“Uhm, so. After this sss-season, you’re expected to play. In the playoffs?”“Yeah,” Alex hums. His hands are still wrapped with bandages, though he seems to be able to move them just fine. The bandage on his nose may come off soon as well, though he flinches when he scrunches his nose.Ever since the most recent game, we’ve been hanging out in school more often. If we pass each other, we might even walk to class. It’s strange, not taking the back hallways like I usually do, but the natural light coming in the windows makes things look brighter.“We’ve got a few more weekend games, but playoff should start a bit after April 1(st). We’ve got this, though.” He grins, flexing his arm. “We don’t go down easy, and that last fight won’t stop us.”“Hmm… Just be carrr—hmmh. Careful to not, uhm. Get too hurt.”“Yeah, yeah, no worries. I’ll be safe. Ah, this is my turn here.”With an easy we didn’t have before, he pulls me in and kisses the top of my head. Despite feeling my heartbeat ramp up im

It took me a while to calm down enough and gather my energy together to move from that spot. But Alex spoke to me the entire time, right until he, miraculously, ran out of things to say for the moment. We ended up not hanging up, just breathing on both sides of the phone until I got home.I’ve been sleeping a bit better recently despite anxiety with the performance coming up. Getting home that day and imagining Alex talking as I started falling asleep…uhm. As embarrassing as it is to say, I can’t deny that may be a part of why.Anyway, I get to school the next day with a fresher mind than I’ve had for the last few.It’s good that I am since the upcoming play is only three days away. Thankfully, it’s on a night Alex doesn’t have a hockey game, so he’ll be free to play his part. Still, seeing all the effort he puts into his own interests and mine…If only Alex wasn’t a bit of a mindless flirt, he’d be a really good boyfriend.I think I’m mature enough to admit that.He’d be pretty good

…For some reason, the comparison between the two kinda hurts.But he’s not wrong. Just like in acting, the roles work best if the actors mesh well with each other, pick up on each other’s cues, and remember their lines. We stumbled a lot in the beginning, but…We’ve gotten so good at it at this point, even I’m sometimes forgetting it’s just a role I’m playing.Just like with actors, specifically ones that practice method acting, we can get lost in our emotions. Or rather, the emotions we feel appear strongly. As real as breathing, as solid as steel.Meshing with Alex like this has become easy… And though I think about the crowd, like the bullies or the girls vying for his attention, it’s somehow less important than the play itself.Right…Because what I’ve always loved about theater are the stories. Whether they have lessons in them or simply tell the lives of non-fiction or fictional characters, I’ve always enjoyed them.I enjoyed playing in them because it was just fun. Being with A

Something’s wrong when Cynthia walks in the cinema doors.I joke all the time about her being a deer in headlights. This time, she actually looks the part, visibly shaking and unsteady on her feet as she stumbles in.“Cynthia?”She looks up at me, hazel eyes swimming.As I approach her, I catch a whiff of an unusual smell.Cynthia usually smells like old cotton, lavender soap, and a faint hint of lilac. There’s also my smell on her. I’ve hugged and held her enough that it’s stuck, however faintly.But there’s something new there. Something like…fog, maybe.It’s faint, but the fact it’s there and it’s unusual…I take a hold of her arm.“C’mon, twig legs, you need to sit.”She doesn’t tell me to shut up or punch me playfully. In fact, I don’t think my comment even registers to her. My teeth clench in worry, getting us a seat on a nearby bench.Len and Cynthia’s friend, Hailey, come over.“Cynthia? What happened? You alright?” Hailey asks in quick succession. I watch as she takes a hold

Shifting always comes with a level of discomfort. It’s unavoidable, considering the changes to your body. I’m good at mine, so the sound of my bones cracking and muscles shifting is minimal compared to the stalker.I was prepared to fight without transforming. But since the stink decided to pull out his wolf first, well. You don’t fight a wolf in human form unless you’re okay with having 42 very sharp knives coming for your very unprotected neck.Instead of a half-shift, he becomes a scrawny 4-foot-5 wolf with graying, crinkled fur. I have a size advantage at 4-foot-8. I can’t take that for granted, though.The stalker charges at me with a snarl, and I growl right back, keeping my ground.I dodge to the right, his teeth clacking as he misses. A swift turn, and I’m jumping at his back. It’s surprisingly easy to sink my teeth into his shoulder.But his skin’s tough. Hard to break through. I shake my head to try to force my teeth in.He yowls and twists, finally dislodging me before jump