The Beta

XVII

*Faye*

"I'll be there for your graduation, but I can't come any sooner. It's only three days away, anyhow."

My bottom lip ached from how hard I was biting it. "Well, I just needed to make sure you're okay."

"I'm fine, I promise. Mom told me about what...happened to you. About what you saw."

"She thinks I'm crazy, Chels." A hopeless laugh came out as a breathless squeak.

"Well, it is a little insane. Wolves don't live in Tidy Heights. There're too many people, not enough places for them to hide."

"But I saw one. I know I saw one."

Chelsea sighed. "Could be PTSD. You should've taken up Dad's offer to take you to a doctor."

"I'm not crazy," I growled.

"That's not what I'm saying. I'm saying you saw something traumatic—you saw me almost die—and your brain is trying to cope."

Although she couldn't see me, I vehemently shook my head. "No. I dealt with that crap years ago. I don't have PTSD."

"Well, I don't know how else to help you, Faye."

"Me either," I whispered, dragging my fingers through my hair.

We talked about her new job and what living in Philadelphia was like. Chelsea missed the small town feel and insisted I would too after I left. She forced me to talk about my feelings of moving away, something she did every time I became reluctant on an issue. Though it never failed to annoy me, I always played along because I knew it would make her an excellent therapist.

After the call ended, I stared up at my ceiling for awhile. Could I be hallucinating? Was the stress of graduating getting to me? Was I losing my mind? I didn't feel crazy. I felt fine, other than being shaken up. Who wouldn't be upset about seeing a wolf wander into their yard?

I opened my texts to send a message to Rhonda and Kate before I remembered Rian's text. His greeting had been waiting for me this morning when I woke up, flashing across my screen. The message brought a sense of normalcy back to my life, even if I was mad at him for taking so long.

RIAN: Good morning, Faye. I hope your day goes well.

Once I'd stared at the text a little longer, I came up with an appropriate response. Maybe hanging out with a cute guy would take my mind off whatever was wrong with me. I just wanted to feel normal again.

FAYE: Hey, Rian. It's going well. Wanna get coffee later?

Then I dressed for school. My mom had let me sleep in, probably because she felt bad about what had happened. Real or not, she knew what I saw had terrified me.

Jeans and a simple black blouse completed my hasty outfit. I pulled my hair back into a ponytail and dabbed a few strokes of mascara on. The hint of makeup was to help me feel more like myself, though it actually just made it worse. Makeup made me feel less like me and more like who the world wanted me to be. I tried not to let deep revelations like that bother me this morning.

I headed off to school without breakfast, knowing lunch would start shortly after I got there. Rhonda and Kate were worried. My school records reflected few tardies and absences, an almost pristine attendance, so they assumed the worst when I didn't show up without warning.

Five minutes of reassurances finally eased their consciences. I didn't tell them about the wolf. It was bad enough that my family thought I'd lost my mind. We separated at class time and rejoined for lunch. The hours crawled by, serving as a mundane distraction from my treacherous thoughts.

The final bell rung shrilly with authority, bouncing around my skull as my body lurched into motion. I checked my phone for the hundredth time today, hoping Rian had gotten back to me. At last, I had a new message.

RIAN: That sounds great. What time should I pick you up?

FAYE: Three o'clock?

While the idea of riding in his sleek Camaro was enough to make my pulse jump, I was much more excited to just see him. The more time I spent with him, the closer to normal I would get. Or so I desperately hoped.