Page 3 of Raw

She didn’t agree with Papa’s lifestyle choices, and how he was making Fennec want to live out there as well, but she sure hated boys like Kody and Duke, whose parents should’ve rethought their name choices as they sounded like dogs.

We got into the car, Fennec in the passenger seat and me in the back. “Are you sure you wanna go live with Papa? You know you still have time. We’ve talked about going to college. Are you sure that’s not something you’d like?” Mama asked.

“I promised Papa to be with him next week. I can’t bail on him, and you know how I feel about college.”

“College is boring,” I announced, making Fennec laugh and turn his head to look back at me.

“Yeah? And how would you know, Ves?”

I grinned and shrugged. “High school is boring, so I don’t think college is any better.”

“College is helpful,” Mama said, making us both look at her. “They teach you a lot for later in life.”

“They won’t teach me how to hunt and trap animals. Or how to survive in the wild. How to navigate back home when you’re lost,” he pointed out, making me smile brightly.

“Papa is the best college professor there is,” I said proudly, but Mama shook her head.

“Your father didn’t even finish high school. He has always swum against the current, always doing his own thing.”

“Being different is a good thing, Mama. I love you, but I wanna be with Papa. It’s where I’m supposed to be.”

She was quiet for a moment, gripping the steering wheel tightly in her hands until her knuckles turned white.

“And you?” she asked, looking at me through the rearview mirror. “Do you wanna be with your father as well?”

I looked into her eyes, feeling the knot in my throat tighten.

No, Papa wasn’t who I wanted to be with.

It was Fennec.

It’s always been Fennec.

1

One Year Later

“You still have time to think about it, Ves. You don’t have to make a decision right now,” Mama said as she followed me into my bedroom.

I had finally graduated, just like Fennec one year ago, and although I struggled a lot getting through finals, I did it just so Mama could proudly say that both her kids made it through high school successfully, and brag about it to her girlfriends.

I also didn’t feel like going to high school for one more year, and although I only just made it with my horrible grades, I was glad I pushed through.

“I’ve wanted this ever since starting school, Mama.”

I had already packed my duffle bag with all the things I wanted to bring to the woods.

“Can we talk about it first? I know you never wanted to attend college, but there are other things you can do. I’m sure you will find a nice job you’ll enjoy. Maybe at the diner,” she suggested, and sadly, that was probably the only place that would let me work without checking my resume.

“I don’t wanna work at the diner. Or anywhere else. I wanna be with Papa,” I told her, turning to face her and then sitting on the edge of the bed.

I loved my bedroom.

Ever since I was little, I decorated my walls with pieces of newspapers and magazines, most of them having pictures of hunters, bears, foxes, and other wilderness related things on them.

The bear fur Papa let me take home after one winter holiday years ago was warm and fluffy underneath me, and I rubbed my hands against it before fisting it tightly.

Mama sighed, eyeing me carefully.

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