I’m still grounded so Dad drops me off at school. When I get out of his Sheriff cruiser, he doesn’t drive off right away.

“Aren’t you gonna go?” I ask. “It’s kind of embarrassing, having my dad watch me like I’m some dumb little kid.”

“You’re being punished, remember?” says Dad. “You’re lucky I don’t get on my loud speaker and tell the whole school about your kangaroo.”

I feel my entire face go hot. “You wouldn’t do that to me, would you?”

Dad smiles real big. “Have a good day at school Kat.”

I rush to the entrance then peek over my shoulder right before going through the door. Dad’s still there, parked at the curb, watching me. Part of me could just die of embarrassment. But another part of feels happy seeing him there. I can’t really explain why.

In the halls, I spot Sarah. I’m so happy to see her that I jog right over to her, forgetting about what happened between us. Then I see the look in her eyes when she sees me hurrying towards her. Sarah—my best friend in the world, heck my only friend honestly—is scared of me.

“Hey.” I got the soft, shy tone in my voice. “Sorry about yesterday. I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

“It’s okay,” Sarah says, but she doesn’t look at me. She gazes down at the floor instead. And the sound of her voice tells me that it’s anything but okay.

“You’ll never believe what happened after you left,” I tell her. “That guy Killer Paw showed up, and he started chasing me. Then…”

“Kat, stop.” Now, Sarah looks at me—right in the eyes. “I can’t hear this right now, okay. I don’t want to even think about werewolves. I just want to go to class.”

“Sarah, I…”

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Before I can utter another word, Sarah slips away from me and hurries into her classroom. I was about to tell her that it was all over. I wasn’t a werewolf anymore. But I never get the chance.

Warm tears bubble up to my eyes. I fight them down, look at the floor, and run to class.

***

The rest of the day doesn’t get much better. I’m so upset about Sarah that I flunk a math quiz (sure, that’s why I flunk it). Then I spill chocolate milk on my favorite sneakers in front of everyone in the cafeteria. Finally, kids keep staring at me in the halls, whispering behind my back. Rumors start floating around about the basketball game between me and Emily. You’d think dunking a basketball would finally make me cool in their eyes. But my fellow middle schoolers keep staring at me like I belong in a zoo. Like I’m some sort of freak.

Do they know about me? Did Sarah tell someone my secret?

It doesn’t matter. Sure, having a bad day at school is awful. But at least I’m not a werewolf anymore. At least someday I have a chance of being ordinary.

***

That night, I feel like being alone. So, at dinner I woof down a bowl of mac and cheese as fast as I can and hide in my bedroom.

“You don’t want desert?” Mom asks.

“No thanks.”

Mom can’t believe it.

I try reading one of my manga books—My Hero Academia—but I can’t concentrate. My stomach feels… wonky. It lets out a hungry grumble. It shouldn’t be hungry, not after the mac and cheese. Then the grumble works its way up my throat and I let out a deep growl.

No. This can’t be happening.

I rush to my window and shove my curtain open. A big white moon hangs in the sky, like the Earth’s night light. A full moon. Gazing up at it, I feel my face get all itchy. The hair begins poking out of my skin again.

No. It’s impossible. Killer Paw is dead!

My bones shift and go crack, crack, crack. I hunch over in pain and hear my clothes rip. I stare at my fingers as they grow… twisting into claws.

It’s at that very moment that Emily barges into my room, saying something about wanting my desert if I’m not going to eat it. I should’ve locked my door.

Emily stops frozen in her tracks. Her eyes open super wide. She tries to scream, but her vocal cords freeze up with shock and all she lets out is a whispered squeak.

My wolfish muscles bunch up like coiled springs, and I leap out my bedroom window. By the time I hit the ground, I have paws instead of feet. I have almost fully transformed.

I bolt towards the tree line, a low rumble building in my stomach. I glance back and see Emily watching me from the open window. Her face is frozen in fear.

That’s the last thing I remember before the wolf takes over.