Wolf

S e v e n (edited)

I was suddenly very glad that he was so far in front of me, I slapped my hands to my embarrassingly pink cheeks and cursed myself. I really needed a mantra to repeat around this boy so that I didn't get too comfortable. 

He had slowed down his pacing so I could catch up. The silence between us wasn't awkward, it felt normal, to speak right now, would just feel clumsy and unnecessary. Wolf was chewing gum again, his lip ring glinting in the darkness.

I wondered if he just liked the look of it, or if he liked the pain that came along with it, I mean he had a body covered in tattoos, they were generally hidden at school but you could still make out the odd one when his shirt would rise too far, or his sleeve was rolled. The most prominent one was the head of a snake, it ended just underneath his jawline on the left of his face. I bit my tongue before I asked him to tell me all about his tattoos. No doubt, he'd want to know something in return and with the rain pattering on the roof, and the comforting silence surrounding us, I didn't trust myself not to slip up.

The gym had been in constant use all week, grime and sweat covered the floor, I took it upon myself to open all the windows. There was no wind outside, despite a vicious storm brewing, so the rain wouldn't be blown inside. This place needed as much airing out as it could get.

Wolf was leaning against the side of the bleachers, blanketed by shadows, I could feel his gaze on me. I let out a shaky breath as his eyes trailed from my own, down to my worn boots and up again. I felt as though I was on fire, how could he even do that with just a look?

He coughed, breaking the tension. I drop my eyes to the floor. 

Right, time to start sweeping the dirt. 

We had a long afternoon of cleaning ahead of us. Wolf switched the light on, and I noticed that he had a darkening bruise on his right cheekbone, he shot me a cold glare and it said everything, 'don't look, don't ask'.

➹

After an hour of sweeping, and Wolf following on with a mop. The hardwood floor was practically dry. I'd read somewhere that water and wood weren't the greatest combination, but it was squeaky-clean. All we had to do now was use some kind of polishing machine, and the place would be good to go for another week apparently.

Wolf pulled his earphones out, we had been working in silence, he didn't seem to be in a good mood so I didn't want to push him. He had laughed when I slipped over, and although I hurt my tailbone a little, I was glad that he was okay enough to laugh.

Stop caring so much.

I had closed the window about fifteen minutes ago because the wind had arrived, and was pounding the tree branches into the wall, droplets of rain had begun ruining all our work. It was insane out there, I was beginning to worry that driving home would be a safety risk...

Wait, hadn't Wolf walked here?

I turned to find the boy when I came face-to-chest with him himself, he grinned down at me, I swallowed because, the proximity was a lot to deal with, and because, that grin was definitely more malevolent than friendly. It was a very Wolf-like grin, the kind he would grace you with before he pulled you into shit. This would be the second time I was subjected to it.

"H-hey Wolf, how are you getting home?", he smirked at the stutter.

Get it together you sound like a fool. 

"Aww you worried about me princess?", I opened my mouth to reply snarkily but rather, a crash of thunder pulled our attention from the banter. The windows rattled, as lightening once again, lit up the sky, looking closer than ever and all the more unsettling.

The last thing I saw, before everything went black were a pair of deep-blue eyes. The reality of a blackout hadn't sunk in yet, and the fact that we still had to polish the floors, without any electricity to power up the machine, was beginning to seem impossible.

I frowned, feeling a panic rise, "Why does everything seem to go wrong whenever we're together?!"

Wolf chuckled in the darkness, and I could envision him putting a hand over his heart, "why must you wound me so Valentina?"

I whipped my head around, "you called me Valentina,"

My heart was thumping a little too much, and I could feel my cheeks burning again. This was ridiculous! Stupid teenage hormones, that's all it had to be. Why was it that I could deal with any other boy's attention, but I just couldn't seem to deal with Wolf. He was like an entirely different species.

"Well princess, that is your name yes?"

"You are just so funny", I retort back childishly. 

"Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, I expected better of you sweetcheeks"

I clench my jaw, we needed a plan.

"As much as I'd love to stand here all night and prove my theory that your idiocy is through the roof, we need to find some flashlights or, at least start praying for this blackout to end, comprende?"

Fingers trailed up my left arm, Wolf was unbearably close and I couldn't seem to grasp a hold on my racing heart. His breath smelt like bubblegum,"ooh I just love it when you take control, gets me all hot and bothered princess".

Well, that makes two of us.

I shoved his chest, as I paced away, praying that I wouldn't trip over the brooms we left lying around, he laughed from behind, his footsteps quickly catching up to mine.

"So what do you suggest princess?",

I was usually the cool, calm and collected one around Ashlyn, my family, strangers, anyone! And just because Wolf got a little too close to my face, I had been reduced to a blushing, breathless mess. This was insane. I should get Ash to set me up with someone, I needed to get these blinding hormones out of my system.

"I say we try the janitor's closet on this floor, and then we hit the second floor's closet as well,"

Wolf stops walking, "And what do you propose we do about the stairs if we don't find a torch in the first room?"

"We try not to fall to our early deaths?", I laugh a little to lighten the mood.

Wolf let out a chuckle and grabbed my hand, and just like that, the dreaded stutter was back again, "w-what are you doing you loser? Unhand me!"

"Well if I fall, I'm taking you down with me, cool? cool."

"Wolf, no! what the hell!"

"Come on princess, it'll be real romantic.." he purred in my ear while I struggled to free my hand from his mammoth-sized one.. "just like Romeo and Juliet".

I glared at him even though he couldn't see it. I'm sure that he was smirking at me even though I couldn't see it.

"We are so getting Headmaster Cowen back for this," I whisper-yelled at the boy next to me. 

"Of course we will princess."