Wolf's Heart

One

"I don't know, Lindsay. Maybe he just wants you to tell him first," I sighed, leaning against my locker. I shifted my textbooks in my arms and looked over her shoulder, where he stood. Staring at me. "Maybe he's nervous you won't say it back."

"Well, dang then, Akina," She groaned. "I don't know how to make it obvious that I do love him."

I looked her in the eye. "You tell him. You say, 'Everett, I love you,'" I said simply. 

"Ha. Haha. I'm serious, Kina!" She exclaimed, sagging against her locker door. "I'm the woman in this relationship, shouldn't he be the one to tell me first?"

"I thought you said that men and women were equal in relationships," I reminded her, and shoved my AP Biology book into my locker. 

"I did, but I do want him to be bold and courageous sometimes; not always leave it up to me. Sometimes I want him to be chauvinistic,"

"Chauvinistic? You don't mean chivalrous, do you?"

"No, I mean that I want him to think he's more powerful than me and make the dang move first!" Lindsay squealed. 

For such a little ball of fire, I had never once heard Lindsay say any words harsher than 'dang' and 'crud'. 

"I don't understand you, Linds," I admitted. 

"You don't have to, Akina. You just have to support me and tell me I'm right. You wouldn't understand anyway, you've never had a relationship more serious than Phineas and Isabella from Phineas and Ferb. By the way, did that ever play out?"

"I don't know, I never liked that show," I said, and closed my locker. "We were older when it came out." 

Lindsay shrugged, and turned to look over her shoulder. "Jeez, that creep is staring at you again," She hissed under her breath. "Why doesn't he just lay off?"

"Be nice, Lindsay. We don't know what's going on with him. He could be mute, or abused or something," I said. 

Lindsay stared at me, her eyebrows raised and an unamused look on her face. "Or he's a creep." She sighed loudly and rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I'm going to Algebra. Have fun in English with that weirdo." 

"Be nice, Lindsay Drew!" I called, as she sashayed down the hallway. 

"Nice is not in my vocabulary, Akina Webb!" She replied. I laughed, and turned back to my locker. 

He was still standing there, just slightly down the hallway, one hand in his pocket and one holding onto the strap of his plain black backpack. I took a deep breath and locked my locker, sparing him one last glance before turning to walk into the classroom. I still didn't know his name. No one did.

At my desk, I pulled out my notebook and a black pen, checking my phone and pretending not to notice as he walked by and sat at his desk, one to the back and one to the right, hesitating for a millisecond beside me. 

Kelly Dames, Blue Woods High School's most popular junior girl, walked in, right past her desk and right up to his. 

"Hi," She squeaked, pushing her shoulder-length dirty-blonde hair behind her ear. "I'm Kelly Dames. I know almost everyone here, and I just realized that I don't remember your name." 

He looked up at her blankly, his bright eyes boring into hers. "You don't remember it because I never gave it to you, Kelly Dames," He told her, his voice deep and quiet. 

Well, he's not mute.

Kelly smiled, not at all discouraged by his hostility. "Well, what is it? You look like a Daniel. Or maybe a Ryan?"