CHAPTER FIVE
482 Words
Of course I saw Ethan everywhere. In the halls, at the store, even walking down the f*****g street. As asked, I faded into the background, hiding behind other people and even once ducking behind a tree. It wasn’t like I was being stealthy, he saw me, but to his credit, he did his part to look away. And unless I was imagining things, he even distracted his friends a few times to keep them from seeing me.
None of it made sense. Years of being slammed into lockers in the hallway or being elbowed in the stomach for no reason left a mark. The broken noses, black eyes, and cracked ribs left behind were strong enough memories for me to take his warning seriously. Every time I hid, I felt like a failure. I’d made this far on little more than mother-f*****g moxie and fleeing from a literal big bad wolf was s**t on my self-esteem.
But it was almost over.
The only thing keeping me going was that nobody knew I planned to attend a human college. I was on my way out of myself. Sure, my measly savings wasn’t going to go far, but I’d figure it out. I was smart. Even if my teachers were too afraid to ever show kindness to me, they’d still taught me. Wolf creed might be a magically hidden town, but the high school still printed off transcripts for me.
Surprisingly, I was a little sad when I left the school on Friday. I’d planned on leaving for as long as I could remember. Actually walking off the campus I’d attended school at for my entire memory was different. My chest tightened as the reality of leaving this behind struck me. It was a lot to process even if everything about wolf creed had been miserable.
Fighting against the unwelcome anxiety of starting over, I walked the familiar route toward the store. Another place I was leaving after tonight. No more stocking shelves or ringing up customers who glared at me and never said a word. Though, I supposed those who pretended I didn’t exist were better than the ones who treated me like trash. I could see a small crowd outside the store as I approached and decided the less time with others, the better. Turning, I walked towards the back of the store where dumpsters and back door were. Balling my hands into fists I fought back against the images flooding into my head from my encounter with Ethan.
Thankfully, the alley was empty and I was able to get into the store without issue. Backpack stashed, apron on, I clocked in for the last time. This time, flutters of anticipation and a feeling of glee surged through me. There it was. The exact emotion I was hoping for. I was going to be free of this place tomorrow. Thanks the gods.
- Writer
