Strays

Chapter 7

"You can pick your jaw up off the floor now," Tish jabbed at Wren. "She's already gone." Wren answered with a withering glare.

"Seriously, what's your deal with her?" Cassie asked, finally stepping away from him. "When your brothers said you're turning your back on the Fist for some country girl, I didn't believe it, but now I see you fawning all over her. I'm starting to think they weren't lying."

"I barely even said anything to her," Wren argued, adjusting the hair that was escaping from his beanie.

"Yeah, and it was actually really embarrassing," Tish laughed. She pulled a flask from her purse and took a pull before adding, "Liam and Bates made it seem like she was super hot, but I don't really see it."

"No," Dax drew out, bluntly. "She's hot."

"I know what you mean," Jones said, pointing his cigarette at Dax. "Like she's cute, and looks good in her jeans, or whatever, but it's like her whole put-together but with an attitude situation—that's hot. Like naughty school girl."

Dax was high-fiving Jones, while Cassie rolled her eyes. "You guys are idiots."

"I'm leaving the Fist for personal reasons," Wren interjected, feeling eerily like being so close to Old Rick's meant that Wyatt could hear everything they were saying about Lindley even though he was no where near the establishment. "I didn't even meet Lindley until I had already left."

"Wait," Jones said, tossing his cigarette on the ground. "You're really leaving the Fist, then?"

"You can't!" Tish cried, turning on Wren.

"I'd like to see someone try to stop me," Wren snapped, glaring at his friends, challenging them to contradict him. Their eyes all scanned the floor uncomfortably, except for Cassie's.

"You didn't deny that you're interested in this Lindley girl," she challenged, and for a split second, Wren was just impressed she had pronounced Lindley's name right.

"I guess," he said awkwardly, accepting Tish's flask from her outstretched hand. "It's not like anything has happened... I just think she's cool, I guess," he admitted. He thought back to when he asked why she hadn't corrected him when she got her name wrong. I guess I really didn't care. "She doesn't really seem to give a fuck. It's—intriguing."

"So it's just about the chase?" Tish asked, curiously.

Cassie interrupted before Wren could answer. "Do you think she might just represent everything about leaving the Fist to you? Some outside, prissy girl from a small town. It just seems like she represents everything you're hoping you'll get from leaving."

Wren glanced at his best friend's analytical face, wondering at the insight. "Could be." Wren didn't know what he thought anymore. Maybe that's what made Lindley so attractive to him—she didn't ever seem conflicted; she always seemed to know exactly who she was. And Wren had no fucking clue.