The Wolves (Discontinued)

Chapter 2

Ria looked at Tyler, worry etching every crinkle on her young face.

"I am...fine?" she tried.

"No, you're not," Tyler said, slightly angry, as he pushed open the door.

Ria yanked her bed covers over herself as Tyler entered the room. He sat down on the bed and looked expectantly at the girl. She poked her head out from under the covers and saw him staring at her. The sheets suddenly became very hot. She needed to get out of them so she could cool off. She and Tyler made eye contact and stared at each other for a moment. Ria smiled and flipped the covers up over Tyler. He yelped as he felt Ria playfully land on top of him. He grabbed Ria by her waist and flung her down onto the bed. Ria's hair fell around her face as Tyler plopped onto his back next to her. Ria scraped her hair from around her face and looked at Tyler. He looked back and smiled. He burst out laughing; Ria joined in. She stopped and got up out of the bed. She was suddenly struck with nausea. She gripped the night-stand next to her bed and clutched her stomach. She gritted her teeth and closed her eyes. She heard shuffling as Tyler moved to her.

"Are you okay?" he asked. "What's wrong?"

"I feel sick...," Ria said. "I don't think I can go to work." She sat back down on the bed. The nausea disappeared as she sat. She looked up in confusion. That didn't make sense. She picked up her phone and, deciding quickly, called her boss. The phone rang. Ria set it to speaker phone and listened. She heard the click that signaled her boss had picked up.

"Hey Ria. What's up?" a voice from the phone said.

"I don't feel good, Catherine. Can I stay home?" Ria asked.

"Yes you can. Just make sure you're here tomorrow. The puppies will get worried, you know," Catherine said teasingly.

"Yeah. Just give them my love, will you?" Ria asked.

"Yes I - JUNIPER WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! - sorry I gotta go, Juniper just peed on my shoe," Catherine chuckled.

"Dang it, Juniper. Thank you, Catherine," Ria said, smiling at Tyler, who chuckled quietly.

"Yep. No problem. Just make sure you're here tomorrow. Oh! One more thing. Do you want me to come by later?" Catherine asked, concern etching her voice.

"Nah. I think I'm alright. I met someone and he's bunking out with me for a while," Ria said.

"Oh okay. See you tomorrow, then. Bye!" Catherine signed off.

"Bye."

Ria hit the hang-up button and set the phone down on the night-stand again. She laid back in her pillows.

"Do you want some breakfast?" Tyler asked his friend after a moment.

"Yes, please. I'm assuming you know where everything is?" Ria inquired.

Tyler smiled and walked out of the room. Ria reached onto her night-stand and picked up the TV remote. She pressed the power button and flicked through the channels. She stopped and clicked on a channel she thought had something interesting on it. It did, so Ria set the remote down and settled in. It wasn't until the smell and sizzle of bacon reached her room that she realized she was mostly naked. She looked around for her clothes and spotted them on the dresser under her TV.

The dresser had a mirror attached to the back of it. The space under the mirror was occupied by art projects, figurines, and random junk Ria had tossed up there. The dresser was made of a dark wood that contrasted to the silver-colored handles, which were dressed with a few necklaces.

Ria sat in bed, staring at her clothes. She took a deep breath and swung her legs out from under the covers. She sat up and stared at the floor and her bare feet. The floor was a simple tile made to look like wood. It went well with the paint and furniture of the house. Ria rested her feet on the cold floor and pushed off of the bed, her feet taking her weight. She gritted her teeth against the fierce wave of nausea. She started walking toward the dresser. She reached it after a minute and grabbed her clothes. She walked a little faster back toward her bed. She sat down. The nausea disappeared. She started dressing. Once she was done getting dressed, Ria got comfortable yet again in bed to watch some TV.