- 2 days ago
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00Chloe lay back on the couch. Ryder planted both hands on either side of her and did push-ups without
00:05touching her.
00:06Chloe laughed and sank into the cushion. Ryder lowered himself down with each wrapped chest and little chest.
00:11Before pushing back up, the crowd was screaming. On the top floor, he didn't hold himself up. He dropped down
00:17and stayed there.
00:19You did that on purpose.
00:20She shoved at him. Chloe stayed red. Then he kissed her, full on the mouth. She wrapped her arms around
00:27his neck.
00:28Three whole minutes. Okay, I've seen enough.
00:31When Ryder pulled back from Chloe, his eyes swept across the room. He saw me.
00:35His hand was still on the back of Chloe's head, but for half a second, his expression went blank.
00:40Then he looked away. Chloe said something in his ear. He bent down to listen. Then he smiled.
00:46The crowd closed around them.
00:48Stop looking.
00:51Mia grabbed my arm and yanked me toward the door. She pulled me outside.
00:56What's that on your neck?
01:01I reached up to touch it. The concealer had sweated off. The bite mark from the temporary mark was showing.
01:09Is that a temporary mark? Who did that? Was it Ryder?
01:11I pulled my hair over my neck and said nothing.
01:14He gives you a temporary mark and then goes and makes out with Chloe right in front of you?
01:18What the hell is wrong with him?
01:21Mia.
01:24I sat down against the wall and opened my laptop. The application portal was still on the same page. I
01:29clicked into the edit form. I cleared the school field and typed in Mia's school. I switched my application to
01:35match hers and hit confirm California.
01:38Mia looked at the screen. When the confirmation page popped up, she screamed,
01:41Oh my god! Finally rushing!
01:45Ryder was standing behind us.
01:47What are you doing?
01:48His eyes were on my screen. I shut the laptop fast.
01:51She's just hanging out with me. Why do you care?
01:53Luna applied to the same school as me.
01:55I put the laptop back in my bag.
01:57Ryder, the temporary mark fades in a few days, right?
02:00Luna!
02:01Go find Chloe. Her bloodline's better than mine. That's what you want. I've always known that. I just didn't want
02:07to admit it.
02:08That's not what this is.
02:09There's nothing left to say. I just finally figured something out. I don't want to go anywhere you're going to
02:14be. That's it.
02:15I grabbed Mia's hand and walked away fast behind me. Nothing. Ryder didn't call after me. Didn't follow. The parking
02:21lot, right steps, our shadows, all the way to the wall.
02:23Just so you know, in case you change your mind, California has a lot of bugs.
02:28Mia whispered.
02:29I know. I don't mind.
02:32When I got home, I filled the tub all the way and sank in.
02:36I scrubbed the bite mark on my neck over and over with a bath sponge until the skin went red.
02:41The mark didn't fade at all. It didn't matter. It would be gone in a few days.
02:45Just like I'd forget Ryder, I fell asleep in bed, drifted into a dream.
02:50The mark felt warm. I thought I could smell the faint trace of Ryder's scent. Then someone kissed me.
02:56Who is it you're trying to forget?
02:57And that's when I realized this wasn't a dream because Ryder could always have a key to my house.
03:03I shot up. Ryder was sitting on my bed, one hand still planted next to my pillow. I rolled to
03:09the other side. He frowned at me like I was a kid for my team.
03:12You didn't reply to any of my messages last night.
03:15He held up his phone. Seven, eight messages. I hadn't replied to a single one.
03:20What did Mia say to you? You didn't actually change schools, did you?
03:24There he was again. Every time I went quiet, he decided someone else had put me up to it. I
03:29didn't answer.
03:29I grabbed my jacket off the chair and headed for the door. He followed me out and set a paper
03:34bag on the dining table.
03:35That new sandwich place. Avocado, your favorite. You've been saying you wanted to try it.
03:40The shop's logo was on the bag. The one near school has a long lunch line every day.
03:45A week ago, I would have been happy for hours. Now I just looked at the bag and said nothing.
03:50Ryder pulled out a chair and sat down.
03:51What happened at the party was just a game. Why are you making it a big deal? Because I kissed
03:57Chloe on a dare?
03:58Eat it before it gets cold.
04:00I'm not hungry. I folded the bag shut and pushed it back. Then Ryder grabbed my wrist.
04:04Hard, he pulled me into him and tried to kiss me. The mark on my neck went warm. My body
04:10went soft. I couldn't pull away.
04:12Luna, you're jealous, aren't you? You're still going to apply to the same school as me, right?
04:17I didn't answer. I drove my elbow into him and shoved him back hard.
04:22No, I'm not jealous, Ryder. I see things very clearly now.
04:26I stepped back. You marked me, then kissed her right in front of me.
04:30The way you look at me is the same way you looked at a trash can on the street.
04:33None of that was a misunderstanding. Just go.
04:35The bag tipped over, the sandwich spilled out, avocado smeared across the tablecloth.
04:39What do you mean?
04:40Give me my key back and don't come to my place anymore.
04:44Are you done throwing a fit? Just because I gave you a temporary mark?
04:48It was just a-
04:49Just a what?
04:52I asked again.
04:53Just a mark. A temporary mark. You said it yourself. It fades in a few days.
04:59He said it looking at the floor next to the table lick. I nodded. The tears came instantly.
05:04I grabbed the door handle. It clicked. I slid down against the doorframe and crouched on the floor.
05:09Ryder panicked. He crossed the room fast and crouched in front of me.
05:13Hey, I'm sorry. You know that's not what I meant.
05:16He reached for my face. His fingertips barely touched my chin before I turned away. I got up on my
05:22own and wiped my eyes.
05:23You can leave the key on the table and go. Ryder hesitated. He looked like he wanted to say something.
05:28Then his phone went off. He ignored it. It buzzed again. Then again. He checked it. The name on the
05:33screen. Chloe.
05:33He read the message and headed for the door. Then stopped. Came back. Put the key on the table.
05:38Here's your key. Cool down and think it over. We're about to start college. You can't keep throwing tantrums like
05:44a little kid. Who's gonna put up with that?
05:46About half an hour later, I saw Chloe had posted a photo. A paper bag exactly like the one on
05:51my table. A half-eaten avocado sandwich. The captioned yummy breakfast. I set my phone down and kept wiping the
05:57table. The green stain had already soaked into the fabric. That tablecloth was Ryder's.
06:02The Christmas he gave it to me, I'd spent two weeks knitting him a scarf. He stared at it for
06:07a second, then grabbed the tablecloth out of his already paid shopping cart and handed it over. I'd held it
06:12like it was something precious.
06:13I got out the biggest black trash bag I had and started throwing everything in the tablecloth. His charging cable
06:19he'd left here, the science fair photo on the fridge, the baseball tickets he'd tucked into my bookshelf.
06:23The bag filled up fast. I dragged it outside, leaned it against the trash can and took a photo. Posted
06:29it. Captioned. Big clean-up day.
06:32A few seconds later, my phone rang Ryder. Then a flood of messages.
06:36You threw out the tablecloth I gave you? Why?
06:38I realized the bag had been too full. In the photo, a corner of the tablecloth was sticking out. It
06:44didn't matter. I hit decline and blocked his number.
06:48I blocked Ryder's number. Every social media account too. All of them. The next few days, I changed my whole
06:55route. Biked around the road he usually took. Skipped the cafeteria at lunch. Only used the side entrance back to
07:01school.
07:01Mia ate with me every day. I asked her to watch for Ryder and warned me if he showed up
07:05so I could disappear.
07:07Relax. You're acting like you're on the run, Mia said. Nobody knew I'd switch schools. Except her Ryder hadn't reached
07:15out at all. Maybe he hadn't noticed the block yet. Or maybe he had and just didn't care.
07:21Chloe posted every day.
07:23Yesterday, it was a photo of two hands' fingers laced together next to a coffee cup. Caption, heat and summer.
07:29The hand was lean.
07:31Knuckles sharp, a small mole on the side of the ring finger, I knew that hand Ryder called that mole
07:36his lucky mark.
07:37I decided to go on a trip. Get out before I ran into them.
07:41That afternoon, I was sitting on my suitcase trying to force the last shirt in.
07:44My mom pushed open the door and nearly dropped the laundry basket.
07:48Where do you think you're going?
07:49On a trip, I told you.
07:51When did you tell me? Where? Are you going with Ryder?
07:54I kept my head down and yanked at the zipper. It was stuck. I dug at it with my fingers.
07:59You're traveling across state lines by yourself? I don't think so.
08:02Mom, I'm an adult.
08:04But you don't have a mate yet. When are you and Ryder going to make it official?
08:08I didn't know what to say. She kept going half to herself.
08:11Actually, if you're going with Ryder, that's not so bad. Two people is better than one.
08:16Yeah, Ryder's coming too.
08:18I lied. She relaxed.
08:19All right then. You two be careful on the road.
08:23The next afternoon, I heard my mom on the phone in the living room.
08:26She sounded happy, really happy.
08:28I set my luggage down and moved quietly to the door to listen.
08:32Yeah, the two of them are going together.
08:34I can finally stop worrying.
08:37Luna's never liked traveling far from home.
08:39With Ryder watching out for her, her dad and I can finally relax.
08:43It was Ryder's mom on the other end.
08:45I could hear her laughing through the phone.
08:47Same with Ryder.
08:49He even went out and bought a new suitcase for the trip.
08:52I was wondering why he was suddenly so excited.
08:55Turns out he's going to Yellowstone with Luna for their graduation trip.
08:59When they get back, our family should have dinner together.
09:03Absolutely. Let's do that.
09:05I closed the door.
09:06Leaned against it for a moment, then went back to stuffing things into my suitcase.
09:09I didn't explain anything to my mom.
09:11There was no point I'd deal with it after the trip.
09:14Departure day was Thursday.
09:16The airport was packed.
09:17The mix of scents made my body tense on instinct.
09:19The temporary mark on my neck was warm.
09:21Still a few days before it faded, I dragged my suitcase through the automatic doors and looked up for the
09:27Ogate signs.
09:27Then I saw Ryder.
09:29He was ahead with a group of friends.
09:31Chloe was next to him, carrying an LV bag, one hand on his suitcase, the other hooked around her arm.
09:35They were at the back of the group.
09:37Chloe leaned in to talk to him.
09:39They were both smiling a few times.
09:40They almost kissed.
09:41I stopped walking.
09:43Thought about taking another route.
09:44There wasn't one.
09:45Only one path to the gate, I stood behind a pillar, waited until they moved farther ahead, then followed.
09:50From a distance, Ryder didn't notice me.
09:52He kept stopping checking his phone like something wasn't settled yet.
09:56At one point, he turned back.
09:57I ducked behind a large plant immediately.
10:00When I peeked out again, he had already turned away.
10:02Chloe tugged his sleeve.
10:04He looked at her phone.
10:05They laughed together.
10:06I slowed down even more.
10:07Kept the distance.
10:09Then my phone rang.
10:10Unknown number.
10:11Never seen it before.
10:12Ryder seemed to hear it.
10:14He turned around.
10:14I panicked and slipped into the restroom nearby.
10:17The phone kept ringing.
10:18I hesitated for two seconds, then answered.
10:21Hello?
10:21Luna, you actually blocked me?
10:23Ryder's voice.
10:25His voice was low on the phone.
10:27Do you even know what it means in the pack when someone cuts off contact after being marked?
10:32You're making me look like an idiot in front of everyone.
10:34An alpha.
10:35And his own mark blocked him?
10:37What do you think people are saying?
10:38He let out a cold laugh.
10:40No pack.
10:41No alpha scent protecting you.
10:43You think you can handle a strange wolf pack on your own?
10:46Can't you tell how strong your scent is right now?
10:49He wasn't wrong.
10:50Leaving pack territory takes time to adjust.
10:53But he forgot something.
10:54I'm very good at enduring...
10:55Luna?
10:56Are you listening?
10:57I hung up.
10:58The screen lit up, then went dark.
11:00I powered the phone off.
11:02I walked out of the restroom and headed toward the gate.
11:04Across most of the waiting hall, Ryder suddenly turned around scanning the crowd.
11:08That was alpha mark sense.
11:10If he got close enough, he could find me through the mark.
11:13I crouched down fast.
11:14The old bite on my neck burned.
11:16His gaze shifted toward my direction.
11:19Ryder?
11:19What are you looking for?
11:21Chloe grabbed his arm.
11:22The announcement cut in.
11:23Flight to Wyoming is now boarding.
11:26Ryder stayed where he was, still scanning the crowd.
11:28Chloe followed his gaze.
11:30Saw nothing.
11:31She tightened her grip on his arm.
11:33Come on.
11:33We're boarding.
11:35He stood there for a few more seconds, then turned and followed her toward the gate.
11:38He walked slowly.
11:40Chloe held onto his arm.
11:41They disappeared into the jet bridge.
11:43I let go of my suitcase handle.
11:45My whole body was drenched in sweat.
11:47When the announcement came again, I dragged my suitcase in the opposite direction.
11:51Gate, a 27.
11:53Flight to California.
11:55I sat down near the gate, let out a breath.
11:57From that moment, I could almost feel it.
12:00The invisible chain between me and Ryder starting to break.
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