More interesting than Polar High, Town provided some amusement but not by much. It was one straight road of six blocks, consisting of tiny shops and a small convenience store. Chloe knew why her dad lived off things with antlers, as there was no major grocers.
The girls picked through a small boutique.
“What are you going to wear to Winter Fest?” Dayna asked Annie.
What is this shindig anyway?” Chloe's curiosity spiked.
“It's the big dance we have each year at the recreation centre. Everyone in town comes out.” Dayna explained, “And it's the one time of year we dress up.”
“So when is it?” Chloe asked.
“It's always the first week of December on a Saturday evening.”
“Ah,” Chloe nodded.
Annie pulled up a slinky black dress, “What do you think?”
“I think...” Chloe looked it over, knowing it too much for cutesy Annie, “No.”
Dayna agreed and they kept looking through the clothes, not really finding much. It had gotten Chloe's mind off things, one of which being the still present dream of the big wolf; which was driving her crazy!
Why had she dreamt it? What did it mean? What kind of wolf could possibly be so big and cumbersome?
She snorted with a smile, “Grayson.”
The girls both stopped, staring.
Annie's mouth twitched, “Did you just laugh and say Grayson?”
Chloe took in a sharp breath, “No, no, I didn't. I said, this... sucks,” she pointed a bright pink shirt.
The girls accepted the excuse.
Chloe cringed, Grayson was not a large wolf, it was ludicrous but amusing. Usually not one to find stupid things funny, she concluded it was the Alaskan air getting to her.
“School was out fifteen minutes ago! My mom's gonna kill me!” Annie shrilled.
The girls dashed from the store, jogging their way back in panic. It took them seventeen minutes.
Dayna waved a hand in the air as she ran to her mother's ragged sedan, “See ya!”
Annie stopped next to Chloe, her eyes scanning the cars, “My mom's not here yet.”
Across the parking lot, Chloe saw Grayson walking towards her, pensive and frowning. She arched her brow, wondering his issue.
“Where have you been?” he snapped, Annie on her cell phone a few feet away.
Chloe made a face, “Seriously?”
His expression and tense body didn't change.
“Calm down, Gray-Gray,” she patronized, seeing how much it aggravated him. “We went shopping.”
“Shopping?” he questioned her. “You skipped on your second day here?”
“Umm... I'm pretty sure that I don't report to you and I had two spare blocks.”
Grayson rolled his eyes, “We should go.”
Chloe looked to Annie as the girl got off the phone, her eyes spilling tears.
She glanced to Grayson and walked over to her friend – yes, she supposed that what they were now. Friends.
“What's wrong, Annie?”
“My mom...” she sniffed, “She's drunk. She won't come get me.”
Chloe rubbed her back, “Grayson can drive you.” She didn't hesitate; it seemed like a logical answer to Annie's problem.
“Huh?” Grayson perked at the suggestion, “I...”
“Annie needs a ride,” Her blue eyes death-rays on him.
Shifting his weight, he mumbled, “Sure, okay.”
Annie's face brightened and they walked across the parking lot together.
He unlocked his truck and Chloe pushed Annie to the middle seat.
Faced with a beaming little Annie, Grayson looked away, wincing.
Chloe smiled; maybe she could get them together!
She did up her seat belt and slammed the door, “Let's go, Gray!”
He stayed rigid and quiet on the drive as Annie swooned over him. She wasn't melting. She was melted.
Chloe had to talk to her about this desperate seeking of attention.
“So, you never answered me at lunch. Are you going to Bruce's party on the weekend?” she cooed at Grayson.
Grayson grunted, “Mike wanted to, but I may be busy. Are you going, Chloe?”
“I was thinking about it, why?”
He shrugged, “I was just asking.” He stopped the truck in front of Annie's dilapidated trailer and Chloe jumped out to free her from the cab.
“See ya tomorrow, Annie.”
“Bye,” the girl waved, turning to Grayson, “Bye, Gray. Thanks.”
“Yep,” Grayson, still short with the girl, was a tad more pleasant than before.
Chloe watched Annie walk away. The girl was living a sad, boring life; no wonder she liked Grayson Holtz. She felt bad for her and wanted to rectify the situation.
Climbing into the rumbling truck, she slipped her lean limbed body along the bench, “You know what they say about guys with big trucks, right?”
Grayson wasted no time in pulling away from Annie's trailer, “I like my truck.”
Blazing down the highway, they were out of the way by twenty minutes with twilight upon them.
Chloe smirked, “Are you over compensating, Gray?”
“Feel free to pull down my pants.”
She stared at him, her mouth gaping, “What?”
He started to laugh, “Your face is priceless!”
“Are you a pig, Grayson Holtz?”
He stopped his laughing, “No. You just...”
“You should ask Annie to the dance.” She cut him off.
Grayson's face froze, “What?”
“Yeah, the dance... thing... Polar-snow-ball-kill-me-now shindig.”
He growled, “I'm not into Annie.”
“She's so nice though and she's...” Chloe thought a moment, “She likes you.”
“A lot of girls like me,” he grunted.
She rolled her eyes, “Well, well, you are a pig. Surprise. Surprise.”
“Who are you going with?” Ignoring her comments.
Chloe laughed, “I do not want anything to do with it. It sounds like a profound waste of time.”
“Does it?” Grayson glanced at her.
She nodded, “I'm not a dancing kind of girl.”
“What kind of girl are you?” His mood shifted.
She rolled her eyes, “I'm Chloe.”
His expression softened, “Chloe...”
She listened to the way her name rolled off his tongue, she liked it.
“Oh darn...” she rubbed her palm to her forehead and looked out the window away from him.
He chuckled, “What now?”
“Nothing.” she grumbled, “So, you're not going to that party?”
Grayson shrugged, “If you want me too, I will.”
“Huh?” Chloe turned to him, “I don't care what you do, Grayson.”
“Okay.” His voice was cool, even and struck her hard.
She sneered, “Why were you all moody at lunch?”
He stayed quiet, not answering her.
She smirked, feeling the refreshing reward of shutting wolf-boy up for the first time. He stopped in front of the log house.
“Well, tell your mother the sandwich was really good,” she brimmed with gratification.
“I'll let her know.” Grayson stuffed.
Chloe undid her seat belt and grabbed her bag from the floor.
“Have a good night.”
“Yeah, you too.” Chloe looked to him, softened by his tone, “I heard the wolves last night.”
He blinked.
“Is there a lot around here?” Why wolves were still on her mind, she didn't know.
“The outskirts of Polar are home of two of the largest wolf packs in North America. They share a territory border.”
She cringed, “Geez... That's safety at its finest.”
“You’re safe,” he said to her, “See you in the morning.”
“Yep, sure thing, wolf-boy!” Chloe jumped into the snow. Smiling at him, she caught his shocked expression.
“What?” She laughed, “Don't like your nickname? I find it fitting.”
He lifted an eyebrow, “See you tomorrow.”
She waved him off and slammed the door, making her way up to the house.
***
By the time she got on the computer, her inbox was glowing red with notifications. She curled up with her laptop and a heavy wool blanket, excited to concur the messages. The old wood-stove in the living room crackling away as she pressed the first message.
Annie Louise-Elk
Hey Chloe! Umm... so I was wondering if Grayson said anything about me or if you maybe asked if he wanted to go out with me? Don't hate me. See ya tomorrow!
Chloe sighed, that was a no. She went to type a reply, the log home creaking and moaning from the wind outside. With a pause, she looked to the dark kitchen. Her dad was working a double shift and wouldn't be home till seven in the morning.
A quick breath later, she looked back to the computer.
Chloe Pryce
I didn't really get a chance. He was sorta grumpy... and he kept talking about his truck. Really, Annie, you can do better!
She figured it was good enough. Grayson obviously wasn't interested and she hoped she could shoe the girl away from him to preserve Annie's feelings.
Next message.
Dodge Wheeler
Chloe! How's Alaska treating you? Gotta say, I miss my french-fry! You need to come back; Stella is driving me crazy without you!
Chloe smile grew wild. Dodge Wheeler, the one piece of Los Angeles she missed the most and the message couldn't have come sooner. She prepped herself to type something sweet back to the boy who almost captured her heart.
Chloe Pryce
Dodge! I miss you. It's cold. There's snow and my dad has got me going to a school with a graduating class of forty-two. No, I'm not joking.
However, it is what it is. Whenever I think of home, it's because I'm looking at the bracelet you gave me.
Love, French-fry.
The message sent and the tip of her finger flipped to the inbox, looking over the next message. To her surprise it was from school-boy, Bruce.
Bruce Collins
So, I saw Grayson Holtz is giving you rides to school. I can give you a ride tomorrow if you want?
Chloe thought the offer over, she wasn't married to Grayson. She wouldn't have minded another introduction to Polar, Alaska.
Chloe Pryce
Alright. Seven-thirty. Sounds good.
She was smirking. No, she was beaming. The message sent and she leaned back in the oversized couch, closing her eyes. The crackle of the hot logs and the smell of the thick woodsy air were interrupted by the ping of a new message.
She laughed, “This should be good... What do ya' want, wolf-boy?”
Grayson Holtz
Chloe, my dad just saw Henry in town. Are you okay alone?
Chloe's eyes flew open. Was he joking? No, he had to be joking. Of course he was joking!
Chloe Pryce
Umm... somehow, I'll survive.
PS – don't worry about tomorrow. I got a ride.
She hit send and went to browse through her news feed but that was interrupted right away.
Grayson Holtz
From who? Your dad will want to sleep in the morning, Chloe he won't want to give you a ride in.
Chloe wrinkled her nose. He sure was nosey and she couldn't figure out why. Was he like this to everyone?
Her stomach growled and she decided to answer her body's cry for hunger verses Grayson Holtz's cry for explanation.
She put the laptop down, closing it and walked to the kitchen.
Her stubby fingers flicked on the lights as she headed towards the fridge. Digging, she found some sausage and looked over the label, “Deer, meh whatever, I'm hungry.”
She slapped it down on the counter as she came across some cheese and mustard and made herself a sandwich. Cutting it into fours, she slipped the pieces to an off-white plate and went back to the living room.
A bite in her mouth, she sat to the couch. An abrupt knock at the front door startled her back on her feet. She swallowed, her heart thumping in her chest from the fear of who would be there at that time of night. Slow steps, led her to the door. Another loud knock came.
She tried to look out a window inconspicuously, but they knocked again on the big wooden door, causing her to yelped and dash towards it. With trembling hands, she unlocked the deadbolt, “Please, no bears... no serial killers... no wolves.”
Opening it an inch, her eyes made contact with his, shoving the door open, “What the heck are you doing here?”
“You never answered my message, I thought something happened.”
“Are you crazy?” she shot. Their breath crystallizing around them, creating a foggy halo.
Grayson sighed, “Can I come in?”
“Umm... It's ten o'clock at night, Grayson. I don't think my dad would appreciate it.”
Grayson smiled and walked in past her. He shut the door and shuddered, looking cold for once.
She wrinkled her nose, noticing he was without a coat.
“Do you live really close or something?”
Grayson nodded, “Yea, just around the bend. About ten miles.”
Chloe raised an eyebrow, “That's a bend?” She crossed her arms, “So, I'm okay. You can leave.”
“What were you doing?” he looked toward the living room.
Chloe couldn't believe how invasive he was, “I was eating dinner, Grayson.”
“Oh, okay. Can I come in?”
She blinked in astonishment, “No, you cannot.”
“Why not?” He slipped his boots from his feet and walked into the open living room, sitting down on the couch without further permission.
Chloe squeaked, “Grayson, what are you doing! You can't just come in here!”
He raised a hand, “It's fine. Your dad knows.”
“What?” She made a face.
He shrugged, “Our dad's are tight.”
“Oh, shut up!” She huffed and flopped to the couch next to him, grumbling.
“Who's taking you to school tomorrow?”
Not believing what had come out of his mouth, she stared at him, “Excuse me!”
“I want to know who's taking you to school.”
“I'm not telling you. This is creeping me out. You came all the way over here, to ask who was taking me to school, because I was ignoring your message?”
Grayson stood, “I knew you were ignoring me!”
“Of course, I was!” she exclaimed, “You're crazy!”
He flinched and kept eye contact with her.
She stood, her hands on her hips, “What's your deal, Grayson? Seriously.”
“Seriously?”
She waited for a continuation, “Hello?” She shot.
He sighed, “I like you, Chloe.”
“Huh?”
“Yeah... I like you.” Grayson admitted.
For a moment she stood, nothing coming from her talkative mouth. It only lasted so long, “Well, you know liking someone. That sure explains the psycho stalker behaviour.”
He rolled his eyes and glanced over her pathetic deer sausage sandwich, “Is that what you're having for dinner?”
“Grayson, I want you to leave.”
He met her eyes as she sent out her best frozen death glare. They kept their intense eye contact, neither looking away.
“You're not afraid of me?” he asked.
“No,” Chloe snapped, “Yeah, you're massive but you're not scary.”
He smiled, “I'm glad you think so.”
She creased her brow as a clear, crisp wolf howl broke the peaceful silence surrounding them. Chloe's eyes widened from fear as the rest of the pack start to howl and snap.
“Oh my god!” she moved towards Grayson without thought.
“It's okay,” Grayson assured her, “They're out in the valley hunting. It echoes up.”
Chloe moved closer to him, her torso crushing into his side, “All these animals-in-the-dark are freaking me out. Doesn’t help we're in the middle of nowhere.”
His face softened as he looked at her. The wolves continued to snarl, their brisk cries cutting through the night.
Chloe's heart hit a new level of panic as he caved around her. Feeling his grip increase, she wanted to push him off but didn't,
“Guess, I better get used to it.”
Grayson let go of her and sat down, “I can stay till they're gone. They won't be around much longer. They'll move higher in the mountains again after they've ate.”
She sunk down into the couch next to him, pulling a blanket over her legs. Not wanting to fight with Grayson Holtz, with a near pack of wolves, she allowed his further presence. She reached for her plate and brought it to her lap. Picking at the sandwich, Grayson watching.
Chloe had to admit that the deer sausage was tasty, she finished it fast.
Without words, he stayed on guard like a watch dog, sitting in silence as the wolves howled in the valley below.
“I'm just... I'm gonna...” She gave up on trying to tell him and took her plate to the kitchen. The cold getting to the house again; it left her shivering; her limbs colder than the night before.
When she padded back in, Grayson was stoking the fire. He shut the wood-stove and walked back over to the couch, “Your dad didn't show you how to do that?”
Chloe shook her head, “He came home for a bit earlier and did it.”
He grabbed her blanket and sat, “Chloe,” he dropped his hand on the couch, inviting her closer to him. She went to protest, but he stopped her, “I know you’re cold. I can only stay another half hour.”
Chloe stared, not moving. She couldn't move, it was wrong – Grayson couldn't like her!
“Do you think you could take Annie to the dance for me?”
He frowned, “No, Chloe. I'm not taking Annie anywhere. Now, come sit down.”
She huffed, getting caught up, “I just really feel bad for her, maybe you'd be a good couple?”
“Chloe,” he growled her name in warning, “Come sit.”
Smashing and growling erupted nearby. Chloe lunged forward and fell into his lap. She rung her arms around his large neck, cringing.
“Okay.” Grayson took it.
Her cheek dropped to his shoulder as his body radiated soft, tingling warmth. She closed her eyes, enjoying his heat machine status. The longer she stayed, the more awkward it became. She drew away, edging herself along the couch, “Sorry.”
He smiled, “It's further away than it sounds.”
Her blue eyes darted to him, “You're warm.”
“Yeah, I know.” His calloused hand took hers and he tugged her to his side. He fixed the blankets over her lap.
It should have felt forced, but instead, the warmth consumed her. She shut her eyes, thinking herself insane to be allowing wolf-boy that close.
His hand on her shoulder drifted across her smooth locks, “Warmer?”
“Yeah.” Squeaking, she pressed her nose to his solid chest, in attempt to escape the touch.
She wouldn't open her eyes, she knew she would end up doing something of regret... like kissing Grayson Holtz.