Page 22 of Hooves & HeartStrings

“He followed me everywhere. Even to the classes we didn’t have together. It got to the point where I snapped at him, we talked and well, here we are.”

“Anyways. Marley is your mate. You're meant to be. Don’t give up. You love her?” I nod my head slowly. “Then go get your girl, son. Just make sure you make it known you fucked up.” He gives me a look.

I always thought my parents laid eyes on each other and had a love-at-first-sight kind of thing. I’ll have to ask more about that another time.

We all sit down and eat. Mom tells me all about work and Dad can’t keep his eyes off her.

When we’re done, I head up to my room and send the email I’m not so happy to send. I know I’m making the right choice, but it doesn’t make it any easier to do.

After I send the email, I call the school’s admission office and officially give them my acceptance.

The next day, I’m packed and ready to head back to Coral Springs.

“You ready, baby!” Sawyer shouts as she hangs her head out the window. I smile and shake my head at the obnoxious big-ass yellow bus she’s driving. Her uncle works for the high school driving buses, so I’m going to assume that's how she got this.

Everything in Coral Springs is within walking distance, so we all chose to leave our cars behind. If I need to, I can always borrow my uncle's truck.

“Bye, sweetheart,” Mom says as we hug goodbye. “I’ll see you soon.”

“Bye, Mom.” I kiss her cheeks. Pulling back, I hesitantly look at my dad. He gives me a small smile and opens up his arms. I blink a few times before taking a hug I don’t often get from him.

“Go get your girl,” he tells me.

I pull back and nod. Picking up my bags, I head toward the bus. “You all are nuts.” I laugh as I see all my friends packed in here, boxes and bags stacked in the back.

The drive there is filled with bad singing and lots of laughs. Before we know it, we’re pulling into the school parking lot.

We all pile out of the bus and stand next to it, the school before us, crowded with students. “This thing is such an eyesore,” Hayes mutters, his Lycan form towering over me as he stretches. “I thought the idea was to try and blend in? Kind of hard with this ugly ass yellow thing.”

“Oh, fuck off. It’s only for today. And it was free. Did you want to pay to rent a truck to move all our stuff here?” Sawyer asks, raising a brow as she crosses her arms.

“No,” he mutters.

“Then shut your trap.” She rolls her eyes.

“What do we do now?” Dawson, his deep voice matching his gruff gargoyle form.

Sawyer looks down at the papers she has in her hands. “Well, it says here we have someone meeting us in the courtyard to show us around the school and to our dorms. So, I say we do that, then come back and deal with our things. I have a map,” she says, holding it up. “Follow me.”

She doesn't give anyone a chance to protest, not that we would. Sawyer is the self-proclaimed leader of our group. And we’ve never argued with her about it. She’s the most level-headed of us all and knows how to keep us all in line, for the most part. For some of us, there’s no taming. We are monsters, after all.

“It says we’re here.” Sawyer lowers the map after we all stop. “See anyone who might be working for the school?”

We all look around, my eyes scanning the school grounds. All I see is palm trees, green grass, and a ton of people scattered on the lawns.

That is until my eyes land on her. My heart starts to pound in my chest as my hands grow sweaty. It’s her. My mate. She’s here, staring right at us with wide, surprised eyes. Her name leaves my lips in a soft whisper, “Marley.”

twelve

First Day of Fall Semester

As I stand in Dr. Palmer's office, my stomach churns with nerves, and I think I might puke. The email I sent seemed like a brilliant idea at the time, a chance to make an impact on the hybrid program, but now that Lucius is gone, the reality of facing the monsters feels overwhelming. What if there is another centaur? What if any of the new students ask about Luci?

Dr. Palmer's stern voice breaks through my anxious thoughts. “You will treat each and every student with respect. If I hear otherwise, you will be immediately expelled from the University. You are the welcoming committee, the first line of acceptance for the hybrid program. There will be no lenience since you signed up for this. Are we all in agreement?”

His speech only amplifies my already clammy palms and wobbly legs.

"Yes, sir," we echo in unison before dispersing from his office.

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