Sorry I haven't posted in a billion years. :S Don't hate me.

Enjoy!

Adrienne's POV

"Why? Why would he just leave me? Just leave me like that, all alone and hurt and with the freaking bill?" I sobbed to Penny, burying my head in the soft fuzz of my pillow and imagining it was Puddles. ('Puddles' is my new name for my furry wolf friend. I figured if I was going to see him again, he'd need a name.)

"Oh honey," she said, wrapping her arms around me tight and rocking my shaking body back and forth. "I'm sure he didn't want to. It must've been an emergency – something he couldn't have gotten out of. How could he leave you? He's hopelessly into you, I'm sure of it."

I wriggle myself out of her grasp. "So what? You're siding with him now? This is all your fault, you know. I wouldn't have even CONSIDERED going out with him if it wasn't for you, and then I could have saved myself this embarrassment and hurt and UGH!" I scream, throwing my pillow at her and walking (… well, stomping) out of the room.

"Where are you going?" Miss McClearot's face is troubled. Serves her right. I'm sick of people. They just mess things up. I don't need anyone but me, myself, and I.

… Well, maybe Puddles.

"Home. I'll see you at school tomorrow, I guess," I roll my eyes and leave.

Getting one last look at her fallen face, I might add.

On Monday, I drop my bag off in my locker and try to be as discrete as possible. That doesn't happen. I catch sight of Collin just as a teacher knocks my shoulder. I lose it.

"What was that for? Huh? Huh? WHAT? My life is a mess, and you just walk into me like I don't matter? WHAT WAS THAT FOR? LEAVE ME ALONE, WILL YOU? WILL YOU?!"

"Excuse me! Get your butt down to the principal's office, young lady!"

And so I trudge my way down there, as fast as one can trudge, quickening my pace when I realize that Collin might come after me. After a second's thought my trudge turns into a cantor and I throw open the office door.

"Please don't break my door," the secretary asks kindly.

"Please don't break my door," I mock, rolling my eyes and slumping into one of the seats.

"What are you here for?"

"I freaked out at a teacher."

"What for?"

"She bumped into me." The lady looks at me inquiringly so I add, "I'm having a bad life."

"Oh. Well the principal will see you now then,"

I get a long lecture from the principal. She talks about bad choices, being polite and respectful, blah-da-dey-blah-blah. Whatever. "Make better choices, be a better person," yeah, right. I'll get on that as soon as I can get my life together.

Then she calls in the teacher I freaked at, and makes me apologize. I'm sent out with a warning, all before first period starts.

Aren't I the luckiest?

School is unbearable. I can't look at talk to or even acknowledge Collin. It hurts too much. Finally after the final bell rings, I burst through the hordes of people, throwing my books into my bag as I go. I push and shove and realize I'm about to cry, so I push and shove faster, desperate for a glimpse of the outdoors. Fresh air, the woods, the road – where I can make my escape.

"WAIT!" A hand latches onto my arm, whipping me around. We're too close. I can't do this. I try to run, but his hold is too strong, and I break. I just can't handle it.

"What do you want? Huh? To rub it in my face, to ask me for forgiveness, to-to- to what? I don't understand what you could want from me right now! You blew me off during the middle of our date. … How could you do that? How – how could you do that? I really thought… that… you liked me." I notice that his hand had slipped into mine. "How?" I inquire, looking up into his eyes.

"I would rather be tortured than leave you," he tells me in all seriousness.

I drop my gaze down to the pavement. "That's kind of drastic," I whisper.

"It's the truth. And I really don't want to lie to you." The look on his face is pained.

"Then don't."

"I won't. I promise."

I want to believe him… I want it more than anything. (Well, I want one thing just a tad more. And that, is to hurt him in every way possible, to show him how he hurt me.)

"I'm having a hard time believing you. Please, just leave me alone, at least for a while. For someone who left me in an instant it seems like you won't go away." And with that, I leave.

And the worst part is he doesn't follow me.

That night I go home, do my homework, have my dinner, and go to bed. But the stupid wolves outside won't shut up, so I go down the stairs, out the door, and into the back. Wearing my fuzzy slippers and shrinking into the blanket wrapped around my shoulders, I must be a sight to see. But I stay focused, and march over to the edge of the forest. "YOU GUYS HAD BETTER SHUT! UP! I MEAN IT! I'M TRYING TO GO TO BED HERE! SO DON'T BE DOGS – ha, I'm funny – AND SMARTEN UP! BE NICE TO A POOR INNOCENT HEARTBROKEN STRANGER WHO CAN'T GET ANY PEACE OR QUIET OUTSIDE HER BEDROOM, AND THEN CAN'T GET ANY PEACE OR QUIET EVEN INSIDE HER BEDROOM! So just … shush."

I hear one more howl, so I add, "Please."

Puddles comes out from the shadows. "Hi buddy. Sorry I flipped. I'm just in an extremely pissy mood. Do you know what that's like? No, I'm sure you've got a great life… living out here in the woods with no stupid idiot dumb boys to hurt you. Uh – uh, um… I didn't mean that… you… like boys. Or, if you do, I… er- this is awkward. You can like whoever you like, okay Puddles?"

He looks at me like a crazy person. Well, I am.

"Sorry, Puddles, I didn't mean-"

He looks at me funny again. "What's wrong? Tell me, Puddles – even though you can't."

He raises his eyebrow. (Did that really just happen? What is this, Winn Dixie?)

"Puddles?"

He stares at me intently.

"I – wait, Puddles… do you not like your name? I like it. Obviously. I figured I should name you, because I wanted to see you again… so you're just going to have to live with it."

He rolls his eyes. (Really?) Coming closer to me, he nudges my thigh. "So whenever I need to talk to you, I can just call for you, right? You'll be here?"

He looks at me as if there were nothing else he could possibly want in this world.

"Thanks Puddles. It seems like you're the only one who'll listen to me."

I wake up on Tuesday and look outside my window, wishing for some reason that Puddles will be there. And he is, to my astonishment. I can just make out the shaggy outline of his fur, but I can clearly see his perfectly brown, bright eyes.

I run out in my pjs and give him a hug before my mother shouts at me to get inside, I'll freeze to death. I smile sheepishly at her, looking back to see that my beloved friend has retreated back to the comfort of his woods.

Quickly getting ready for school, I remember that I'll have to see Collin. What am I going to do? I decide to dress as nicely as possible, picking a pair of skinny jeans that accentuate my curves and a flowy silk top in crimson that compliments my russet and blush-prone skin. I'm about to call Penny over to help me with my makeup, but then I realize that we aren't really speaking… or at least I'm not speaking to her. I sigh and do it myself, happy with the result.

As I bike to school it starts to drizzle. Ugggggggh, I think. Now my hair is going to frizz and I'm gonna look like poop and uuuuuuugggggggh. I pedal faster, reaching the school just as it turns torrential. "Ugggggh!" I scream in frustration as I run inside, putting my bag over my head in an unsuccessful effort to keep the rain off of me.

Rushing to my first class and trying to fix the mess my hair has become all at the same time, I bump into Collin. "So we're switching places now?" He smiles, and I want to chuckle, but I'm too upset with him still. So I look away and sit down, ignoring his perfectly adorable self. Because he left me all alone. How could I forgive him after he did that to me?

I want to cry, or spaz, or do something to express my anger and hurt, but no opportunity appears all day and I don't have the energy to make one. At lunch I realize again that I'm not talking to Penny, and it's killing me, but I sit by the window and stare at the rain.

...

Wednesday seems to pop up quickly. I wake up, put absolutely no effort into my looks, and bike to school. I'm so tired – I stayed up half the night crying over Collin. Puddles wouldn't even show up to comfort me, even though I heard some howls in the woods. Gah. I hate my life. Even when I have a seemingly good relationship with a wolf, he ditches me.

I ignore Collin again, but he seems almost… happy. Maybe he doesn't care about me anymore. Maybe he never did. That's not true, he said he never wanted to leave me, I hear myself think, but I can't believe it. He doesn't want me, and I just have to accept it.

Before I leave the school, Collin comes up to me in the hallway. "Hey," he says. "Look, I really want you to know how sorry I am. I never meant to hurt you, and I really didn't want to leave, it was just – a family thing, I guess you could say. And I had to. I've never wanted anything more than I did that night, because all I wanted was to stay with you forever and… I'm sorry."

"I'll take it into consideration," I say, and with that I walk to the doors and down the steps, but just before I get on my bike I notice a single red rose in the basket. There's no note, nothing but the flower, and I smile to myself as I pedal home.

Along the way I see an orchid. Lots of orchids, actually, all scattered along the bike path. I smile wider. They're all in white – my absolute favourite.

When I reach home, I place my bike down on the driveway and pick up the flowers, one on each of the front steps, and a dozen placed through the door handle. I giggle (I never knew it was possible for me to giggle) as I open the door and see that my house is covered in orchids! Subconsciously I'm wondering how he got in, but I really don't care. Collin is clearly the sweetest person in the world.

I collect all of the flowers I can hold, but once my arms are full I know that I have to stop. I go up to my room and see even more. I shut my door and spin around, letting the flowers fall.

Who would've known that a zillion flowers could weaken me?

When my parents saw the mess, they flipped and forced me to collect every single one. My room is non-existent – it is flowers. You can't even see the floor. But all of this lets me know how much Collin really cares – he must. I skip down the stairs and to the woods, an armful of orchids with me. "Puddles!" I call once I've reached the edge. "I've got something for you!"

He emerges out of the woods, and I set to work making a crown. Sitting in the dirt, leaning against a tree, I tell Puddles what happened. He seems to smile, but he loses it when I place the crown on his head. "Puddles!" I whine. "I'll never see you again if you don't wear it."

He stopped protesting after that. I'm glad I have another relationship sorted out.

"I think I really like him," I whisper into my wolf's ear. That makes him smile, though I don't know why. "And I'm sure he likes me. So I think I'll formally forgive him tomorrow."

And we sit there, crowned royalty with our flowers, until the moon starts to shine.

Did ya like it? Did ya? I hope you did. I worked hard on it. :)

Now, please review! If you liked it, if you hated it (although liked is preferred), tell me! I just want to hear from you! I know that I have more than ten visitors! So please, make my day and tell me what you think. And also, please tell me what you think should happen next! The vampires need to make an appearance. They will soon. But what else should happen? Tell me! I'll love you forever!

3