Chapter 1

Twigs and fallen leaves cracked under her feet. In the quiet of the night, she could hear the loud thuds of footsteps rushing behind her. The harsh winter wind tore at her eyes. Unwanted tears blurred her vision. Her eyes bounced between the white full moon in the sky and the dark path before her. Tall willow and oak trees hovered over her at every turn. Sharp, bare branches scratched her arms and sliced her cheeks. The tiny wounds were bearable compared to the searing pain in her left side. Her wound called for her attention; it sent flames throughout her body and begged her to slow down.

Reluctantly, she took refuge behind a large tree trunk. Gritting her teeth, she gently touched her wound. Liquid seeped over her small hand. From the light of the moon, she could see the ruby color on her palm.

A lone howl echoed through the wind. Her heart sped up in her chest at the noise; it wasn't far from her. Several howls followed the first, but they were farther away. Slow, but heavy thumps against the rubble of the forest came closer and closer to the tree she was hiding behind.

With a grunt, she pushed herself away from the trunk. Her legs resumed their sprint.

A low growl bellowed in the shadows of the forest. The footsteps behind her accelerated.

Her heart thumped in her stomach. She could see the clearing of the woods. Just beyond the empty space were the golden lights of the small townhouses.

"Help," she screamed. The wind carried her voice. "Help! Someone, please, help me!"

More lights began to shine in the upper level of the closest house. Tiny shadows appeared in the windows.

"Help!" She continued to yell. "Please help me!"

Sharp claws dug themselves into her right side and whisked her back into the darkness of the woods. Her back slammed into the dense trunk of an oak tree. Despite the raging pain, she got back to her feet. She tried to run, but a large mass pushed itself into her back. She fell onto her stomach. An agonizing scream escaped her lips as the four nails ran themselves down the skin between her shoulder blades all the way down to her hips. Blood oozed out of the long cuts. Her attacker rolled her onto her wounded back.

Her body froze as she came face to face with large, bloody fangs. Salty tears began to roll down her cheeks. She recognized the irises she used to adore. She remembered the sparkles in them when he'd smile. She didn't know this blood lusting gleam in them now; the novel look turned him into a stranger. A monster.

"Please," she whimpered. "Please, don't hurt me."

His voice echoed through her mind. Helplessly, she struggled to hold onto the sound and all the memories it held.

The beast snarled one last time. Without hesitation, its bloody chops sank into her left breast.

"No," Alexis shouted. She flung herself upright in her bed. A mix of tears and sweat covered her face. Heavy pants escaped her lips. Her heart was racing in her chest. Her brown eyes bounced around the darkness of her room. She clenched her fists around her comforter and tried to slow her breaths. It was okay. She was okay. It was just a dream. It was only a dream.

With a sigh, she climbed out of bed. Barefoot, she padded out of her room and into the hallway. Silence greeted her. She quietly tiptoed to the bathroom. In there, she washed her face with warm water. She tried to will away the image of the bloody chops and alluring eyes from her mind. She continued to repeat her mantra. It was just a dream. You're safe. You're not in danger. It was only a dream.

Alexis left the bathroom and headed downstairs to the kitchen. She grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator. She took small sips of her water on her trip to the stairs. In the darkness, she noticed the sliver of golden light shining beneath the wooden doors of her father's study. Another sigh left her lips. She walked over to the small office and opened the doors without knocking.

As expected, her father, Xavier, was hunched over the small desk with his laptop and stacks of paperwork scattered around him. He was still wearing the button-down shirt he'd worn to work that day, though the sleeves were rolled up now. The light from his computer illuminated the purple bags under his eyes. He wearily looked up at his visitor. He almost smiled at his wife's spitting image. "Hey baby," he said.

"Hi daddy." Alexis went to her father's side. She wrapped her arms around his neck and lay her chin on his shoulder. Her brown eyes went to the abundance of files on his desk. Her stomach rolled at the sight of the mauled bodies in some of the pictures. Bloody wounds, torn faces, and dismembered body parts were on display. Alexis frowned at the sight of a woman with wide gashes across her face; she was barely recognizable. "Was there a new victim," she asked.

"Yeah," her father replied. "Her body was found this morning." He pressed his lips on her temple. "Did you have another nightmare?"

"Yeah." She glanced at the clock. Two o' clock. Too early for her to be awake and too late for her father to be working. "Get some sleep, daddy."

"I'll go to bed in a few minutes. Let me finish looking at-"

"Now," his daughter commanded.

Xavier sighed. "Alright." He slowly rose from his seat.

Alexis led him back upstairs and into her room. She reluctantly lay back down in her bed.

Xavier tucked her in. He offered her a tiny smile. "I know there's a lot to be afraid of right now, but you know I'd never let anything hurt you girls, don't you?"

Alexis nodded. "I know."

"Good." He kissed her forehead. "Goodnight, angel."

"Goodnight, daddy." She watched him exit her room. She rolled onto her side. The sounds of the outdoors captured her attention. She could hear the wind whistling through the trees. The branches gently scratching against the windowsill. The echoes of the wild wolves' howls. Alexis closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and braced herself for the nightmares waiting for her.

In the morning, Alexis was rudely awakened by her alarm. Groggily, she slapped the buttons on her digital clock. The loud beeping noise came to an abrupt stop. Alexis sighed into her pillow. Her back muscles loosened as she drifted back into dreamland. A peaceful silence followed for a few moments. To Alexis it felt like seconds. Before she could fall back into the realm of peaceful darkness, a harsh rapping sounded at her bedroom door. "Wake up, honey," her grandmother's warm voice yelled on the other side. "Time for school!"

Alexis groaned. She picked up her pillow and put it over her head.

"You've got three seconds before I get the ice water," she said.

Alexis' eyes shot open. The teen immediately sat up. "I'm awake!"

She chuckled. "Good girl."

Alexis waited for her grandmother's footsteps to wander across the hall towards her sister's room. Then she plopped back down onto her cushion. Her spine was heavy, and her legs felt like jelly. She stretched out her arms and legs; her bones cracked in satisfaction. "Okay, Lexie," she murmured to herself. "Time to move."

Reluctantly, she pushed herself out of bed and shuffled to her bedroom door. By coincidence, she and her younger sister, Aaliyah, opened their doors at the same time. The two sisters held eye contact for a moment. Their father, having also opened his door, watched his daughters through narrowed eyes. They looked like cats eyeing each other up in the alleyway before a fight. Like cats, the two sisters darted towards each other; their destination was the bathroom door between their rooms.

"No," Aaliyah exclaimed. "You got the bathroom first yesterday!"

Alexis pushed her sister to the floor. She darted towards the bathroom door. Her hand was on the handle when her sister tackled her to the ground. "It's not my fault you're slow!" She kicked her sister off. "I need the bathroom today! Do you see my hair?" She briefly pointed to the bantu knots hidden under her black satin bonnet.

Aaliyah wrestled with her sister in the doorway. "Aw, you care about your hair now? Are you trying to make sure you look good for Zach when he asks you to homecoming?"

"He's not going to ask me to homecoming."

"Yes, he is! He talked to me about it!" Her wide smile showed all her purple banded braces. "I wish I were in high school, so I could see your face when he does it."

Alexis restrained her questions from leaving her mouth. She didn't want to know why her best friend talked to her little sister about a homecoming proposal. Nor did she want to know how he was going to ask. She just wanted to start her day.

Alexis pushed her sister to the ground again. "Why can't you use the bathroom downstairs?"

Aaliyah wrapped herself around her sister's leg. "Why can't you?"

Alexis used her free leg to kick her sister off. "Because," she yelled simply. Then she shut the door in her younger sister's face.

Aaliyah fumed on the ground. With her arms crossed and her lower lip pursed, she turned to her father. "Daddy," she whined.

Xavier held his hands up. "Sorry, sweetheart. It was a fair fight." He approached his daughter and tugged her to her feet. "Come on; you can wash up downstairs."

Inside the bathroom, Alexis smiled in victory. She listened to her younger sister's unnecessarily loud footsteps thump down the stairs. With her sister defeated, she could focus on getting ready for school. She washed her face and began taking out the dozens of Bantu knots in her head. Thankfully, it didn't take as long as Alexis thought it would. Each twist fell into a bouncy curl. By the time Alexis was finished, her whole head was filled with tight curls. She teased out the curls with a comb. To complete her look, she tacked down her edges and styled them with a tiny edge control brush. She hesitated in the mirror for a bit longer than usual.

She rarely ever wore her hair like this. The kinky curls framed her round cheeks and small chin. Her almond shaped eyes seemed smaller than usual. Her plump lips seemed more proportionate on her face. Her forehead didn't look as wide as it usually did. Her brows, thick and defined, didn't stand out. Rather, they emphasized her small eyes. It was a wonder what a simple change of hairstyle could do for a person.

Alexis exited the bathroom and entered her room. She fiddled with her phone until she found her latest favorite album. The deep, sultry voice of H.E.R. blasted from her Bluetooth speaker. Alexis softly hummed along as she shuffled through her drawers for an outfit. She wouldn't admit it aloud, but she didn't take her sister for a liar. Usually everything that came out Aaliyah's mouth held some sort of truth. She didn't think Zach personally told her sister he was going to ask her to homecoming, but she was sure his younger sister probably did.

Regardless of who Aaliyah got the news from, Alexis didn't want to disregard it. But, she also didn't want to draw too much attention to herself. Her change of hairstyle for the day had been a coincidence; she could stick to that. Her outfit, however, was a whole different story.

After a few minutes of rummaging through her clothes, she finally settled on what she thought was a casual, but attractive outfit. She wiggled into her favorite ripped jeans that hugged her thick thighs and small hips. She tugged on a white camisole and threw a beige cropped hoodie over it. Alexis paired her outfit with a pair of her rose gold Jordan's. To complete her look, she spritzed on her favorite Ariana Grande perfume and swiped lip gloss on her lips.

With a sigh, she grabbed her backpack. She followed the aroma of pancakes to the kitchen. Her grandmother, Claire, was standing over the stove, and her father was sitting at the table with a cup of coffee in his hands. "Good morning," she said.

Xavier looked up from the void he was staring into. He raised an eyebrow at his daughter's bouncy hair. "Your hair is down," he said. "What's the occasion?"

Alexis shrugged. She took a seat across from her father. "I just wanted to change it up, I guess."

"Lies!" Aaliyah yelled. She bounced into the room and took a seat beside her sister. "Zach is asking her to homecoming today, and she wanted to look good!"

Alexis rolled her eyes. "I don't need to look good for a man. The only person I need to look good for is myself."

"Amen," Claire said.

"What is this about Zach asking you to homecoming," Xavier asked.

"It's just a rumor, daddy," Alexis said.

"Is not," Aaliyah retorted. "Just know when we get home later, all I'll have to say is 'I told you so.'"

"Yeah, yeah," Alexis replied.

Xavier tilted his head. "The two of you have gone to homecoming before, haven't you?"

Alexis looked down. "Well, I mean, yeah. But we went as friends."

"Formally asking her to prom is like asking her on a date, daddy," Aaliyah explained.

Alexis shook her head. "It's not like asking someone on a date. Or at least not for us. It's just…it's just…different."

Claire patted her son on the shoulders. "Xavier, you remember asking girls to school dances; it is like asking them on a date. A very formal date."

Xavier slowly nodded his head. "Are you…excited to be asked to homecoming, Lexie?"

Alexis shrugged her shoulders. She looked up at her father. "Excited is a bit of a stretch, but it would be nice to be formally asked to a dance."

"By someone she actually likes," Aaliyah added.

Alexis kicked her sister's leg.

"Ow," Aaliyah whined. "Why'd you do that? It's the truth!"

"Enough about my homecoming. When is your little boyfriend going to ask you to the eighth-grade formal?"

Xavier turned his gaze to his youngest daughter. "What little boyfriend?"

Aaliyah's cheeks turned red. "He's not my boyfriend," she exclaimed.

Alexis took a sip of her orange juice. "That's not what it looked like last week," she whispered around the rim of her glass.

It was Aaliyah's turn to kick her sister. "He's not my boyfriend."

Xavier raised an eyebrow. "Who isn't your boyfriend?"

"Carlos from around the corner," Alexis replied. "The boy she argues with on a daily basis."

Xavier nodded. "I see."

"He's not my boyfriend," Aaliyah reminded them. "We're not even friends. He just walks me home sometimes after cheerleading practice; he's going the same way."

"He holds your hand when he walks you home," Alexis whispered.

Aaliyah nearly shoved her sister out of her chair. "Shut up!"

Alexis glared at her sister. "Make me."

"Pancakes are done," Claire exclaimed before the sisters could lunge at each other. "Eat up. Your ride will be here soon."

The sisters did as they were told. They scarfed down their pancakes within a few minutes. The two briefly went upstairs to brush their teeth before returning to the kitchen. Claire was putting their bagged lunches into their bags.

As if on cue, a car horn blared in front of their house. Alexis and Aaliyah bid their father and grandmother goodbye before hurrying out the front door. The two girls rushed to the waiting Nissan Rogue on the curb. Alexis hopped in the front seat, and Aaliyah hopped in the back.

"Good morning, Zach," Aaliyah sang.

Alexis locked eyes with her friend's emerald green eyes. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach under his appreciative smirk. His staring gave her an opportunity to appreciate his own appearance.

His curly auburn hair was still damp from his morning shower. Some of his curls flopped over his forehead and into his eyes. Freckles bombarded his dimpled cheeks; they stood out against his caramel complexion and pearly white smile.

"Take a picture. It'll last longer," she commented.

"Sorry," Zach replied. "It's not every day you wear your hair like that this. It looks good."

Alexis' cheeks gained color. "Thanks."

Zach returned his gaze to the road. He pulled off from the curb and started down the road.

"Today's a big day," Aaliyah said.

Zach glanced at her through the rearview mirror. "Oh yeah; you have a math test today, don't you?" He put his hand in the backseat and gently tapped her knee. "Take out your study materials. You know the drill."

Aaliyah groaned. "I studied all last night. We don't have to go over it again. Besides, my test isn't until sixth period."

"Boo hoo. Tell me how to find x."

Aaliyah rolled her eyes. Reluctantly, she read off the procedure to find the missing number in an equation. "It's easy," she said.

"If it's easy, then I should expect a one hundred percent when you get the grade back; right?"

She groaned. "Yes."

"Good. If not, I'm going to get Alexis to whip your ass."

Alexis' jaw dropped. "Hey, don't pull me into this! I am over here minding my own business!"

Aaliyah scoffed. "As if Alexis can beat my ass."

Alexis glanced at her sister. "That's not what you were saying earlier when you ended up on the floor not once, but twice."

Aaliyah huffed. She crossed her arms. "That's because you cheated."

"Daddy said it was a fair fight." She lightly punched Zach's arm. "And for the record, I'm on her side when it comes to a fight between you and her."

Aaliyah stuck her tongue out at Zach. "Ha!"

Zach grinned. He glanced at Alexis. "Alright. I see where your loyalty lies. Remember that on Friday."

Alexis waved him off. "Whatever."

Zach dropped Aaliyah off first. He wished the pre-teen good luck on her test and offered her a fist bump.

With Aaliyah out of the car, the two teens finally got the morning quiet they'd been craving. Alexis relaxed in her seat as J. Cole's voice filled her ears. She watched the tiny suburban houses pass them by. Occasionally, she'd glance over at Zach. Almost every time, his eyes were trained on the road. There was only once when she'd glanced over and caught him staring at her. They were stopped at a red light when she caught his green eyes. A soft smile was forming on his lips. He chuckled at how fast she averted her gaze.

"What's up," he asked her. "You're never this quiet."

Alexis tugged on one of her curls. "Nothing's up, Zach. I'm just tired."

He glanced at her. "Are you having the nightmares again?"

Alexis' voice was small. "Yeah."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really."

Zach sighed. "Alright."

Within a few minutes, the two finally arrived at South Whidbey High School. Zach easily found a parking space in the large lot. Crowds of students were milling around the parking lot. All the groups were hurrying towards the stone steps and into the double doors. Alexis and Zach filed in with the crowd as they made their way into the building. The high school, like all schools during homecoming season, was covered with school spirit. Blue and white banners covered the walls with the names of fall athletes and inspirational quotes. Classroom doors were decorated with school mantras and classroom names. The students were buzzing with plans about the forthcoming homecoming dance. Some of the proposals still hung on people's lockers and large banners in the hall.

Zach gently set a hand on Alexis' back. "Can you do me a favor," he asked.

Alexis raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"Close your eyes."

"Why?"

"Just do it. I promise I'll guide you, so you won't crash into anyone."

Alexis reluctantly obeyed his gentle command. Her skin tingled under his firm grasp on her shoulders. Her brows came together as they missed the usual right turn towards their lockers. "Uh, Zach," she started.

"Keep your eyes closed."

She sighed. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see."

Alexis continued walking down the hall. She heard the click of the door open and close behind them. The noises of the hallway disappeared. A thick silence hung over the two of them. "Can I open my eyes now?"

"Yeah." She heard a smile in his voice. "Open them now."

Alexis eagerly opened her eyes. She raised an eyebrow at the familiar sight of the bleachers and glossy basketball court.

Standing before her were eleven of the school's varsity football players. Each of the players were dressed in their varsity jerseys. Their arms were crossed behind their backs.

"H," the first one exclaimed. He bent down on his knee as he held up a poster board sign. A delicately painted "H" was displayed on the board. His teammates followed him. With each player came a kneel and a painted letter. Combined, the players spelled "Homecoming?"

"Will you go to homecoming," they yelled in unison.

"With me," Zach whispered softly in her ear.

Alexis gently flinched away from him. She hadn't expected to feel his hot breath caressing her ear. She looked up at her friend to see the familiar dimpled smile she'd grown to adore. She nodded her head. "Sure. I'll go to homecoming with you."

The football players hooted and hollered at her response. They bombarded Zach with fist pumps and pats on the back.

Alexis rolled her eyes. "You're such nerds," she commented. She exited the gym and continued her walk to homeroom.

Zach quickly noticed her departure. He bid farewell to his teammates and sprinted down the hallway to catch up with her. "Hey," he put a hand on her back. "Did you like it?"

"I loved it," Alexis said. "It was cute."

Zach's arm settled around her waist. "You're cute."

Alexis giggled. She gently nudged him away. "Shut up."

The pair reached her locker. Zach leaned his shoulder against the locker besides hers. He watched her shuffle through her locker and exchange books. Alexis glanced up at him to see his gaze fixed on her. "Stop staring at me," she scolded.

"Why?"

"Because I said so."

"Mhm." He briefly glanced around the halls. His cheeks gained color as he spoke. "You should, um…you should wear your hair like this more often. It looks…it looks good. You look…you look really cute."

Alexis couldn't fight the blood rushing to her own cheeks. "Stop calling me cute. I'm not cute. I know jiu-jitsu, and I'm a black belt in karate. I am a bad ass."

Zach rolled his eyes. "You're adorable, Lex."

Alexis pretended to gag.

Zach chuckled. "So, um, I guess I'll see you later?"

Alexis nodded. "Yeah. I'll see you at lunch."

He smiled. "Okay." He started backing up. "Bye."

Alexis waved. "Bye." She watched him disappear into the crowd. A much-needed sigh escaped her lips. A wide smile followed shortly after.

The school day went on as it usually did. Alexis quietly took notes while her teachers lectured or quietly did her work while her classmates goofed around. When they got too loud, she popped in her headphones and pretended they didn't exist. Lunch was usually the only time she really talked during school. She sat with Zach, some of the other varsity football players and half of the cheerleading squad.

The ladies spent the entire period fussing over Alexis' hair. The blondes and brunettes worshipped her the volume of her tight curls and the soft texture. Alexis feigned smiles and tried not to punch one of them for touching her hair without permission. She practically ran out of the cafeteria when the bell rang. Not even Zach could catch up with her.

In her rush to get to her next class, she collided into a hard surface. The impact sent her tumbling to the ground. Her books slammed against the floor with her. "Dammit," she muttered.

"Oh shit! My bad," a deep voice replied. Brown hands shuffled around the floor to pick up some of Alexis' discarded books.

Alexis grabbed the books from the hands. She looked up and found herself staring into turquoise blue eyes. "Thanks."

A smirk accompanied the blue eyes. "You're welcome."

The two slowly rose to their feet. Alexis glanced over the boy's curly dark hair, long eyelashes, and sharp jawline. "Excuse me," she said. She tried to step around him, but he stepped into her way.

"Wait." He looked down at the white paper he was holding in his hands. "Do you know where room 213 is?"

"Yeah. I'm going there right now. You can follow me." She resumed her stride.

The boy fell into step with her. "So, what's your name?"

"Alexis. Yours?"

"Dominic, but I usually go by Dom."

Alexis nodded. "Nice to meet you."

She led him to their AP Statistics class. She wandered to her usual seat in the back of the room. Dom stopped at the teacher's desk to receive his materials.

Alexis noticed some of the other girls in the room drool at the sight of him. She was ready to grab some popcorn when the teacher said Dom would need to find a partner who could catch him up on the material. Almost all the girls in the room were ready to fight to the death for his attention. They swarmed around him like moths around a lamp.

Alexis shook her head as their desperate pleas filled the room. She popped her headphones in and continued working on the practice equations their teacher had previously assigned them.

Her concentration was broken when she heard the chair beside her scratch the floor. She glanced up at the blue-eyed boy taking a seat beside her. "Tired of your fan club already?"

Dom smirked. "Nah. You seem smart, so I thought you'd be a good choice."

"Oh, I seem smart, huh? What gave you that impression?"

He shrugged. "Between the anti-social isolation in the back of the room and the lack of hesitance when starting the work might've tipped me off." He leaned back in his seat. "So, what are we learning?"

"The empirical rule."

"Ah. Exciting." He glanced around the room. "Why are you back here all by yourself?"

"Why are you sitting back here with me?"

He smirked. "I asked you first."

"My answer is self-explanatory." She motioned to the other students in the room. One group was taking Snapchat selfies and texting. Another group was talking animatedly about a television show. A smaller group was working on the material, but they seemed to be struggling. "Now answer mine."

He shrugged. "You were nice enough to give me directions in the hallway, so I thought you might be nice enough to help me play catch up."

Alexis looked down at her textbook. "We're doing the practice problems on pages forty-five through forty-nine; there's about fifty questions total. Mr. Yertz wants them turned in by Friday." She feigned a smile. "Good luck." She popped her earbud in.

Her music wasn't on for three seconds before her earbud was gently yanked back out. Alexis glared at her unwanted companion.

"We didn't get this far at my old school. Would you mind helping me?"

She shrugged. "I guess."

The two quietly worked together for the duration of the class. When the bell finally rang, Alexis was prepared to leave Dom in the dust.

"Where are you going next," Dom asked before she could sprint out of the room.

"AP Literature with Mrs. Turner."

Dom glanced down at his schedule. "Me too."

Alexis reluctantly walked with him to their next class. Thankfully, this class had assigned seats. Alexis sat across the room from Dom. However, that didn't stop him from sending her smug smirks every other minute. Alexis gave him the finger more times than she could count. She was surprised the teacher didn't catch her. She assumed the woman was too busy lamenting over Grendel's fate in Beowulf.

At the end of class, Alexis made a run for it through the hallways. She thought she'd lost her new acquaintance for a moment. Then she heard his voice beside her.

"You're fast," he commented. "Are you on the track team?"

Alexis rolled her eyes. "What do you want?"

"What's your last period?"

"AP Psychology."

"Mine too."

Alexis scowled. "Yay," she muttered.

He chuckled.

The pair entered their eighth period. Like their last class, there were assigned seats. However, their teacher coincidentally put Dom in the empty seat behind Alexis. Surprisingly, Dom was quiet throughout the period. Alexis didn't find it unusual. AP Psych was her favorite class. Their teacher, Mrs. Emerson, gave vibrant lectures about the subject. Her enthusiasm and love for the topic always managed to pull the students in and keep them engaged. Unlike most days, this lesson was primarily lecture. Usually, Mrs. Emerson would lead the class in debates or discussions; she found those more interesting. But, before they could do that, she had to trudge through the information they needed to know. Alexis didn't mind days like this. She enjoyed the note-taking and listening to Mrs. Emerson's outrageous analogies.

At the final bell, Alexis was surprised to see Dom was already packed up. He waited for her to gather her things and walked her out into the hallway.

Dom lingered at her side. "So, I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah. Sure. Bye."

Dom saluted to her. "Bye." He turned on his heel and walked in the opposite direction.

Alexis met Zach at her locker. His brows came together at the sight of her frown. "Uh oh," he said. "What happened?"

Alexis fiddled with her lock. "I made a new friend."

"And you didn't give them the cold shoulder?" He smiled. "Progress!"

"Wrong. I gave him the iciest shoulder, and he still wouldn't leave me alone."

Zach raised an eyebrow. "Him?"

"Yeah; it's some new kid. His name is Dom."

"Oh."

Alexis glanced at Zach's frown. She nudged him. "Calm down. He seems harmless."

Zach smiled. He threw his arm over her shoulders and pulled her into a hug. "Good." He shut her locker for her. "Let's go. Homework and two cups of hot chocolate are calling our names."