And the feeling was mutual. The next day at school, Jade couldn't stop thinking about her evening with Leon. She found herself picturing the incredible view from the top of the cliff, thinking about how oddly free she felt, how far from any of her daily concerns she was sitting there, just her and Leon.

But she knew that it was all in the context of being saved from a very stupid decision. Jade knew Leon was right, that heading down to his part of town could've turned out very, very badly for her. But the thrill had made her feel more alive than she had in as long as she could remember. She realized that she'd gotten so into her routine of school and studying that she'd forgotten that there was a whole world out there for her. Between the journey through the dangerous part of the city and the trip to the top of the cliff, she realized she'd awoken something in her that she didn't know was there – she now had a taste for thrills.

The time in her classes dragged by at an impossibly slow pace, and all Jade could think about was what her next thrill could be, peppered with thoughts about Leon. She felt like a little kid.

I could go down to Leon's neighborhood again, she thought as she sat impatiently in her Western Civ class. But Leon didn't seem like he was screwing around when he said that I shouldn't go back there. So maybe that's not a good idea.

But she couldn't think of any other way to get the thrill she was looking for.

As soon as her classes were done for the day, Jade grabbed her laptop from her dorm room, found a quiet spot in the quad, and sat down to write her assignment for Creative Non-Fiction. As soon as she started typing the words seemed to just flow from her fingers, as though she were tapping into some otherworldly creative energy. She wrote about her journey through Leon's neighborhood and the sights she encountered there. Jade couldn't help but smile as she wrote about Leon, taking pleasure in describing the stunningly-handsome man she met who served as her guide through the rough part of town. And when she finished it all off with the trip to the cliff side, Jade felt as though she'd just finished about the best thing she'd ever written.

"Damn, girl," said Katie from behind Jade. "You're writing like a madwoman."

Jade spun around so fast that her computer almost fell off her lap.

"Ohmigod," she said, seeing that Katie was standing right behind her. "I didn't see you there."

"And you probably wouldn't have if I didn't say anything," she said. "You were, like, totally in the zone."

All Jade had left to type were two final words –"The End"- and as soon as she did she closed her laptop feeling great about the work she'd just finished.

"You were totally right about what you said the other day," said Jade, speaking through a beaming smile. "I went down to some sketchy neighborhood and it was just what I needed to get rid of my writer's block."

"Oh really?" asked Katie, taking a seat beside Jade, a crowd of bustling students making their way through the quad in front of them. "I'm kind of surprised, actually."

"Really?"

"Yeah," said Katie. "I would've bet, like, any amount of money that you were gonna chicken out. No offense, but you're not exactly the type I imagine flirting with danger like that."

"Well," said Jade, "normally, you'd be right. But once I got out there…I don't know. It was like I saw for the first time just what a sheltered life I've lived. And…"

Katie's eyebrows raised.

"I know exactly what an ‘and…' like that means," she said. "So spill it."

"Well, so when I was there I almost walked into the middle of a drug deal in progress between these two gangs, and-"

"Whoa, whoa," said Katie, holding up her hands. "You what?"

"I'll get to that, but one of the guys there was just about the hottest guy that I'd ever seen. And he must've noticed me there, because…"

Jade went through the events of her two trips through Leon's neighborhood, giving Katie all of the important details.

"You met some hood dude and you're head over heels?" said Katie, seeming to not believe the words as she spoke them. "Just when I thought this story couldn't get any more insane…"

"But he's not some sketchy hood dude," said Jade. "He's, like, a normal guy."

"A normal guy who's a drug dealer," said Katie.

"Well, yeah," said Jade, not sure how to respond. "But he's trying to get out of that shitty neighborhood; he's even a student here."

An uncomfortable expression crossed Katie's face.

"What?" asked Jade, sensing that something was amiss.

"I mean, I don't know," said Katie. "I'm glad that you're, I guess, expanding your horizons and stuff, but going out with low-life guys that like is just a bad idea, lady. It's one thing to take a little field trip to the bad parts of town and get some inspiration, but, well…"

She trailed off, and Jade knew that she had more to say.

"Spill it," said Jade.

"Well, it's just that girls like us shouldn't be hanging out with guys like that."

"What do you mean, ‘girls like us'?" asked Jade.

"You know exactly what I mean," said Katie. "I mean, I know you're a creative writing major and probably going to be diving into, like, vaults full of gold coins any time soon, but you should still be looking for, you know, particular kinds of guys."

"But this guy's a student here; he's going to school for business."

"And that's great for him," said Katie. "But guys like that –and trust me, I've known a few- they're always going to have a little bit of the ghetto in them. And that's assuming he doesn't have to drop out because he got arrested or something."

But before Jade could say another word, a familiar figure appeared in the corner of her eye. Turning her head slightly, she saw that it was none other than Leon. He was dressed in a pair of well-fitting jeans and a t-shirt that clung tightly enough to his body to show off his defined pecs. A sharp black military-style jacket finished the look. Jade found her eyes lingering on him as he strolled through the quad, her mouth hung open just a bit.

"Oh God," said Katie. "Is that him?"

"Mhmm," said Jade, hardly able to hold a thought in her head.

"Well, he's hot as shit, I'll give you that," said Katie.

Moments later Leon disappeared down the opposite side of the quad that he'd emerged from, Jade and Katie watching him all the while.

"But still," said Katie, speaking as though she'd just been snapped out of a trance. "You shouldn't fuck around with guys like that. Unless you wanna be some thug's baby mama."

"I'm not stupid," said Jade, "I'm not gonna do anything dumb like that.

"You say that now," said Katie, "but that look in your eyes is saying something totally different."

"I gotta, um, get to class," said Jade, hurriedly shoving her laptop into her bag and getting up.

"You better not be doing what I think you're doing," said Katie, a scolding tone to her voice.

"I'm not!" shouted Jade as she rushed off, her heart pounding just as it had the day before when she was with Leon.

What the hell am I doing? thought Jade as she hurried down one of the wide sidewalks of the quad, her heart still racing. Am I really going to track down Leon or something?

Rushing through an arched tunnel in the direction that Leon went, Jade heard Katie's warning repeat in her head.

I mean, I'm not gonna date the guy or anything, she told herself as she briskly walked. I'm just gonna see if he has any, um, recommendations for where I should check out next. I mean, he knew all about the awesome view up on that cliff; he's gotta know another place I can go. And plus, I bet he'd be happy that I'm not planning on going back to his neighborhood. He'll probably be relieved, actually.

Jade made her way up a curved path through the deep green of the campus grass. Once she reached the top of a small hill, she looked around for any sign of Leon, but couldn't spot him anywhere. Finally, after a moment or two of looking, she caught a glimpse of his familiar figure stepping in through the tall, stately front doors of the business school building.

See? she thought, he's going to class; he's trying to make something of himself. He's not some stupid thug like Katie thinks he is.

Jade looked around for a place to sit, settling on a nearby bench that allowed for a good vantage point of the doors that Leon had entered. There, she decided to wait until Leon came out so she could talk to him again.

Wait, she thought, slipping her laptop out of her bag, am I stalking him or something?

She felt a tinge of panic grip her.

No, she told herself, I'm just getting some work done in the area where his building happens to be. And if I see him and get a chance to ask him about some other cool places to check out, so be it. Nothing weird about this. I mean, we do go to the same school and everything.

Satisfied with her justification, Jade set to work on her writing assignment. Just as before, the words flowed from her fingertips as soon as she thought back to her time with Leon. An hour later, a thousand words were typed as though it were nothing, and as Jade looked back over what she'd written, she realized that these were the best sentences that she'd ever put to paper.

Did I actually write this? she asked herself, looking over her work. This is crazy.

Before she could think too much about it, the large doors of the business building opened and a group of students poured out. Jade's eyes focused on the crowd, looking for that familiar sight of Leon's blonde hair. After a moment, she spotted him, her heart singing as she did.

Here goes nothing, she thought, putting her laptop back into her bag and starting off. Jade weaved through the crowd of students, eventually coming up behind Leon. She looked at the back of his head for a moment, still debating if she should get his attention.

Maybe Katie's right? she thought. This is my last chance to just leave the whole thing be.

But before she could consider the matter further, her hand shot out and tapped Leon's left shoulder. He stopped and turned around slowly, a mildly irritated expression on his face. Once he realized that it was Jade trying to get his attention, his eyes went wide with disbelief, the sun catching his baby blues in a way that Jade found irresistible.

"You?" he asked. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm, um, trying to get your attention," said Jade, suddenly feeling very silly, the crowd of students still moving around them.

"Clearly," said Leon. "But what do you want? I thought this was all done."

"What do you mean?" asked Jade.

"I figured that what we did last night was enough ‘material' for whatever assignment you had. But here you are, talking to me again."

Fuck, fuck, thought Jade, maybe this was a bad idea.

She craned her neck to look up at Leon.

Damn, he's tall, she thought.

"I just thought, I don't know, that maybe you could show me some other cool place in the city that I hadn't seen before."

"And why would I want to do that?"

"I don't know," said Jade. "It's just that going through your part of town, then going to that place with the amazing view, and having to climb to get up there…it was really fun, that's all."

"'Fun'," said Leon, a smirk forming on his face. "That' what this is about? You just wanting to have some fun? Something tells me that you're not being entirely truthful."

Jade felt her face turn a deep red.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Let me guess," said Leon, leaning against one of the thick-trunked trees that lined the walkway to the building. "Flirting with danger was something that a sheltered girl like you hadn't really done before. And now that you've gotten a little taste, you need more excitement."

Jade didn't know what to say- he was dead-on.

"Maybe," said Jade, her voice coming out small.

"And what, you expect me to be your little tour guide for this?"

"I mean, you don't have to, but I just figured you'd rather show me some places yourself instead of me having to wander around in your part of town for some excitement."

"You keep wandering around my part of town like the clueless co-ed you are and you'll likely find more than ‘excitement'," Leon said, his voice stern.

Leon looked away for a moment before letting out a sigh of surrender.

"Fine," he said. "But only because I don't trust you to go looking for danger on your own without getting in too far over your head."

"Works for me," said Jade.

"Here's the deal: I've got some work to get done today, so give me your number and I'll text you with where and when to meet. And don't bother me – I'll message you when I'm ready."

"OK!" said Jade, the word coming out in a more chipper tone than she'd intended.

Jade gave Leon her number and he sent her a text so she'd have his.

"Thanks," said Jade. "Thanks for doing this."

"Don't get too used to it," said Leon. "The second that our little danger starts bumping up against my family, work, or school obligations, we're done. So get while the getting's good."

"Will do," said Jade.

"Now," said Leon. "The library's that way, so you're going that way."

"Oh, OK," said Jade.

With that, Leon headed off. As soon as Leon was out of view, Jade looked at the text that Leon had sent her, Jade's heart beating faster the longer she stared at it.

What the hell is wrong with me? she thought, heading in the direction of her dorm. I've known this guy for two days and I'm already acting like a giddy kid.

She put the matter out of her mind as best she could. Once she got back to her dorm room, she did everything she could to not focus on how slowly time seemed to pass as she waited for Leon to text her. Finally deciding to do some more work, she sat down at her laptop and finished the last bit of her writing assignment. Once she typed the last sentence, she looked over the finished document, a smile forming on her lips as she did.

It needs some editing and rewriting in places, sure, but it's really fucking good, if I do say so myself.

Then, just as she finished rereading her story, the phone buzzed from where it sat on Jade's desk. Jade looked at the time and saw that two hours had already passed.

Meet me in the south parking lot. And be quick about it.

Jade burst out of her chair, grabbed her things, and headed out the door. She hurried across campus as fast as she could without bursting into a full sprint. Once there, she spotted Leon standing next to his motorcycle.

"There she is," he said. "Was wondering how long you were gonna keep me waiting for."

"Sorry," Jade said, having to catch her breath just a bit. "I got here as fast as I could."

"I'm just joking," said Leon. "You got here, like, really fast."

"So," said Jade. "Where to?"

"It's a surprise," said Leon. "But I figured that I'd keep with the theme of getting out of the city."

He took his helmet off his bike and handed it to Jade.

"Hop on," he said.

Jade complied, feeling another little thrill run through her body as she climbed onto the back of the motorcycle. The last ride had been the first time that Jade had ever ridden on a motorcycle, and just like everything else about the evening, Jade loved it. Leon gunned the engine and soon the both of them were off. Jade gripped firmly onto Leon's solid torso, a smile spreading across her face as she savored both the feeling of Leon's body against hers and the wind on her face.

After a time they left the city limits, the gray and glass of the city giving way to the greens of nature. Looking around as they drove, Jade knew that they were going in a different direction than the one that had led them to the cliff. They drove on for another ten minutes or so, eventually turning off the main road and heading deep down the unpaved trail of a forest road. The leaves of the trees above were so thick that only the lightest dappling of sunlight shone through. Finally, Leon pulled off onto another side road and brought the bike to a stop.

Once the engine was turned off, the still sounds of nature became apparent. The bustling of the college campus was long gone, replaced by the gentle sounds of the wind through the trees and the soft chirping of birds above.

"It's beautiful," said Jade, looking around.

"Come with me," said Leon.

Jade slipped her phone out of her pocket and saw that her reception was totally nil.

"No phones out here," said Leon. "One of the few places you can go around here without being bothered."

He walked down the dirt path and Jade followed after him. After a time, they left the bike behind and it was just them.

"This is gorgeous and all," said Jade, "but I'm not really sure about what the danger is."

"It's nature," said Leon. "We're away from civilization and all of the safety that it provides. Out here, it's just you and whatever animals happen to be nearby."

When he put it that way, and the reality of the fact that they were totally cut off from the outside world dawned on Jade, a little bit of fear formed inside of her. She moved closer to Leon as they walked deeper into the woods.

"And there aren't just birds around here," he said, looking around. "Plenty of other things that'd love to take a bite right out of you."

More fear flowed into the pit of Jade's stomach.

They walked further and further into the woods, and eventually, Leon held up his hand, indicating for Jade to stop.

"Hear that?" he asked as Jade stopped dead in her tracks.

"What is it?" asked Jade, her voice barely above a whisper.

After another moment of listening, Jade heard the soft rustling of something nearby. And it wasn't just a rustling; there was a whimpering, too. Leon beckoned Jade to follow as he walked in the direction of the noise. Eventually, he came to a stop just as the whining and rustling grew to an even louder volume. He stopped and looked down.

"Check it out," he said.

Jade rushed to his side and looked down, gasping at what she saw. Nestled together in a bed of leaves was a pair of wolf cubs, squirming and whining next to one another.

"Oh my God," said Jade, bringing her hands to her mouth. "They're so cute!"

The pups looked no different to Jade than a pair of baby Siberian Huskies. She wanted to reach down, scoop up the adorable little things and nuzzle them to her face, but the better part of her knew that was likely a bad idea.

"I didn't even know there were wolves in this part of the state," said Jade, her eyes locked on the pups.

"There hadn't been," said Leon. "But in the last few years, packs from the Great Lakes regions started coming in around these parts."

He looked around.

"OK," he said, "we oughta get the hell out of here pronto."

"Why?" asked Jade.

"Because where there are wolf pups, there's wolf momma not too far away."

And right as he spoke the words another sound was heard. This one was a heavier rustling, like something big moving through the foliage. Jade's heart pounded harder and harder.

"Speak of the devil," said Leon, looking in the direction of the noise.

Jade followed his gaze and caught the sight of a large animal moving through the trees. It was making a large circle around them, moving swiftly and silently.

"Is that…"

"If that's not the mom, I'd be very surprised. They usually don't even let us get this close."

The rustling sounded again and Jade spotted the beast again. This time, she laid eyes on the unmistakable shape of a massive wolf. Fear and excitement that she'd never before felt took hold of her. Part of Jade wanted to run back, to try to get as close to the animal as she could.

"We gotta go," said Leon. "Now-now-now. But don't run- it'll just give chase."

Leon moved at a brisk pace back up the trail, and Jade took one last look at the pups before rushing to his side. The rustling sounded once more, and the hairs on the back of Jade's neck stood up as she felt the presence of an animal not too far off. But she stuck close to Leon, and soon the two of them were back on the bike. And right as Leon started the engine, the mournful howling of a wolf sounded through the forest.

Leon didn't wait another second. He gunned the engine and the two of them were back on the road, heading away from the forest. Once they crossed the border of the forest and were back out near the main road, Leon pulled off to the side and killed the engine. Jade's heart pounded in her chest, and her eyes were as wide as they could get.

"Enough of a thrill for you?" asked Leon.

Jade nodded enthusiastically. She loved it. But more than anything else, she knew she needed more.