The Wolves: Part One: Lost

Chapter 7: Tangled Conversations and New Confessions

Chapter 7

Ally’s room looked exactly the same as it had for the last three years—walls covered in vintage concert posters, a cluster of Polaroids pinned above her mirror, half-burnt candles crowding the windowsill. The faint hum of music played from her speakers as we sprawled across her bed, legs tangled in a pile of throw pillows and blankets that always smelled faintly of vanilla and citrus.

I had kicked off my Converse the second we got upstairs, curling onto my side as Ally flopped down beside me, a giant bag of gummy worms between us.

“Okay,” she started, popping a gummy in her mouth. “Random question—if you had to live in a different time period, when would it be?”

I blinked, caught off guard by her usual chaos of conversation starters. “Uh… I don’t know… maybe the '70s? I like the music.”

“Hippie Lena,” Ally grinned, twirling a strand of my dark hair around her finger. “I can totally see it—long skirts, flower crowns, making sad poetry cool.”

“Sad poetry is always cool,” I shot back, stealing a gummy worm.

We lay there for a while, the buzz of the house downstairs drifting faintly through the cracked door—Mrs. McCall's voice occasionally rumbling in conversation over the phone.

“Speaking of sad poetry…” Ally rolled onto her stomach, fixing me with a sly smile. “You gonna tell me what happened with Dean today or do I have to keep stalling with random questions?”

I groaned, covering my face with a pillow. “It wasn’t—it’s not a thing.”

“Lena,” Ally sing-songed, yanking the pillow off my face with far too much enthusiasm, her eyes glinting with mischief. “You’re seriously going to try and downplay the fact that Mr. Tall, Broody, and Mysterious *literally* caught you like some leading man straight out of a rom-com? He cradled you, Lena. Cradled. That’s practically cinematic-level flirting. Start talking.”

Heat crept up my cheeks as I fidgeted with the corner of a blanket. “He startled me… I almost fell. He caught me. That’s it.”

“That’s never just it,” Ally declared. “Dean doesn’t exactly go around saving damsels in distress.” She paused, eyebrows raising. “And you’re tutoring him?”

I exhaled, cheeks still warm. “He asked me… he’s struggling… it’s not… I’m just helping him.”

Ally bit her lip, clearly fighting the urge to tease more. Instead, her expression shifted—curious, calculating.

“The only thing I’d be mildly concerned about is his intense, perfectly manicured, queen-bee girlfriend and her little army of minions,” Ally teased, tossing a throw pillow in my direction. “But seriously, you have me, your own personal hype squad, so there’s nothing to worry about.” She leaned in, her hazel eyes sparkling with determination.

“And let’s not pretend you don’t have a type,” she added with a knowing smirk. “You practically spent half your life secretly swooning over Nate—don’t deny it—and now all through high school, it’s been broody, complicated Dean. You deserve the guy, Lena. You deserve the messy, movie-worthy, maddening kind of love. So, we’re getting you the guy. No more standing on the sidelines.”

I smiled softly, knowing Ally meant well with her relentless optimism, even if her words tangled into the quiet knots forming in my stomach. The thought of Lily—the flawless, perfectly curated girlfriend—and the complicated, magnetic pull I felt toward Dean made my chest tighten.

“I don’t know, Ally,” I admitted, tracing invisible patterns along the comforter between us. “He has Lily… and they’re practically Black Hollow’s poster couple. High school sweethearts, everyone roots for them. Besides, even if I… felt something, what would that make me? The girl who comes between them? I couldn’t live with that.”

Ally groaned dramatically, flopping onto her side to face me, her curls spilling across the pillow. “Lena, come on. You’re acting like you have the power to ruin them. News flash—if their relationship was solid, your existence wouldn’t shake it.”

I opened my mouth to protest, but she pointed a finger at me before I could get a word out. “And don’t even try to compare this to your Nate crush. That was puppy love. This? Whatever’s happening between you and Dean… that’s real. I see the way he looks at you, and not even you can deny there’s *something* there.”

Her words echoed, unsettling but honest. And despite the nerves twisting beneath my ribs, I couldn’t shake the truth… I didn’t want to.

“Alright, alright—enough about your forbidden romance with Dean,” Ally declared dramatically, tossing her curls over her shoulder as she reached for the bag of chips on her nightstand. She popped one in her mouth, crunching with exaggerated sass before pointing the bag at me like a weapon. “Let’s talk about someone way more important—my future husband.”

I arched an eyebrow, already knowing where this was headed. “Mr. Draven?” I asked, feigning shock as I reached for a chip of my own.

Ally pressed a hand to her chest, eyes sparkling with mischief. “Cole Draven,” she corrected, drawing out his name like it was pure poetry. “Mysterious. Tall. Ridiculously good-looking. That jawline? Criminal. And don’t even get me started on the eyes—the man could read me the phone book and I’d be hooked.”

I nearly choked on my chip, laughing. “Ally, he’s our history teacher.”

“Minor detail,” she waved off, completely unfazed. “The universe clearly brought that man to Black Hollow for me. He just doesn’t know it yet.”

Her voice lowered conspiratorially. “But seriously… you’re his TA now, Lena. You’ve got an *in*. You better be getting me updates. Every. Single. Day.”

I shook my head, laughing as Ally dramatically fanned herself like she was about to faint. “You’re impossible,” I teased, but her enthusiasm was infectious—exactly the distraction I needed.

“Okay, now tell me *exactly* what you two talked about when he pulled you aside,” Ally demanded, eyes wide with curiosity as she leaned in closer, practically vibrating with excitement. “Ugh, how I wish he would keep me after class… I mean, honestly, all over the desk—”

I groaned, immediately kicking my feet at her and covering my ears in disgust. “Stop! Ew, Ally! He’s our teacher.”

She cackled, completely unbothered by my horror as she flopped back on her bed, tossing a pillow at me. “Relax, I’m just saying… the man is an entire fantasy walking around in button-ups and tortured stares. You should feel honored to be in his presence.”

I rolled my eyes, still trying to erase the mental image she planted in my head. “Honored isn’t exactly the word I’d use. It was… weird. He thanked me for accepting the TA thing, said we’d officially start Monday.

Ally's teasing grin faltered slightly, curiosity deepening. “Okay, well, that was boring.”

“Told you, it was a boring interaction,” I shrugged, flopping back onto her bed as I stared at the ceiling. “Yeah, Mr. Draven’s… intense, sure. But he’s still my teacher, so there’s not going to be anything to discuss that isn’t about history.”

Ally grinned like the devil himself whispered in her ear. “Well then,” she said, flipping her hair over her shoulder with dramatic flair, “that just leaves more room for me to make my case as the most obvious candidate for future Mrs. Draven.”

I snorted, already bracing for the ridiculousness.

“I mean, I am eighteen. Totally legal. Completely mature. Practically his peer at this point,” she added, batting her lashes like this was a well-thought-out plan and not completely delusional.

The only thing I could do was burst out laughing at her serious expression, covering my face with both hands. “I cannot take you seriously right now.”

“Oh, you will,” she sing-songed, flopping next to me with a conspiratorial grin. “Mark my words… legal or not, I’m shooting my shot.”

Certainly! Here's a more concise version of Nate's POV with added detail about his feelings throughout the conversation:

Nate's POV

I was halfway down the hall, ready to knock, a smirk playing on my lips as I thought about Lena. I was supposed to tell them Mom wanted Lena to stay for dinner—something about “it’s been too long” and “she’s practically family.” But as I neared Ally’s door, their voices slipped through the c***k, and I slowed without thinking.

“And let’s not pretend you don’t have a type,” Ally teased. “You practically spent half your life swooning over Nate—don’t deny it. Now it’s broody, complicated Dean. You deserve the messy, movie-worthy kind of love. No more standing on the sidelines.”

A strange mix of awkwardness and warmth hit me. Part of me wanted to turn away, but I couldn’t stop listening.

“I don’t know, Ally. He has Lily—they’re Black Hollow’s poster couple. Even if I felt something, what would that make me? The girl who comes between them? I couldn’t live with that.” Lena’s quiet words tightened my chest.

“Lena, you’re not the one who can ruin them. If their relationship was solid, your existence wouldn’t shake it.”

Ally’s voice softened. “And don’t compare this to your Nate crush—that was puppy love. This? What’s between you and Dean is real. I see the way he looks at you. Even you can’t deny it.”

I swallowed hard. Lena had feelings for me once, but now there was someone else—Dean.

“Alright, enough about Dean,” Ally joked. “Let’s talk about my future husband.”

Mr. Draven? I thought, freezing. Could it be who I thought?

“Cole Draven,” Ally said proudly. “Tall, mysterious, ridiculously good-looking. That jawline? Criminal. Those eyes? He could read me the phone book and I’d be hooked.”

“Ally, he’s our history teacher,” Lena giggled, and I felt heat rise in my chest.

“Minor detail. The universe brought him here for me. He just doesn’t know it yet.”

Her voice dropped to a whisper. “You’re his TA now, Lena. You better be giving me updates. Every. Single. Day.”

I felt a knot tighten. He was now involved in Lena’s life.

“You’re impossible,” Lena said, laughing.

Ally pressed, “So what did you two talk about when he pulled you aside?”

Lena groaned. “How I wish he’d keep me after class… you know, all over the desk—”

“Ew, Ally! He’s our teacher!” Lena shot back, embarrassed.

I clenched my fists, trying to push down the rising anger.

Ally chuckled, “Relax. The man’s a fantasy in button-ups with tortured stares. You should feel honored.”

“Honored’s not the word,” Lena said. “He thanked me for accepting the TA position. We start Monday.”

“Boring,” Ally said.

“Yeah, he’s intense, but it was strictly history talk.”

“That just leaves more room for me to make my case as future Mrs. Draven.”

Their laughter filled the room, but my mind raced, Cole Draven’s name echoing in my head as a flicker of something dark stirred inside me.