{"id":67,"date":"2026-02-11T14:23:13","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T20:23:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/firstsemester\/?p=67"},"modified":"2026-02-11T14:23:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T20:23:13","slug":"stand-your-ground","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/firstsemester\/stand-your-ground\/","title":{"rendered":"Stand Your Ground"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Saturday afternoon had that kind of easy, late-winter sunlight that filtered through bare branches and made everything look sharper, cleaner. Gabriel\u2019s text had been short: \u201cCome over. Dad\u2019s grilling. Might go for a walk after.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I pulled up, the scent of woodsmoke drifted from the backyard. His grandparents\u2019 cape cod sat quiet among the trees, bird feeders swaying in the breeze. This time, the porch was full<\/em> of wildlife\u2014squirrels, doves, a couple of fat raccoons picking through spilled seed. But the second I stepped out of the truck, the whole lot scattered like I\u2019d dropped a stick of dynamite. Gabriel caught the movement through the window and smirked as I came in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cStill your fan club,\u201d he teased.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGuess I don\u2019t pass their vibe check,\u201d I said, kicking my boots off by the door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nathan was in the kitchen, leaning against the counter with a soda in his hand. He glanced up, saw me, and immediately took a long sip like the carbonation might be a shield. Then, with a muttered, \u201cI\u2019m out,\u201d he disappeared into the den.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gabriel grinned. \u201cIt\u2019s like living with a rabbit that\u2019s seen a hawk too many times.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We ended up on the back deck with his dad, Jim, who was tending the grill with a pair of tongs and the kind of calm only people who love cooking outdoors seem to have. \u201cBurgers in ten,\u201d Jim said, glancing up at me. \u201cYou eat like a normal guy or should I make these\u2026 rarer?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gabriel choked on his iced tea, laughing. I shrugged. \u201cRarer\u2019s fine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After lunch, we cut through the woods toward the neighborhood park. Gabriel had his hood up, hands stuffed in his pockets, but there was something in his stride\u2014looser, less guarded than I\u2019d seen at school. Every so often, he\u2019d flick me a sideways look, like he was still processing the fact that The Reveal<\/em> hadn\u2019t been a dream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We hit the basketball court where a few guys from school were hanging out. One of them\u2014Jake, the type who thought his varsity jacket was a crown\u2014grinned when he saw Gabriel. \u201cHey, I know you. You\u2019re the guy who\u2014\u201d He made a limp-wristed gesture, the kind meant to humiliate. His buddies snickered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I felt my hackles lift, but before I could move, Gabriel stepped forward. Just enough. Not aggressive, not backing down either. \u201cYou got something to say, Jake, or are you just bad at charades?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jake blinked, clearly not expecting pushback. \u201cJust messing around.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d Gabriel said, his tone flat, \u201cyou\u2019re hilarious.\u201d He didn\u2019t break eye contact until Jake looked away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The moment Jake did, I shifted just enough in his peripheral\u2014no words, no threats, just the kind of stillness predators use. His pulse jumped; I could smell<\/em> it. He muttered something about needing a drink and walked off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gabriel waited until they were out of earshot before he looked at me, the edge of a grin playing at his mouth. \u201cYou didn\u2019t even touch him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDidn\u2019t have to,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We kept walking, side by side. For the rest of the afternoon, the park felt like it belonged to us\u2014our unspoken agreement holding it safe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That night, Gabriel texted me. \u201cYou up?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I called instead of answering. \u201cWhat\u2019s up?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was quiet for a second. \u201cI don\u2019t know\u2026 I just\u2026 today felt different. Like, when Jake pulled that crap\u2026 I didn\u2019t freeze. I didn\u2019t back down.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou didn\u2019t have to,\u201d I said. \u201cYou stood your ground. That\u2019s the whole trick.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah, but\u2026 I think it\u2019s \u2018cause you were there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I leaned back in my chair, staring at the ceiling. \u201cMaybe at first. But you carried it yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was a pause, then a softer, \u201cThanks. For\u2026 y\u2019know. Not letting people walk over me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnytime,\u201d I said. And I meant it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Saturday afternoon had that kind of easy, late-winter sunlight that filtered through bare branches and made everything look sharper, cleaner. Gabriel\u2019s text had been short: \u201cCome over. Dad\u2019s grilling. Might go for a walk after.\u201d When I pulled up, the scent of woodsmoke drifted from the backyard. His grandparents\u2019 cape cod sat quiet among the […]<\/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-67","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-high-school-life"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/firstsemester\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67","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=67"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/firstsemester\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":68,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/firstsemester\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67\/revisions\/68"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/firstsemester\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=67"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/firstsemester\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=67"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/firstsemester\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=67"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}