False Confidence

Post-It Note

Azren Huang

I groaned as the persistent clamor of my alarm filled the silence in my room.  Without opening my eyes, I slammed a limp hand down on the clock, sighing in relief as the beeping ceased. I rubbed at my eyes, feeling a paper getting in the way of my palm's path. My eyes fluttering, I ripped the paper off of my forehead, squinting up at it to see a demure scrawl on the yellow post it note.

"That was really fun, but I had to leave for school ツ"

The memories from last night flooded my brain all at once, making me fist my blanket back in frustration. I had no intentions of moving so hastily with Alex. Guessing from his words, this wasn't supposed to be anything more than a one-night stand. It sucked, because I was thinking about a relationship. Alex was perfect for me, everything I looked for. Yes, hiding the werewolf thing would've gotten annoying but I couldn't help but think the idea of Alex was worth it.

Sitting up right, I moped through my morning routine, showering away the smell of Alex and doing other necessary things, like brushing my teeth and such. Minimal light leaked through the white curtains, hinting at a cloudy morning. Birds chirped softly, almost beckoning me outside with their call.

I quickly put on black sweatpants and a baggy cream t-shirt with the worn logo of a band I was fond of about two years ago. I didn't exactly listen to them now, but the design was pleasing enough in appearance. After struggling to put on my socks while standing up, I grabbed my forgotten book bag from the armchair that was propped near my closet and slipped on olive green converses as I jogged hurriedly towards my door. Without checking twice in the body length mirror, I grabbed the necklace hanging from a hook that rested on the side of the mirror.

It was a simple silver chain holding an intricate but small square charm with a moon and sun laughing at each other welded into it. It was a gift from my late aunt and was priceless to me.

Giving it a soft and special smile, I clasped it around my neck before heading out the door. The house was quiet and still for a change, the pack house not open to the actual pack for now. Usually I'd stay at our family's more private home but mom and dad spent a majority of their time here and I wanted to stay close to family after the death of my aunt a year ago. It hit me hard, my aunt being my closest companion, closer to me than my own parents. She understood my struggles and stood up for me when mom was being too critical or dad was too controlling.

I moved my attention elsewhere, afraid I'd become too emotional right before school. I quickly walked through the kitchen, grabbing my keys from the island and moved to the garage which wasn't far. I didn't waste time, starting my car up and queuing a couple songs for the road. Opening the door, Nora's body spray still lingered, regardless of the incident happening on Friday. It was Monday now. That scent was seriously no joke but at least it didn't smell of him. I buckled up before looking behind me to begin backing out of the garage door which I had opened earlier.

The road was quiet, the sky bleak and gloomy to my quiet joy. I had always preferred the violently windy days with slightly cold gusts of wind. It had a silent power to it with an enjoyable energy in the air. I drove my usual route to school, continuing to roll down the windows everyday, no matter how cold it got. Stray leaves danced in the rolling currents of biting cold wind, blowing my hair along with it as it crawled through the opening of my rolled down window. I couldn't help but begin looking forward to Halloween, I could feel the buzz of anticipation beneath my skin—like a giddy child.

The red light ahead cause me to slow the car, other cars pulling through the intersection. I tapped a finger on the steering wheel, my eyes focusing on the glaring red of the traffic light. A slip of storm grey appeared in my peripheral vision, causing me to look over at a fancy looking sports car rolled up next to me. The windows were up and tinted so I didn't bother looking further in case I was accidentally staring at the driver or something. It happened before and my face heated just thinking about the stranger getting weirded out.