Hidden Fox

Fifteen

Looking back, I should've let him. Maybe it would have given me some definite answers, or at least clues, regarding the whole mate thing. But I chickened out, and we were left walking beside each other without touching.

Finally, we broke free of the haunted house and Everlee and Andrew gave a shout of victory, as if we just won the greatest battle in history. Nevertheless, I smiled with them. Only Xavier and Jacob remained mostly expressionless. Jacob was a different story, but I knew Xavier was feeling rejected and I kind of felt bad. I wasn't sure what to do to fix it.

Back at the truck, we waved goodbye to Jacob, Taylor, Nora, and Ray before climbing in. Everlee and Andrew relayed their favorite bits of the experience to us on the drive home. Xavier didn't add anything, and the most I could do was smile.

"What did you really think, Freckles?"

I twisted in my seat to look at Andrew. "It was okay. Not my favorite thing, but I'm glad I went with you guys!"

Everlee squealed. Obviously that was enough of a victory for her.

Getting back to the school, Xavier parked next to the only other car on campus: mine. Well, the car I was constantly borrowing from River.

He stepped out of his truck with me, leaving the gammas in the backseat. He opened my car's door for me, and I stood in the opening.

Feeling confident, I said, "Sorry. For earlier. You kind of scared me." For once, that wasn't a lie.

That little hint of a smirk appeared, and I knew he understood. He must have felt confident himself, because then he asked, "What if I picked you up for school tomorrow?"

I scrunched my face without thinking. "Um. Okay. From the Williams'?"

He shrugged. "If that's where you wanna meet, then sure." He didn't seem fazed by the fact that I had never directly stated where I really lived. I was grateful.

I took a deep breath. "Okay. Tomorrow."

He waved me off with a smile.

The next morning, right on time, I opened the front door to see Xavier walking up the porch steps. I closed the door and met him halfway, anxiously gripping the straps of my backpack.

"You really didn't have to drive me." I stammered.

He shrugged, leading me to his truck.

"Really," I insisted. "This is probably way out of your way." I didn't know where his pack was located, but it couldn't be that close to the Williams', as most packs were spread a decent distance apart to allow for spacious territory and to promote a decrease in border strifes.

"April." He chuckled when we both sat down inside the vehicle. Before driving off, he made a point to look me in my eyes sincerely. "Relax. I wanted to, okay?"

I tried to relax, but it was hard when he looked at me like that. "Okay," I mumbled. "Thank you."

After about a mile down the road in silence, he glanced at me again. "Is everything okay at home?"

I hesitated, but only because I was confused where this was going. "Yes. Why?"

His hands were gripping the steering wheel tighter than I thought was necessary. "You just don't talk about home much, and we always seem to find you at the Williams'."