Chapter 7: Chapter Seven

Claire

What a week from Hell.

Claire spent most of her high school life hiding from Axel Davers and praying for a boy to find her pretty enough to go against the other kids and ask out the invisible girl. Then, the first boy that looked her way, Axel scared off like the bully she knew him to be.

It'd hurt her head trying to think about it. She contemplated everything that happened on her walk toward the library parking lot where she parked her car. There was no way to make any sense out of it. She appreciated him apologizing, and maybe he meant it, but it wasn't because he was jealous.

Axel had plenty of girls in high school. Why would he not ask her out as he did the other ones? It wasn't as if she'd been the class leper before he made her that way. None of it made sense.

"What a jerk," she mumbled to herself while digging her keys from her pocket. She couldn’t wait to get home and curl up in her bed, away from the drama of the night.

She checked her phone for a text from Tegan but wasn't surprised when it wasn't there. Axel ruined any chance she had of seeing him again, and anyone else in that room, when she blew up at him, making herself look crazy. He was the crazy one.

Claire didn't care who heard her tell Axel where to shove it.

She started her engine and drove to her apartment in a haze of anger and tiredness. It was probably a good idea that she went home early anyway, since it was only Wednesday night, and she had class and work the next day.

Claire tossed her purse and keys onto her living room table when she made it home and kicked off her shoes. She was too tired to take a shower, so she slipped into her nightclothes and crawled into bed.

Silence fell over her, and one lone wolf howled outside her window in the woods adjacent to her apartment. They were all around the area growing up, and oddly enough, she never felt scared of them.

She envied their sense of family. Their pack.

She'd felt alone for so long she envied wolves … how pathetic.

***

Claire exited her third class the next day and walked toward the cafeteria where she planned to meet Cat for lunch. Her shift at the coffee shop didn't start until that afternoon, so she had time to eat and work on homework.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket, so she dug it out.

"Hey, Dad," she said, holding her phone against her cheek and shoulder as she dug her ID out of her pocket for the cafeteria.

"I haven't heard from you in two days. I'm calling to make sure you're alive."

Claire chuckled. "I'm alive; I've just been busy. I got a job at the school's coffee shop, and classes have started."

Her dad moved around on the other end, and his truck door slammed. "I'm getting some groceries because your Aunt Demetria is coming down this weekend. Will you be able to come by and see her? She's only texted and asked me seven times."

Claire loved her Aunt, but she was on the eccentric side of life. "Yeah, I'll probably make it down on Sunday. I'll be off then. Why didn't she call me?"

"She didn't want to bother the big college girl," Dad said.

"Right. I move out and forget all of the small people. How long is she staying? What's the occasion?

"She's getting a divorce," Dad said with a chuckle.

Claire stopped and handed her ID card to the worker behind the register, who scanned it and handed it back to her. "What? She's divorcing Jeremey already? What's it been? A year?'

"Who knows," Dad mumbled. "The girl can't keep a man."

Claire chuckled. Aunt Demetria was her mother's sister, and the closest thing to a mom Claire ever had. "Be nice," Claire warned. "I'm in the cafeteria now. Can I call you back later? I'm starving."

"Sure thing, pumpkin. Be good."

"Always."

Claire shoved her phone deep down into her pocket and finished making her plate. Cat sat at a table square in the middle of the cafeteria, her bright pink hair on display, drawing Claire's attention immediately.

"Guess who is the talk of the campus today?" Cat asked when Claire sat down.

"Is it your hair?" Claire asked with a smirk.

Cat placed her palm on her chest and laughed. "One for Ms. Claire Summers. I was actually talking about … you. A few people noticed you arguing with a fellow hunky football player that's actually giving you the eyes at this very moment."

Claire glanced around the cafeteria and noticed Axel sitting in a corner booth staring at her. He rested his hand against the table and tapped his fingertips against the counter. If she didn't know how big of a jerk he was, she would have blushed at how handsome he looked in those dark wash jeans and boots. Not to mention the simplicity of his gray shirt and how the sleeves stretched around the size of his biceps.

"Ugh," Claire said. "What a freak. I wish he would get a life."

Cat lifted a dark brow and took a bite of her food. "You said he bullied you in school and now he's obsessing over you with broody eyes. Sounds like he liked you all along to me."

Claire mumbled. "He said he was jealous of me with a boy from junior high last night, and it rubbed him the wrong way. So what does he do? He bullies me for four years instead of asking me out. I don't buy it. I think he is just a jerk, even if he did apologize."

Cat glanced at him. "Did he trip you and stuff?"

Claire didn't want to relive it really. "I don't know … tripped me, talked about me, told me nobody wanted me."

Cat waved a fry around. "Classic 'I'm going to bully you because I like you' behavior. Typical. Hottie has the hots for you."

"Drop it," Claire said, dragging it out.

Cat chuckled. "There is an outdoor pep rally in a bit; want to come with me? Your shift doesn't start until four, right?"

Claire missed most of the pep rallies during high school. She hid in the open science lab while everyone else enjoyed it due to the fear of being seen by Axel. "Sure. Are you going to the game on Friday?"

"Of course. Oh—" Cat said, digging her phone from her pocket. "Have you heard about the attack on campus? They're talking about increasing security at the games and at night because of it."

Claire glanced at Cat's phone and read the headline for the school's newspaper.

Student attacked by unknown animal on her way home Tuesday night.

Claire skimmed the article and interview briefly, seeing the pictures of the wounds on her chest and face. "Ouch," Claire said, eyeing the screen. "An animal did this?"

Cat took back her phone. "That's what the article says. I know that girl from one of my classes; I wish I could ask her about it. They didn't give too much information. They probably think it'll scare the students."

"Too late," Claire mumbled, glancing around the cafeteria. Their campus was in the middle of the woods, far enough out of the way of the city to be considered rural. Claire and Cat finished their lunch and made their way toward the courtyard for the pep rally.

They found a seat on a brick wall near the parking lot and hopped on the top of it to watch. The dance team and cheerleaders came out and performed their routines, while their ram mascot danced around and tumbled across the grass.

Claire enjoyed the theatrics of the dances and felt a bit sad she missed so much in high school. The football team came out next, and Claire watched the quarterback take center stage. She'd caught him looking her way during lunch one day, but she didn't buy into it.

She was sure he had plenty of conquests for the year already.

"Who's ready to beat some Lion ass!" he screamed, making everyone jump up and shout with him. "No one needs to miss our first game of the season. We've worked hard all summer and plan to pummel these boys like last year."

Claire's attention drew from his grand speech to the back of Tegan's head. "Wait here," she said, jumping down and walking over to him.

She stepped up beside him and saw the fear on his face when he realized it was her. "Oh, uh, hey," he said, scratching the back of his neck and searching the stage.

"I'm really sorry about last night," she said, turning to face him. "I don't know what's wrong with Axel. He's been crazy, and we've never been friends, I swear—"

"I'm sorry," he said. "I have to go. It's probably best we don’t hang out." Claire watched him disappear into the crowd, leaving her standing there like a loser.

Her gaze shifted to the stage where Tegan had looked, and she saw Axel glaring at her. He stood out in the midst of the players because he was the only one not listening to Cash's speech.

His gaze locked on hers, and she felt a shiver race down her spine.

She clamped her lips together into a tight line and curled her fingers into fists. She hated him so much that it twisted her stomach.

If Axel wanted to play games… she could play.