“My Dad?” Chloe sat up, hitting her forehead to his.
They groaned.
“Ow.” She muttered.
He sat up, “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I guess.” She rubbed her bump, “We need to get down there now.”
“Yeah.” He helped her up, a slouch in his shoulders. Taking her arm, he led her downstairs as Roger open the front door. Henry walked in after him, closing the frigid air back outside.
Chloe stopped at the bottom step with Grayson at her side.
“Hey,
“Dad.” She offered in greeting.
Henry looked to her, “Come on, let's go. I was just dropping Roger off.” He looked over both the teens and turned to say goodbye to Roger and Beth.
Chloe skipped to her jacket, ignoring her father's grouching. Zipping up her jacket, Grayson stuck at her side. Her blue eyes flashed to him and she sighed, “Kay, well, see you tomorrow.”
His expression softened as she departed from him, “I'll see you tomorrow.”
She nodded once and followed her dad out the front door, glancing back at Grayson as she did.
Once in the truck, Henry laid in fast, “Were you upstairs with Grayson?”
Chloe looked out into the darkness and the moonlit highway of ice. This was the side of her father she remembered very clearly, strict cop daddy.
“He showed me his house.”
“Ah,” Henry grunted. “So, you guys are friends?”
“I guess.” They were now, it was social network official.
“I see. That's good, you need friends.”
She rolled her eyes and stared at him, “You make me seem like a total loser, Dad.”
“Your mother told me about your other friends in LA before you came here, Chloe. The damn parties and crap you were getting into in LA.”
“I was not doing anything. I was just hanging out.”
He glanced at her, “Well, I don't care what you used to do. I want you to be a bit more... behaved here, Chloe.”
She sighed, “I am, Dad. Does this have something to do with Grayson?”
“No,” Henry shook his head. “Grayson is fine. His parents brought him up well, he's respectful kid.”
Chloe couldn't help but thinking about Wolf-boy's problematic controlling himself issues and how he pointed it out to her several times already. Which reminded her...
“Next Saturday is that Winter Fest thing.” Chloe tested the waters.
“Oh, right,” Henry grunted.
“I know you said I'm grounded a week, but can I go to that?”
“Did someone ask you to it?”
“Well, uh, n-no not really. Just go and meet some friends.”
Henry sighed and looked to her, “Fine, but you're grounded till Saturday afternoon, and then I'll release you.”
“Jeez,” she smiled, “Thanks, Daddy.”
***
Host of a swollen forehead and a slight yellow bruise when she woke the next morning, she used makeup to fix her appearance.
When Grayson pulled up outside her house she jogged out to the vehicle before he could exit. Hauling the door open, she climbed in, smiling, “Morning.”
He smiled at her, “Morning, little. You're chipper.”
She shrugged, on their way to school with her new favourite truck rumbling under her.
“What are you going to say to Annie and Dayna?” Grayson asked a few minutes in.
“You think they'll talk to me?” Chloe sputtered in disbelief.
“Honestly, I don't know. They can be a bit vindictive.” Grayson shrugged, “Anyway, you can meet my friends today.”
“I heard you don't have many friends.” She giggled.
He grunted, “I'm not friends with a lot of girls per say, there's a few in our group, but they're girlfriends of the guys.”
“Ah,” Chloe smirked. “So, that sitting together at lunch plan is still in full swing?”
“Yes and in class,” he pointed out to her.
Chloe rolled her eyes, “Sure, whatever... I think you're forgetting though, I'm not your girlfriend.”
“I'm making an exception,” he explained, smirking.
She laughed at him, “An exception? For me not being your girlfriend?”
“You might as well get used to the group.”
“So, where do we sit at lunch?”
“The cafeteria, the middle table on the left, closest to the kitchen.”
Chloe stared at him, “Are you popular, Grayson Holtz?”
“Not really,” he shrugged.
“Sure,” she didn't believe him, the Cafeteria was always the in clique, from her past experience.
He glanced at her, “So, how was last night?”
“Once I left your house?” she had to make sure what they were talking about.
“Yeah.”
She smiled, “Henry agreed to Winter Fest.”
“Really?” He glanced to her, happy as well.
“Yes, but I didn't tell him I had a date. He seems sort of concerned about me dating.”
He nodded, “It’s okay. If you want, I can meet you there.”
“I might be able to get away with a ride. He seems to trust you.”
He laughed, “Ask him and let me know if I can pick you up.”
“Sure,” Chloe nodded, thinking about the need of a dress for the dance as he parked the truck in front of their school
Outside, she followed Grayson, wanting to avoid Annie and Dayna at all costs. Grayson should have been a decent shield against that possible attack.
She bounced around the truck and he joined her side, pulling his backpack over one shoulder, “Let's go.”
“Calculus,” she rolled her eyes and walked towards the school with him.
“So, for lunch, come meet me in the cafeteria and then we can go to Biology together.”
“Yes, sir,” she looked up at him with a smirk.
His soft eyes hardened as he came to an abrupt halt.
“Oh,” she tried to collect herself at his side, Annie in front of them.
The girl brimmed with a smile and threw herself at Chloe, wrapping her arms around her neck and choking her, “Oh my god! I'm so glad you're okay!”
Chloe shoved Annie off, “What do you mean you're glad I'm okay?”
Dayna came to Annie's side, cell phone in her hands, “Yeah, we... were so.... worried...”
Chloe creased her brow. “Yeah, I'm sure.”
Grayson grunted, his agitation getting the better of him, “Come on, Chloe.”
Annie looked to him, her face saddening.
Chloe continued, “You guys, you knew I was with Grayson, you called the police and knew my dad would find out I was at the party. You also knew I wasn't supposed to be there!”
Annie stared at them, her bottom lip blubbering.
Dayna smiled at Chloe, “What are you a little pack slut?!”
Chloe didn't know what that meant but she didn't like it, “What!”
Grayson ground his teeth, “You girls are pathetic.”
Annie's mouth dropped from Grayson's coarse words.
Dayna smiled at him, “Oh, Grayson, aren’t you a big tough Alpha now that you've found your...”
“Mind your own business!” He snapped at her, “If you know what's good for you.”
Annie stared at him, “But we...we...”
“Shut up, Annie!” Dayna grabbed her friend's arm, about to tug her away.
Chloe rubbed her forehead, confused in all the wrong ways, “Okay, let's just forget it. Alright?”
Grayson gritted his teeth, “Have a nice day.” Pulling Chloe away and into his long stride. Chloe freed herself, “Calm down, Grayson. What's the issue?”
“They made you upset and you were going to forgive them?” Annoyance all over him.
“Did I say that” she snapped, “You need to mind your own business too. I don't like guys that trample on my basic human rights to freedom!”
“Oh, I'm sorry.” He patronized, “My bad. Stay away from them.”
She rolled her eyes at his demands, moving on, “What's a pack slut anyway?”
Grayson shrugged, “A girl that sleeps around, kinda of like a normal slut.”
“Nice.” She grumbled, stopping, “Wait, Annie and Dayna are like you!”
“No,” he snorted, “Well, yeah. They're from the Balant pack though.”
Chloe made a face, “What?”
“They're another neighbouring pack.” He said in a low voice.
“Is this whole school full of Wolf-kids!” She stalked towards her locker and he followed.
“There's a few,” he explained. “Most of the people more native to Polar are, new comers like your father, no.”
He waited as she switched out her books and backpack for her math class items.
“This is weird. I feel like I'm in a book.”
“A book, hey?” He grunted.
“Yeah, one where some innocent human comes to a new town and is told everything she ever knew as impossible, is actually very real!”
He sighed, “I have to get to English, Little, don't beat yourself up over this.”
She grumbled, giving in, “Fine.” Pushing the rampant wolf population from her mind, she turned and grabbed the front of his open parka, “See you later, big boy,” She batted her eyes and left quick, knowing he'd be in agony from that nickname.
“Chloe...” he called after her.
She waved a hand in the air, smirking to herself.