You don't have to play the song but I highly suggest it. You'll know when to do so :)

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I get up first and offer out my hand to help her up. She gladly takes it.

"I like your ring."

I look down to see the only ring that I am wearing today, and the wolf is staring back at me.

"Thanks, it's a family thing, we get when we trigger our curse."

"You turned when you were young, right."

I usually say that I turned young but I usually leave the age out, not wanting the sorrows to follow it out of courtesy, but Josie never portrays an emotion she doesn't feel.

"Yeah, my first moon was two months after I turned 6."

"Fuck Cypress, I am so sorry, that's awful."

I can tell it struck a hard chord in her because she usually doesn't swear.

"Yeah but I have come to terms with what happened. It was a bad luck freak accident and I know that now. I have forgiven myself. It brought me closer to my parents so I am grateful in some sadistic way that it happened."

"I don't think it's sadistic, I think it's brave. Most wolves can't get past it, but you chose to look at the better sides it brought. It's honorable."

"Thank you Josie, I don't think anyone has explained it like that before."

Her steps slow down and shorten the more we get closer to her room, and I can read the hesitation all over her face.

"You don't want to go in there?"

"Not really, it feels too soon with all the memories."

I appreciate how open she is with me, it makes me feel like I can extend the same actions.

"You can come sleep in my room if you'd like. A lot of wolves go into the therapy box. It usually takes a while so."

"Please, if you don't mind my intrusion."

"I wouldn't have offered if I didn't want you to come with me, just let me go grab something."

Before she can say anything I walk into the room and close it behind me. I start to grab the snacks and I am about to pick up the candle when the door flies open.

My guess is that Josie got curious about what the hell I would need to grab out of her room.

She sets her eyes on the snacks and candle in my hands to her made bed, then to Lizzie's which mirrors hers. Then the clean floor. I see tears start to fill her eyes.

I panic. Words start flowing out of my mouth before I can stop them.

"I- I'm sorry. I uh didn't mean to make you upset. I was just trying to do something nice for you t-two, really I didn't mean any harm–"

I stop talking as she starts walking over to me, an emotion I can't read on her face.

She gently grabs the snacks out of my white knuckled grip, I take a dry swallow as she places them on her bed.

Just as I am about to apologize again she wraps her arms around my neck, developing me in a very tight hug.

I reciprocate the action quickly, just because I am so grateful I didn't hurt her feelings, and I wrap my arms around her waist.

"Thank you Cypress." I feel her say into my neck.

"Really it's no problem. It's the least I could do for you both after you so graciously showed me around the school and I realized I never paid you back."

I turned to humor to try to cut the intimacy of the moment.

"Shut up." She says pushing my shoulders playfully in retaliation to my comment but also putting much needed distance between us.

"But really, really thank you, Lizzie won't admit it or say anything but she will appreciate it a lot."

"Again, it was no problem. Come on, let's head to bed." I say as I grab the things from her bed again and start to walk out of the room with her.

"Why are you being so nice, Cypress?"

"Have I ever been mean to you Josie?"

"No but you always kept your distance, even when I started dating Penelope you stayed away. I tried to reach out and be friends with you."

"Yeah, honestly that was on me, I despise third wheeling, and Theo was leaving later that year, so he used to pull me into training to prepare me to take over the pack after he left. So when he found out I would have more time on my hands he jumped on the opportunity. Then when he left I continued with the strict regimen of training."

"I didn't realize you felt that way, I am sorry."

"Josie, I know you care immensely for everyone but that wasn't your problem. You were happy and you deserved that, I had other outlets."

"I guess you're right." She says as I open the door to my room and she walks in.

My room is pretty bare and I know it is. A few pictures line the walls of my family and friends, and my bed has sheets and blankets but that's about it.

Oh and the LEDs that line the wall thanks to the inspiration from Charlie and his escalade. I like to match the lighting to my mood and the music that I play.

The beds that the room comes with are pushed together to create one massive bed. I did it when my roommate, Jess, left the school about a year ago.

I walk over to them to push them apart for us to sleep.

"No, leave them like that. It's nice, and I don't want to ruin the room's whole vibe."

"Oh yeah, what's the vibe it gives? Ready to bolt." I joke.

"No it's simple, it's a nice change, like you don't really live here and it's temporary."

"Yeah, I go home after school on Friday's back to my house."

"To see your parents?"

"That's one reason." I try to stray away from the parent topic not knowing how far we should go into it with the events that happened recently.

"They seem really nice."

"They are."

"I would like to meet them one day." My eyes widen.

"I'm sure they would love to meet you too, especially since you got away with not meeting them once when you were with Pen, just tell me a day and we can go."

"That actually sounds really nice." She says with a smile on her face.

I grab her some clothes and throw them at her. They should fit her, I am only an inch shorter than her but a bit more forwardly muscular. She catches them before I go into the bathroom and shut the door behind me.

I wash my face and I brush my teeth. As I am brushing them I look at my phone that I left on the countertop and turn it on.

Five missed facetimes from Pen.

"Shit." I mutter before sending her a quick text that I am okay and I will call her tomorrow, and I walk out of the bathroom with it still in my hand.

I walk out to see Josie on my bed with my blue lacrosse team t-shirt and some gray sweats I like to sleep in. I don't know man, there's something about seeing a girl in your clothes. Then she looks over to me.

"Why do you have that?"

I quickly put the phone behind my back.

"What are you on about?"

She gives me a pointed look that is usually only reserved for Lizzie and I give.

"Okay, it's my phone. I am supposed to use it to call my parents because they are clingy, or whatever story they went with, but I usually use it to call Pen."

"How is she?"

"Um she's alright, well she was fine the last time I talked to her. If I am honest I haven't talked to her in about a week."

"Why don't you want to talk to her?"

"It's not like that, really it isn't. I just don't want to have to relive everything that went down this week and let's say Pen can be a bit blunt sometimes."

I move to my desk and pull out my journal. Emma told me to write in here when I have conflicting feelings and surprisingly I listened. It helps me a lot, usually to see the bigger picture of something and open my mind so I don't react too quickly to things.

Seeing it keeps my head level in intense situations. It makes sense that it's the first thing I do after getting back into my room.

"Can I play some music?" I ask

"Yeah of course." I turn on the LEDs and they're already on my favorite color.

"I wouldn't take you as a purple person." She says with a playful grin on her face.

"Yeah? And why's that?"

"I don't know, maybe because it's kind of a tender color in my mind, you don't seem like the type."

"Ouch, well Jed would probably disagree with that. Plus I usually associate colors with songs, and I like RnB and most of those songs match the color purple and it's calming to me."

I start writing when I hear Josie go for something on my bedside table.

"You smoke?"

I turn around to see her holding my jar of pre-rolled joints. I must have forgotten to put them in the drawer.

"Yep."

"Can I have one?"

I'm hesitant at the question, knowing she went through a lot today, but she's an adult and I can't say I deal with hard days any differently, so I nod.

I watch as there is a flame that emerges from her finger and she takes a hit. Now I am not going to lie, that action was pretty attractive, but I quickly shake those thoughts from my brain.

I turn on my RnB playlist and Belong to you By Sabrina Claudio and 6LACK comes on. Ringing throughout the room.

Take care of me

Talk all day then at night fall in deep

Stimulate me

I want you mental and physically

I belong to you, you, you

I hear Josie when she lays down.

I turn around and I see her staring at the ceiling blowing out some smoke. I start to stare too.

She starts humming along to the song.

Don't come my way

If you ain't here for love

Don't you dare, stay

Put some time aside I'll set vibes in LA

It ain't strictly physical but I know that

I wanna lay where you lay

I feel like I can't keep my eyes off of her in the moment, and when she looks over to me and half smiles, joint still in hand, I think it's the most beautiful thing I have ever seen, and it makes me want to take a picture of the image before me.

"I get it now Cypress."

Baby, I belong to you

I belong to you

I think I do too.

She turns to look back at the ceiling and I have to take a dry swallow so I can turn back around to my journal. Taking in a long breath before exhaling slowly, trying to calm my heart.