Hunting For A Pack

A Dire Meeting

Lance wasn't sure why exactly he was focusing on her, of all people.

It's not like he couldn't have gone for anyone he wanted. With his sandy blonde hair, chiseled features, deep brown doe-like eyes, toned, muscular build, and effortless projection of confidence, he was every bit the stereotypical teenage heartthrob you'd see in a high-school romcom. By contrast, she was 5-foot even, with a barely-discernible build underneath her baggy, shapeless hoodie and jeans, and an attitude that seemed purpose-made to drive people off. Never made up, never not staring at her phone, and treating every single interaction with another person as an ordeal to be endured.

And yet, something about her had caught his eye, and now he couldn't take said eye off of her.

There was just something magnetic about her that he couldn't put his finger on. Sure, he'd had relationships before, but none of them had really clicked, again for reasons he couldn't nail down. They all had much the same pattern to them: he'd get involved with a girl (usually after they approached him and not the other way around), they'd go the distance, and then just kind of drift aimlessly until one decided to pull the plug on the other. He just constantly felt like he couldn't invest himself in any of the relationships and was just going through the motions, which unfortunately had given him a reputation as something of a philanderer.

He had no idea why this mysterious loner who had now taken up near-permanent residency in his consciousness had such a grip on him. But as he looked at her across the corridor for the umpteenth time grabbing the books out of her locker and getting ready to head off to class, he decided that there was only one way to find out. She shut her locker as he pulled himself away from his posse of guy-friends and approached her.

"Hey!"

She turned and looked up at him, hood covering her hair and piercing blue eyes surveying him from underneath the multiple piercings across her browline. "Yes?" she replied tersely.

"My name's Lance."

"Good to know." She pulled out her phone and began to browse it as she turned away from him.

"Wait!"

She turned back, a look of clear annoyance plastered across her face. "What?"

"I just... well, I know we have multiple classes together, but I don't think I know your name. Would it be okay if I... asked what it was?"

She raised an eyebrow, and briefly looked at the other students who were piling up in the corridor, no doubt intrigued by the sight of one of the school's finest talking to one of its most notorious introverts. All of a sudden he felt hideously self-conscious, but he was determined to stick it out. She reached a finger into the hood of her hoodie and exposing a lock of hair that had been dyed a vivid shade of cyan. It was certainly eye-catching, especially next to her eyes.

"It's Shilo."

"Cool!" She looked unimpressed, but he pressed on. "Do you... like coffee?"

"Yes, I like coffee. Is this going to take long?" She turned back town to her phone, which Lance was starting to get the idea was more comfortable than having to crane her neck to talk to people all the time.

"No, no! Listen, I was just wondering... would you like to get some sometime?"

She looked back up at him, though her expression had changed from annoyance to mild confusion. He understood; she likely didn't get interactions like this often. The other students were starting to mutter, no doubt wondering what his intentions were, given his reputation. Lance could only hope that Shilo wasn't thinking about them as well.

"There's this really nice place- a diner, on the corner of Fifth and Main. They do great coffee, and... I'd like to treat you. Serious: my treat."

They stood there for a moment that gradually swelled to awkward proportions. Suddenly, the bell rang, and the hustle and bustle of the corridor resumed, Lance pulling away reluctantly.