GWENN CLENCHED DOWN ON her teeth hard for five terrible seconds, imagining enamel breaking apart before sighing and slumping onto the nearest bench. Her gaze wandered over to a window overlooking the rest of the Lockfell U campus. Green patches of land welcomed students, luring them with benches and tables, water fountains, and the cool shade of massive oak trees. The late October day colored the campus in more orange than usual-and explained the random guy skating down to the student center in a squirrel costume.
Though the rest of the Lockfell U student body prepped themselves for Halloween parties and spread the festivity's cheer, Gwenn frowned and brought her head to her hands. Midterms were fast approaching, and the one elective she chose for her semester was proving to be the hardest class. Not because her grades were slipping, but because the workload was pulling at her ankles like quicksand. She already felt neck deep into the pile of assignments.
All she wanted was to go to the convenience store and buy herself the lamest bunny ears she could find so she could follow Aura into the loudest party on campus, sip on the first drink she took for the rest of the night, and munch on chips while everyone around her slipped into alcohol-induced delirium. Instead, she had to go and read The Awakening by Kate Chopin and write a discussion about it, write a premise for her final project combining two of the major reads of the class, and then start drafting said project.
Gwenn sighed, practicing breathing exercises and going back to her train of thoughts. She had a lot of work to do, but she would do it. She was able. Maybe not in that timeframe with the spiraling thoughts grappling for control over her, but she would calm down and get to work.
She slapped her thighs on her way back up from the bench, her jaw setting as she focused on her next goal: getting home, cooking up a meal, and settling into her large batch of assignments while wrapped in her fluffy blankets. But her walk of determination was cut short when her phone vibrated in her hand, distracting her clear set goals until they dissipated like fumes.
"Mom?" she answered the call.
"Oh, my darling!" Meredith said from the other side. For a second, Gwenn had stilled in the middle of her building's hallway, but she eased when she heard the happy tone in her mother's voice. Nothing seemed amiss. "I have news that you will love to hear."
Her heart quickened. There in the empty hallway, she imagined her mother giving her all the answers to her loud, demanding questions. Had her mother finally grown sense and decided to give her the information she wanted of her biological mother? Would she tell her about where she came from? Tell her the story of how she ended up with her and her father? She might have been raised by them, but the biggest story was yet to be uncovered from the depths of the old chest-the origin of her existence.
"What's up?" she asked, pushing the heavy doors to find the stairs.
"Compass is hosting the opening to a new exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art and Sculpture in three weeks. These pieces are to die for, Gwenn. You'll adore them. You have to come to the opening with us."
Gwenn faltered at the last step, clearing her throat as she regained control of her limbs. Her soul sank into a shell, but she forced a breezy tone. "That sounds wonderful, Mom."
She could feel Meredith grinning. "It'll be fantastic to be together again. I miss coming home to you in your room, nose buried in a book."
A cold sensation dispersed from her chest until it touched every one of her fingertips, numbing her. Her feet took her out into the brisk day at Lockfell, embracing the rare chill in the air. "I miss you, too," she heard herself say.
It wasn't a lie. Moving out of her home proved to be the biggest change in her life, and every day forced her to discover new facets of her personality and essence. Whenever she looked at her reflection in her bathroom mirror, she saw a new person, not the girl that had grown up in Hales Bay.
Meredith sighed. "I wish we could find more time to see each other, but we will just have to wait until the opening. And once you're done with this semester, you can come spend more time with us?"
She let the question hang between them. Gwenn smiled and walked down the familiar paved path across the campus green patch to go find her car. Even if she had left her nest behind, Gwenn was looking forward to spending the holidays with her parents. Maybe a few days, enough to remember the good times of waking up to the smell of peppermint hot cocoa and buttermilk pancakes and sizzling bacon as they fought to open the first present under their robust Christmas tree.
"Of course, Mom," Gwenn said.
Her mother cheered on the other end. "Oh, and you can attend the Christmas gala Compass throws every year. Maybe something exciting can happen then..." she ended her sentence with a quick sigh. Unsaid wishes filtered into the silence, and Gwenn pursed her lips. Ambition was in her mother's every goal. "But never mind that. That's still some time away. For now, the opening exhibit is upon us. Wear something nice, darling. Wow the crowd, okay?"
Gwenn kicked at a loose pebble in her way, swallowing down the pink flush brightening her cheeks. "I'll try."
They traded in their goodbyes and hung up the call after Gwenn promised to reach out more often in between classes and work.
She stepped right under the big oak's shade when a dark blur stood in her way. Her sneakers scraped as she halted, peering up at those icy eyes she dreamed about often. It took her a moment to come to reality after plans of the museum exhibit flooded her system, but when she noticed that he was really in front of her and not a product of her exhausted imagination, a breath caught in her throat.
"Ronan," she whispered. His hands reached out for her, but then froze and fell limp at his sides.
"I got news that you're gonna want to hear," he said. The familiarity of his deep voice soothed the tension grasping at her back and shoulders. It swooped down and almost twirled her around in the middle of campus. She could have floated up into the clouds with a single word from him. "Come with me?"
"What kind of news?" Gwenn asked.
He grinned, showing his deadly dimples. "Just trust me, okay." He offered her a hand. A thrill ran down her spine, and she clasped onto his inked fingers, allowing the warmth of his skin to seep into hers.
"Well, what do we have here?" a low, snarky voice asked from behind. Ronan's gaze flickered above her blonde head, and it hardened within seconds. Her fingernails dug deeper into his palm before releasing his grip. "You two are just peas in a pod, aren't you?"
Wolf flashed his signature smirk when she turned. For a moment, she was back at the alleyway with him, trapped between his touch and whispered threats. Ronan slipped forward, his arm brushing hers as he covered half of her body with his. The change in positions must have delighted Wolf because his smirk transformed into a grin.
"Wolf, nice to see you," Ronan greeted. Though his words were polite, his tone was anything but. He was curt, his words finishing with a decisive snap. His stiff posture and the obvious glare he attempted to smother held hands with his sharp tongue. The self-control crumbled from his strong facade.
"Is it?" Wolf inquired, then chuckled after another look at his face. "Let's not kid ourselves, Ronan. You've been acting like a little bitch ever since I started beating you at your own game."
Gwenn frowned. "Hey, that's not very nice-"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Ronan interrupted, burying his hands into the pockets of his black hoodie. The action must have been to stop him from doing something he might regret. "Now if you can't accept a hello, then I don't know what to tell you."
He turned to her as if to ask if she was alright and ready to leave. She wanted to disappear from Wolf's field of vision the second he walked up to them, so she leaned her weight towards him, urging him to lead the way. The campus green started to become suffocating under the encasing of the oak tree's branches. Her head could not take in more tension after the day of classes she'd had.
"Don't be a sore loser, Ronan. It doesn't look good on you." Wolf jutted his chin out. Gwenn didn't know if it was to look like he was above them all or to be able to reach Ronan's gaze straight on.
"Again, I don't know what you're talking about," Ronan told him. He didn't bother staring him off and turned to Gwenn. "Coming?"
She nodded, wanting to reach for his arm, but thought better of it. She didn't need to throw more ammunition onto Wolf's lap. He already had enough to point at her head with.
Wolf stepped between them before they could make their escape. His eyes darted between her and Ronan, almost like he could read them like they were walking written pages and he had found the turning point in the story that tied them together, that one moment where a knot tangled them until they could not get away from each other. Everything in her screamed to move away from his unflinching, undressing stare, but he was poised like he was waiting for a kill, chest puffed up as he leered.
"You know the truth, King. It's written all over your face," Wolf started up again. Ronan set his jaw, a stoic, blank expression edging on simmering anger crossing his features. A dark shadow fell over his eyes, his forehead scrunching as he took Wolf in. His rival was affecting him, and it took all of Gwenn's willpower not to retort how ironic it was that even when trying to talk Ronan down, Wolf had to call him a king. "You know I'm better than you'll ever be, and now you can see that I'll win that spot."
"We don't know the results until December," Ronan deadpanned.
Wolf tipped his head to the side, studying him. His eyebrow quirked, and his eyes found hers. That frustrating smirk stretched over his face once more. An unspoken conversation passed between them, almost like an inside joke she would never laugh at.
"And we both know what that'll be," he responded. "I rode this wave right to the top and got exactly what I wanted." He narrowed his eyes at Ronan, stepping closer to him, then let his gaze fall over her from head to toe. She bristled. "And then I'll go get a ride from her."
"Enough," Ronan thundered, grabbing Wolf's collar. Within seconds, he threw Wolf onto the grass like a rag doll.
Gwenn gasped as Wolf scrambled to find his footing. His dark gaze swept over Ronan's ferocious one, and a flicker of new appreciation and respect clouded him. As quickly as it appeared, it left, Wolf narrowing his almond eyes at his competition. She feared he would start a physical fight right in the middle of campus.
Ronan wasn't having any of it and grabbed his collar again, forcing him to look into his face. "You can talk all the shit you want about me if it makes you sleep better at night, Lawrence. But you stay the hell away from Gwenn if you know what's good for you. Are we clear?"
Wolf digested his words for a total of three seconds before he erupted in laughter. "The real challenge is if Gwenn can stay away from me."
A low growl roared from the depths of Ronan as he reared his right arm back, fingers curled into a clenched fist. She didn't bother to think or make a plan as she threw her hands over Ronan's back, stopping him before his hard knuckles hit its mark on Wolf's smug face.
"Stop, please," she pleaded. Her fingers shook as they curled around the familiar thickness of dark fabric. Ronan froze, his gaze only looking at Wolf. "He isn't worth it, Ronan. He's trying to get a rise out of you. This is what he wants."
They stood like that for what seemed like forever: Gwenn draped over Ronan's back, Ronan holding tight onto Wolf's collar, a fist aimed at his gloating face, and Wolf grinning at the both of them, all under the shade of the oak tree. No one noticed such a quarrel hidden between leafy branches and dark shadows, but she did not want to take their chances and get kicked out.
After an eternity later, Ronan let Wolf go with a hard push. Wolf grunted when his back connected with the ground. Sprawled out on the grass, he scrunched his face up as he began to cough to regain his breath. It was the first time she had ever seen him show any semblance of vulnerability, and it shocked her until he refocused on them. His lips started to move, but nothing came out.
"You better thank her," Ronan spat, standing over him. He didn't wait for Wolf to reply and wrapped his hand around hers.
Her heart was stuck in her throat when he led her out into the light, sidestepping students on their way to class. Ronan glanced back at the oak tree, huffed under his breath, and encircled an arm around her shoulders. Signs of his previous brawl faded until only the clenched muscles on his back showed his fight for control.
Though she could barely understand the last few minutes even if she analyzed every second shot by shot, she managed to inhale fresh, crisp air, letting her body rest. She leaned her head against his chest as they stepped out into the parking lot. She was enraptured in him as the familiar truck came into view.
The world could be storming, drowning in chaos around her, but he would always be the warm light leading her out into safety.