Two

"Shaylee, do you feel like the temperature has risen a few degrees?" I mockingly say to Shaylee, referring to the jerk who has just entered the room. "Oh Billie, you're in trouble now. Here he comes," Shaylee warns me.

As the teacher walks through the door, she addresses him, "Mr. Board, is there a problem?" I breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that I am safe for now. "No, ma'am, I was just going to show Billie which page she needed to be on," he responds.

"Well, just return to your seat. We will cover the pages shortly," the teacher instructs him.

I know that this conflict between us is far from over. I don't have time for enemies at this school, but for now, the teacher has started her lesson, so I will focus on that.

"Alright class, that concludes today's lesson. I want you to complete pages 200-210 for homework and turn it in by tomorrow morning," the teacher announces.

I make my way to my locker, and as I open the door, Andrew Board sneaks up behind me, forcefully pushing my head into the locker. He whispers in my ear, "I reject you. You are a nobody, and I don't want you by my side. I reject you." He repeats himself before pushing away from me.

He rejects me. What is he even talking about? "Oh my god, Billie, are you okay? What was that about?" Shaylee asks, concerned. "I don't know, Shaylee. He said something about rejecting me. Do you have any idea what he means?"

"No clue, girl. That's the weirdest thing I've ever heard someone say. Anyway, let's get to our other classes, and we'll meet up at lunch," Shaylee suggests. "Yeah, sure, okay," I reply.

I walk to the gym with Kade, and he asks me if I have any plans for the weekend. After considering it, I realize that I am free. "No, I think I'm free this weekend. Why?" I inquire.

Kade excitedly shares the plans for the upcoming weekend, mentioning a group of kids heading to the woods to have a cozy bonfire, roast hot dogs, and enjoy the pleasant weather. The idea sounds incredibly appealing, promising a fun-filled time.

"That sounds like fun. We'll have to hurry to gym now, but you can fill me in on the details later," I say. I head back out front and prepare to play basketball for another day. I hope I don't fall or accidentally hit anyone with the ball, especially Andrew.

The hour passes by quickly, thankfully. I only fall once this time and manage to avoid hitting anyone with the ball. Although, I wouldn't have minded hitting Andrew in the back of the head at least once.

After showering, I head to the lunchroom and meet up with Shaylee and Kade. Today's lunch is sloppy joes, but I decide to pass and opt for some crackers and a coke from the vending machine. "What's wrong, princess? Too good for the food here at our school?" Andrew taunts me. I ignore him and walk over to the table where Shaylee and Kade are sitting. "Would it be crazy for me to go up to Andrew and demand to know what his problem is?" I ask Shaylee.

"It could be a little dangerous," she replies, and we giggle. Lunch flies by too quickly, and now it's time for our English class, followed by Spanish class. I have to admit, Spanish is my favorite class so far. When we enter and take our seats, the teacher informs us that she will be changing things up. We will be assigned groups of four for a project.

She starts calling out names, and when she mentions Andrew Board, Billie Green, Shaylee Apple, and Kade Barnes, we realize that we are all in the same group. "Whoa, Ms. Mario, my brothers and I usually stick together," Andrew protests, but the teacher simply looks at him. Ms. Mario doesn't tolerate any nonsense, so it seems like Andrew won't get his way this time. Shaylee and I move to a table where all four of us can fit, but Andrew, being a jerk, decides to stay where he is. Kade starts to get up and join him, but I grab his arm. "No, he can come to us or fail the project," I assert. Andrew needs to learn that not everyone will bow down to him.

I see Andrew's brothers getting up and going to their new tables, and Andrew's face turns red. Eventually, he begrudgingly gets up and comes our way. "Sit over there, Kade. I don't enjoy sitting with my back to the door," Andrew growls. His growl almost sounds animalistic, but I shake off the thought, assuming I must be imagining things.

"Alright class, now that we have our teams, let's get busy with our project. This will be a month-long project, so get comfortable with your partners," the teacher announces. Andrew grumbles under his breath, expressing his frustration. The teacher shuts down any complaints, stating that we will come up with our own play and present it at the end of the month. Our performance will determine our grade in the class. She also warns Andrew that his participation will determine whether he remains captain of the wrestling team. I smirk to myself, but Andrew somehow notices. "You're skating on thin ice, princess," he warns me.

"I'm really scared. I can't control myself. He can't do anything to me," I confess, feeling a mix of fear and defiance.

"Alright, Andrew, if you're done with your power trip, let's start working on this play that none of us really want to do," Shaylee asserts, standing up to him. I admire her for standing up to that jerk.

Andrew's face turns red, as if he's trying to hold back his anger. I don't care if he sits there and pouts for the rest of class. "Today, let's focus on coming up with a name for the play and deciding what it should be about," I suggest. "Great idea, Billie," Shaylee agrees. "Let's throw out some names and see which one we like the best."

"Pride of the Man," Kade suggests. We write it down, but it doesn't seem to resonate with anyone. "Princess and the Beast," I propose. Shaylee thinks it's a good one, but the boys aren't convinced. "Um, how about 'Pride and Prejudice'?" Shaylee suggests, but I don't think we can use that since it's a book. As long as we steer clear of Jane Austen, we should be fine. The three of us look at Andrew, waiting for his input. "Her Dark Knight," he suggests, and holy crap, that's the best one so far. "Dang it."

I look at Shaylee, and she looks at me, shaking her head. "Alright, 'Her Dark Knight' it is. Now we need to figure out what the play will be about," Shaylee says. And once again, Andrew surprises us. "It should be about a wolf who tries to resist his feelings for a human he's imprinted on, but the more time he spends with her, the stronger the pull becomes."

"That's actually pretty good," Kade admits, but for some reason, he looks at me strangely. "Okay, so we have the name and the plot. Now we just need to decide who will play which parts," Shaylee suggests. "I think Billie should play the human, Andrew should be the wolf, I'll be the guide, and you can be the best friend to the human, Shaylee," Kade proposes. "No, let's have Shaylee play the human the wolf is in love with, and I can be her best friend," I suggest. Once again, there's a strange look exchanged between Andrew and Kade that I don't understand. But Shaylee catches on and agrees with Kade. "I'm not playing that part," I assert. "Either Shaylee plays the part, or we find someone else. The teacher didn't specify that we had to play the parts within our group." These guys are acting really weird today.

Shaylee catches up to me at my locker. "Are you okay?" she asks, concerned. "I don't know what was going on in there. Why were they all looking at each other like that?" I ask her. "I'm not sure what the boys were doing, but I sensed something. You need to give up on not playing that part. If Andrew wants you to, you should do it. He always gets what he wants. It's like he has some kind of magic that makes people do what he wants," Shaylee explains as we walk to our next class.

Our Spanish teacher is already in the room, waiting for everyone to take their seats. "Hola, ¿cómo están todos?" She greets us once everyone is settled and the door is closed. "Hola," we all responded. "Hoy vamos a tener una prueba sorpresa," Mrs. Lopez announces, and we all groan. It's only the second week of school, and my second day here, and she's already giving us a pop quiz. How is that fair? Well, here we go, my first F of the year.

She hands out the papers, and when I turn mine over, it says "sonríe, te hemos engañado" in Spanish. I just smile and shake my head at her. And she smiles back, knowing that I understood what she said perfectly fine. The bell for this class rings, and we all head to our next classroom.

At the end of the school day, I have a ton of homework. I grab my book bag and head over to Pages cafe. It looks pretty busy, so I wait until it calms down before I approach her. "Hey Billie, how was school today?" she asks when I walk up to the counter. "It was good. I have a question for you," I tell her.

"Go ahead," she says, walking over to hand a customer a piece of pie. "Well, I was wondering if you might need some help after school?" I ask her. "For you, Billie, I'll make room. It might even free up some time for me to do paperwork in the afternoon instead of waiting until closing," she replies.

"That's great. When would you like me to start?" I inquire. "Let's start next Monday. That way, you'll be settled into the house and school," she suggests. "Okay, sounds good. I was actually invited to a bonfire on Saturday anyway."

"That should be fun for you. I used to love going to bonfires on the weekends when we were younger. But then we grew up, and all of that stopped," Page says with a hint of sadness. "Your age shouldn't stop you from doing those things," I tell her. "Anyway, I better get home and start on my schoolwork. I'll see you and Dad later at home," I say, then walk out of the cafe and head home.

It's Saturday morning, and I'm the only one home today. Dad is at the hospital working, and Page is at the cafe until noon, so I decide to be nice and clean the house for them. I start in the bathroom and work my way to the living room. The house is already pretty clean, so it doesn't take me long. Afterward, I work on some of my schoolwork that I still need to finish, and then I call my few girlfriends back home.

"Billie, how's it going?" Adalyn asks when she picks up the three-way call, followed by Ginger and Bobby Joe. "Have you died yet?" Bobby Joe jokes. We all laugh. "No, I'm still alive. I'm actually going to a bonfire later with some friends I made at school. So, girls, what does one wear to a bonfire?" I ask them. They laugh at me. "Well, how cold is it there?" Ginger asks. "About 75 during the day and 50 at night," I tell them.

"In that case, wear a light long-sleeve shirt and jeans, and bring a jacket," Ginger advises, and the other girls agree. "Honey, have you never been to a bonfire before?" Bobby Joe asks. "No, we didn't have them much in New York," I explain. "Oh yeah, I forgot about that. You're not from New York originally, right?" Adalyn asks. "No, I'm actually from Texas. My dad got transferred to New York for work," I clarify. "Well, you're in for a treat then. Bonfires are so much fun," Bobby Joe says. "I'm excited. It'll be a nice break from all the school stress," I reply.

We chat for a while longer, catching up on each other's lives and sharing funny stories. It's nice to hear their familiar voices and feel connected to my old life. After we hang up, I finish up my schoolwork and start getting ready for the bonfire.

I decided to wear a light flannel shirt, jeans, and my favorite pair of boots. I grab a jacket just in case it gets chilly later. As I'm getting ready, I can't help but think about the strange behavior of Andrew and Kade in drama class. There's definitely something going on, and I can't shake the feeling that it has something to do with me.

I quickly grab my jacket and head out the door, feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness. As I make my way to the bonfire, I can't help but wonder what the night will bring. Will I make new friends? Will I have fun? These thoughts swirl in my mind as I drive through the crisp night.

While I'm en route to the address provided by Kada, a massive wolf suddenly darts across the road ahead of me. "Wow, I've never encountered a wolf at such proximity," I exclaim, stricken with awe. As I strain my ears, I can faintly hear its haunting howl.

Curiosity getting the better of me, I decided to pull over and investigate further. I park my car on the side of the road and cautiously step out, making sure to keep a safe distance from the wolf. Its majestic presence commands respect, and I can't help but feel a sense of reverence for this wild creature.

As I stand there, the wolf turns its head towards me, its piercing eyes locking with mine. There's a moment of connection, as if we understand each other on some primal level. The wolf's howl echoes through the night, sending shivers down my spine. It's a haunting sound, filled with both loneliness and strength.

I take a step closer, drawn to the wolf's presence. It seems unafraid, almost as if it's inviting me to come closer. With cautious steps, I approach, my heart pounding in my chest. The wolf watches me intently, its gaze unwavering.

As I get closer, I notice something unusual about the wolf. It bears a strange mark on its fur, a symbol that I can't quite make out from this distance. Intrigued, I reach into my pocket and pull out my camera, hoping to capture this rare encounter.

With each step, the wolf seems to grow more comfortable with my presence. It lowers its head slightly, allowing me to get a better look at the mark on its fur. It's a symbol I've never seen before, intricate and mysterious.

Just as I'm about to take a picture, the wolf suddenly turns and disappears into the darkness, leaving me standing there, captivated by its fleeting presence. I'm left with a sense of wonder and a burning desire to uncover the secrets behind that symbol.

I quickly snap a photo of the spot where the wolf stood, hoping to analyze it later. With a mix of excitement and trepidation, I return to my car and continue on my journey to the address provided by Kada. But the encounter with the wolf lingers in my mind, leaving me with a newfound sense of awe and a determination to uncover the mysteries that lie ahead.