"No internet, no phone." My dad grabbed my laptop from the desk. "You're not allowed to leave the house without permission. Am I understood?" He held out his hand.

"Yes, sir." I pulled my phone out of my pocket and gave it to him.

"And this"—he walked over to the window—"remains closed. If I catch you opening it for anyone, I'll nail it shut." He marched from the room and slammed the door behind him.

I flopped onto my bed. Over nine months apart, I'd be lucky to make it through a week. There was a knock on the door.

My mother poked her head inside. "Aden?"

I sat up and forced a smile.

She hurried over and hugged me. "Don't ever do that to me again. I was so worried about you."

"Sorry, I just— I love him, Mom." Lying my head on her shoulder, I blinked back the tears. "And now Dad will never let me see him again."

She put an arm around my waist. "I'm going to talk to your father. He's being ridiculous." She lifted my chin. "But you are grounded for the next couple of weeks. Running off like that. I know breaking up with Titus was difficult, but there are other ways to go about fixing things."

"I didn't think Titus would talk to me unless I went to him." I stared at the floor. "I messed up everything. It's worse than before."

"Oh, Aden." Her eyebrows pinched together, and she yanked over the neck of my shirt. "Aden, sweetheart, what happened?"

I clasped the mark. "It's nothing."

She tried to move my hand. "It looks like something bit you."

Turning away from her, I covered the mark. "Titus had a dog. It wasn't used to strangers."

"Oh my god, Aden. Not again." My mother shook her head. "Please try and be more careful."

Nodding, I rubbed the mark. "I will."

She stood and kissed the top of my head. "Get some sleep. In a couple of days, your father will calm down, and we'll talk to him. You'll see Titus again. Don't worry."

"Night, Mom," I said softly as she left the room.

"Goodnight." She closed the door.

I fell onto my back and waved my arms across the mattress. The bed felt empty. God, this was going to be hard.

***

As my parents discussed their mundane days, I pushed my food around my plate. At the beginning of the summer, I would have been happy to sit in my room all day. Now, it felt like torture.

"Aden, eat your dinner," my mother said, pointing her fork at me before she went back to discussing the recent book club drama with my father.

I pushed everything to the center and piled my mashed potatoes on top.

"Do you want to go school shopping this weekend?"

"Hmm...." I glanced at her. "What?"

"School starts next week."

I shrugged. "Sure."

Pursuing her lips, she glanced at my father.

"As soon as school starts, you can have your phone and laptop back," he said.

"Am I still on lockdown?" I patted some peas into my potatoes.

"Aden," my father stated. "This ends now. I'm tired of the attitude. You did this to yourself, so accept the consequences for your actions."

Actually, the arrangement was decided for me. I wasn't given an option. I dropped my fork and left the table. "I'm done."

"Aden Perri, sit down now."

I marched past my dad and hurried up the stairs. I made sure to close my door with more force than needed. It was only a matter of time before my dad came storming up the stairs to lecture me.

Going to the bed, I scooted up against the headboard and pulled my knees to my chest. My parents were arguing downstairs. The voices grew louder, and the front door slammed.

Chewing on my bottom lip, I tugged at my hair. "Damn it." A rustling came from the window.

"Titus?" I hurried over. "Titus?" I opened it, but no one was there. Dropping to my knees, I rested my head on the windowsill. Why couldn't he have been there?

Something was flapping in the breeze. I poked my head outside and spotted a piece of paper shoved between the frame and siding. Grabbing it, I sat on the floor. I smiled at the name written at the bottom. I read the rest:

Good luck at school. It's only 9 months and counting. That's not too bad. I miss you.

Titus

It was simple, but it made me smile. I folded it back up and went to my closet. Grabbing the box on the top shelf, I took it down. Inside were my figurines. I tucked the letter underneath them. After putting the box away, I went to my desk and grabbed a piece of paper. I wrote a quick note:

I love you.

-Aden

I tucked it where I had found Titus's letter and closed the window. I felt like a giddy little kid, but it was exciting to hear from him. I climbed into bed with that light feeling still filling my chest. I'd make it through this year, and then we could be together as mates.

***

I stared out the car window at Harper's Creek High and felt like vomiting.

"Are you going to get out, Aden?"

"Yeah, I—I just spaced out." Opening the car door, I climbed out and tossed my backpack over my shoulder.

"Do you need me to pick you up?"

I slid my hand into my jeans pocket and clutched the note. "No, I'll figure something out."

"Alright, sweetheart, call me if you change your mind."

"I will. Bye, Mom." I closed the door and, with a deep breath, entered the school.

The first person I saw was Chris with Katy on his arm. She whispered something and glanced my way. My stomach turned. I was going to be sick. Chris shook his head and said something to his football buddies. Jack peered over at me and quickly looked away. No one even made a move to acknowledge me as I walked by. I guess he still wasn't over the Titus incident.

It didn't matter. I was done with him, too. When I told Titus I was over Chris, I meant it. I located my locker and put my book bag away. Grabbing a binder and pencil, I headed to my first class. I was ten minutes early, but it was better than standing alone in the hallway. The door was unlocked, but no one was inside except for the teacher, who was typing on her computer. I shuffled in and took a seat in the back corner. She didn't seem to mind me coming in early. Unzipping my binder, I took out my sketchbook and flipped to a blank page.

I had spent my whole life trying not to be the artsy loner with no friends, and now I was content being simply that.

***

The bell dismissing my last class of the day sounded. I gathered my things and hurried out the door. Day one, and everything went okay. No one had talked to me, but it could've been worse. I had pissed off the almighty Chris Harper. Being ignored was a great alternative to what he could have done.

I weaved through the hallway to get to my locker. My heart sank when I saw the group of people standing by it. Creeping to my locker, I opened it and took out my book bag. The noise from nearby died down. Sucking in my lips, I closed the door and saw Chris looking at me, unimpressed. I forced a smile before lowering my head and disappearing into the flow of students.

Going out a side door, I started the walk home. I took the note out of my pocket and unfolded it:

Meet me after school in the grove near your house.

It made me walk even faster. I would have started running if it wouldn't have attracted attention. It was a two-mile walk, but if it meant I would see him, I was happy to do it. I listened to music on my phone along the way. My house was a quarter-mile down the road when I took a right in front of the Andersons' field. A smile appeared on my lips when I saw the grove up ahead. Glancing around, I spotted a truck driving down the adjacent street. I waited a few seconds before breaking into a run.

Leaving the road, I skidded down the embankment and hurried into the trees. "Titus," I yelled. "Titus!" I spotted a log and sat down to check the time on my phone. Maybe I was early.

Someone grabbed me from behind.

"Titus," I gasped.

He hugged me and tilted my chin to him for a kiss. Happiness, this is what it truly felt like. I turned and wrapped my arms around his neck, kissing him hard. We parted, and Titus pressed his lips to my forehead.

He brushed his thumb along my cheekbone. "Are you crying?"

"Shut up." I roughly wiped my face. "I'm just happy, so it's not crying."

Titus laughed. "I missed you, too." He pushed back my hair.

"Three weeks," I breathed. "Three damn long weeks."

He cupped my cheek. "Come with me." Grabbing my hand, Titus led me into the trees.

A blanket had been laid across the ground. We sat down on it.

"What would happen if your dad finds out?" I asked.

"We just won't let him find out." He gave me a quick kiss.

I nodded and lay down with Titus moving on top of me. Our lips met.

He placed soft kisses along the scar on my shoulder. "I wish this were permanent."

I ran my fingers through his hair. "It won't fade entirely in nine months.

His head popped up. "What will happen then?"

"Come here," I said with a smile.

Titus kissed me and quickly deepened it. I wrapped my arms around him as his hand slipped up my shirt.

Pulling back, I breathed deeply. "We're going too far."

Titus groaned. "I know. I just want you."

I pressed his head to my shoulder as he ran his hand along my side. Time passed, and my eyes slowly closed as I twirled Titus's hair around my finger. My phone started vibrating in my pocket. I pulled it out and sat up.

"Who is it?"

"My mom." I answered it. "Hello."

"Did you find a ride?"

"I figured it out," I replied. "I'll be home in like twenty minutes."

"Alright, see you soon. Bye."

"Bye." I ended the call and sighed. "Sorry."

Titus sat up and nuzzled my neck. "It's fine. I was just happy to get to see you."

"I wish I could stay longer."

"We can meet again."

"Tomorrow?"

Titus shook his head. "I can't let my dad catch on. I'll leave you a note."

I nodded. After giving him one last kiss, I grabbed my book bag and started for the main road.

"Aden!" Titus ran over and pulled me into the trees. His lips met mine, and he held me tightly. "I love you."

I hid my face in his chest. "I love you, too. Bye."

After one more kiss, I jogged into the street and headed home. It was bittersweet but well worth spending some time with my werewolf.