I didn't know how many hours had passed since the wolf came and left. By the time Aaliyah found me, I was still sitting on the grassy ground, dry tears on my face. She knelt in front of me, her hands cupping my cheeks, eyes frantically scanning every part of my face.

"Shit, what happened, Jas?" she asked.

"A wolf," I said, my voice distant, staring blankly ahead.

Aaliyah glanced around and then back at me. "Fuck, are you hurt? I'll call for help—"

"I'm in shock, but I'm not hurt."

Aaliyah didn't seem convinced. She gave me a once-over, checking me for injuries while I let her do it, knowing it would give her peace of mind.

She picked up my camera from the ground and helped me stand. My legs felt like jelly, so I leaned on her as we walked, grabbing my camera bag from where it lay.

I was still processing everything. The whole thing felt surreal, like it hadn't actually happened. Even as we made our way to the car, I was on edge, but Aaliyah kept reminding me I was safe. But safety meant nothing now. She wouldn't have felt safe either if she had seen how huge that wolf was.

Aaliyah put on some SZA, hoping to chill out the mood on the ride back to town. I pressed my head against the cool glass of the car window. My eyelids were heavy, my body felt weighed down, like sandbags tied to me. Too damn lucky—I was too damn lucky to walk away without a scratch. I couldn't laugh at it now, but maybe a few weeks from now, this might be a story I'd laugh about on a first date.

"Girl, I can stay if you want me to," Aaliyah said, leaning out the car window as we pulled into my driveway.

I gripped the strap of my camera bag. "Nah. Go to the game. Tell your brother I'm sorry I couldn't make it."

"You sure?"

"Yeah," I nodded.

"See you at school tomorrow?"

"Most definitely."

She waved goodbye and backed out of the driveway. I unlocked the door and stepped inside my place. Tea first, then a hot shower, and maybe I'd look at the photos I took.

Unlike my older sister, I wasn't exactly a pro in the kitchen. She made elaborate French and Italian dishes that could've landed her a job as a chef, but her passion was law. Being an attorney was far more impressive than whipping up a bouillabaisse. Meanwhile, I was eating cup noodles with a few shrimp, green onions, and scrambled eggs tossed in. I scrolled mindlessly through Instagram, double-tapping on Aaliyah's game pics, leaving a quick comment before moving on.

A text popped up.

Monica: U home?

I hadn't deleted her number. I couldn't quite bring myself to do it. She used to be saved as My Girl with a sunshine emoji. Now she was just Monica.

I ignored the message and kept scrolling, checking out the university's page to see what events were coming up. There was an 80s party planned. I tapped to share it with Aaliyah. After too much mindless scrolling, I grabbed my camera and hooked it up to my laptop. Four photos. I sighed, closing the laptop. Four wasn't nearly enough for the exhibit requirements.

I texted Aaliyah:

Me: Bitch, I only got 4 photos.

Aaliyah: I think I took plenty. I can send u some for the exhibit. 😚

Me: 😫 Girl, you too nice. I'll try taking some pics in the woods behind my place tomorrow.

Aaliyah: Hmm, don't know how u can live out there by yourself. Serial killer vibes!

Me: Shut up with your jinxing ass. 🤣

Living out here wasn't that bad. I liked the quiet and the space. My neighbors were just a few minutes away, and I had most of my stuff delivered. Groceries weren't close by, but it worked for me.

One of my neighbors, Mr. Hill, was this sweet old man who brought me homemade pies and cobblers. His kids barely visited him, and his grandkids didn't come by at all. He said our little conversations made him feel less lonely, so I made it my mission to spend some Saturdays or Sundays with him when I had time.

It was close to midnight when I finally climbed into bed. My teeth were brushed, the kitchen was cleaned up, but I couldn't sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw that wolf. A wave of panic washed over me, and I found myself checking all the doors and windows, making sure everything was locked, like the wolf was going to knock on my door or worse, break in.

I had to calm down.

"Starting next week, your new project will be with the Martial Arts department," Professor Michael said. "In motion. You'll be photographing fighters in action. Simple, right?"

The class was dead silent.

"I take that as a no," he grinned. "After class, visit the Martial Arts department. Get three signatures from any of the professors for extra credit."

"You in?" Aaliyah asked, packing her things.

"Yeah."

Professor Michael's way of dismissing us was unique—when September by Earth, Wind & Fire started playing, we knew class was over.

Aaliyah and I stopped by the campus café to grab drinks. She had a Red Bull, and I went for mineral water. Our building was the main one on campus, but other department buildings were spread out. It could take a while to get around on foot, so the school had golf cart pickups at different stations.

One of the pickups was right outside the café, so we waited.

"I forgot to ask, how are you feeling today?" Aaliyah said, sipping her Red Bull.

"Mentally, I'm still not okay."

"Talk to me."

"What happened yesterday... I know it's not a big deal—"

Aaliyah cut me off. "Girl, it is a big deal. You were almost attacked by a wolf. That's huge. But go on."

"I'm still shaken."

She put her arm around me, pulling me close. I leaned into her, soaking in the comfort.

"That's normal after something traumatic," she said. "How about we grab food and have a girls' night later?"

"I like the sound of that."

A golf cart pulled up, and we hopped on. I told the driver to take us to the Martial Arts department. When we arrived, people were flowing in and out of the automatic doors. A blast of cold air hit us as we walked inside.

"Let's check the map," Aaliyah said. I followed her, downing my water.

"Damn, they've got a lot of sub-departments."

"Does it matter which one we hit up?"

"Not really. We just need signatures."

"Let's do kickboxing."

We took the elevator to the third floor. I danced to the music playing, and Aaliyah laughed at my ridiculous attempt to twerk, saying I looked like a fish flopping on dry land.

We stepped into the gym, and the smell of sweat and disinfectant hit us. A few people glanced our way, but quickly got back to their routines.

"So how do we—oh wait, he's cute. I'll be right back," Aaliyah said, heading toward a boxing ring.

I stood there, awkward and out of place, scooting off to the side. I noticed a tall, dark-skinned guy outside another ring, barking orders at the fighters. He was likely a coach. As I looked around, my eyes locked onto this girl in a red sports bra and matching compression shorts. Her stare was intense, and she didn't look away.

Something about her gaze made me uneasy. She looked angry—mean mugging me hard. A boy walked up to her, but she pointed at me, and he glanced over too. They seemed to be arguing, but she pointed at me again.

I walked over to them. Whatever they were talking about, they dropped it when I got close.

"Do we have a problem?" I asked, a boldness I didn't feel creeping into my voice.

The girl looked me up and down. "Nah, you got a problem?"

I didn't back down. "You were pointing at me. So yeah, I do."

She laughed. "So you wanna fight because I was pointing?"

She cracked her knuckles, stepping closer.

"Dominic, chill," the boy said, pulling her back.

I didn't have Aaliyah with me. Without backup, fighting someone who looked six foot two and solid would be a losing battle.

"I just want to know why you were pointing," I pressed.

"You don't need to know shit, little girl," she jabbed her finger into my chest. "You gonna kick my ass for pointing at you? Do it."

My heart raced, but I couldn't back down now.

"What I thought. Scary-ass little girl."

"Just answer my question."

"I don't owe you shit. You don't even belong here."

"I can be here if I want."

She growled low, her eyes darkening from honey brown to almost black. A sense of danger washed over me.

"Dominic, chill for real," the boy tried to pull her back again.

"Back off, Treyvon," she snapped at him.

I froze for a second, feeling my breath catch in my throat. I wasn't sure if this Dominic girl was going to throw a punch or not, but everything about her screamed danger.

Treyvon tugged her back again, more forcefully this time. "I said chill, Dominic. You're gonna get in trouble."

She jerked out of his grip, but at least she wasn't up in my face anymore. She looked me up and down again, like she was sizing me up for a fight she already knew she'd win.

"I'll catch you later, lil girl," she said, spitting the words like a promise before storming off, Treyvon trailing after her.

I let out a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding. My legs felt weak, but I forced myself to stand tall. I wasn't about to let her see me shaking, even if my body was screaming for me to run out of there. I hadn't felt this rattled in a while, not since... well, since Monica.

"Hey, what the hell was that about?" Aaliyah's voice snapped me back to reality. She rushed over, eyes wide with concern as she glanced between me and where Dominic had just been. "Did she mess with you?"

"I don't know what her problem was," I muttered, rubbing the spot on my chest where Dominic had jabbed her finger. "She just... started."

Aaliyah's face twisted in confusion. "That girl's got issues. Seriously. Let's just get these signatures and get out of here before she tries something else."

I nodded, still feeling the tension in my shoulders. I wasn't about to let some random girl ruin my day, but damn, the way she looked at me—it was like she was ready to snap.

We headed over to one of the instructors on the far side of the room, keeping our distance from Dominic and her crew. The instructor was a tall, lean man with a beard and a calm energy about him. Aaliyah did most of the talking, explaining our project and asking for a signature. He nodded, seemed chill about it, and signed our forms without much fuss.

"You ladies take care," he said as we turned to leave.

"Thanks," I replied, grateful that not everyone in this place had a death wish for me.

As we stepped out of the gym, Aaliyah looped her arm around mine. "You okay? You look a little pale."

"I'm good," I lied. "Just shaken up."

"You think you'll be okay to head home alone?"

"Yeah, don't worry. I'll be fine."

We parted ways at the campus parking lot, and I made my way to my car, still feeling the weight of Dominic's glare on me. I couldn't shake it. I didn't like the idea of someone walking around holding a grudge against me for no reason, especially someone who looked like they'd happily rearrange my face given the chance.

Driving home felt surreal. My mind kept replaying the confrontation, the anger in Dominic's eyes, the way she'd threatened to "catch me later." The whole situation was stupid, but that didn't stop the creeping anxiety from clawing at my chest.

By the time I got home, I was exhausted. Emotionally. Mentally. Physically. I didn't even bother eating; I just wanted to shower and collapse into bed.

Standing under the hot spray of the shower, I let the water wash away the tension in my muscles. But no amount of water could wash away the nagging thought at the back of my mind—what if she really did come after me? I hated how I was letting her get under my skin, but I couldn't help it.

I crawled into bed afterward, phone in hand. I opened Instagram, mindlessly scrolling through stories, liking a few random photos here and there. My thumb hovered over Monica's profile picture. I hadn't checked her page in weeks. Maybe it was time to finally let it go. But something in me still hesitated, like a small part of me wasn't ready to cut the cord completely.

Before I could make a decision, my phone buzzed with a new message.

Monica: I'm sorry for everything, Jas. Can we please talk?

I stared at the text, my heart doing that annoying thing where it sped up and made it hard to think straight. I didn't reply. Not yet. Not while I was still so rattled from everything that had happened today.

Instead, I put my phone on silent, rolled over, and forced myself to sleep. Whatever Dominic wanted, whatever Monica wanted—I'd deal with it later. For now, I just needed to close my eyes and pretend like none of it existed. Just for a little while.

The next day at school, I kept my head down, hoping to avoid any drama. I met Aaliyah at the café before our first class, and we sat in our usual spot, sipping on iced coffee and scrolling through our phones.

"You heard from her?" Aaliyah asked, glancing at me over her phone.

I didn't have to ask who she meant. I knew she was talking about Monica.

"She texted me last night," I admitted.

Aaliyah raised an eyebrow. "And?"

"And I didn't reply."

"Good. You don't need that kind of drama in your life, Jas. Especially not now."

I nodded, knowing she was right. But still, the temptation to reply was there. It lingered, like an itch I couldn't quite scratch. Part of me wondered if maybe things could be different this time. Maybe Monica had changed.

Then again, maybe Dominic would apologize to me, too. Yeah, right.

I pushed the thought aside and focused on the rest of my day. But as I walked through campus, a nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach told me Dominic wasn't done with me yet.

And I was right.

As I made my way to my car after class, I saw her—leaning against the hood of my car, arms crossed, a smirk playing on her lips.

"Well, well, well," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Look who it is."

My heart pounded in my chest. This was not good.