I woke up early on my first day of summer. It was hard to believe I was out of high school, for good. It seemed like only yesterday I was starting kindergarten, learning how to say my ABC's, and making new friends.
I pulled on a pair of black sofie shorts and rolled them up so they were extremely short. After pulling on a white cami and my black and white flip flops, I slipped on my silver chain necklace and silver hoops. I pulled my long, black hair up into a messy bun on the top of my head and straightened my side fringe. I decided to skip makeup since I wasn't going anywhere special. After grabbing my white sunglasses and putting them on top of my head, I grinned in the mirror and ran out my bedroom door. I needed to see Josh. Since I would only be here two more months, I wanted to spend every second with him.
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"Where are you headed this early on a summer morning?" Daddy sat at the kitchen table while Momma cooked pancakes. He had out the newspaper, and there was something that he wasn't too happy to see.
"Oh, I was just going down to the river to hang out by my-"
"No!" I was cut off when my father shouted at me. It scared me stiff, and I could only stare at him in bewilderment.
His face softened. "I'm sorry, Makaylee. Why don't you get Josh or Garrett or one of the wolves to go with you? I don't want you in the woods alone."
Although I was confused, I nodded and walked outside. Why was Daddy being so protective? He always let me go to the river alone. There was something going on, and I was determined to find out.
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I made my way to the garage that Josh's dad, Embry Call, owned.
I walked inside, out of the burning summer sun, into the air-conditioned building. Aunt LuLu was at the front desk, while I could hear Embry and Jake arguing over how to put something together in the back.
"Hey, LeeLee," Aunt LuLu cheerfully greeted me with her special nickname, similar to her own. "How's life as a college student?"
I smiled and reminded her, "I'm not in college yet, Aunt LuLu. But life out of high school is great. So far." I called all of the adults in the pack 'Aunt' or 'Uncle.' I don't know why, it was just something I've been doing since I was little.
Aunt LuLu held up a finger, silently telling me to wait right where I was, and walked into the garage part of the building. A few minutes later, Josh appeared. His eyes lit up when he saw me.
"What's up, Kay?" My heart melted at his nickname for me.
I shrugged. "Nothing much. I just wanted to go in the woods, you know, like down to the river or something, and my dad freaked out. He said that I had to get you or Garrett to take me, and personally I'd rather disobey my father's wishes than go in the woods with my snotty little brother, so I came to see if you wanted to go." I felt like I was babbling, so I shut my mouth. My cheeks flamed red, causing Josh to smirk.
"Sure, I'll come. Just let me tell my mom." He turned and leaned his head in the garage. "I'm leaving!"
A muted reply of, "Okay!" came from Uncle Embry.
Josh turned and grinned at me. "Let's go." He took my hand and led me out the door. The whole time, I kept repeating in my head, He's holding my hand. He's holding my hand. He's holding my hand.
