After getting bitten by an animal, Ryder finds himself developing strange new abilities. What's more, two guys at his university begin trying to convince him to move to their respective towns. It's not until his run-in with the local rogues that he...
Finding his class, he realized he was twenty minutes early and the current students were still inside as the professor prattled on about the syllabus.
Luckily there was a bench in the hallway, and he took a seat. The door was wide open, and he could see about half the students as they barely paid attention to the man at the head of the classroom, going over a PowerPoint on how to upload homework and download their assignments.
Ryder scanned the students, one by one, and rested upon one particular figure.
This man had a black wolf cut, with full lips, sharp grey eyes, and tattoos up his arm and neck. He had a black, short-sleeved shirt and jeans, and was writing notes as the teacher spoke. Suddenly, the man's eyes snapped toward Ryder.
Embarrassed that he'd been caught staring, Ryder took out his phone and pretended to check his messages. He could still feel the man's eyes as he did this but refused to look up.
A few moments later there was a shuffle as the students were released. They started filing out of the room, going either way down the halls and he waited so he could take a preferred seat in the back when he realized that the dark-haired man had stopped in front of him.
Looking up, he felt intimidated.
Despite his slender face, his body was built like a truck. He frowned down at Ryder, as though disapproving of the man's existence while he crossed his arms.
"What happened to you?" The man asked, his deep voice drawing attention from a few onlookers.
Ryder took a moment to realize he was talking to him. "Me?"
The guy's eyes moved toward his wrist, which had been expertly bandaged by the doctor that morning. Ryder raised his arm to show him. "Oh, this? I got bit by a dog."
"When?"
"Uh...Last night?"
"Where?"
"I don't know...?" This was an odd string of questions, made rather uncomfortable by the strict tone that the man was using. It almost felt like he was being interrogated. "I was on my way into town when it happened. There weren't any landmarks nearby."
"Where is the 'dog'?" He asked, almost cutting off Ryder's last sentence.
To that, Ryder frowned. "It ran off."
This didn't please the man as his frown evolved into a scowl, and he stalked off without introducing himself.
How rude.
Gathering his things back up, he stood and started walking toward the room so he could get first dibs on a seat when another man stepped in front of him.
"Hi! My name's Adan!" He held out a hand.
Bewildered, Ryder shook the man's offered hand. "Hello. I'm Ryder."
"Nice to meet you, Ryder." Adan was even taller than the first guy, with tan skin and dark brown quiff-styled hair. He had a defined jaw, straight eyebrows, and amber eyes. The odd thing about this man was that he was wearing a long sleeved jacket despite the warm weather.
Ryder followed him into the room and made his way to the back of the class. Adan sat beside him, and this was when he finally noticed that the man didn't so much as have a notebook with him.
"What happened to your hand there?" Adan asked, eyeing Ryder's bandages.
Injuries were apparently a popular topic on campus...
"Dog bite." He explained. "But it's nothing serious. I kind of hit it with my truck and when I tried to help it, it snipped at me."
"Oh yeah? When did that happen?"
"Last night."
He noticed the man's mouth show the faintest frown before returning to his cheerful smile. "Oh wow, that's recent. Where did this happen? Was it nearby?"
"About twenty minutes outside of town." He was feeling a bit of Deja Vu with this line of questioning. "I can't say exactly where. I'm not from the area and it was dark."
"Was the moon out?"
"Yeah."
Adan nodded thoughtfully. "Do you know where the dog is now?"
"It ran off before I could take it to a vet."
"I see. Well, I'm glad you're alright. By the way, what were you talking to Kendric about?"
"Kendric?" He asked. "Was that the guy with the tattoos?"
"So he didn't give you his name?" Adan scoffed. "That sounds like him. I'm guessing that means he didn't talk about much, huh?"
"He asked me pretty much the same questions as you, but not as..."
"Polite? Yeah. He's a hard ass. It'll probably be best if you stay away from him. I also advise you to stay away from stray dogs while you're here." He stood. "Anyway, it was nice to meet you. I'm sure I'll be seeing you around a lot more!"
The man left as other students began filing in, leaving a confused Ryder to wonder why the guy had been so set on talking to him in the first place.
One girl stared after the man's broad back as he passed, and she gave him an appreciative once-over before finding her seat.
Admittedly the guy was handsome. He had the build of a wrestler and a welcoming disposition. Ryder did not doubt that whoever he dated would be well taken care of, but he could only imagine how terrifying the man would be if he had the same attitude problem as that Kendric guy.
Kendric had looked like some sort of mafia member, with all those tribal tattoos on his body. He had even dressed in mostly black, which only added to his sinister appearance.
In comparison, Ryder looked like most other students. He had hazelnut hair, styled with a combed back fade cut, and unmatching baby blue eyes that he had been told could disturb people if he stared at them for too long. They were too light to appear natural, according to his old bullies.
Maybe he should stare Kendric down next time? It'd be funny to see such a tough guy get disturbed.
Nah. He'd better listen to Adan and avoid him completely.
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A/N: One more chapter coming up! Just give it a minute. :)
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