Who Are You Really?

They had finished their food a few minutes ago, but Nova and Jay had continued to sit and chat. Nova hadn't talked this much in a long time and her throat was actually starting to feel slightly sore. "How long have you known the local wolf pack?" Jay asked Nova.

She smiled and told him, "About a year and a half. I met them the first night I went out for a run. They just started running next to me and then I would occasionally join them over the next few weeks. Soon they welcomed me to their den and introduced me to the pups... of course, those pups are no longer pups..." She drifted off at the thought but, after a small shake of her head, she continued, "But, it took about 2 months before I finally joined them for a hunt. The pack has actually taught me everything I know about hunting and fighting."

"It was pretty cool seeing you with the wolves and their alpha. You two seem pretty close," Jay told her.

Nova laughed and said, "You could almost say he is like my wolf dad. Both he and his mate taught me and helped me a lot by welcoming me into their pack."

Jay had a calm smile on his face, but it faded slightly as his brows furrowed. He looked up at Nova and slowly said, "Wait, yesterday night there was a big party. I remember some students talking about it and it seemed like a big deal. However, you, Miss Gray, were in the woods and you were most certainly not drunk. Why did you not go to the party?"

"In truth, I did go to the party. I had to make an appearance in some photos, but I skipped the second I was able to," Nova's simple explanation only brought a frown to his face as he continued to watch her intently.

"So, you don't actually like parties. How come everyone thinks you do?" Jay continued to question her.

With a shrug, Nova stated, "My three older siblings are all massive partiers. Naturally, everyone expected me to be the same so it is easy for them to believe. I just make the occasional appearance to keep up the facade. I have been pretending since I was little, so it isn't really that hard."

Jay's frown deepened before he commented, "Wait, why have you been pretending for so long? Why act like you're a partier?"

"My parents put me into cheerleading when I was 4, although I was already super into animals. The moment with the fox happened around that time. I tried to tell my parents about it, but they were completely uninterested and instead asked me about class. I told them and they acted excited, I looked around and noticed what all the other girls were talking about and started to do the same things. It made my parents happy and so, I just never stopped pretending," Nova explained further nonchalantly.

"And no one has noticed?" Jay asked surprised.

Nova shrugged again before stating, "People see what they want to see. They don't see me at a party, they assume I am with another group. They notice they haven't seen me at a party in a while, they assume that I am off doing something crazy as my siblings would've been doing."

Then Jay's eyes narrowed and he mumbled something under his breath before he exclaimed with wider eyes, "Wait! If you are a nerd, how come you don't pay attention in class? You're either chatting or on the phone all class."

That question brought a smirk to her face, "I record all the classes and listen to the important parts at home. I also do all of my homework at home and secretly give it to my teachers. All the teachers and the principal know that I am actually a straight-A student and quite possibly the Valedictorian, but I have asked them to keep it under wraps, even from my parents."

That statement caused his mouth to drop open. It took a few attempts before words finally left his mouth, "So your parents don't even know you're a nerd? How?"

"They only see what they expect and want to see," Nova simply stated again before they both fell into silence. Jay simply looked at her, seemingly trying to stare into her soul.

"So, all the rumors..." Jay hesitantly asked.

Nova smiled at him reassuringly and told him, "They are all false. I have never tasted alcohol, nor any drug, and I most certainly don't sleep around." The last one caused her to roll her eyes at the thought.

The nervousness that had been on his face was instantly washed away with relief as he heard her words. Before she could ask why he asked, he stood up and said, "Well, shall we head out?" Nova smiled and followed him out of the diner.

They weren't too far away from her house, so they decided to just walk there. The first few minutes passed in comfortable silence before Jay broke it as he asked, "Isn't it lonely?"

Nova looked at him surprised he was still thinking about what she had said. Then with a shrug, she told him, "A little. I have actually been getting tired of it, but I was waiting till I left this town and its assumptions behind to drop it."

"Does anyone else know?" Jay asked Nova while watching her every movement. She shook her head slowly and a frown pulled his lips downward before he asked, "Is that why you wanted to keep us on the down-low?"

"Yeah, if we suddenly started hanging out, people would start to assume things and rumors would fly. Everything in my life is pretty much fake and, for some reason, I really wanted the relationship we had to be real," Nova admitted to him.

That brought a wide smirk to his face as he told her, "I think what we have is pretty real. As long as we know that, then why does what anyone else says matter?"

Nova looked up at him and said, "I wanted you to see me, not the rumors, but to see me. Remember how you first reacted when you first saw me in my human form?" His cheeks tinted pink, but he nodded and Nova commented, "I didn't want that reaction. I knew you had heard the rumors, I am pretty much the talk of the school, other than Olivia. I didn't want to get close to you, just to have you look at me the same way everyone else does."

The smirk faded into a frown as Jay listened to Nova before it turned into a soft smile and he moved in front of her and stopped. The action forced her to look up to his eyes which were looking softly down at her while he told her, "I see you."

Nova's eyes widened, but Jay didn't let her speak before he said, "I see a beautiful and strong young woman who loves the world around her. A girl who cares for those around her despite them not seeing her. And I see a girl who bravely walked into a new world a year and a half ago and did the best she could. You do crazy things like jumping off cliffs and yet you find the joy in the small things around you. You are funny, smart, and all-around amazing."

His words brought slight tears to her eyes as she breathless stared into his eyes. They showed pure sincerity and honesty. No one had ever told her anything close to what he said and apart of her was struggling to believe he had. Nova's sea-green eyes stared into his blue eyes and the world came to a standstill.