acknowledgment, “and that’s Misha.” She tilted her head toward the rabbit girl, whose smile widened slightly.

I gave them a curt nod, trying not to seem too stiff. “Right. What do you want?”

Selina’s ears twitched, and she let out a low chuckle. “No hurries, new guy. We’re just here to show you the ropes.” Her fingers drummed lazily against my shoulder, the weight of her arm still there, annoyingly familiar for someone I’d just met.

“Yeah,” Misha added, tilting her head. “We look out for people in our class.”

Odhran gave a slow nod beside me. Solemnly staying quiet while this took place.

Selina leaned in, her breath warm against my ear. Her tone, still laced with amusement, dipped into something quieter, something edged.

“So…” she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. “Will this be the easy way…” Her claws lightly grazed my shoulder, with a slow, long drag across it.

“…or the hard way?”