“Are you sure they were wolves?” my mom pressed.
“Do squirrels have fangs?” I asked.
“Well, we’re glad you’re back home safe,” my mom continued.
“I’m not a forest ranger,” I said. “I just know what I saw. I’ve never seen wolves up close. It was terrifying!”
That hit my mom hard. She always wanted to protect me, and I knew it hurt her to have me be in a situation where I’d been afraid and alone.
“I’m so sorry I wasn’t there—” she said.
“How did you manage to make it out?” my dad asked. “Alive? Without a scratch?”
My parents waited for my answer.
A guy saved me. Risked his life for mine. A handsome Westsider.
I was too exhausted to tell them any more, and it would only add to their endless questions. I always told my parents the truth, no matter what the truth was, but in this case I felt funny about telling them about Brandon. I knew they’d make a fuss—show up at his house, thank him, and insist on taking him out to dinner. It would be embarrassing for him, and I wanted to spare him the gushing parental gratitude. So instead I just skipped to the end. “The snow began to let up. Eventually I could see our house.”
“Well, thank goodness it did!” My mom sighed. “Thank goodness it did.”
“I still don’t understand why you were getting your fortunes told,” my dad said. “Don’t you girls have homework to do?”
“It was sort of a dare,” I tried to explain.
“What did the psychic say?” my mom asked.
“It’s private,” I said. “Like making a wish on your birthday.”
“Did she say we were going to win the lottery?” my mom asked. “Or travel the world?”
“No. She didn’t say anything about becoming rich or winning a fabulous vacation,” I replied.
“Well, I’m so happy you are safe,” my mom said.
“I second that,” my father affirmed. “And here’s a fortune for you,” he said, directing his attention toward me. “No walking by yourself outside our subdivision anymore. Or you’ll be grounded.”
High school basketball games were one of the biggest events in the Legend’s Run social calendar. There wasn’t much else to do in town, and our team usually put on quite a performance. Almost everyone in town attended the games—except for one person.
When I arrived at the game, I scanned the bleachers for Brandon. I saw a few Westsiders, but no heroes.
Ivy was waiting for me by the snack stand. The smell of hot dogs, hot chocolate, and popcorn was almost intoxicating.
I was bursting to tell her my harrowing story. “You’ll never believe what happened on my way home,” I said.
“Were you mugged? I knew I shouldn’t have left you!”
“No—I got lost.”
“Lost? You were just down the road from your house.”
“There was a snowstorm on the Westside and I got caught in it.”
“Really? We must have just missed it.”
“Well, I didn’t, and I got disoriented and found myself in the middle of the woods.”
“What woods?”
“The ones that run along Riverside.”
Ivy was horrified. “You could have been killed—you don’t know who lives in there.”
“No one was living in there,” I assured her.
“So what happened?”
“There was a pack of wolves—so close I could see their wet noses!”
Ivy paused. I wasn’t sure she believed me. This wasn’t the usual “girl meets friend, friends go to mall” story.
“Really?” she asked skeptically.
“Yes! Why don’t people believe me?”
“What people?”
“My family. Now you.”
“We all believe you,” she affirmed.
“I’ve never lied before.”
“I know that,” she said. “It’s just that if you met a pack of wolves in the woods, how are you standing here telling me about it?”
She had a point. There was that one significant detail I was leaving out. The detail with the royal blue eyes.
“So, how did you escape the wolves?” she asked.
“Well . . .”
“Yes?”
“Uh . . . They eventually heard some noises and ran off.” It was mostly true.
“Thank goodness!” She gave me a quick hug. “Now, that’s the last time we’ll be going to Riverside!”
I didn’t have to share every detail of my day with my family and best friend. Perhaps there are some things worth keeping close to one’s own heart.
Nash, Jake, and Dylan were doing their pregame warm-ups on the court. Abby was chatting with a few cheerleaders stretching out in the corner and waved us over.