No Other Choice

I heard a rustling in the trees and walked closer to the clearing. I peeked round a tree and my eyes almost popped out of my head. There in the clearing were at least a dozen overlarge wolves. Slowly, the closets turned its head towards me. I hid back behind the tree and took a shaky breath. If these wolves realized I was here, I was dead meat. I waited for a short while and then peeped back around the tree. They were gone. Not one of the wolves was still in the clearing. I frowned and walked into the clearing. Nothing was in sight and that scared me more than the idea of the wolves finding me. I left the clearing quickly and started running home. I ran as fast as I could and soon reached the end of the forest. Sam’s house was nearest so I slowly walked towards it. I walked up the drive and took a shaky breath. I was still shocked by the wolves. I spent a lot of time in the forest and I’d never seen anything like them. I walked up Sam’s steps and lifted my hand to knock on the door but stopped when I heard fighting.
“I’m telling you. It was her. She was standing behind a tree. I saw her with my own eyes.” It was Paul. My heart fluttered when I heard his voice but then I realized what he had said.
“Paul, we would have heard her,” Sam said.
“And smelt her,” Jake said. I took a step backwards. This was scaring me. How? The wolves. Were they there too? Or were they somehow the wolves? I took another step backwards. The wood of the porch creaked beneath my feet. I gulped. This was not good. Before they could come out, I sprinted down the steps and ran down the road. I heard footsteps behind me and knew that at least one of them was following me. I ran faster until I reached the road my house was on. I opened the door, ran up the stairs and into my room. I went under my blanket and took a deep breath. This was wrong. How could they be the wolves?
“I know what you’re probably thinking right now,” Sam said. I sat up and stared at him. “You heard all of it, didn’t you?” I nodded once. “I’m not going to lie to you, Riley. You’re my best friend. We’re werewolves. All of us. And I understand if you don’t want anything to do with me anymore but I hope it’s not like that.” He turned around in my doorway and started walking away.
“Sam!” I called quickly. He came back. “Please don’t go. You’re my only friend. I don’t want to lose you,” I told him. He smiled and sat on the bed beside me. “Tell me about it.” And he explained the whole thing to me. It was just like the old stories. Afterwards, we sat in comfortable silence just enjoying each other’s company.
“So when are you telling Paul about your crush on him?” he asked. I blushed furiously. Sam chuckled.
“Never. You know how shy I am,” I said.
“Yeah, I do. You’ve been living here for three years now and I’m still your only friend, Ri. You should try talking to the others guys. They would love you,” Sam said.
“I can’t, Sammy. I’m too shy.”
“What if I help you?” I nodded and like that I got more friends. Sam introduced me to the other guys who I immediately warmed up to. I got on great with them and my shyness slowly faded away.
“Paul!” I called through the hallway. He turned around and grinned at me. I jumped on his back. “Let’s go!” It was bonfire night and Paul was coming to my house until we went to the beach. He jogged to his car and I got off his back. We drove in silence to my house and then went up to my room. I still hadn’t told him about my crush. Sam was still pressuring me to do it and now Jake was too. Paul threw himself onto my bed and grinned at me. I rolled my eyes and sat on my desk chair, turning around and around.
“What are you wearing this evening?” he asked me. I shrugged.
“I don’t really care.”
“So you would let me pick an outfit?” He raised his eyebrows. I shrugged again and nodded. “All right.” He got up from my bed and walked over to my cupboard. He opened it and started going through my clothes. I started growing impatient and got myself a book. After a while, it got pulled out of my hands and thrown onto the bed.
“Oh, you’ve finally found something?” I asked sarcastically. He nodded cutely. I smiled at that. He held up a piece of cloth and I frowned. “That was in my cupboard?”
“It was.”
“Why can’t I remember buying that?” And then it clicked. It was something my friend back where I used to live had sent me for my sixteenth birthday. It was supposed to be a dress. I had tried it on once when she sent it to me and then threw it into the back of my closet. It was too short and too tight for me. “I’m not wearing that.”
“Yes, you are. You said I could choose an outfit. Now put it on,” he said. I sighed in defeat and took it from his hand.
“Turn around,” I told him. He turned around and I pulled off my top and my jeans. The dress just barely covered my ass and I looked at myself in the mirror. I looked hideous. “I’m not wearing this, Paul. I look like a troll.”
“No, you don’t,” he said, turning around again. I turned to face him and I saw his wide eyes, taking in my whole body. He glanced me up and down, his mouth falling open. I blushed slightly and looked away. “You look…wow.”
“Really?” I asked. I turned around and looked at myself in the mirror again.
“Yeah. You look amazing, Riley,” he said.
“I don’t know, Paul. I feel like a slut.” Paul stepped closer to me. I felt the heat radiating off his body.
“You look really hot.” I blushed again and Paul grinned. There was a difference between saying I look amazing and saying I look hot. He took another step closer and put one hand on my hip. I frowned. What was he doing? He put his other hand on my other hip.
“Paul. What are you doing?” I asked him.
“This.” He turned me around and pushed me up against the mirror in one swift movement. He pushed his body against mine and smirked down at me. I rolled my eyes and put one hand on the back of his neck, pulling his lips against mine. He grabbed my waist more tightly, closing the little space that was left between our bodies.
Suddenly, my phone started ringing. I pulled away and sighed. I reached for it.
“Hello?” I asked.
“Hey, Ri. Is Paul with you?” Sam asked.
“Yes.”
“When are you coming to the bonfire?”
“Soon.”
“All right. See you then,” Sam told me.
“That’s all you called for.”
“I was bored.” I hung up and rolled my eyes.
“I need to tell you something,” Paul said. I furrowed my eyebrows and looked up at him. “I imprinted on you.” My eyes widened and my mouth dropped open. Paul grinned and pushed my jaw closed.
“Seriously?”
“Seriously,” Paul said. He pushed his lips against mine again and I returned the kiss just as passionately.
“I love you,” I told him when we pulled apart for air.
“Me too,” he said. “Let’s go.” He took my hand and we walked to the beach that was just around the corner from my house. I saw Sam from a while off. He looked in our direction and grinned.
“Finally. It was the dress that did it, wasn’t it?” Sam asked, grinning at me.
“Yeah,” Paul said, wrapping one arm around my waist.
“I can see why,” Jake said, smirking. I rolled my eyes and Paul growled at him.
“That’s my girl you’re eyeing,” Paul warned. Jake rolled his eyes and held up his hands in defense.
“So I’m your girl now?” I asked Paul when the others walked away.
“You don’t have any other choice,” he told me. I grinned and kissed him again.