All Her Secrets

The White Wolf pt. 1 - Pigeon

A/N: SURPRISE! Extra chapter! I felt like the story was a little too... jumpy? (Is that the right word to use...? Oh well.) So, as a connection, I'm adding in "The White Wolf"! Are you ready to know what meeting Jackson and Tyler for the first time was like for Pigeon?

   It's a wild ride. Enjoy!

   (If you picked up on both the not-so-hidden jokes in this intro, I applaud you.)

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   My phone buzzed- again- from it's charging stand. Throwing my head back, I groaned.

   And instantly regretted it as a shock radiated out from my chest, electrifying my blood painfully. After a moment, the pain ended and I rubbed the phantom spot where the shocks had begun: right under the charm.

Damn! That fuckin' spell is getting pickier.

   I rolled my eyes and suppressed another sigh. Marking the page in my Advanced Cell and Molecular Biology textbook, I slammed it shut as I leaned back against my headboard. I grabbed my phone from its stand, pausing to push my glasses up the bridge of my nose, before opening the conversation that was going insane.

Holding the front camera up to my face, I let out a stressed breath when it didn't recognize me with my glasses, and pressed my thumb into the home button.

   With a click, the lock screen slid away, and my eyes darted to the message notifications.

Probably Grace asking if I got the laundry...

   Opening the app, I saw my conversation with Collin at the top of the screen, with four new messages from him. Clicking open the conversation that I kept with my translator, I smirked enjoying the thought of how jealous his girlfriend was of me. I read only the last two texts, mostly because I just wanted to get back to studying and partly because I wanted a reason to procrastinate.

Hey, Pidge, Abby and I are going for a walk in the woods outside the campus. You wanna come with?

Come on, Pigeon, please? She's gonna be trying to getting her photography class final done, it's not a date.

   A full smile tugged at my lips as I shot off:

Anything to piss off The b***h.

    Laying my phone back on the charger I moved my laptop desk off my legs and sprang up. My phone buzzed repeatedly, and I knew that it was Abby texting me from Collin's phone. She hates our friendship, but what were we supposed to do? Hate each other? He was my translator, there for every class, every adviser meeting, every presentation.

   Collin was my link to the world. We couldn't hate each other.

   Snagging a pair of jeans from the end of my bed, I traded my ratty Montana Tech sweats for the fleece-lined denim and tugged on my riding jacket. Propping my leg up on my bed and lacing up my boots, I glanced around to find my backpack, making a mental list of what to bring.

Tennis shoes

Trail mix and water

Phone

Wallet

Keys

   Sliding my glasses off and placing them in their case on my desk, I looked in the mirror as I popped in my contacts. Blinking to allow them to settle, I slung my arm through the cross-body strap of my bag.

I can't wait to get out of this damned dorm room.

   Shoving my old running shoes into the large pocket, I zipped it up, after making sure that my wallet was still in the pocket that was hidden inside the larger one. I trusted Grace, but she'd had a study group over earlier and I found a random from one of her classes in our room. Stuttered out that Grace had sent her in to grab her phone charger. She seemed intimidated by me- the mute at the private school- so I yanked the cord from the wall and passed it to her before pointing to the door.

   By the time I sat on my bed, she was gone and the door was shut.

   I felt the soft leather of the wallet, and remembered when Carter had come home from his first big business trip, came home with gifts for everyone. Wyatt got a model plane, Bella got a stuffed bear, Taryn had turned bright red when she opened her gift and refused to take it out of the box as my brother smirked.

   My gift was smaller, and I had to admit that I was a bit jealous. The fiancee got a bigger gift than the little sister he raised, and definitely a better one than her two kids. But, when I opened my box, there was a customized soft wallet, dyed a rich purple. Inside was a hundred dollars and my acceptance letter to Montana Tech, along with the letter stating I had received complete coverage of my tuition, room, and books.

    I knew I’d gotten the best gift out of all of us. The gift of escape.

    Sighing quietly, I crossed Grace and I’s dorm to grab my phone and keys, both of which I kept near my bed. 

Phone in the pocket and keys around my neck… Let’s go.

    Locking the door, I crossed the living area to the kitchen, waving to Caroline and Mackenzie who were hosting a study group for the freshmen. “Hey, Pigeon! Going somewhere?” Kenzie called out as she jogged up to me. I stopped my rummaging to sign ‘Hike with Collin and Abby.’ before continuing to look for the bag of trail mix I’d hidden. Kenzie looked confused for a second before muttering, “Okay, have fun.” and going back to her group of gremlins.

    A lot of people out here didn’t know ASL. I considered myself extremely lucky that I’d gotten a roommate who was fluent.

    I rolled my eyes and reached deep into the dorm pantry. 

I know I hid it back here… Where… Ah yes! 

    With a silent chuckle, I put the trail mix on top of my shoes with the water bottle I’d snagged from the fridge. Springing to my feet, I ran out the door, down the sidewalk and over the curb to straddle the Harley. Unlocking my helmet from the side cage, I snapped it on.

Good thing about having a motorcycle, I get to park super close. Even if it makes bringing anything with me a pain in the ass.

     Taking off my lanyard, I stuck the key in the transmission and smiled as my baby roared to life. Pulling out of the parking lot and getting onto the main street.

 I might love this bike more than Carter… 

    Less than ten minutes later I was flying down the highway, headed out of town toward the woods that surrounded the campus. My wireless earbuds blasting “Fought For Me” by Paradise Fears, I turned off the highway and onto the dirt road that led to a small overhang where kids often parked when they went hiking.

    I almost never went with Grace, mostly because the “beauty” of a full moon was lost on me, and that was usually the only time she wanted to go. 

She's weird, but I love her.

    Dirt clouded my rearview mirror, and I hoped that I had some cleaning wipes in my side basket. Trying to navigate campus without being able to see who’s behind me was a b***h.

    Slowing carefully, I parked between Collin’s car and a truck. 

Trails must be popular today… It is nice I guess. 

    I pulled my helmet off and took the key out of the ignition, sliding the lanyard around my neck before taking off my backpack. Leaving it on the ground, I unlaced my riding boots and locked them away with my helmet in the side basket.

    The routine might seem strange to someone else, but it calmed a small part of my mind.

    My ears jumped suddenly when a twig snapped behind me and I whipped around, bracing myself against my bike so I wouldn’t fall. Collin held his hands up, saying, “Careful there. It’s just me.” I released a breath and slid into my tied tennis shoes before standing up. ‘Sorry. You know-’ “You scare easily. I know.” Collin cut me off and I rolled my eyes in annoyance.

    Wandering quietly was easy for us. Normally Abby would fill the silence with mindless chatter, which was partially why she annoyed me so much, but since I was mute I liked the quiet. It let me hear things that regular people would miss because they were too busy flapping their lips to actually pay attention. After about five minutes, Collin broke the peace, saying, “I’m supposed to meet Abby at the lake in half an hour. Got anywhere you want to see first, assuming you’ll come with me?” ‘Uhhhh…. How about the old branch bridge? Go the long way?” I signed fast, knowing that the turn for my favorite spot was coming up soon.

    Collin shrugged, and swept his arm out as he said, “Lead the way.”

    And I did.

    Twenty minutes of battling underbrush and dodging tree branches later, I took a deep breath of relief. The old branch bridge ran over a creek, and it looked like something out of a storybook. Smooth multicolored stones ran along the sides and bottom, some sparkling when the sun managed to break through the trees. The water seemed to always be just moderately cool, but never cold enough to be a shock. It was perfect for dipping your toes in the summer. The branch was actually a fallen tree, but most of the branches had worn down to moss-covered nubs. 

    Smooth to the touch, and strong enough for a couple of people to stand on it, no one knew what kind of tree it had been or how long it had been lying there. Through the trees on the left was a clearing where a lot of kids had picnics with their significant others. If they weren’t such beautiful sites, I’m certain that the park rangers would have cleared the bridge away, and planted some trees in the clearing by now.

    I sat on the branch, tucking my legs up under my chin and patting the spot next to me. Collin sighed and sat, keeping a small space between us before I wrapped my arm around his shoulders and brought his side against mine. Our breath formed clouds in the cold air as I leaned into my second best friend’s warmth. 

    After a minute, he leaned back, letting his long legs dangle off into what was left of the roots and pressing his hands onto his face. Pushing his hip with the flat of my palm, I waited until he sighed and peeked through his fingers before signing ‘Spill it. What’s going on with you? Don’t think I haven’t noticed.’

    Pushing himself up on his elbows, Collin reached into his front pocket and fished out a ring. I gasped, my eyes going wide. He grimaced and put the ring back. “I’ve been carrying that around for weeks, trying to find the right time to propose to Abby, but for the last week, she’s been really secretive. Pushing me away. I mean, we started dating when I was a senior and she a freshman in high school. I gave her a promise ring when she graduated from high school. We’ve been living together for the last two years. Said ‘I love you’ more times that I can even remember. I’m about to finish my Master's degree, Pigeon. And I want to marry this girl. But I don’t know. Is she-” I smacked his leg, stopping him from saying anything else. “Hey! Why’d you do that?” I furrowed my eyebrows and frowned at him before sighing and signing:

    ‘I’m not Abby’s biggest fan. You know that. She’s bitchy, self-centered, and possessive. But she loves you. And Collin Dallas Marks, if you even DARE to suggest that that girl, the one you want to marry, is cheating on you… You’re blind. She loves you so f*****g much. And I know she hates me, but even I can see how much she adores you. She would never do something to jeopardize her relationship with you.” I paused, allowing him to process everything I’d just said before continuing.

    ‘If I see you again for class after break, and you still have that ring, there’ll be more than a smack on the leg in it for you. Have you considered that maybe she’s wondering why the f**k you haven’t proposed yet? Ten years, Collin. A DECADE of her life- of both your lives- and you’ve not proposed? I get it, you’re still in college, but come on man! Engagement is just the next stage, it doesn’t mean you have to get married two weeks later.’ I dropped my hands to let him know he could speak without me interrupting him.

    Pulling himself up off the branch, he nodded and said “You’re right. God, I’m overthinking… You know what? I’m gonna do it. At the lake. We both love that spot. You can film it. It’s perfect. Come on, let’s go!” I stood up slowly, quickly saying ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa. Maybe a little more thought than that? You’re gonna need an epic speech. And she hates me! She’s not going to want me there!’ Running his hand down his face, he nodded again. “Yeah, that… that is a little too far… Maybe. I don’t know! I was overthinking, now I’m under-thinking, why can’t I just think?” He looked at his watch, and his eyes widened, realizing that he had screwed up. “f**k! I was supposed to meet her at the lake ten minutes ago!”