The Humvee\u2019s engine hummed low as we pulled away from the Harcourts\u2019 parsonage. Gabriel kept both hands on the wheel, headlights cutting through the Cape night, the trees and quiet houses slipping past. For the first time all evening, it was just us again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Neither of us spoke for a while. My head was still full \u2014 of Betty\u2019s laugh, Philip\u2019s steady voice, the way the Harcourt kids crowded around like a real pack. The smell of roast chicken and apple pie lingered in my nose. Home. A real home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gabriel finally exhaled, long and heavy. \u201cDamn.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I glanced over. \u201cYeah.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His grip tightened on the steering wheel. \u201cWhen his mom hugged me\u2026 I didn\u2019t know what to do. I can\u2019t even remember the last time somebody did that without\u2026 I dunno, without it feeling forced or fake.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I stared out the window, jaw tight. \u201cSame. My mom\u2014\u201d I cut myself off, shaking my head. \u201cDoesn\u2019t matter. Betty Harcourt\u2026 she meant it. You could feel it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYeah,\u201d Gabriel said softly. \u201cAnd his dad\u2026 he looked at us like\u2026 like we were worth something.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The words landed heavy in my chest. I remembered Philip\u2019s handshake, the calm in his eyes, the way he thanked us for being Mark\u2019s friends \u2014 like we\u2019d done something noble, instead of just\u2026 being wolves doing what wolves do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I let out a rough laugh, more bitter than I meant. \u201cWe scare the hell out of half the school, and here\u2019s this pastor thanking us for watching out for his kid. What kind of upside-down world is that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gabriel shook his head. \u201cNot upside-down. Just\u2026 different. Better.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We drove in silence a few more miles, the tires humming on the asphalt. Finally, Gabriel said, \u201cThane\u2026 that\u2019s the first time I\u2019ve felt like I belonged anywhere. Even for a couple hours.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I didn\u2019t answer right away. My throat was too tight. I just reached over and rested a hand on his shoulder. He shot me a glance \u2014 just enough of a look to say he got it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The rest of the ride to his house was quiet, but it wasn\u2019t empty. It was full \u2014 of something we hadn\u2019t had in a long time. Maybe ever.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Humvee\u2019s engine hummed low as we pulled away from the Harcourts\u2019 parsonage. Gabriel kept both hands on the wheel, headlights cutting through the Cape night, the trees and quiet houses slipping past. For the first time all evening, it was just us again. Neither of us spoke for a while. My head was still […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-112","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-high-school-life"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/firstsemester\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/firstsemester\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/firstsemester\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/firstsemester\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/firstsemester\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=112"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/firstsemester\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":113,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/firstsemester\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112\/revisions\/113"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/firstsemester\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=112"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/firstsemester\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=112"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/firstsemester\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=112"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}