Ridley And Her Wolf

Chapter Three

        The rest of the week went by without much incident. I didn't go explore anymore. I didn't look out my window, afraid of what I would find. Asher stayed mysterious as ever. I didn't try to talk to him again. Every time I saw looked at him, his expression changed. He could look angry or lost deep in thought. I saw him in the library after school one day and I swear he looked frightened. I caught him looking at me once in awhile. I didn't know what to do. In the end, trying to piece it together gave me too much of a headache , so I tried not to think about him anymore .

      I made quick friends with Sophie . She introduced me to her younger brother, Sam, who looked just like her, with a more tame amount of positivity. His girlfriend was a quiet girl named Mira, who Sophie was good friends with as well. I liked her mellow personality. It was a wonder how her and Sophie connected so well. On Friday, they tagged along with us when we went to Mario's, the popular sandwich place. They met me outside of History. "Ready?" Sophie asked.

     "Sure." I said. I walked with them out to the parking lot. Sam controlled the conversation then, mostly asking me questions about Pennsylvania and what I liked and stuff about me. He and Mira were friendly and I felt myself liking them a lot. When I told them of my mother, then offered their condolences. "I'm so sorry, Ridley. "

     "Thanks, Mira." Sophie and Sam just looked shocked. Thankfully Mira dropped the subject by asking my favorite color.

"Red." I said, not missing a beat.

       We arrived at a little shack with a sign that announced it as Mario's. I got out of Sophie's yellow Bug. Already a crowd of students was forming a line near a large ordering window. "The usual? On me. Welcome to Oregon." Sam said, then disappeared into the crowd.

       "Trust me, these sandwiches will change your life." Sophie promised. A few minutes later Sam came stumbling back to us with four sandwiches cradled in his arms.

        "Finn just told me he and the guys are having a bonfire at his place tonight." He announced, handing out the so called life changing food. I thanked Sam and unwrapped mine smelling mozzarella, tomatoes and basil. I took a big bite and nearly moaned. It was delicious.

       "Amazing,right?" Sophie winked. "You should come to Finns' tonight. He lives right on a creek. Everyone comes." She looked at me hopefully. I sighed. "Alright. But it better be as good as these sandwiches." I took another bite.

        I wondered if Asher would be there. Part of me wanted him there. A strange part of me felt connected to him. I wanted to know what his story was. Why did he look confused when he looked at me? The other part warned me to stay far away from him. It brought up too many questions. I came to Oregon to escape the questions I knew would follow me in Pennsylvania. And this wolf thing. Why the hell was a wolf following me? No, not following me. It was a coincidence. It had to be. Why would a wolf be following me? Then I thought about the past week. Even though I had been trying my best to ignore it, shadows of something have been haunting me. Maybe I was just seeing things. Or maybe I was making things up. Maybe I just needed help. Like psychiatric help. Whatever it was I knew Asher and it weren't related. Or were they. I didn't know what to think anymore.

        After school Sophie gave me directions to Finn's house. A quarter to nine I put on a dark sweater and began trying to navigate my way. I found his house with surprising ease in the dark. I got out and shut the door to my truck. The cold wind nipped the tip of my nose and turned my cheeks cold. I heard voices and unsurely made my way to the backyard, passing a modest ranch style house. I walked down a sloping hill into the backyard.

         A group of kids were sitting on rocks and logs around a huge blazing fire. A lone figure broke from the crowd and made its way over to me. It was Sophie. "Ridley! You came." She grabbed my arm and pulled me towards the fire. She sat me down on a log and offered me a s'more. I shook my head. I don't like marshmallows. I listened to Sophie prattle on about things, but I didn't mind. I preferred to listen. I looked up at the tons of stars sprinkling the sky. In Pennsylvania, I could hardly see the stars. Here I could get lost in them. Sophie suddenly shook my arm. "Hey, what do you think of that guy across the fire?" She tilted her head. I raised my eyes and looked across the dancing flames. Asher's scorching eyes burned into mine. "Asher?" I whispered, my heart thudding.