Chapter Text
Slowly, Art and Josh started to become closer; friends almost. The wolves would shift while the humans watched from the sidelines, and they would play amongst each other stopping to sniff the humans or include them in their playfulness. Ever since Art had her first shift, Josh was deemed old enough to go along on the wolf runs – though they tried not to stay out too late on school nights, and if they did both the kids would stay home the next day with Elizabeth and Mark. Art enjoyed spending her days with Elizabeth, learning about how to paint and draw from her – they would spend hours in her studio and Art would continue to draw her renderings of wolves and trees.
Art would shift and play with the pack members; inevitably she would have some fascination with sniffing Josh and staying nearby him, growling at others who came close to him and he would roll his eyes, not quite knowing what it meant.
At school he started to acknowledge her, glaring daggers at anyone who tried to say anything. He was nicer, but sometimes he would still annoy her, just because he could. She sat with him and some of his friends at lunch. His friends were visibly uncomfortable at first, but then gradually they would start to ask questions and she’d shyly give them short-worded answers in her small, quiet voice. At some point there was a switch; it was gradual and she wasn’t too sure when it happened exactly, but after a while, she went from being The Wolf Girl Freak to The Cool Wolf Girl, and the boys would all howl with her instead of at her.
For the first time, she felt like she had friends; friends who weren’t pack – not her pack anyway -they were like a different pack.
They were entering middle school now; it was the same but different at the same time when things were changing, like having different teachers for different classes and no longer being able to run around at recess – which was fine; she was used to running at home, in the woods with pack. Still, she was nervous and her dads seemed to be picking up on that.
It was the first day of school and her dads were in the kitchen, laughing and talking about nothing in particular, stars in their eyes as they looked at each other. She walked up to them, her backpack on her shoulder and ready to go, her heart pounding in her chest. They looked down at her, “First day of a new school, are you excited?”
She hesitated, grabbing the strap of her backpack, “I don’t wanna go,” she muttered looking down at her feet.
Kelly and Robbie glanced at each other worriedly.
Kelly bent down, placing his hands on his knees, “Why not? Aren’t you excited to see your new friends?”
“I’m scared…” she muttered
Robbie kneeled down in front of her, placing both hands on her shoulders. “That’s okay,” he said, his bright emerald eyes boring into her matching ones. “Everyone gets scared sometimes. Even me and your dad,” he glanced at Kelly who gave a small smile in return.
Then he returned his gaze to Art and lifted his hand to touch the frame of his glasses, “Do you know why I wear these, even though I don’t need them?” he asked her quietly. She shook her head.
“When I was about your age, my mother wore them before giving them to me, even though she didn’t need them. She said they made her feel better about herself, smarter, as silly as that was. She gave them to me before she passed. So now I wear them to remind me of her, and to be brave just like she was. And now…”
He gently lifted them off his face and placed his glasses on hers, where they sat crookedly before he adjusted them; they were a little too big for her still, but they stayed. “Now they’re yours. So when you wear them, they can make you feel smarter and braver too.” He smiled at her then put his hand around the back of her neck and squeezed reassuringly as he put his forehead to hers and said, “I love you. Forever.”
***
She went to school, Robbie and Kelly stood across the street and watched her go in. Afterward, she was at the Bennett house, waiting for her dads to come home from their day at work. She hadn’t seen Josh that day, figuring they had different classes and teachers, but then the door opened and he was there – the scent of a campfire stabbing the air.
She was still donning her new glasses when Josh walked in. He stopped when he saw her and stared. They were alone, the adults were either out back or busy doing something in the kitchen, not paying too much attention to them. “Why are you wearing your dad’s glasses?” he asked raising an eyebrow.
Self-consciously she touched the frames, slightly blushing. “He gave them to me.”
“You should take them off…” he muttered, a rosy blush started crawling up his neck.
“Why?” she asked defensively. Now it was her turn to raise her eyebrow.
“Because…” he muttered looking away, the back of his neck was red and his heart was racing. “Just. Because.” That was all she got. She felt a faint tug of something through the threads – but it was like he was trying to hide it away the harder she pulled.
They were silent after that. She wasn’t sure how to respond, or how she felt… was she angry? Or disappointed maybe? She hesitantly reached up to the frames of the glasses and then shook her head deciding against it.
“I’ll take them off when you tell me why,” she said stubbornly. She crossed her arms and sat back as if daring him to say something
“Because you don’t need them…” he muttered back, his gaze returning to her then away and back again, looking her up and down. She felt self-conscious for some reason, and she defiantly crossed her arms in front of her chest.
“How would you know what I need?” She asked darkly.
She looked at him now, really looked at him. She hadn’t registered the changes the both of them had gone through in the past couple of years of childhood, now progressing into puberty. He was still about a foot shorter than her, his dark hair was longer and messy in a shaggy sort of way, almost hiding his caramel-brown eyes. His bronze skin was a shade darker from being outside so much during the summer and he was skinny, all gangly arms and legs that he had yet to grow into.
Later, when she was alone she would look in the mirror and really see herself for the first time as well. She was still thin and lanky, her chest slightly bigger, and her blonde hair was still long and unruly. Her bright green eyes were hidden away behind her new oversized glasses and she’d think good, because it was easier to hide behind them than have anyone else actually see her. Maybe that was why they made Robbie’s mother feel brave; because they masked how she saw the world and how the world saw her.
She didn’t wait for him to answer, she just brushed past him, joining the others outside while she waited for her dads to show up and take her home. Josh was wrong – she did need those glasses, she needed them to hide her away from the world, just like she needed that tree to hide her all those years ago before she was found.
***
Apparently, Gordo had a field day at work since Robbie no longer wore his glasses.
The boys from the shop were finally home – walking into the Bennet house all noise and chatter. “Way to really piss Gordo off, lobito,” Rico’s voice carried through the foyer. Robbie was there in the living room, rolling his eyes with Rico, Chris, and Tanner beside him.
Gordo’s voice came from behind them, “I told you, just wear them!”
“And I told you, I don’t need them.”
“That’s right you don’t. They make you look stupid.” A pause then, “Now go put them back on!”
Robbie smirked at him, “Sure, Gordo. I’ll get right on that.”
Kelly came in next, a few minutes afterward, and glanced at them all, “What’s going on?”
“Just Gordo being furious about Robbie not wearing his glasses. You’d think for as much as he complained about them-”
“Shut up. And go get your damn glasses already,” Gordo mumbled.
Robbie shook his head. “Can’t do that. I gave them to our daughter. They’re hers now.” he smiled, shrugging nonchalantly. They all turned to look at Art as she sat on the couch in the living room, staring back at them.
As if on cue, her glasses tilted down her face crookedly, causing her to reach up and adjust them.
Gordo made a choking, whimpering noise as he took her in, his eyes watering.
“They suit you,” Gordo smiled at her, causing Robbie to roll his eyes.
“How come you don’t tell her she doesn’t need them and that she looks ridiculous in them?” Which, she sort of did – they were too big for her face adding to the ridiculousness of not even needing them to see in the first place.
“Because she can actually pull them off,” Gordo shot back confidently.
Robbie threw his hands up in defeat.
“I agree, mija, those make you look bonita.” Rico winked at her. She preened a bit at that; she liked when Rico called her mija, as if she was already one of his own – just like she belonged to him and every other member of the pack.
She looked down, blushing slightly as she muttered, “Josh doesn’t like them.”
“Oy, now I’m sure that’s not true… and if it is I’m sure he has his reasons… he just isn’t good with change, that’s all. Don’t worry about my son. Sometimes he is, what we call, el stupido.”
“He gets it from his father!” Bambi’s voice drifted over to them.
Art smiled at that as Rico groaned and rolled his eyes. “How does she do that? It’s like she has supersonic hearing…” He muttered before ruffling Art’s hair and walking off in Bambi’s direction.
“Don’t worry kid, we get you. We’ll tell that dumb son of Rico’s that the only one who can make fun of Robbie’s glasses is me, dammit.” Gordo mumbled before winking at her and stalking off into the kitchen where Uncle Mark stood looking over at Gordo with his secret smile.
Robbie rolled his eyes, “And Gordo won’t be doing that unless I’m the one wearing them, I’m sure.”
Kelly smiled at him, chuckling before smiling down at Art. “We don’t mind them so much, do we kid?” She beamed at him, her chest blooming with pride. She felt the steady thrum of PackLoveDaughter coming from the both of them.
***
It was after dinner when she and Josh were alone again while the adults were cleaning up and saying their goodbyes.
“You told my dad I said I hated your glasses?” he confronted her once they were sure no one was paying them any attention.
She shrugged, “Well you basically did.”
“No I didn’t,” he sighed, exasperated
“You told me to take them off!” she challenged, surprising herself even a little at her change in demeanor. She may have been a shy, quiet innocent little girl but for some reason when it came to Josh she couldn’t help herself – it was like instinct kicked in, telling her to fight tooth and nail against him – like she should prove that she could take him if that’s what it came down to.
“I didn’t say I didn’t like them, it’s just…”
“What Josh, what!?”
He shook his head, sighing. “It’s nothing. Nevermind,” he mumbled.
“Well, I don’t care if you like them or not. They’re special, at least to me.”
There was a pause as he looked her over, then, “And that’s how they make you feel? Like you’re special? That’s why you’re wearing them?” he asked, an eyebrow raised; she was taken aback by his genuine tone – like he was genuinely asking her if that’s how she felt rather than making fun of her.
She slowly nodded, “Part of it,”
He cocked his head to the side, thinking. “Okay,” he said.
“Okay?”
“Okay.” he shrugged. “If they make you happy… then I’m happy too, I guess…” he trailed off, blushing slightly before glancing at her again and giving a shy smile.
“Oh,” she said, her own face blushing. She looked down abashedly, then pushed her glasses back up once again with her fingers. “Okay then. Um. Thanks?”
He nodded, bit his lip then looked at her and away again, as if he wanted to say something else. Instead, he yelled out, “Dad! Can we go now? Por favor?”
“Yeah, Yeah, we’re going, already,” Rico rolled his eyes as he came and ruffled Josh’s hair before collecting his son and taking off with his family, the others trailing not far behind.
“Everything all right?” Kelly asked as they started to make their way outside, glancing between Art and Josh.
She nodded, “Mm-hmm,” she answered noncommittally; she was still blushing slightly and her chest felt… weird and she didn’t know why.
The realization hit her later that night.
Later that night, she pulled the covers up closer to her chin as she stared at the ceiling while she lay alone in bed. Her mind and her heart were racing for some reason and she couldn’t get either one to calm down enough to actually get any sleep.
Then the realization hit her. Her eyes widened and her heart stuttered a bit, tripping over itself in her chest.
She realized it was the first time she had seen Josh smile -really smile – and at her.
He had never smiled at her before.
She lay awake thinking about that all night.