As I stare out the window, Laura walks in and informs me that she invited the boys from two doors down for drinks before heading to the lake. I take a deep breath and start to get dressed. I pull out a red bikini and dark black shorts. I head to my bathroom and slip on my clothes. I pull my hair back into a sleek ponytail and grab my makeup case. I adorn my eyes with black eyeliner and black mascara, and I coat my lips in a nude gloss. I roll down the top of my shorts, leaving them unbuttoned, and slip on my black Michael Kors sandals.

The doorbell rings, and I begin to feel anxious. I hear Gage's voice as he enters the house, and my heart starts to flutter. I take one last look in the mirror before heading to the living room. As I make my way down the hall, I can hear the laughter ensue between everyone.

"Umm, so where's Star?" I hear Gage asking Laura.

"hahah. He has a thing for your friend." I hear one of his buddies state. Laura starts to giggle, and I make my way to the room.

"I'm right here." Gage quickly sits up straight and smiles. "Hey," he says.

"Hi," I reply, trying to keep my tone neutral. I can feel my heart racing as I catch his gaze.

Rubbing the back of my neck, I sit next to Gage on the couch, and look at Laura, knowing she did this on purpose. Gage's scent is familiar—a mix of sandalwood and fresh laundry. "What's up?" I ask, trying to sound casual. Gage looks at me and shrugs. "Not much. How was your day?" he asks, turning to face me with a small smile. I smile and slowly look away. I notice Laura being very chatty with Ace, and I can already tell how this night will end for her.

"So, how old are you guys?" Keenan asks.

"19," Laura responds for both of us. "We took a year off school to work."

The boys nod their heads. Gage's phone goes off, and I see a sigh of defeat cover his face. So I decide to pull the same stunt he pulled on me. I grab his phone and answer.

"Gage's phone." A girl's voice responds on the other end. "Hi, is Gage there?" I hesitate for a moment before responding, trying to come up with a clever response. "Sorry, he's busy saving the world right now. Can I take a message?" I begin to laugh.

"Who the hell is this?" I hear the girl scream from the other end, and I try to hold my laughter.

"Oh, I'm nobody, and you are?"

"I'm his girlfriend!" She spews.

I glance at Gage, who appears to have heard what she said, and he shakes his head in the negative. I look at the other boys, and they make hand gestures, explaining that the girl is crazy. I smile and say,

"Umm, he never told me he had a girlfriend. I'm pretty sure that would have come up in our late night talks." Gage starts to laugh, and I smile.

The girl screams into the phone, "Are you kidding me? Put him on the phone," I laugh and hand him the phone. He grunts as he takes it.

"Hello?" He nonchalantly says.

I sit back and watch the show as he argues with this girl on the phone. "Whatever, Lisa." He states. "You and I were never together. Whatever you think happened, never did." He listens as she screams at him; Ace motions for him to put the phone on speaker, which he does. The girls shrieks fill the room, and Laura and I just look at each other.

"What was I, just an easy fuck for you?" She questions him.

"That's exactly what you were." He states it with no emotion. My stomach becomes knotted, and I find myself sinking into the couch with the realisation that he is the bad boy with a bad reputation. I look at him and wonder how I didn't see it before—the way he carries himself with a certain arrogance and the tattoos peeking out from under his shirt. But despite all that, there's something about him that draws me in and makes me want to know more.

She screams once more before he hangs up. "Sorry about that." He tells us. I give him a sideways glance and just shrug, "We all have one of those ex's." I state.

"Who needs a drink?" Laura asks, breaking the tension in the room, and we all raise our hands.

The room is silent as we all take our drinks and gulp them down. Ace looks at his watch and says it's time to go. He stands up and takes Laura's hand. I raise my eyebrow, and she smiles. I hold in my laughter and shake my head. Everyone walks outside, and I'm the last to leave. As I lock the door behind me, I feel someone's eyes on me. I turn around to see Gage standing there, waiting for me.

I walk toward him, and he smiles and says, "I was wondering if you would like to drive there together?"

"Do it!" I hear Laura yell. I shake my head at Laura's impulsive thoughts. "Sure," I smile at him.

He opens the truck door and helps me in. I sit back and look up at the night sky; a half moon shines in the dark. I glance over at Gage as he starts the truck and smiles as he looks at me.

☾

As we approach the lake, I'm amazed by all the people. A fire sits in the middle of the crowd. I step out of the truck, and Gage comes to my side.

"Want a drink?" He asks, and I shake my head no and let the music take me away. "Okay," he responds. He takes my hand, and we walk, joining Laura with Ace in dancing the night away.

As the music plays, I feel Gage's hands tighten around my waist. Summer is all about having fun since it only lasts for so long. I turn to face him and he slips his hand into my back pocket, bringing me closer to him. His eyes lock on mine, and he leans in and whispers, "I want you to come home with me tonight." My heart flutters, and I take a step back.

Confusion covers his face, and I walk away. As I walk, I realise he is my ride home, and I have no idea where I am. He runs up behind me.

"I'm sorry; I shouldn't have said that." He says.

"It's okay." I keep my head down. I know I came here to start fresh, but being with someone wasn't on my radar.

"Can I show you something?" He asks me. I look up at him, surprised. His eyes are warm and kind, and I feel a sudden urge to trust him. "Sure," I say, my voice barely above a whisper.

He takes my hand and leads me to the truck, opening the door and helping me in. Before he starts the truck, I hear all the boys near the lake howl as if they are some kind of pack, and my curiosity takes over. The howls sound like the ones I heard the night before. My thoughts run wild as I sit there contemplating whether werewolves are actually a thing.

I catch a glimpse of Gage's eyes as they shimmer an amber colour. He shakes his head, and I wonder if this is what the school is hiding. I try to ignore the feeling of unease that creeps up my spine and focus on the task at hand, determined to uncover the truth about what really goes on behind the walls of this institution.

He starts the truck and starts to drive. As much as I want to run from what I just saw, I'm more curious than ever before. Why did his eyes glow when they all howled? Are they wolves? Do werewolves exist? I'm more determined than ever to figure it out. Starting with Gage.

☾

As we drive down the dark road, I can't help but ask. "Why did your eyes glow?" He starts to laugh, "I don't know what you are talking about." He states, his eyes jump with amusement.

"When the guys howled back at the lake, your eyes glowed!" I sternly say. Furious that he would laugh at my questions.

"You mean like this?" He says this as he parks the truck and opens his door. The light from the bottom of his door shines into his eyes, sending a glowing shimmer straight to them. My face goes red in embarrassment. I'm so intrigued by the mysteries of this place that I assumed something that wasn't real. "I'm sorry," I spit out.

He laughs and gets out of the truck; before closing the door, he motions for me to follow. I step out, and he looks up at the sky. So I do the same and watch as the night fills with stars. He stands next to me as we watch the party from the other side of the lake. "It's beautiful here." I say, amazed by the view and the quietness.

"Yeah, it is. But it's not as beautiful as you," he says as he stands in front of me. I blush at his compliment and smile back, feeling my heart skip a beat. We stand there in silence for a moment, the tension between us palpable. I can't help but wonder if he feels the same way I do. He rubs his lips together and gently grabs my waist, slowly backing me up against the hood of the truck. As he leans in, I close my eyes and feel his warm breath on my skin. The kiss is electric, sending shivers down my spine and making me forget about everything else in the world. He picks me up by the waist and sits me on the hood of the truck, now at eye level with him. He pulls my legs and presses himself closer to me.

He cups my face and looks directly into my eyes. I feel my heart racing as he whispers, "I've been wanting to do that all night." The intensity of the moment is almost overwhelming, and I can't help but feel a surge of desire coursing through my body. As his lips meet mine, I know that this is where I'm meant to be—in his arms, lost in the passion of the moment.

We pull away, and I feel flustered. His kiss is different. It's as if he's trying to tell me something without words. I can't help but wonder what it could be. I look at him, trying to read his expression, but he just smiles. His phone rings, and he takes it out of his pocket. He laughs, showing me the text.

Where the hell did you go off to?

Are you with Star?

Haha, my man!

Get your ass back here. The texts are all from Ace. I let out a giggle. "I think we should go back," He nods in agreement, helps me off the hood, and opens the door for me.

☾

We drive down the dark road, heading back to the party. Gage parks the car and cuts the engine. He looks over at me once more and smiles. I return the smile and thank him for being such a gentleman. As we step out of the car, I can hear the music and laughter from the party getting louder.

I walk up to Laura, who is smiling broadly and laughing heartily. "Come dance," she says as she grabs my hand. I dance along with her and get lost in the music until I hear the howl again. I look in the direction it comes from and see Gage, Ace, Keenan, and a whole slew of others howling into the night before jumping into the lake.

I watch as Gage resurfaces from the water, and his eyes shimmer once again but quickly disappear, and he isn't the only one. I was right. There is something about these guys—something that I'm determined to figure out. I can't shake off the feeling that he is hiding something from me, and I won't stop until I uncover his secret. It's like a puzzle that needs to be solved, and I'm ready to piece it together. The only problem is that I'm starting to like him. The more I want to know about the secrets he hides, the more time I'll need to spend with him. But that also means more time for me to fall for him.

Gage walks toward me, the water dripping down his smooth skin. His muscles ripple with each step he takes, and his hair is slicked back from the water. I can't help but admire his physique as he approaches me, and I feel a sudden flutter in my chest. As he reaches me, I try to hide my blush. I can't let his charming ways get in the way of me figuring out what this place hides.