The Lone Wolf Discovers A Friend

Karissa rounded the corner, on the prowl for a quiet space to salvage the nightmare that was elementary school recess. Kids weren’t inherently bad… It’s just… the others were so, so… loud. She wrinkled her nose. Granted, she was a kid, herself, but she didn’t fit in with them. A frown marred her face as Karissa considered the “popular” kids. She scoffed at the thought. They all proclaimed to be “swimming in friends,” but those kids weren’t truly “friends” with anyone. Sweet to your face, but the instant you were gone, they’d trash-talk you like no other. From the shadows she’d seen it happen to all the “supposed friends.” Karissa huffed in disgust. If that’s what “friendship” was, she wanted no part of it. It was a waste. It was distasteful. It was so fake. Ugh. She couldn’t believe she was the same age, let alone the same species, as them. Finding a secluded spot to peacefully read instead was infinitely better. The other kids’ antics and schemes gave her a headache.

Karissa shook her head, approaching one of her usual haunts. The other kids typically gave her a wide berth—they were terrified of her. Rumors swirled around that she ate other kids. Karissa snorted. As if. The self-proclaimed “popular” kids dubbed her the “Lone Wolf,” claiming she was more animal than human. Let them talk; their words mean nothing. Her self-worth wasn’t determined by others; Karissa had confidence to spare. If others believed those blatant lies, she didn’t need their so-called “friendship.” Why bother? Why waste her time? Karissa refused to do so.

She approached the tall tree on the perimeter of the school. So far away from the blacktop and playground, other kids often deemed it “a waste of valuable playtime” and thusly avoided it. Karissa hoped that was the case today; books proved better friendship than kids at school. Maybe better friends than people altogether. Only seven years old, Karissa already had a skeptical disposition of the world; she’d seen enough disappointment, enough false personas to not take people at face value. She didn’t want the hassle. Books never betrayed you. They never trash-talked you. They never created or believed blatant lies about you. Books took you to faraway worlds, revealed magic, and imparted vital knowledge. No, books would never fail her. People, well, the same couldn’t be said about them.

Karissa glanced up at the sky, taking note of the skyline and the hints of autumn yellows and reds that were beginning to emerge. Karissa appreciated the cool, late-September breeze as it swayed the leaves overhead. She took a deep breath of the crisp air; things were so much more peaceful when the other kids weren’t around. A small smile crept onto her face, but it swiftly fell at the scene before her. Not only had the ringleaders of all the playground drama invaded her sanctuary, they were stirring up some new trouble. Karissa scowled. She was so fed up with them. They needed to get a real life; this was so old.

As she crept closer to the tree, Karissa took note of their latest target: the new girl. She paused, racking her memory for a name. She had just moved here from out of state since her parents switched jobs. Seemed like the girl was made of sunshine. Extra bubbly. Karissa couldn’t fathom what issue the ditzy drama-creators had with the new girl. She seemed like she would be friends with anyone. You’d think they’d snap up an opportunity like that, but, no, apparently, they just want to bully and belittle her. Karissa narrowed her eyes in a glare. Her name… what was her name? Something like… Her eyes widened, mentally snapping her fingers; that’s right, it was Serena.

“You’re just so lame,” Chloe mocked with a sneer.

Her little entourage immediately added their oh-so-clever two-cents, “Yeah!”

Karissa rolled her eyes. They were obviously the epitome of intelligence, this group. The new girl, Serena, looked ready to cry. Karissa’s small hands clenched into tight fists. Seriously, who did these losers think they were? They had no right to treat others that way. Karissa stifled a growl. They needed to be taught a lesson; sure, their petty lies didn’t bother her any, running off like water on a duck’s back, but not everyone had Karissa’s fortitude and will. She knew this. She internally grumbled. Where the heck were the teachers, anyway? Lousy adults were never there when there was actually a problem. Probably wouldn’t believe that Chloe and her petty posse crafted all those lies and drama either—the lot of them were wrapped around the posse’s fingers, convinced they were angels. Hah! Angels. They had absolutely no clue.

Chloe’s spiteful gang looked like they were ready to escalate their petty cruelty. That did it. Karissa marched up the group, leaping from behind the tree, hands firmly planted on her hips and death stare fixed on her face.

“And what do you think you’re doing?” Karissa demanded.

The group of trouble-makers nearly jumped out of their skin, screaming, “AHHHH!! It’s the Lone Wolf! The monster!!”

Karissa internally scoffed. A monster, huh? Oh, she could give them a monster. Might as well play the part they so eagerly cast her. She slid a calculated, predatory grin on her face. The girls paled. Oh, this was going to be good.

Karissa slowly drawled out as she inspected her nails (by the looks of the posse, you’d think she actually had claws), “Hmm, yes, it is I.” She turned her predatory gaze upon them. They definitely looked the part of prey at this point. “You’re smart kids, right? You know about wolves and their territorial natures, hmmm?”

The girls gulped, physically paling, and ever-so-slightly nodding.

Her predaceous grin widened. “Excellent. That makes this simple. Do you know where you stand?”

One of the lackeys piped up, thinking herself quite clever, “Under the pear tree!”

“Quite right. The better question is: do you know who often spends recess here?”

The lackey clammed up, tongue-tied.

Starting to circle the group for effect, Karissa admonished, “Tsk, tsk, tsk. You ought to know better. You’re such smart girls, after all. Now, do you usually see me during recess?” The girls shook their heads in the negative before Karissa continued, “Right, no, of course you don’t. Do you know why that is? Think hard on this one.”

The posse paled even further, turning the chalky, sheet white that’s often attributed to ghosts. They seemed to be getting the picture.

Karissa decided to make it easy for them, spelling it all out, “That’s because I spend my time reading. Here. Imagine my surprise finding my turf, my territory, invaded by the lot of you.” Eyes narrowing, she elaborated, “Now, tell me, what lone wolf would appreciate others intruding on their territory? Well? I’m waiting.”

Chloe and her gang were literally shaking where they stood. Karissa would have laughed out loud at the sight, but it would have ruined the momentum she’d built up. Couldn’t have that.

Karissa came right up to their faces—they were too petrified to move, to even dare to breathe—deliberately dragging out each syllable as she spoke, “Tsk, you intruded. You had the gall to torment another in my space—”

Another lackey interrupted (Karissa could never remember their names; honestly, they were rather interchangeable with sadly nothing really differing in their personalities), feeling self-righteous, “Well, yeah! The new girl’s just so lame! She’s a loser! She had to be taught a lesson!”

Karissa leveled her with any icy stare that eliminated any warmth from their surroundings. In a clipped tone, she rebuked, “Did I ask for your opinion? Do you really think it holds any ground here? Do you know nothing about the rules of the wild?”

The lackey shrunk back in terror. She would have cowered behind the rest of the group, but the remaining girls had decided to use that member as shield from Karissa’s wrath. They didn’t want to contend with the playground’s Lone Wolf.

Looking into each of the posse’s eyes with a fiery glower, Karissa pronounced, “Now, here’s what’s going to happen. You’re all going to leave. NOW. You’re not going to come back. Or. Else. And if I see you harassing Serena—that’s her NAME—again, well, needless to say, you’ll be sorry.” The last part was growled.

The troupe didn’t have to be told twice; they fled in pure terror. If they had tails, said tails would have been thoroughly wedged between their legs. Karissa huffed. Right, and Serena was “the loser.” She couldn’t believe the individuals she was forced to share a school with.

Serena chose that moment to finally speak up. “Um… thank you. You’re…”

Karissa gave a humorless chuckle. “The ‘Lone Wolf,’ or as those fools refer to me as ‘Monster.’”

Serena shook her head vehemently. She sincerely insisted, “No, you’re no monster. Those aren’t your name, either. You’re… Karissa, right? I think that’s what the teacher said in class during the introductions.”

Karissa’s eyes widened slightly. So, she knew her actual name… She didn’t seem to fall in line with the others, religiously believing the rumors the posse spun… That was… new. “Hmm, that is, indeed, my name,” she remarked demurely.

Serena broke into a huge, bright smile. “I can tell you’re no monster, regardless of what the others say. I didn’t get why they said you were a monster and a wolf. You’re obviously human.” Serena grasped Karissa’s hands in her fervor. “They swore up and down that you were a monster, you know. It makes no sense. I tried disputing their claims. They didn’t seem to like that. They got rather mad and started bullying me.”

Karissa choked on her words. This new girl… Serena… she had spoken up on her behalf? No other new kid had ever believed Karissa over the lies, let alone challenged the instigators of it all.

Serena, oblivious to Karissa’s shell-shocked state, continued, “Even before I spoke up, they didn’t seem to like me much. I don’t understand. I was friendly with everyone and ready to make new friends… Is… is there something wrong with me?”

Karissa, breaking free of her daze, snorted, “No, you’re not the problem. There’s nothing wrong with you. That group is just crazy manipulative and two-faced.” She shook her head. “The other kids are too quick to lap up all of their rumors and lies. It’s like they don’t have a brain of their own to think with.”

Serena smiled sweetly at Karissa. “I knew they were wrong about you,” she whispered in awe. “You did all that back there to help me, right? You really are a kind person.”

Unused to such kind praise, Karissa rubbed her neck before mumbling, “I just don’t like that lot. The jerks. Even if I didn’t know you, I wasn’t gonna let them get away with that rubbish.”

Serena began twiddling her thumbs, biting her lip as she timidly lowered her gaze. She hesitantly asked, “So, um… do you think… that maybe… we could be friends?”

Karissa’s mouth went dry. Serena actually wanted to be her friend? She opened and closed her mouth a few times, trying to gather her thoughts.

Misinterpreting Karissa’s silence, Serena’s shoulders drooped, face crestfallen. “Oh, I guess, that makes sense. People don’t seem to like me here.”

Bashful blush staining her cheeks, Karissa whispered, “We can be friends.”

Delighted, Serena leapt at her new friend, knocking her down with a massive hug. From their new position on the ground, Serena noticed the pears in the tree, questioning, “Do you think we could make those into pie?”

Karissa chuckled, “Nah, they were tainted by the others’ bad vibes. It’d be better to get them elsewhere.”

Serena nodded, tightening her arms around her brand-new friend. Things wouldn’t be so scary anymore with Karissa around. They were inseparable ever since.