Yello! Everyone! How is the last couple days of summer for ya? Yeah i didn't think it was all that great. If your in school already I feel so sorry for you!

I would like to thank my awesome reviewers (Jazzmatazz and Beautifully-Scarred-Underneath [who changed her penname after writing the review so i can't put up her new one because i'm lazy and i don't want to find it XD tho she is still my bestie!])

Please enjoy the new chapter of A Stray!

I feel something wet on my leg and I am hoping to God it is not some guy."Eh! Go away…" I murmur, wiping my leg. I meet a wet nose and tongue. "Ugh! I am not into getting licked…" I groan as I stretch. I hear a deep growl and open my eyes to be met by Ringo. "OH! Thank God it's you! I thought it was some guy." Another growl comes from his mouth and he seems to glare at me. "Sorry, I much rather it be you than another human. I hate to say that because it makes me sound like I'm in love with a wolf!" I laugh, falling back into his thick pelt.

He sneezes all over me and gives me a lopsided grin. "That is disgusting, Ringo."

He rolls his eyes at me.

"I could get sick, Ringo! I could die!" I glare at him, playfully.

He whines as if taking it to heart.

"Dear, you know I'm joking!" I push on his neck, smiling. I sigh. "You know, I have to get going soon."

He whines and turns his head to look at me.

"I'm sorry. Even if they are totally pissed off at me, they'll still worry." I push myself up to a standing position and sit feel dwarfed by his size. I frown, angrily. "Why do you have to be so big?"

His answer is the choking laugh. I can't bring myself to glare at him so, I smile instead.

"I'll see you soon, okay?" I rub his head between his ears. I hear his tail whip leaves around and I grin. "Later, Ringo."

I take off in the direction I had come and make it out in a matter of moments. It makes me wonder if I actually had run as far as I had originally thought or I had run in circles, before falling.

I look up at the house and find it dark. I smile darkly. "Of course they would never leave the lights on for me." I walk up the steps and hear voices. I deadpan knowing, just knowing, they're talking about me.

"Anna, you need to get over this. You know she says things when she's pissed off." Brett's voice filters through the mail slot. I glare at the welcome mat hating him for being right.

"I don't care! She didn't need to be that pissed off at me! She threw a phone at me! She bruised my nose and gave me a black eye!"

I smile evilly at the feat. She so, deserved it!

I hear Brett groan or growl or something menacing. "You had Nick call her! NICK! You may think that it does hurt her as much as it used to because it hurts her a hellva lot more now! She needs a friend that can help her when she needs it and be strong when she's weak! Not a back stabbing friend that you have been lately!"

I sigh and stand up jiggling my keys, before sticking them in the lock. I open the door to find Anna in her panties and Brett in his boxers. I raise an eyebrow. "Wow, I would have never have expected this when I heard yelling." I shrug. "I'm gonna get a doughnut. Continue your little foreplay here."

I turn around and walk out shaking my head. This just keeps getting weirder and weirder.

I walk down the sidewalk to the coffee house that is around the bend somewhere. I just follow my nose to find it.

I sigh when I finally make it in and find that it's packed and I know no one in the whole shop. I buy a doughnut and a small smoothie. I curl up in a nice booth and listen to all the sounds and voices around me. Listening to what Cali did this weekend, is more of what I want to hear than what Anna has to say about my behavior lately.

As the night progresses, I find myself just watching the people around me wondering how they can be so oblivious to the person next to them. Do they know that most of the people here have the same kind of problem and that they could probably work it out together if they actually knew each other?

"You know, it's late out."

I look away from the people and find Masen sitting across from me. How could I have not heard him? Geez, my boy senses are dulling! I give him a polite smile. "It's not that late out."

He smiles. "Okay, you're right. It's only about ten, but you know you should be back at your house with your roommates."

"I rather go jump in a pool of hungry sharks with my arm bleeding, then go back." I deadpan as a waitress comes over and smiles brightly at him. Where was this service when I got here? She takes his order and then goes back to get it.

"That's bad." He smirks, playing with a straw I didn't use.

I shrug. "Sortta, I really just don't see why I have to suck so much at being around people."

The waitress brings him his food and her number happily. I don't even hold back a sigh and an eye roll. "You don't seem like a hermit though, Rachell."

I glare at the smirk he gives me. "People like you and my roommates make me crazy. And just because I haven't become a hermit yet, doesn't mean I won't."

He laughs! He has the nerve to laugh at me. What is up with everyone being so out of whack? No one ever laughs at me! "Rachell, you seem like the person to need to be around people to stay sane."

A scowl presents itself as he continues on about how I am one of those people who crave attention. "Masen, I hate to be rude, but shove a sock in it."

I leave a tip and walk calmly out of the coffee shop. I begin to wonder where I should go when I hit someone. An extremely warm someone. Another deeper scowl appears on my face. There is only one person who is this warm. "Jake."

"Rachell," he returns, putting his hands on my shoulders. I feel a chill run down my spine.

There it is again, Rachell. You know you want him.

"What are you doing here? Stalking me?" I look up at him with the same scowl.

He rolls his eyes. "Why would I ever stalk you? You hit me with a truck."

"It was an accident! You were the one running in the road!" I gasp when he grabs my wrist trembling. He pulls me away from the coffee shop in the direction that is opposite of my house. "Wow, Jake, we haven't even been on a date and you want to show me to your place."

He looks over his shoulder and he rolls his eyes. "Masen is bad news."

"Only for me." I grumble at him, glaring.

He nods his answer and I sigh.

"This is unfair. After being completely rude-"

He interrupts with a stop making me walk into him. "I was not being rude to you. I was telling you the truth because I know you know I am not like all the other guys out there."

I purse my lips then a frown takes over my face. "How am I supposed to know? I just met you."

He rolls his eyes. "Even so, you know I'm different." He gives me a meaningful look.

I sigh. "So, I wasn't seeing things when I hit you?"

"Nope."

"And I'm not sleeping right now?"

"That would be a very long dream, Rachell."

"True." I purse my lips. "Why are you still around?"

He lets out a sigh pulling me towards a huge apartment complex that I didn't even know existed. "I have to stay."

"Are you taking classes?"

"No."

"Family?"

"No."

"Girlfriend?" I glower at the question but, it needed to be asked.

"Sortta."

I blink at his answer. "That doesn't make any sense. You can't have a sortta girlfriend. Unless it's a friend with benefits." I look away from him, glaring at a random fire extinguisher thing.

He laughs. "No, it's for a girl, but she's not my girlfriend yet."

"You sound like you have a huge ego. How do you know she'll be your girlfriend?" I watch him wave to the man at the desk inside. He walks over to the elevators and presses the button. I wait in silence for his answer.

We step into the elevator together; I step into the corner farthest away from him, wondering why the hell I am with him going to his apartment. Hanging my head, I sigh at my stupidity. 'I so should have stayed at the coffee shop and dealt with Masen.'

"Well, she is following me to my apartment." He turns away from the buttons and looks me directly in the eye. My whole body goes numb and I feel like I'm going to faint.

He wants you, Rachell.

My head shakes on its own when I try to push out the happy feelings. "Why me? That doesn't make any sense!" I hear myself growl, not knowing where it came from.

He gives me an amused half-smile. He doesn't move closer and he doesn't press against the wall behind him. "Well, what regular girl would hit a guy, kidnap him-"

"It wasn't kidnap."

"Take him to her house and make him wear her clothes before scaring him out of her house, before he can even get her name? There's something special there," he finishes, sarcastically.

I roll my eyes. "You make no sense."

"It's all I ever try to do."

I explode. I take a step toward him shaking and red in the face. "You are supposed to tell me what's going on! You're just making this so much more confusing than it has to be! If you want to date me so desperately you have to tell me things so I can figure you out! I am not just going to sit here and let you confuse the fuck out of me!"

He cocks an eyebrow. "Done yet?"

My eyes narrow dangerously and I am about ready to sock him so hard that he will wish I killed him when I hit his furry ass with my truck. "NO! Why are you so aggravating? I cannot help, but think that you have to be mentally insane to think this would get your girl!"

"You're still here aren't you?" He gives me a smirk to only fuel the fire.

"YOU ASSHOLE!" I screech as the door opens to an elderly woman with her husband. The woman looks terrified of my outburst, but like Jake the man seems amused.

"We'll wait for the next elevator." The man smiles at us.

I stare wide eyed at the doors when they close.

"Classy," Jake's voice echoes through the elevator.

I stifle a laugh and then full out crack up. I had let this boy get to me so well! Only Eric has been able to piss me off that much! And he's my little brother!

I stay silent as he leads me out of the elevator, down a hallway, and through his door. Looking around his apartment, I find it as dirty as Brad's; smiling, I find that it smells just like I would have imagined. Like left over take out and old socks.

"I know it's not much…" He trails off when he sees me go straight for the fridge.

I open the door and look over my shoulder. "Do you have any beer?"

He races over and slams the door shut, "You are not getting drunk." He glares at me in a fatherly way.

"It's only a beer and for the time being I'll be spending the night here." I roll my eyes.

"Why do you think that?"

"Why else would you bring me here at this hour?"

"To make sure you don't get hurt."

"Right, forgot that Masen's some evil guy out to get me." I glare at him. Huffing, I make my way to the couch. He watches me as I fall into it and sigh. "Why are you so protective of me? I hardly know you."

He steps around the couch and looks me in the eyes with those molten coffee eyes, the volcanoes of passion. I want to kill him for making me feel like this, but I know I could never do that. "Because you're going to be my girlfriend."

I snort and laugh until my stomach hurts. "Cocky, bit?" He laughs and spreads his arms ready to fall onto the couch.

"Yup." He lands right where my feet used to be. I glare at him for almost chopping off my feet with his very good looking bum.

I sigh and lean back to the edge of the chair. "Country or rap?"

It was a question that started a revolution. I don't know what happened, but we both argued for what seemed like hours, putting out points that the other had to think for a few minutes before answering. It was amazing. I hadn't had that much fun in ages. That's all I ever wanted: Someone to argue with.

I smiled when he said that he hated both.

Maybe, I just might become his girlfriend.

I wake up in the morning feeling oddly refreshed and happy. Turning over, I find a huge lug AKA Jake. I turn on my back and blink at the ceiling. For the first time in ages, I have woken up with a hot guy and not have had sex with him. Jake snores next to me oblivious to my sudden epiphany. Stretching and yawning, I make my way to the kitchen looking for some cereal or something simple to make.

I find myself making ramen noodles. Yeah, the breakfast for champions! Whoo! I glare at the cup as it spins around and around and around and around and around.

When it finally comes out, I am dizzy from spinning around in circles to see what would happen; even though, I knew full well what would happen. I guess it's my way of being reckless without the "reck" and the "less".

I search all over to find a damn fork, but can't find it to Jake's amusement. He sudden;y appeared out of nowhere. He seems to do this more often than not. I glare at him with ramen cup in hand. "Tell me where a fork might be?"

He chuckles and goes over to the first draw I looked in and pulls a fork out. "Here."

"Thank you," The automatic response comes out of my ramen-filled mouth.

"Favorite boyfriend."

I look up from the heaven-in-a-bowl and stare at the annoying-but-really-cool guy sitting at the table. "Maut?"

"You heard me, Rachell." He smirks.

I put my ramen down and my fork next to it fixing it when I notice it's a little croaked. I look up at him. "I would rather not talk about it."

"I'll talk about mine."

"I don't want to know about yours."

"Yeah, you do."

I shake my head. Not out of Jake's comments, but trying to ward off the ones that are threatening to make me sob buckets of water. "No, Jake, I don't. You are some random guy that has popped into my life and just as quickly as you have, you're leaving."

"No, I'm not and you know it. You want to know where I came from, why I am here, and why the hell I can change into a wolf."

I sigh sitting down in front of him. "I don't want to know you, Jake." He looks lost when I say thing but, I ignore all my feelings. All of them and I continue, "And you most certainly don't want to know me. I am a pile of broken beer bottles and party confetti. I may be the life of the party, but after a couple hours I ain't so fun anymore." I slurp my noodles as if all of this is nothing to me, but then again, it is.

I've shut myself down.

He sighs. "The doors unlocked. The trash is over there. Put the fork in the sink." He sounds as detached as I feel.

I blink and look down into my bowl. At the bottom I find small noodles, dehydrated meat, carrots, and peas. When I stare at it long enough to make our silence awkward, I notice the heart. It would be my luck to find a sad reminder that this thing I feel for Jake could turn out how I want it.

"It's a heart."

"In a cup of ramen."

"A heart."

"You're crazier than I first thought."

"I try to do that." Looking up from the cup, I find myself smiling despite wanting to run for the hills.

He reaches over the table and takes the cup, "It looks like balls."

I crack up with him and bang the table feeling tears well up in my eyes. "You have it upside down, idiot!" I cry in between laughing fits.

"Oh," escapes his mouth and he turns it around and stares for a moment. His eyes widen. "It does look like a heart!"

"DUH!" I giggle watching his eyes light up. I feel my heart flutter in the death-will-come-soon way, but for once I push it away. Nick will not ruin this moment.

Then he blinks suddenly becoming super serious. "What are we going to do with it?"

I gasp, realizing the same thing. "Do you think I should eat it? Or do you want to save it?"

"I think you should eat it."

"Moldy ramen does smell pretty rank."

"You don't have the slightest idea. One of my buddies at home left one under my bed. I went through five pairs of sheets, two pillows, and a mattress before I figured out that there was a cup of ramen under my bed."

I laugh, closing my eyes and showing my teeth, not something I do often anymore. "You poor thing."

He rolls his eyes. "Stop being sarcastic."

"Hey! I meant that!"

"No, you didn't."

"Okay, you're right. I so do not feel sorry for you." I grin as he pushes me with his overly large, hot hand.

"Your sarcasm could dry up a rain forest." He stands up and walks over to his bedroom. My eyes can't help, but stay fixated on his body. His broad shoulders, his biceps, and his huge leg muscles, all are almost too much for me to imagine. Thank Jesus, I have a great imagination!

Shaking my head, I finish off the heart of ramen and get up. I throw my trash out and put the fork in the sink with a clatter. When I turn around, Jake is buttoning up a plaid shirt. He smirks at me when he finds my gaze. I refuse to give him the pleasure of seeing me blushing because apparently on several occasions it has been called very cute.

He walks over and leans against the stove next to me. "What do you want to do today?"

I sigh. "I have to get home. Macy will be freaking out if I'm not hope by two."

"Why two?"

"Beats me."

"You have weird friends."

"If I had normal friends, I probably would have never ended up here," I add, a little angrily. I sigh and make my way around the counter top and towards the door. "Are you going to follow me?"

Turning to face him, I find him watching me with passion. His eyes filled to the brim with something none other than love. I hate to admit, but that stare made me blush bright crimson and wish he would kiss me.

You know he won't. If he does you'll get hurt again.

I gulp and shake my head. What is wrong with me?

"I got an idea." I blink, watching Jake stride over to where I am. He stands an inch away from me and looks down at me. "I should take you home to show Macy you're fine and then you're spending the day with me."

I deadpan and look at his stomach. "I don't have a choice do I? You know I have school."

He tilts his head back and forth before grinning like a fool. "I can firemen carry you or you can go at your own free will."

"You may not know me very well, but I think you already know the answer to that question."

"Alright! Firemen it is!"

"What! Jake! NO! PUT ME DOWN DOG BOY!" I slam my hands on his back, screaming all the way to the elevator and then a few floors down.

The elevator door opens and Jake snickers. I become quiet. "It's the elderly couple again isn't it?"

"Yup."

"I just can't get a break can I?"

"Nope."

So? What do you think? Pretty good or are my chapters going down hill? AND HEY! You guys need to check out my other story! I swear you'll like it! Just read the first chap alright? Geez... it isn't that much to ask...