Xavier and the Wolf (Legends of Pinewood 1)

4. Your definition of "fun" is shit

Bonfires were Pinewood's way of going clubbing, Iris often liked to joke. We used them for birthday celebrations, as a dancing venue, and as our real life 'Tinder.' Couples fooled around in the woods rather than in toilet stalls, and first loves bloomed around the fire as kids worked up the nerve to shyly put their arm around their crush.

That didn't count for me, of course. I was lucky when I came out that everyone was accepting, and the people who thought their unfunny jokes were funny were silenced quickly by the others. But there weren't exactly age-appropriate guys in this town for me to date. My one and only shot had been Riley's cousin James, who had visited for the holidays. We'd almost kissed under the mistletoe, and it was completely my fault that we didn't. I'd been fifteen, awkward, and way too nervous to have my first kiss in front of everyone.

Tonight, many people seemed to be in a dancing mood. Janine had brought her speakers and hooked them up to Spotify. Upbeat dance tunes and laughter from kids playing truth or dare further up ahead in the grass filled the evening air.

Iris had tried to pull me along to the speakers to dance, but I was content just sitting by the fire, watching the flames lick the wood. Occasionally, I couldn't help but glance at the path leading to Boris' house.

I didn't expect Aquila to come because he'd said a clear 'no' to the invitation. Honestly, there was no reason I should even care. It was hard to explain why I was even thinking about him. I didn't want Aquila to come if he was just going to glare at everyone all night. But I hoped he'd show up if it meant he'd see we were not all that bad and would warm up to the town and its people. Boris could've talked Aquila into it, because, really, everyone who was above fifteen and under twenty came to these gatherings.

Someone dropped down beside me on the bench, and when I looked up I found Iris smiling at me. She had a cup with a yellowish transparent fluid swishing around in it. To anyone who asked, she'd forever swear it was apple juice. Iris had been dancing with vigour—her hair clung to her sweaty forehead. "Who are you looking for?" she asked.

I frowned. "I'm not looking for anyone." 

"Come on, who are you looking for?" Iris nudged me with her shoulder. "You've been glancing around like you're looking for something or someone all night. It wouldn't be... your favourite grouchy seventeen-year-old baby, would it?"

Iris wiggled her eyebrows at me. Smiling, I looked down at my lap and shook my head.

"I kind of hoped Aquila would come," I admitted. "For his own good, really. Isolating himself is not going to make the moving experience, which already seems difficult to him, any easier."

"Aw, your new favourite juvi student isn't here," Iris teased me. "Honestly, fuck him, Xavier. It's rude as fuck to make you get up early, come to school, and then refuse to get tutored. At some point you have to let your saviour complex go. You can't help everyone, okay? Especially not those who don't want to be helped."

"I don't want to save everyone," I protested. "And you know he didn't go to juvi. Mom debunked that theory."

"Yeah, yeah." Iris waved away my words. "Just stop looking around and enjoy yourself. He's not coming, and it's better if he doesn't."

I raised a brow. "I thought you said you kind of liked him."

"Sure, from a distance I do." Iris took a swig of beer. "I like him as a concept. He's the type of person who gets talked about and brings some damn life into this snooze fest town. But he's not exactly friendly now, is he? What was he going to do if he were here? Sit next to you and glare at the smoke because it stinks?"

"Are you talking about Aquila?" David, who was standing nearby and must have overheard our conversation, asked. "He's fucking weird, that's what he is."