Do you believe in love at first sight? Do you believe it when someone just knows that a person standing in front of them is the person that they're going to love for the rest of their lives? I never really believed it before because it just doesn't make sense. You don't know someone's personality just by looking at them. You don't know their little quirks just by looking at them. You don't know a single thing about that person just by looking at them.

Or do you?

If you pay attention to someone and watch them interact with other people, you'll know if they're kind or not. If you see them when no one else does, you'll be surprised by what you find out about a person. In those split seconds when you first look at someone, you see a lot more than what you ever would have thought possible.

Yes, I never believed in love at first sight before, but I do now. Because, well, it happened to me. 

This whole tale started at school after everyone came back tan and happy from the summer break. My two friends, Addison and Bree, and I had just got back to Seabrook after going to cheer camp for a few weeks over the summer, and on the way home, we had a small issue with the bus getting stuck. Because of that, all of Seabrook's cheerleaders were late for the first day of school, but at least we made it just in time for the lunch rush.

The cheerleaders were the first people to get their lunch because of the difficult first part of the day, so we all had our first pick at one of the tables in the cafeteria. Most of us still sat together because I assumed they wanted to talk about what exactly happened earlier today and how the school allowed it to happen. Some people were outraged that the bus broke down in the middle of the woods while others were nervous that something was going to happen soon, something scary. 

At some point, Zed joined us at our table, sitting in between me and Addison. Addison and Bree were doubled over in their chairs, laughing about something one of them said, and even though I was sitting right next to them, I wasn't really invited into the conversation. It seemed to be about an inside joke only the two of them knew. They weren't bothered by the heavy discussion that surrounded us at all. Even Zed didn't notice how everyone else was focused on the bus incident from this morning.

I sighed softly to myself as I leaned back in my chair, not bothering to touch the food that sat in front of me on the table. I couldn't wait to go home tonight just to get away from everyone, even my friends and Zed. It was exhausting to put on a happy facade with the people I call my friends. I should have been happy with them, I know that, but I just couldn't find a reason to be happy around them.

Even though I have all these friends, I have always felt a little lonely. None of these people were friends by my choice. Addison started dating Zed, my twin brother, so, because she was always around him, she was always around me. Close proximity basically forced us to be friends, and the same goes for Addison's best friend, Bree. I'm not complaining because I love Addison and Bree. I do. But I want a relationship where I choose to cultivate, one where it's just me and that person, not my brother, me, and that person. 

On top of that loneliness, every guy I have ever tried to date hasn't worked out well for me. Zombieland doesn't really produce the best guys there are, especially when we were separated from the humans. Besides, when we finally got to mix with the humans, every human guy I found myself having a crush on was scared of me just for being a zombie. I've always found that something was missing in each of those relationships, though I wasn't sure what it was at the time.

Now, though, after everything I experienced, I know what it was.

The thing is, I have never told any of this to the people closest to me. Maybe that was why I never could feel happy around them. Maybe that was why I could never feel satisfied in any sort of relationship, romantic or platonic. 

Suddenly, I pushed myself away from the table. The only people who noticed my sudden movement was Addison, Zed, and Bree. "Are you okay, Y/N?" Zed asked me with a frown on his face.

"Yeah," I answered him with a quick nod. I didn't want to lie to them, but I knew I didn't have enough time to explain what was going on in my mind. "I just . . . I need to grab something from my locker."

"I'll come with you," Addison said, starting to stand up. However, she paused when she saw me shaking my head at her. 

"I'm fine," I told her. "I can go by myself. I'll be quick, I promise."

I turned on my heel before they could ask me other questions about what I was going to get from my locker or why I hadn't eaten my lunch yet. I didn't want to answer any of those questions just yet, especially not with the whole school listening in on our conversation. Besides, I didn't know the answers to those questions just yet.

Since I told Addison, Bree, and Zed that I was going to my locker, I decided to head in that direction because I didn't want them to think I was lying if any of them came out to check on me. It was already much quieter out in the hallway, and my heart started to slow down. I made it to my locker and opened it up, staring at all the pictures of me and my friends that lined the walls of it. 

I should have been happy to have so many friends, but I just wasn't. And I didn't know why.

Footsteps echoed around the hallway, alerting me that I was not alone. When I glanced up from my locker, I noticed a guy around my age standing in the middle of the hallway, his brows furrowed deep into his mismatched hair. Maybe it was a trick of the light spilling in from the wide windows to my left, but his dark hair had white patches in it.

My breath hitched in my throat at the sight of him. I had never seen him before, I knew that much. He stood still, just basking in the sunlight that seemed to make his skin glow. He had the smallest smile on his face, one that told me he didn't think anyone was looking at him right now. It seemed like a smile meant for just him. But I was seeing it, and it made my heart do a little summersault in my chest.

I didn't think I had seen anyone as handsome as the boy standing in the hallway. I didn't think I had seen anyone as at peace by themselves -- alone -- as the boy standing in the hallway. His eyes fluttered shut for just a split second, and his smile grew even wider than it had been before. 

Deep in my heart, I knew I had fallen in love at first sight with that boy.

That thought sent a jolt through my body, and I accidentally bumped into my open locker door. The noise of my locker moving knocked the boy out of his reverie. His eyes flashed open and quickly found me trying to hide in my locker.

"Are you lost?" I called out to him, not knowing what else to say to him.

The boy took a few long steps closer to me, closing the distance in just a little number of strides. He stood about a head taller than me, but I wasn't afraid of him. There was something in his eyes that told me he wasn't going to hurt me. 

"Actually, I am lost," he said with a nod. "I'm trying to find the cafeteria. I'm new here."

"I figured as much. I can show you to the cafeteria, if you want."

"That would be perfect. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"My name is Wyatt," he said before I could start leading him to the cafeteria. He smiled at me, revealing a small dimple in his left cheek. He held his hand out, and I took it in my own, giving it a soft shake. With that much movement, my sleeve rode up just enough to show off my Z-band. I hastily took my hand out of his own and pulled my sleeve back down. "Are you a zombie?"

"Um, yeah," I said awkwardly. I took a few steps back from him, praying that he doesn't hate me for being a zombie. "I am. My name's Y/N."

"That's so cool, Y/N." His smile widened, surprising me. No one had ever said that about me being a zombie before. Most of them were afraid of me. But he didn't seem to be scared of who I was. "You're the first zombie I've ever met." As his smile grew even wider, I noticed he had some fangs hanging down in his mouth. "I'm a werewolf."

For just a moment, I was speechless. He was also the first werewolf I had ever seen, and I didn't even know they were coming to Seabrook at all. No wonder he looked new. We never got any new humans, and I knew all of the zombies. But why didn't I know that werewolves were going to start out the new school year here? Did anyone else know about it? I wasn't sure, but I couldn't ask him about it.

"Is that why you have that white patch in your hair?" I finally blurted out.

Wyatt touched it absentmindedly. "Yeah. It's one of my many werewolf traits."

"It's adorable." I couldn't believe that just slipped out of my mouth. I slapped a hand over my betrayer as Wyatt quirked an eyebrow up at my statement. What in the world was I doing? I just couldn't keep any of my comments in my head right now. Was this newfound feeling in my chest just taking away my ability to filter my words? "I mean, it's nice. It doesn't look bad on you."

"Thank you."

Even though it was slightly awkward between the two of us, I said, "You're welcome."

"Your green highlights in your hair are also adorable," he admitted to me. My face heated up, but I smiled at him, too. 

"Thank you."

I brought him back to the cafeteria, and somehow, we ignored the awkwardness to talk about so many things in those few minutes it took us to walk together. I had never found someone so compelling before, and I wanted to hear more and more from Wyatt about his life and his family and his favorite memories. 

"Do you want to go out sometime?" Wyatt asked me as we made it into the cafeteria. 

I stared up into his eyes, a smile spreading across my face. "That sounds nice," I told him with a nod. 

"Great."

We finally tore our gazes away from each other just in time to see a large human mob running toward us. A few people in the mob were screaming bloody murder. Wyatt pulled me out of the way just in time before the people flooded through the doors. I glanced around the cafeteria and found another group of werewolves standing there, eyes narrowed at the mob that just left. My friends were still sitting at our table, but they were the only ones there.

"Is this how everyone reacted when zombies came here?" Wyatt asked me.

"Yes."

"It's going to take a lot to feel welcome, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"I'm glad I have someone on my side to help me through it."

The two of us shared a look together. It hurt my heart to realize that the werewolves were going to be ostracized just like us zombies were. But Wyatt was right. He had me -- and hopefully my friends -- to help them be welcomed here at Seabrook. A small selfish part of me was glad that the humans were scared of him and his kind because that meant that I could spend even more time with him. 

But I was right. I did spend all of my time with Wyatt and falling even further in love with him than I ever could have imagined. He was the kindest, sweetest guy I had ever met and always treated me with so much respect. One of my favorite memories with him was when we went to the dance together where we danced all night and had the time of our lives. Even after that, when we found the Moonstone, the most important werewolf object, we had the greatest time together. It didn't hurt that the Moonstone revealed to us that we were meant to be together, which was something we already knew.

Wyatt made it easy to open up to him. He made me feel safe to tell him my deepest, darkest feelings and revelations. Because I could do that with him, I found it easier to open up to my friends and even Zed. I owe Wyatt everything. My life changed the day I met him, and he helped me become the best version of myself I could be. I knew when I first saw him that I loved him, and that has been the case ever since. I love him, and he loves me, and that's all that matters.