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Ok so here it is as promised, part 11 on Wednesday. :P all you crazies out there that are my readers HAVE AT IT! haha

Part 11

He finally found her. Duke stared at Alice from across the room with observant and judgmental eyes. Apparently he had had third period with her for the last two days, but only now had reason to notice her. Duke cursed silently to himself, she wasn't half bad. She didn't dress like a slut but was still adorable; she always had a smile and he had yet to hear her swear. She defended someone her friends were talking about behind their back, and paid attention to the teacher all class and actually replied to questions the day before if he remembered correctly. "Son of a bitch..."

How was he supposed to tear her apart from Kyle if he couldn't find even the slightest thing to go off of in the name of dirt? He tried to calm himself down, it was a first impression, she had to slip. No human being; or even werewolf for that matter was perfect! Everyone had flaws...he just had to find hers.

Class went on and he focused in on her with an intense ferocity. His senses were on a high even in human form, he chose certain parts of his being to alter and improve his reconnaissance. It was awkward, but he could feel the subtle differences in his inner ear, the tightness he felt in his nose, how unbalanced and disoriented he felt with only two of his five senses being super powered.

After forty minutes of pointless staring the bell rang. She took notes, smiled and answered questions. What he had so far in his intel. went as followed. Alice Stone: aged eighteen, gender female, status, dominant Omega, eye colour brown. Good student, confident, attentive and popular. None of those things could be seen as negative in almost any way whatsoever. Duke huffed in frustration and collected his things, he still had all of today and until the game tomorrow to split them up, he tried to relax.

"No one is perfect." He tried to tell himself again, hiding from his real fear. Kyle at least thought he loved Alice. Loved her. Love was a weak thing by werewolf standards, but in human terms it was an end all. People started wars over love, over passions, for the sole purpose of personal gain and for proof that they loved more than another, would fight for it that much harder. Wolves would never drag entire packs into personal matters like that, but still, to a human, love was powerful.

And in this case aimed at a woman...

He shook the thought; he had had a bad dream the night before. Kyle followed him through the woods and discovered his secret but was too terrified to even run. The scent of the coat had not worked, he feared and despised Duke and then turned into his beloved uncle. Duke shook off the terrible memories but trying to forget seemed to only strengthen the clarity of his recollection, he could have sworn he smelt blood...his hands felt warm. He heard screams...his and others, all in agony.

A hand shoved his shoulder and snapped him out of his day dreaming, a bigger kid in a leather black and yellow sports jacket and slicked back black hair that reminded Duke of Greasers stared down at him, reminding Duke he had not moved from his seat.

"You're the new kid right?" The other asked, trying way too hard to sound cool and threatening but just coming off as a tool.

"Yeah...why?" Duke answered, grabbing his things too leave, the guy smelled of piss and alcohol and it genuinely disgusted him.

"Well I guess I'll let you off with a warning new guy because I'm generous that way. The names Finn, and that girl you were staring at, she's my girl you got that? Don't be getting any ideas okay?" He asked, doing the 'tough guy' thing where he tries to be friendly and clasps your shoulder just a bit too hard to try and prove a point.

Duke shrugged him off, Finn was pathetic and Duke didn't even want to be touched by him. "Noted," he replied simply, "But I thought she was with someone else to be honest."

Finn laughed and wiped a fake tear from his eye (seriously, who the fuck does that) "Oh that's my Alice, she thinks she's being rebellious, but she's just doing it to make me mad. Who's the sucker this time?"

Duke felt his fist clench, "Kyle Lane."

Finn burst out laughing, "Oh my God! For real? Oh man she didn't even find a good one this time...She'll probably say she needed someone kinder or something you know, women." He nudged Dukes arm who took a little step back.

"I know my Alice like a book. She thinks she is in love, she'll bring him to the game to show him off as I play, probably kiss him while I'm looking, and dangle her happiness in front of me."

Duke began to grind his teeth together.

"She'll walk him down to the field at the end when we win, congratulate me and talk about a fun night of good clean play."

Humans where disgusting creatures of the worst sort...

"I'll find them in the parking lot and beat the unholy shit of that little punk. She'll cry, we'll kiss, and she won't 'rebel' for a good long while. She'll forget him in a week, and I'll get some action," he said dreamily. "Should be a Good Friday night; am I right?"

Duke gave Finn a little nod; using herculean strength not to punch a hole clean threw the asshole's chest. He was the lowest kind of scum; he used force to bend love. Love might not have meant as much to a werewolf as a Bond, but anyone who forces love onto another was scum anywhere.

"Too bad you came so late in the year dude; you would've made a good defenseman," Finn noted.

"Not my sport," Duke replied, leaving in a hurry. The air smelled of fuck ups and booze.

He rushed through the hall looking for Quinn, trying desperately to figure out what to do next. His instincts told him to rip Finn apart slowly and painfully in a barrage of fists, claws and teeth. His instincts also told him that those particular actions may not be strictly 'socially acceptable' ones. He didn't know what to do but he had the next best thing, he knew someone who would know what to do.

It was a weird feeling fighting your instincts; normally Duke didn't have to...ever. Things turned out in his favour because things were so easy before, boring even. Adding Kyle to the mix made things exciting and worthwhile. He had something to lose and it pained him, but it made the stakes higher and the game more fun.

He recalled his trips through the other towns with his family. How he chose a spot, waited for an outcast and mostly in the first night bent them too his will. Had Alice asked any of the other play things they would have turned her down, and of course in the case of the girls, had a quality guy asked there would have been the same result. He was out of his element.

Fighting his will was knowing that your very being was driven to watching you fail, that at the heart of it all, you failed this situation. There wasn't a complicated social hierarchy in the Pack, people dealt with their problems and that was that. Fights until one surrendered as opposed to too the death made sure that the problems were never brought up again. If you surrendered before then you lost the right to whatever you were fighting for. Simple.

Humans were complicated. They had a self-destructive spiral built into their beings. Fights were fought with words and deception and ended in silent defeats. There was no honour in how mankind fought.

At last he spotted Quinn and caught her by the arm "Heeeey where yah going?" He asked, inadvertently swinging her around to the lockers.

She gazed up at him with a very confused look, "We've got to stop meeting like this," she joked, face then getting very serious, "Stop freaking swinging me all around when you want my attention dude, I have a name, use it."

"Sorry, look I have..." Duke thought about it, it wasn't proof exactly that Alice was bad...now that he thought about it she was still perfect and still wanted Kyle. "Proof that something bad is going to happen if Kyle goes on that date," he specified.

"This again?"

"Yes this again. Look her old boyfriend is a dick and an asshole and is just going to beat the shit out of Kyle is they start dating." Duke exclaimed, "He told me himself that this apparently happens a lot and Alice is going to show Kyle off and then after the game Finn is going to beat the QUOTE 'unholy shit out of him.' Do you care enough to act now?"

Duke fumed, everything about the previous statement was riddled with 'I FUCKING told you so' 'I was right and you were wrong' and 'suck on that.'

Quinn crossed her arms, "And what proof is this?"

"Some guy named Finn said it happens all the time. He said Alice is just trying to be rebellious and will come crawling back to him if Finn kicks Kyle's ass." Duke said as a matter of factly.

The girl laughed a little which both pissed Duke off and shocked him enough to pout self-consciously. "What's so funny?"

"Finn is an asshole who lies and cheats and plays dirty, you can't take his word for jack shit."

Duke was furious, "He still said he was gunna kick Kyle's ass!"

"Then get Kyle to leave with Alice before the end of the game. As a player Finn has to return to the lockers immediately after anyway." Quinn looked at him seriously, "Kyle has liked this girl for a long time okay? Don't fuck it up for him before he has a shot... ugh, I hate when I'm a bitch." She admitted. "I don't mean to sound like an insensitive ass Duke. I just want Kyle to have a shot at this okay? Besides I know for a fact that that boy can hold a grudge and will most likely NEVER forgive you if you took away this chance for him."

The boy clenched his fists and glared at her in rebellion. He hated everything she had to say on the subject and his inner desires were howling in detest of the idea of just letting it go. Letting bad things happen to Kyle was not on his to do list. He did the less classy, but still legal thing and growled in annoyance and slammed his head against the lockers beside the short girl, "It feels wrong."

She patted his shoulder, "It's for the best dude. How would you feel if you were told that you lost the race before you had a chance to run it? Failure or not Kyle has to do this on his own okay? All we can do is guide him down the most preferred path as friends. If Finn wants to kick his ass then we guide him away from the psycho not just stop the race."

"I still hate it..." Duke replied almost immediately. There was more to this than Quinn realized. Duke didn't want Kyle to fall for Alice, he didn't want Kyle hurt, and he sure as hell didn't want Finn to talk shit about his little buddy ever again.

"Life sucks sometimes," Quinn confirmed, "And Kyle was so right about you. Im off to class okay?"

Duke turned, curious, "What was he right about?"

"He said you were incredibly one track minded and completely innocent. 'It's like talking to a kid in a teen's body'."

Duke blushed, "God damn it," Kyle couldn't have said anything else?

"But also that you're a good friend and genuine, and also some shit about being free of responsibility. I'm kind of glad the last one doesn't seem true because you seem to be taking all the right responsibilities." Quinn noted, "I'll tell Kyle about Finn and getting the hell out of the game in time."

Duke couldn't help but smile, Kyle spoke kindly of him behind his back without being totally affected by the coat. He nodded to Quinn and started out for his next class, the big grin never leaving his face, "I'm such a fucking child," he noted to himself quietly, only proving his point by making him laugh more, "I'm just a child in love!"

~~~~

"Are you okay?" Kyle asked Duke who just sat quietly at lunch eating his food. It wasn't like Duke to just sit still. It was creepy, like Kyle could tell he was just sitting there sand thinking. For some reason the word plotting came to mind, secret planning he wouldn't want to talk about.

Duke looked up and smiled, "Why wouldn't I be? I'm just eating; I don't want to talk with my mouth full of mush." Quinn wasn't with them. The two sat in the back, the daily mob was now just small groups of giggling girls and bands of obnoxious and boisterous boys seeking attention or Duke's body, if for completely different reasons respectively.

"You seem like you have a lot on your mind is all," Kyle noted, running his last few fries through the smears of ketchup that remained in the paper dish. "Normally you would have mentioned something by now that's all."

Duke shook his head, "I'm fine, just thinking."

Kyle looked up and rolled his eyes, "Yeah your fine all right, only you would answer a question 'no' and follow it with proof of the opposite."

"What?"

"What are you thinking about yah goof? I'm wondering what's bugging you!" Duke gave a very blank, if slightly confused look. "You Sir are hopeless."

They sat in silence a bit longer, Duke was still just sitting there with a very contemplative look about him, it was freaking ridiculous Kyle thought eating the last of his fries. I attract interesting folks.

Kyle did feel bad though, the night before he caught up on his sleep sure, but he did legitimately feel bad about not playing with Duke. Duke had an air of wonderment around him, he made everything fun and awesome and worthwhile and simple. Kyle liked that, and making someone so innocent disappointed made him feel bad. He felt like a crappy friend at the very least even though it was only logical he try and get some sleep.

"I figured out who Alice is," Duke finally said, absently twirling his own fry through ketchup and mustard. There wasn't any more to the statement though.

"So what do yah think? Pretty damn cute right?" Kyle asked excitedly. It was strange how his mind wandered off to Duke when he was a single day away from a dream. He supposed that was what friendship was all about though, caring about them and their problems.

"And smart and kind and just...yeah," Duke stated, "She's something else all right."

There was a bit of a huff in his voice Kyle didn't fail to notice, "Something wrong dude?" he asked carefully, he didn't want to sound mad. What could Duke possibly not like about Alice that made him so pouty? Kyle was sure that she was the cause of his moodiness. "Do you not like her or something?"

Duke didn't answer right away, he slowly and strategically chose to eat the condiment soaked fry, and even doing that they were slow and careful bites, "I also met her ex."

"So- what are you getting at?" Kyle asked, "I'm not going on a date with Finn. What's wrong with Alice?" he desperately wanted to know, the idea that Duke could find a flaw in the flawless seemed so bizarre.

"Well Finn said Alice does this kind of thing all the time when they break up," Duke said quietly, as if testing the water, it was hesitant but still...

"What do you mean?" Kyle demanded, any kind of joking feelings aside, "She hasn't dated anyone but Finn in years!" he said just a little too loudly, but honestly didn't care about volume. Duke was polluting his dreams about the following day. He was distorting Alice in Kyle's mind, and Kyle didn't watch her date an asshole for years to have his chances with that perfect girl ruined. She needed to be perfect...if not there was no point in saying it was Alice...without perfection she might as well have been someone else...Anyone else.

"Just forget it, how bout we..."

"No."

Duke physically flinched. Even while human he felt the intensity behind the words. On instinct he retreated a little.

"She doesn't do that," Kyle stated, "She would never do that, understand? You've been here a whole four days! You don't know shit about the people here." Kyle didn't know where the aggression spawned, he rarely ever raised his voice and typically if people pissed him off he shrugged it off and pretended it didn't happen. It felt good, like when he first stood up to Duke.

"I didn't mean to make you mad...if I misunderstood I'm sorry."

Kyle stared back at Duke with furious eyes. Duke couldn't look away, like if he did he would get into trouble. But they calmed down, the fire diminishing to an ember and then back to Kyle's norm. "It's fine," he lied. Somehow Duke's stare had calmed him, made him realize that he wasn't alone anymore...Kyle wasn't sure, all he knew is that his head hurt again and he didn't want to be mad at Duke. "Just forget it..."

They sat in silence for a while but just eating and nothing else. They both held that without their mouths empty they would have to talk. Duke ran out of fries first and started to loudly sip his drink, loud but slow.

Kyle finally broke the silence, "So how are you and your family liking Sweeton?" He didn't seem curious, just desperate to break the ice again. Awkward silences sucked.

Duke nodded, Kyle almost thought he wasn't going to speak, "It's good, it just hasn't seemed to rub off on my siblings yet."

"What siblings do you have?"

"One brother and sister, Anthony and Brianna," Duke confirmed, "They are both restless here," he said with a smile. "We're all used to moving because of my dad but they just don't seem to like it here, I guess it's too quiet. Anthony likes cites more than rural areas, I don't know what's up with Bri."

Kyle nodded at the new information, like he was required to report if he heard it he nodded ever so slightly from start to finish. Something didn't seem right though. "Where does your dad work?" he asked, "I could have sworn you said he worked out of a home office or something."

Another silence...

"He's...ahh..."Duke started, not meeting Kyle's gaze directly and making a lot of hand motions as if it were an answer, "A umm...a consultant...?" He seemed to ask more than actually state. "He...yeah he tells people how to do their jobs and what to do and stuff."

Kyle nodded but had a confused look on his face, "Right...well why does he take you guys with him?"

"Family is very important in my family." Duke stated simply. That much was at least true. "Where one goes we all go, we don't stay places very long, my dad fixes them up and improves everything and then he's off."

Kyle stopped. "Wait...so how long are you going to be in Sweeton?" he asked quickly.

Duke shrugged, "However long it takes to get everything working at optimal levels," he continued to fabricate.

"Well give me something!" he implored, "Anything, are you talking months?"

Duke shook his head, "God no, I'm talking weeks...MAYBE," he emphasized, "We don't even own our house, we are renting it out."

Time seemed to stop. Kyle almost thought he heard sick laughter coming from whatever heavenly power always kicked him while he was down. Damn it. Fucking God damn it! Life was not fair, he finally had a guy friend, someone who to be honest had made his week so far, and he was leaving. Fuck he didn't even know when he was leaving. He felt crushed; the idea of separating from a friend hurt...separation wasn't splitting apart and going their separate ways. Kyle knew for a fact that the two wouldn't get into a big fight. Duke would be leaving while they were still friends. It would be that much worse.

Everything began to blur together, Kyle didn't even realize he was interrupting Duke until after he spoke. "What do you mean you're just leaving?! Don't you think this would have been nice to mention!?" He blushed after he saw he cut Duke off, then even harder when he realized how retarded he sounded, how out of place to seemed to be clamouring over some guy he knew for a handful of days.

Duke was about to speak when Kyle stood up and walked away. "Kyle!" he called after his friend, standing and following after him at an equally fast walking pace. "Kyle I know you can hear me don't walk away." He spoke civilly as to not make a scene as they walked through the busy cafeteria, "Stop walking away and let me finish."

Kyle didn't want to stop running away, it was easier then dealing with this. Somehow if he walked far enough, fast enough Duke wouldn't leave...