As the rain begins to fall, I stand there as he lies. I honestly thought he was different, but I was wrong. He had promised to always be there for me, but now I realise that he was just like all the others who had left me in the rain before. I choke back the tears as I try to stay strong. I promised myself that I would never be with someone who could just leave without an explanation and, when face-to-face, can't even admit what they were doing.

"Goodbye, Gage." I turn on my heel and head home as the rain comes down harder. My tears mix with the rain as they stream down my face.

I open the door and slam it shut. I lean back against it and drop to the floor. The sound of thunder echoes through the house, adding to the chaos of my emotions. I stay there for a while, letting myself feel everything. The rain pounds against the windows, and I can't help but feel like it's a reflection of my own internal turmoil. Laura exits her room and kneels in front of me while asking, "Hey, what happened?" I take a deep breath and try to compose myself before answering. I try to explain everything through tears. Laura listens intently, offering comfort and support as I pour out my emotions.

"Oh, hell no." She gets up and looks out the window. "Excuse me," she says, and I back away from the door as she walks out. I watch from the doorway as Ace pulls in and Laura begins to shout.

"You're an asshole, Gage!" she begins. "You're a real piece of work, aren't you?"

"Woah, what's going on?" Ace shouts as he steps in between Laura and Gage. Gage sits there, not moving a muscle, as she screams in his face.

"Your buddy here just broke my best friend's heart." She looks over at Gage, who sits on the porch of his house, and says, "I swear to god, Gage. Stay away from her."

He stands up, and from where I am, I can see the anger pooling within him. "I said I was sorry," he shouts. "She walked away from me before I could even explain."

"What's there to explain? You left her alone in your house—to do what? Get into a fight? You left her alone without any explanation."

Ace grabs her shoulders, trying to calm her down. "Hey, look at me; calm down. Let's all get some sleep and talk tomorrow."

"No, she's been hurt too many times, and I'll be damned if I let this pretty boy here add to that hurt." She shakes Ace off and storms back to the house.

"There," she says as she walks in. "He'll be begging on his knees for you." She smiles.

"I don't want anything to do with him." I tell her. Her smile fades as she looks at me with concern. "Are you sure about that?" she asks, squeezing my shoulder. "I may have yelled at him, but Star, that boy loves you; a blind mouse could see that." I shrug my shoulders. "Get some sleep." She says as she grabs my hand, helping me up.

I return to my room, remove my wet clothes, and use a towel to dry myself and my hair. I look at my bag on the floor to see Gage's shirt. I thought I left it on his bed when I packed up. I grab it and slip it on. I take a deep breath and try to relax my tense muscles as I crawl into bed. I lay there in a shirt that smells like him, and I feel hurt. Levi would leave me in the middle of the night all the time, and Gage pulled the same stunt. More than once. I thought I had found someone who would stay and not make me feel abandoned. I feel like I'm not enough for anyone, and that's why they always leave. It's hard to trust someone new when the people you thought would never hurt you end up doing just that.

I close my eyes, and Gage's face pops into my mind. I toss and turn, trying to fall asleep, but all I want is his arms around me, holding me tight. I can still feel the warmth of his embrace and the softness of his lips on mine. The memory of our last kiss lingers in my mind, making it impossible to forget him even for a moment.

I finally manage to fall asleep, but I'm awakened by howling in the night. I get up and look out my window. The rain continues to pour, but the howl is distant and sounds sad. I squint my eyes to try and see what's out there. I can just make out the amber glow in the distance. A wolf, it gives off another chilling howl, as if it's been hurt.

I know that feeling. I say to myself.

The animal looks in my direction as if it can sense me. He howls one last time before running off. I wonder if it's the same wolf I saw the other day. The one who saved me. I shake the thought off and crawl back into bed.

☾

The morning light shines brightly in my room. I place the cover over my head and groan as soon as I hear Laura play music. I stumble out of bed and head to the bathroom to brush my teeth. I splash water on my face to wake myself up before heading to the kitchen. Laura starts dancing as I make my way to the cupboard to grab a mug. She turns up the volume as I take a sip of the hot coffee.

"Come on," she says, putting her hands out as Por Favor by Pitbull plays. I shake my head, but she insists. I put my cup down and join in on her fun. We start dancing in the living room, moving our bodies to the beat of the music and singing at the top of our lungs alone with the song. It feels good to let loose and forget about everything else for a while.

Con Calma by Daddy Yankee plays, and I let my body sway to the beat. Losing myself in the music. I feel the energy of the song pulsing through me, and all my worries fade away as I dance. It's a moment of pure joy and freedom that I savour with every move.

"Yes, just like that!" I turn to see Ace walk in and look us both up and down. Laura gets giddy and jumps into his arms, placing a kiss on his lips. Standing behind him is Gage. The moment of pure joy and freedom disappears as my eyes lock on his. I turn on my heel and walk to my room.

"Star, wait." I try to close the door, but he stops me. "Please talk to me."

"There's nothing to talk about; you left me alone and won't tell me why. That right there says enough." He backs away, and I close the door, locking it. I feel myself becoming short on breath. My heart races as I try to hold back tears, wondering if this is really the end of our relationship. I try to take a deep breath and compose myself, but the more I think of him, the harder the tears fall.

I search through my closet for clothes to wear and pull out a green sports bra and matching leggings. I slip them on with my white runners. I head to the bathroom and run a comb through my hair, throwing it up in a messy bun. I grab my purse and keys and head out. I walk down the hall to hear music still playing. I step past the living room to see Ace and Gage sitting on the couch. Laura walks in with cups of coffee and hands them to the guys.

"Where are you going?"

"Out!" I say as I open the door.

I step outside and let the sun soak up all my hurt. I start my car, and I see Gage watching me from the window. I turn the volume up and drown out my thoughts as I pull away. I take a deep breath and feel the wind in my hair as I drive down the road with no particular destination in mind. The warmth of the sun and the sound of music are all I need to forget about my troubles for a while. I realise that sometimes all it takes is a little escape to clear my mind and find some peace. As I continue driving, I let go of my worries and enjoy the freedom of the open road.

☾

As I drive, I pass a little nail salon. I think I'll treat myself. I pull into the parking lot and head in. The manicurist does a wonderful job. coffin-shaped and matte grey. Fits my mood completely. I pay and leave a generous tip. I head back to my car and head back to the open road.

The view has me spellbound as I drive. The heat rises, and my hand surfs through the wind. The sun beats down on my face, and I feel a sense of freedom wash over me. I take a deep breath and let out a contented sigh, grateful for this moment of peace amidst the chaos of life.

Gage's laugh echoes in my mind, and I sigh—I miss him. I remember the last time we rode together, feeling the same rush of wind and freedom. I turn up the radio and shake my head.

I decide to check out the campus; my suspicions have arisen since the first night here. As I walk around, I notice that the buildings are outdated and in need of being updated. As I walk around, I hear laughter, so I decide to check it out. I poke my head around the corner to see Keenan and what I assume to be the rest of the hockey team.

"Saturday," I hear one of them say.

"Nah, man, the Alpha told us to wait."

"For real?" I hear the other one whine. I try to hear more of their conversation, but I'm caught when I step on dried up leaves.

"Who's there?"

I take a deep breath and grab my phone, pretending I'm just looking around. I turn the corner and face Keenan.

"Ahh, it's you." He smiles. Keenan's jet black hair blows in the wind, and the sun glistens on his ocean blue eyes.

"Oh, hey!" I smile.

"What are you doing here?" He questions me.

"I wanted to get the feel of the campus before school starts." I lie on the spot.

"Cool, cool. Guys, this is Star, Gage's girl." Keenan introduces me; I smile and wave. I rub the back of my neck and face Keenan.

"Actually, I don't know what we are right now." I feel the tears wanting to escape

"Damn, the boy already fucked up." He starts to laugh.

"So you're single?" One of the players says. He approaches and smiles, saying, "I'm Kai."

"It's nice to meet you." I was, shall we say, a little weirded out by the interaction.

"Dude, back off." Keenan says it with a stern tone. "I don't appreciate you making my friend uncomfortable."

"It's okay, Keenan." I look at the players. "It was nice meeting you all. I'll see you around."

"See ya, Star." He smirks as he looks me up and down. I inhale deeply as I roll my eyes. It seems like all of Gage's friends are like him; bad boy reputation reeks all over them.

I turn on my heel and walk quickly back to my car. As I drive away, I can't shake what I heard. The alpha? There's no way they were talking about hockey. I wonder what else they could be referring to and if it has any connection to the recent strange occurrences in town. I run the conversation through my head. Full moon, Alpha. Are they werewolves? No, those don't exist. I try to shake off the irrational thought and remind myself that werewolves are just a myth. Maybe they are just a group of people who like to howl at the moon.

As I drive further and further, I can't help but ponder: But what if there is some truth to the legend? After all, many myths and legends have been based on real events or creatures. It would make sense. Everything I've heard about this school points to werewolves. Not stupid rituals or witchcraft, but werewolves. The idea of werewolves existing might seem far-fetched, but it's not entirely impossible.

So, my only question is, who is their Alpha?