Zeus - The Alpha of Hatred

Rejection

Fire crackled through the wood we'd spent half an hour collecting, casting a warm glow in the dark redwood forest. My mouth watered as a delicious smell of meatloaf filled the air. I reached for a piece, watching as Tyler, the neighbor's son, and the host of tonight's campfire, fumbled to pick one from the flames, making me chuckle.

"So, new gal—" He shot me a glance, a corner of his lips curling in amusement, showing off his dimple. Leaning in closer, clearly tipsy, he added, "tell me more about you."

"Yes," Tobias, his friend chimed in, hand raised high with a beer bottle, "I'm interested, too."

I blushed, giggling. "But you already know a lot. We've been friends for a couple of weeks now."

"Come on, guys," Talia, Tyler's twin sister and my new best friend, threw her arm over my shoulder, "you know her. Anastasia Miracle, moved here from Arizona with her mother, goes to the same college with us."

"Loves cookies and everything extra sweet," Samara joined in the recitation of my life story as well.

I laughed. "See, you already know everything."

"Not everything."

I glanced beside me, finding Tyler's sky-blue eyes fixed on me, as if trying to read something hidden beneath the surface. The frown creasing his forehead told me he wasn't getting anywhere.

"There's more to you," he whispered while the others got distracted fighting over the last of the marshmallows. "Something I can't quite figure out."

I swallowed, a nervous smile pulling at my lips. "If I didn't know you better, I'd say you aren't flirting. But I do know you well enough."

He smirked, his eyes twinkling with a weird expression.

"And you're drunk," I deadpanned.

His resolve broke, releasing that familiar carefree laughter— the very thing I liked about him. "You got me, señorita."

I smiled, genuinely this time, and shook my head. It had been a month since I moved to this small town in northern California with my mother. The transition wasn't easy, especially with the past still haunting me like it happened yesterday. But the people here—crazy, weird yet incredibly kind—made it all easier. Their warmth and down-to-earth attitudes made me feel like I'd always belonged, rather than the outsider I feared I'd become.

The vibration of my phone snapped me out of my thoughts, and I shifted, pulling it from the back pocket of my jeans. Seeing the caller ID, I stood up, excused myself and walked away from the group.

"Hello, Mom?" I answered, but only silence met me. "Mom, I'm fine here, really," I tried again, still no response. A growing sense of unease crept into my chest. "Mom, are you there?"

Silence.

"Mom? Are you okay? Mom!" My heart pounded as panic set in.

Hurrying back to the group, I gathered my things. "I have to go."

"What! Now?" Talia frowned, straightening while Tyler stood up, stepping closer. "Is everything okay?"

"I hope so."

"A'right, let me take you back."

"No, no. Don't trouble yourself. I can go by myself."

"What? No." His eyes widened. "How can I leave a girl alone at night in the middle of the woods?"

"Seriously, it's fine. I memorized the way." I didn't want them to spoil their fun for me. Besides, he was pretty drunk which meant taking him along would only slow me down. Then, this could be a mere occurrence of poor network connection. So, to convince him, I drew out pepper spray from my backpack. "See. I'm fully protected. So don't worry. I'll be fine," I assured him.