A Fox Among Wolves

Chapter Seventeen

"Quinn, Henley, hurry up! We are going to be late for our own graduation if you two don't get a move on!"

Rolling my eyes at Lena's words, I turn to look over at Quinn. We are both trying to finish getting ready for our graduation, which is at eight o'clock this evening. While all of the others have had plenty of time to get ready, neither me or Quinn were able to get time off work.

Ever since Quinn got hired on at the Newspaper to be an assistant to one of the editors of the paper, he has been working late almost every night. For me, Dr. Greene has been running me ragged, making me do more of the filing and research than I usually have to do. It is like she is irritated with me about something, and with every passing day, she only gets more agitated. It is very disconcerting, seeing as I have never seen her anything but calm before.

"So, how do I look?" Quinn asks, meeting my eyes in the mirror. His hands fiddle with the tie he is wearing, trying to make it more comfortable. His eyes are wide and unsure, and it is easy to see how nervous he is.

Walking over to him, I try to give him a reassuring smile. "You look great, Quinn. As handsome as ever." Knocking his hands away from his tie, I make sure it really is even before smoothing it down his chest.

Taking a final look at my best friend, I mentally pat myself on the back when I see how put together he looks. Usually, Quinn will just throw on the nearest hoodie and beanie, not caring too much about the clothes that he wears. But today I was able to convince him to let me dress him. It took a while for him to finally give in, but the final piece is worth all the begging I had to do.

The charcoal colored dress pants are fitted perfectly, making his legs look long, and the white button up top is tailored to perfection. It is the dark green tie that brings the whole outfit together, though. He looks great, and I am sure his mate will appreciate the way the clothes fit.

"Thanks, Henley," he says, giving me a timid smile.

He steps closer to me, making sure that all of my clothes are in order before wrapping his arms around me completely. It only takes me a second to return the hug, pulling him tight to me.

"I don't know what I would do without you," he says, his voice slightly garbled from being buried in my neck.

"All this over me picking out your outfit for tonight?" I ask, my voice teasing.

Quinn's hand moves up from my back, giving my fox ear a painful pinch before going back to hugging me.

"You know that isn't why." He pulls away from me, his green eyes meeting my own. "I know you have been going through a lot, and I just want you to know that I love you and will always be here for you. You don't have to go through this alone. We have been best friends since kindergarten, ever since you pushed over that cheetah hybrid for calling me names." A smile spreads across his face when I chuckle at the mention of our time in kindergarten. "I just want you to remember that you will always have me, no matter what happens."

His words make me choke up slightly, and I have to blink away the moisture from my eyes that is threatening to spill over.

"You will always have me, too, Quinn."

We both smile at each other, but our moment is shattered by Lena once again shouting up the stairs.

"Henley Brooks and Quinnley Humphrey, if you two don't get down here in the next thirty seconds, I will come up there and drag you out by your ears!" Lena's voice holds promise in every word.

Quinn and I exchange wide-eyed looks, being friends with Lena long enough to know that she is completely serious. We both scramble around the room, grabbing the last of our stuff before rushing out the door and down the stairs.