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On a Friday night, you could find Darla at the hottest parties in Farswood. There was nothing better to do on the weekends then to get high and drunk. But, you only ever saw the popular kids there. Darla had spent the entirety with Farswood high school’s football star. Austen Rhodes they’d never been official, but they hooked up enough to make them seem like they were dating. Austen kept handing her drink after drink, until she’d lost count and ended up sleeping with him. She glanced to the clock, the red digital numbers reading 4:00 am. She jumped up quickly, slipping her clothes back on.

“Where the hell are you goin’?” Austen asked sitting up and slipping his jeans back on, walking over to her side of the bed, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her hard. She shoved him away picking up her shirt from the ground and tugging it over her head, pulling her long brown hair out from the collar. “That right there, is exactly why you ain’t my girlfriend.” He said lighting himself a cigarette.

DJ rolled her eyes grabbing the cigarette from his fingertips and pressing it to her lips. “No sweetheart, I ain’t your girlfriend, because I could do a whole hell of a lot better.” She smirked, handing the cigarette back to him. “See you Monday Rhodes.” She said slipping out of the bedroom as she adjusted her skin tight short leather skirt.

She pushed past the teenagers who were still partying, she could hear Austen calling after her but she didn’t stop as she slipped out of the house, feeling like shit for once again letting Austen take advantage of her but she pushed the thought from her mind as her eyes fell on the sober red head sitting on the porches railing alone. Her best friend Mabelle was the sweetest, most innocent girl she’d ever meet and she wasn’t entirely sure why the two of them were friends or how Mabelle was even popular, but they complemented each other and Mabelle was the only person who’d stuck by her side through thick and thin when he life had fallen apart.

“May, you ready to get out of here?” she smiled to her friend and watched as she jumped off down from where she was sitting ad linked arms with her looking up at her with a soft smile.

“I thought you’d never ask.” She laughed as the two headed out to Mabelle’s car. The drive was long only because the Jenning’s ranch was on the outskirts of town. The two drove in silence as Darla tried to keep from falling asleep. Once they got to the driveway, the car came to a stop and Dee glanced to her friend.

“You sure you don’t wanna stay the night?” she asked and May simple shook her head, her parents were extremely strict and she’d be lucky to if she didn’t get in trouble for staying out so late. “Alright.” She said leaning over and kissing May’s cheek. “Thanks for the ride.” She smiled stepping out of the car.

The drive way was long and Darla had way too much time to beat herself up about what had happened at the party. Come Monday, there was no telling what awful rumor Austen would have started about her, he was good for making her look like a total whore. She walked around the back of her house because she knew her father would be awake and she’d be in deep shit coming home this late. She went straight to her window only she’d forgot to leave it open so she went straight to Liam’s window and tapped on it, a second later he was at the window. He always waited up for her, it had almost become a tradition.

“Where the hell have you been?” he whisper yelled and she rolled her eyes as she climbed through the window, head pounding and still fairly drunk. “Because of you, I had to lie to your father.” He spat in his faded British accent.

“Can it, my head is killing me and you’re not helpin it.” She sighed. “I was with Austen and Mabelle.” She smirked. “At a party.” She shrugged.

“That guy’s nothing but trouble Dee.” Liam sighed as she headed towards the door, she wasn’t in the mood to be lectured by him, not now anyways.

“Whatever Will, thanks for waiting up.” She spat sarcastically slipping out of his bedroom and heading down the hall towards hers. She opened the door only to be greeted by both her dogs. She slipped out of her cloths leaving her in her bar and underwear as she climbed into her bed exhausted. Lucy laid at her feet, while Maverick laid on the floor next to the bed. It took less the a second for her to fall asleep, exhausted from the night.

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Liam had spent the night hunting, it was easy to slip out of the house after everyone was fast asleep. If Mr. Jennings or his sister, Lottie found out what he was doing he could guarantee they’d both be extremely unhappy. Darla however wasn’t home and she knew he was a hunter, simply because he’d been the one to save her from the wolves. He’d had no luck and he’d started heading back, climbing through his bedroom window and taking a quick shower, exhausted from being out all night.

There was a tap on his window and he rolled his eyes already knowing who it was. He opened the window and tried lecturing Darla, but she’d only ignored him and left. He climbed into bed passing out instantly. Only he wasn’t asleep long before he heard his bedroom door open and his sister and her dog were gently waking him.

"Billyyyy. It's time to wake up!" his sister’s voice woke him, but he kept his eyes closed groaning miserably as if he had a hangover, throwing his arm over his eyes. "Now, I have to check on the animals at the clinic and i'll probably take Bear with me since it's not like he'll let me go along." he listened, too exhausted to comment back. "And I think you have some horses to feed. I'll be back soon, and i'll come see you when I go to give Starling her carrots." he nodded letting her know he was listening.

She rested her cheek on his chest and he lazily rested a hand on her back. They were close, he had practically been her father when they were younger. When he’d been kicked out it nearly killed him and when he’d seen her again it was incredibly to know she was alive, let alone safe, because he’d been worried she’d been dead or something had happened because he hadn’t been around to protect her from the wolves or her parents. Although it was slightly hard to deal with Darla’s jealousy and Lottie, the two of them both meant a lot to him, but they didn’t get along, but that was mostly because Darla wasn’t fond of sharing anything.

"I really missed you, big brother. Love you, Billy." he could hear the grin in her voice and a second later he heard his door close and he was alone again, he let out an exhausted sigh.

“Love you too kid.” He mumbled like she was still in the room. He laid there for a while longer trying his hardest to fall back asleep, but when he couldn’t he sat up and got dressed for the day. Slipping on his jeans and a plain white shirt as he headed into the kitchen, Mr. Jennings was already dressed in his uniform, reading the newspaper sipping his coffee, like he as every morning. “Morning Mr. J.” Liam smirked pouring himself a cup of coffee, joining Beau at the table.

“There was an attack last night.” Darla’s dad, sighed laying the newspaper down, pretty brutal, I’m head out in a minuet to check it out.” Liam tried to keep the shocked look off his face, attack? But, he’d been hunting all night. He thought to himself confused. “Old man Rylie, it’s a shame, he was a good man.” Beau continued letting him know who’d been attack, standing up. “You think you can handle the ranch today?” he asked and Liam nodded taking a sip of his coffee. Mr. Jennings normally had Saturday’s off and in return gave Liam Saturday’s off.

“You got it, tell Mrs. Rylie I’m sorry for her loss.” He said sighed pissed at himself for having let that happen. Mr. Jennings’s gave Liam a simple tip of his cowboy hat as he grabbed his key’s and head out leaving Liam alone only he wasn’t alone long.

“Hey! Did daddy just leave?” Annabelle’s voice came from behind him, Liam nodded turning to look at the younger Jennings’s who resemble her sister. “Damn.” She breathed “Well in that case you mind helpin me saddle up Dream?” she said wicked smirk on her lips that matched Darla’s almost perfectly.

Liam raised a brow. “Dream…catcher? Darla’s Dream?” he asked watching Anna nod. “Alright, but don’t come cryin to me when Darla kicks your ass.” He laughed heading outside with Annabelle.

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Lottie hurried to the animal clinic, Bear effortlessly keeping pace with her. She dug the key out of her back pocket, unlocked the door, and slipped inside with her dog at her heels. Bear stayed in the waiting room, since he had a bad habit of making the cats nervous. He would never hurt them, but try telling that to a three-legged cat that pretty much hates everything. Her boss's little white cat that had only one ear and no tail, Sarafina, meowed happily at her and hopped up on her shoulder.

She went about her business, feeding the animals and making sure all of them were still alive and well. Most of them were just being kept there for observation after surgeries and such. A few of them her boss, Andie, had picked up and put up for adoption. Either they were abandoned, or their owners gave them up because they didn't want to pay for them. Those animals that were staying long-term greeted her warmly. Knowing that Andie would be over to brush them and take them out later, Lottie encouraged Sarafina to jump down and she said farewell to the animals. The dogs barked and wagged their tails, while most of the cats really could care less. A few of them meowed, but most of them didn't even bother to look up.

Chuckling, she joined her dog once more and slipped outside, locking the door behind her. It was still early in the morning, and the small town was quiet. A few people grabbed their paper from their doorstep, but other than that nobody was out. Her phone buzzed in her pocked. When she pulled it out, she grinned when she saw who it was from- Declan. She had befriended him rather quickly when she moved to Farswood. He wasn't concerned with wether or not she was born there, and he didn't ask questions about why she had suddenly come there. 'Are you home? I have to give something to Darla and I can probably just pass it off to you.

She walked slowly along, not looking where she was going as she started to text him back. But before she could, she ran into a bit of a roadblock... quite literally. She slammed right into a male who had been jogging. She was knocked straight onto her bum, and before he could make a move to help her Bear growled menacingly at him. Lottie blinked, surprised, and looked up at him. He was probably a foot taller than her, and devastatingly handsome. He had dark hair, and stormy eyes that made her heart flutter.

"O-oh, sorry about that. I was distracted." She chuckled, and the slightest hint of a blush coloured her cheeks. Did she just stutter? Charlotte Beatrice Sinclaire did not stutter. He offered his hand to her, which she graciously took. With a very light tug on his hand, she was up in one swift motion. "I'm Lottie. The new girl." She smiled, and figured he had probably heard of her. She learned quickly that word traveled very quickly in this town. It was almost as though they had nothing else to talk about- it was pretty boring here. Although it was pretty obvious that she wasn't from around here, given her accent.
With a soft smile, she rested a hand on her hip and gave Bear a light pat on his head to silently tell him to settle down.

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It didn’t matter if DJ only got an hour of sleep, her internal clock was set to seven-thirty am and that’s what time she woke up every single morning it never failed. When your father is a cop, owns a ranch, and one of the only real restaurant in town, sleeping in isn’t really in your dictionary. Her alarm clock went off playing that familiar Taylor Swift song that she absolutely hated, but couldn’t bring herself to change, because for some reason it made a good alarm clock song.

She let out a miserable groan as she threw her blanket off and started her morning routine. What most people didn’t know about Dee, was that she was both a perfectionist and had OCD. She did everything in the same order every morning. It didn’t matter that it was a weekend. Lucy jumped down, wagging her tell while Maverick lazily lifted his head, before placing it back down on his paws. Darla made her bed singing along to the song. She sat down at her vanity, brushing out her long still perfectly straightened hair before reapplying her make-up. Her bedroom was spotless and even as she opened her closet her clothes were perfectly ironed and organized.

She slipped on her tattered Daisy Dukes, that let her ass hang out and her tan legs look longer. She pulled on a teal crop to, that showed off a little too much of her mid-drift. She changed out her belly button ring for one with a dream catcher on it, before pulling on her cowboy boots. It was no surprise that Darla liked to show her fit, tanned body off even if she was just hanging around her house. Finally she looked over herself in her full body mirror, it didn’t matter how exhausted or shitty she felt she always made sure she was perfectly groomed, to look the part of the Queen Bee.

Darla slipped out of her bedroom, her two dogs in tow like they always were as she headed down her hallway, before pausing seeing someone she vaguely recognized form school. He wasn’t exactly popular and he wasn’t exactly a loser either. She wasn’t really surprised, her father was the towns cop and they always had people at their house. She raised a brow, looking him over.

“Umm. Declan right?” She smirked. “Can I ask why the hell you’re in my house and why you have my purse?” She said walking over to him and snatching the purse from his grip. “Are you stalking me?” she teased, having already figured out he’d come to give her back her purse. “Thanks.” She said with a soft southern smile, walking past him and into the kitchen assuming he’d follow. She set her purse on the table.

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Liam had saddled up Dream for Annabelle and went on his normal duties. Cleaning out stalls and feeding horses. He was fairly fast at what he did and he was convinced that’s why Mr. J kept him around. After he was finished he grabbed his phone out of the truck only to be greeted by a message from Mr. J to go down to the restaurant and check up on a few things. He’d only been to the restaurant a handful of times while Mr. Jennings showed him how to run it, but the young girl who worked there seemed like she had a pretty good handle on things every time he’d been there.

He sighed, letting Anna know where he was going before he headed out. The drive wasn’t too long before he was cutting the engine in the parking lot of the bar and restaurant. He made his way through the back door, where the chef’s threw him a few hello’s and how’s it goings. He offered a smile in return, before heading straight into the office. The paperwork Beau had taught him to o was always fairly boring and long, but once he finished he sent a text to him and then made his way to the front of the restaurant, sitting next to the girl everyone called Baby blue.

He ordered a drink, taking a sip of it before turning to the girl. “Your blue right?” he asked though already knowing the answer. “DJ’s friend, she talks about you a lot you know. Says she misses you.” He shrugged taking another sip from the glass. “You didn’t hear that from me though.” He smirked, downing the rest of the drink before setting it back down on the bar. “See you around kid.” He said simply making his way towards the door.

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"Oh." He smiled, in a way that lit up his whole face. Lottie's smile couldn't help but brighten in response. "That makes sense." He chuckled, and she figured he was probably referencing to either her accent or unfamiliar face. He chuckle was a sweet sound that made her yearn to hear him laugh. She was hooked. She leaned on the post next to her in a relaxed manner, hinting to the fact that she didn't have anywhere to be. So long as he wasn't too determined to get on with her jog, she was more than happy to stay and chat. He so handsome, and something about the way he smiled made her heart skip a beat. Not that she would tell him that.

"I was wondering why I didn't recognize you but I remember hearing about you." He nodded, and she chuckled. "Word really does travel fast here, doesn't it? Seems my coming here is the most interesting thing that's happened in quite a while. Must not see many pretty girls wander through here very often." She shot him a teasing smile, flicking back her hair in mock-cockiness.

"Sorry for pummeling you." He laughed, and she couldn't help but laugh too. "Oh, don't worry about it. It was my fault anyways." She told him easily, chuckling at herself. She noticed her eyes flick to Bear, and she smiled. "Oh, don't worry about him. He's just a little overprotective. So far the only male he will allow to step within two feet of me is my brother. I think the likes you, he's not trying to scare you away." She looked down at her dog, who was now laying by her side and glowering at the male in front of him. "Yeah, this is actually him liking someone." She laughed again, and softly stroked his thick black coat.

"How do you like Farswood?" He asked her with a smile, and she tilted her head slightly. "Actually, it's not that bad. And it just got quite a bit better." She grinned up at him before continuing on. "It's kind of similar to the town i'm from, what with the nosy neighbors but here they'll just talk about whatever you did. Where i'm from, they will publically shun you for it. Nobody friends, not really. Here it's a bit... kinder. Not so much pressure." She smiled gently.
"I don't believe you introduced yourself." She pointed out with a grin, resting her hand on her hip agian.

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Within a few minutes of arriving at the house, Declan spotted Darla. She looked stunning as always, wearing flashy clothes and perfect hair. But that wasn't what caught his attention. She had the most beautiful eyes, even though they held so much sadness. He wondered if he was the only one who saw it, or if he was even misreading it. But he knew sadness. And those were some sad eyes. Part of him wanted to reach out, but he quickly snapped that down. He couldn't do that. He had to be alone. He was already worried that Lottie and him were getting too close.

She raised a perfect brow, and he gulped. “Umm. Declan right?” She knew his name? The queen bee knew his name? Her full red lips formed a smirk, that somehow made her look even more beautiful. “Can I ask why the hell you’re in my house and why you have my purse?” She asked quickly, looking down at the purse that he clutched in his hand. "I actually happen to think it looks great with my eyes. I've grown quite fond of it." He responded sarcastically, glancing down at the bag. "And it's not that odd for me to be here. After all, I am best friends with Lottie."

“Are you stalking me?” She teased him, as she snatched her purse from him. His eyes widened with mock-shock. "Oh god, did you find out about the shrine I have dedicated to you in my closet?" He leaned on the wall behind him, rather nonchalantly. Not really in a cocky, i'm-too-cool-for-this way, but just in a laid back sort of way.

She turned and left, walking into the kitchen in a way that made him figure that she probably wanted him to follow. He gave a heavy sigh that dripped with sarcasm, before lazily standing up and following her into the kitchen. "Not off with your ponies or finding another way to control your subjects today, Princess?"

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Declan was the kind of guy that everyone at her school was secretly in love with. He was quite mysterious and brilliantly handsome. Darla and her friends talked about him quite often, not that they’d ever openly admit that to anyone else, because none of them would ever dare be caught with someone who wasn’t on the fast track to a huge college scholarship for football, like Austen. She had never really been interested in him like that, simply because he was always hanging around with Lottie.

"Oh god, did you find out about the shrine I have dedicated to you in my closet?" he said pulling her from her thoughts and she raised a brow. She was used to being the sarcastic one, the fact that he was talking to her like that surprised her, when it came to DJ, people aside from Austen and Liam didn’t tend to smart off to her because they didn’t want to deal with her attitude. "Not off with your ponies or finding another way to control your subjects today, Princess?"

She glanced to him at the use of the name princess, Liam tended to call her that too, because she acted like she was entitled to everything only hearing it from him kind of pissed her off. She lend against the counter running her fingers through her dark hair.
“Cute.” She said slightly glaring at him her upbeat tone changing to a little more hostile.

She let it fall silent between them for a moment as she went to the fridge, pulling out a water bottle for herself, before opening the cabinet and grabbing a protein packet pouring it into her water and going about her usual morning ritual like he wasn’t there, she was overly obsessed with being healthy aside from her bad drinking and smoking habits. She grabbed a bottle of vitamins taking a few different ones and washing them down with her water, before turning back to see he was still standing there.

“You know most people drop off things and leave.” She said hopping up onto the counter crossing one leg over the other as she looked at him. “You can leave or I can kick you out on your ass.” She said taking a drink of her water. “Choose is yours, Ovitt.” She shrugged.

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Laiam never liked to stay long in the restaurant, simply because he didn’t want to spend time with the people in town as far as he was concerned anyone of them could be a wolf and he didn’t want to risk himself getting caught up with one only to have to fight them off or kill them down the road. Not to mention, most people in town were convinced that he was a wolf himself and he tried not to cause trouble for Mr. Jennings.

"I'm not a kid." He heard the girl call after him in her deep southern twang that reminded him a lot of Darla’s "And you probably shouldn't lie to strangers. Especially about things you don't know shit about. Queen Bee gets along just fine without me."] she continued causing him to pause.

He turned back to her, smirk on his face as he walked back towards the bar, leaning down next to her, resting his arms on the bar, though not sitting because he had no intention to stay. He wasn’t lying though and he wanted her to know that, though Darla would shoot him dead if she knew he’d told her what she’d told him in confidence.

“I’m not lying.” He smirked his brilliantly charming smirk. “It’s not in my DNA to lie.” He shrugged. “She misses you, that’s the truth.” He said honestly holding her eyes and realizing how beautifully blue they were, he’d gotten lost for a moment, before pulling himself back to reality. “Why don’t you let me buy you a drink.” He spoke before he’d even thought and he was convinced she’d say no, most people said no to him because he was kind of an outsider in the town. “Shit, I’m sorry that sounded creepy.” He sighed standing up and rubbing the back of his neck.

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"No I don't think I did." He grinned at Charlotte after she had pointed out that he hadn't introduced himself. With a teasing smile, she raised a brow at him. "But neither did you." He pointed out teasingly, and she laughed lightly. "Very true." She added. "I'm Trevor Wilson. My old man owns the car shop down the road." He gestured in the direction of the car shop, and she nodded. She could tell that he had probably been born and raised here. She had always had a soft spot for small towns. Everyone knew each other, and the people there always seemed so nice. Trevor appeared to be no exception.

"What about you though beautiful? You got yourself a name?" He flashed her that heartbreaking smile, and she grinned back at him with the slightest hint of a blush. "Charlotte Sinclaire." She answered, brushing a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear. "But please, call be Lottie. I'm working for Andie, at the animal clinic. I have a soft spot for animals." She added, grinning as she absently patted her dog.

"I'm here with my brother- you might know him. Liam Sinclaire? He generally keeps to himself, but everyone seems to know each other here." She chuckled lightly. She figured her brother had probably made friends, although she hadn't seen him with anyone. She'd have to ask him about Trevor- mostly to see if he approved. Liam was known for his protectiveness.

"So" She looked up at him, grinning. "What is it that you do for fun there in this little town?" She put a hand on her hip, and flashed him a teasing smile. "Why, it seems rather dull here." She stood up, and stepped in front of him. "Why don't you prove me wrong, handsome?" She winked at him.

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“Cute.” Darla glared at him slightly, her voice becoming colder. It stung a little, upsetting her, but he'd always had a soft spot for her and it was better off this way anyways. Although being snarky was just part of his personality. He watched her as she went about her morning routine, noting how she clearly liked to be healthy.

He found it almost soothing, watching her. She was so beautiful, even though she seemed rather cold. But Declan could tell that there was something more to her. He was interested, although he wouldn't show it. He stayed leaning on the counter, his expression indifferent. The only thing that gave away his interest was his bright eyes, that tracked her every movement. In truth, he was a little starstruck by her.

“You know most people drop off things and leave.” Dee pointed out, and he blinked. He hadn't even noticed that he had been sitting there, staring at him. He leaned back, glancing at the door and trying to think of an excuse as quickly as possible. “You can leave or I can kick you out on your ass.” She told him pointedly, and he filled with playful stubbornness. “Choose is yours, Ovitt.”

He grinned at her brightly. "Suppose that I can here to see Lottie, and thought I would just drop this off while i'm here? Maybe I want to wait for her." He hooked his thumb through his belt loop, and stood tall in his stubbornness.