Howls of Cursed Fate

꧁ 𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓝𝓲𝓷𝓮 ꧂

𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓵 𝓼𝓱𝓪𝓭𝓸𝔀𝓼

Savannah's POV:

Adulthood seemed lonely and hard, except I wasn't even an adult yet. I was seventeen, surviving all by myself, and I hadn't heard from my parents in days. Oh, except for their occasional; 'We'll be back Monday'. Seven weeks of those vague promises, and now, Monday was just a word to me.

I stood behind the cashier counter and counted in my head, glaring at the clock. The game store was quiet before 11 AM and my shift would be over in five minutes. The vision of freedom seemed to ease the darkness in my mind a bit.

Besides me, the cup with the rest of my coffee was cold, but I didn't mind. It still tasted like a little piece of comfort even though Gideon had brought it to me an hour ago.

I still couldn't quite believe he talked to me outside of the club or my clothes business, much less dropped by with coffee and chat. He had always been too cute until we had splitted our ways. Him. My childhood crush, the kind of guy I didn't think would ever notice me. But lately, he seemed to be too open to me, and it made the small, dark corners of my world feel a little wider and varied.

Right when I was sipping my coffee again, my best friend burst through the door, his dark curls bouncing as he rushed in like a whirlwind. "You're not still working, are you? We've got, like, no time!"

"Theo!" I smiled, watching him buzz around in a beach outfit like he was fueled by pure adrenaline. Theo had been hitting the gym a lot recently, and it showed—he was getting lean, stronger, and liked to shove it in my face. His enthusiasm for everything was contagious, even if he was pushing the boundaries of being annoying right now.

"I'm off in five minutes," I said, taking another sip of the cold coffee. "Relax."

"We need to be at the water park like, now. It's the first day they're opening for the season because of the weather, and I've got an hour before I have to get to work," he said and had to take a deep breath after his outburst.

"Then go without me," I teased, knowing full well he would never.

Theo sighed dramatically, collapsing into one of the chairs by the counter. "Savannah, you're killing me."

I laughed and quickly finished tidying up the counter, preparing it for my boss who was in the back. Once everything was in its place, I grabbed my bag and waved goodbye at him.

"Finally," Theo groaned and set a fast pace, storming out from the store.

I watched his hand grasping around my forearm with a smirk and dragging me behind him.

"Alright, let's go before you actually melt," I chuckled.

In the parking lot, the sun hit my face, and I squinted against the light. Theo was already buzzing by my car, bouncing on his heels like he couldn't stand still.

"Why the rush?" I laughed, sliding into the driver's seat.

"Because I've told you about me working today." He flopped into the passenger seat. "Plus, you need some fun before school tomorrow."

I groaned, starting the engine. "Don't remind me."

"I have to. You're not ready for Monday. You know how bad it's going to be, right?" Theo's tone softened, the joking was gone in an instant.

My stomach twisted, remembering how I'd lost my secret best friend on Friday. "Because of Timberly?"

"Because of Timberly," he confirmed, his dark eyes serious. "She went full gossip queen, Sunny. Everyone's talking about you trying too hard to befriend her and cheating on tests."