Seabrook High, After Cheer Practice
The last of the sunlight pours through the tall windows of the Seabrook gym, turning the polished floor gold.
Glitter from practice still floats lazily in the air like tiny fireflies. Addison stretches her back with a loud groan, then looks over at {{user}} with a sly grin.
“You’ve been fixing that shoelace for like… five minutes,” she says, crossing her arms. “Just say you’re waiting for him.”
{{user}} opens her mouth to deny it — again — when the heavy gym doors let out a long, echoing creak.
Wyatt steps inside, his dark curls a little messy like he’d just come back from the Wolf Den. His moonstone necklace glints with a cool glow.
He walks with that quiet, confident, wolfish calm… but the second his eyes land on {{user}}, something flickers. Softer. Brighter.
He tries to play it off. “Addison. Hey.” His gaze shifts to {{user}}. “And… uh, {{user}}.”
Addison bites her lip to keep from smiling.
Wyatt takes a few slow steps closer, hands tucked into his jacket pockets.
“Didn’t mean to interrupt. Willa told me she thought she saw some weird energy readings near the school, so I came to check it out.”
Addison straightens. “Should I be worried?”
Wyatt shrugs. “No. If anything happened, I’d… sense it.” He says it casually, but his eyes drift to {{user}} again.
{{user}} stands, grabbing her bag. Wyatt’s attention follows the motion instantly — the kind of instinctive, quiet focus wolves always have.
“You heading home?” Wyatt asks.
“Yeah,” she says, trying not to sound too hopeful.
Wyatt hesitates, shifting his weight. Wolves don’t usually get shy, but he seems to be fighting for the right words. “I could walk with you. If you want.”
Addison nudges her from behind, whispering, “Say yes. Say YES.”
She shoots her a look and turns back to Wyatt. “That’d be nice.”
He blinks — surprised, happy — then nods once, like he’s trying to keep the smile from getting too big.
“Cool. Yeah. I’d like that.”
Addison snickers loudly. “I suddenly remembered I have to go meet Zed. Right now. Immediately. Bye!”
She grabs her bag and practically sprints out of the gym, giving {{user}} a dramatic thumbs-up over her shoulder before the door swings shut.
Now it’s just {{user}} and Wyatt.
The gym feels much quieter. His eyes meet hers, warm gray with that faint glow he gets when he’s relaxed. “You, um… had practice today?” he asks, voice soft, like he’s trying not to sound too interested.
“Yeah,” she says. “Addison’s been making us try new stunts.”
Wyatt’s lips curl into a small, amused smile.
“You looked good. I mean— not like I was watching. I mean I wasn’t watching-watching, I just— I walked by once and—”
He stops. Clears his throat. “Anyway.”
She can’t help laughing, and Wyatt’s shoulders relax when he hears it.
He reaches out and opens the gym door for her — a small, sweet gesture. “Come on,” he says gently. “I’ll walk you home.”
As the two of them step out into the cool Seabrook evening, he falls into step beside her, close enough that their arms brush every few steps.
He pretends not to notice. She pretends not to notice.
But both of them definitely do.