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Osmophobia. Chapter 3. The Bracelet. The wolf

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skidded to a stop a few steps away, hands raised

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instinctively, Jade's bracelet dangling from

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his paw like a proof of innocence. Huh, you dropped

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this, he said, winded with a slight laugh. I

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saw you walking from it and, um, sorry, I didn't

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mean to startle you, he said with a tired smile.

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She stared at him, just... Stared. Stunned. The

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wolf continued smiling, holding out her bracelet.

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Silence. Oh, she said softly. A moment passed.

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Then another one. The wolf caught his breath

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and swallowed. I just, I can, uh, I can leave

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it here if you want, or, you know. She blinked.

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Once. Twice. His smile grew awkward. It's, um,

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uh, a stunning bracelet. That's jade on it, right?

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It's beautiful. Wouldn't want you to lose it.

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You ran after me, she said, as if testing the

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words. Yes, he replied, seemingly relieved that

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she finally spoke. I saw you get up and left

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it. The bracelet caught my eye and, well, here

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I am. He laughed awkwardly yet warmly. He reached

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out his paw right in front of jade to give her

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the bracelet. That earned him a look, a small

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one, but curious. Jade's eyes sharpened. It's

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really nice, he added. The green suits you. Jade

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is a lucky stone, you know. You, um, like Jade?

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It's my name, actually. Jade reached out and

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took the bracelet from his hand. Jade, I mean.

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My name is Jade. The wolf smiled and his posture

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relaxed after all the running. Oh, how beautiful.

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Your name and the bracelet. I guess you were

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both lucky today, he softly laughed. They lingered

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for a moment too long. Jade slipped her bracelet

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on her left wrist while eyes were fixed on the

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wolf. I honestly wish I had a name as cool as

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yours, he said. I'm Rick. Well, Cedric, but everyone

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calls me Rick. I guess Cedric is kinda a cool

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name, but meh. I've got nothing on Jade. He smiled

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awkwardly. Jade stared at him like he'd just

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spoken another language. Not to be weird, she

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finally said. But why did you... He tilted his

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head in a curious way. She continued. I mean,

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you're close to me. Her eyes grew wide. I mean,

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no, no, like, you walked up to me. He didn't

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flinch. Didn't look like he made a mistake. Just

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looked confused. Are you okay? He asked genuinely.

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Jade snapped out of her stunned trance and realized

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she was having a conversation. Oh, yes, yeah.

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It's just, wow, um, not many people walk up to,

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you know, me. Cedric chuckled. Well, bracelet

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lost, I found it. Here I am, with bracelet. He

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grinned. Sorry if I worded you out. No, no, no,

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Jade jumped. It's just... Thank you, she said,

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looking at the ground shyly. Of course. I thought

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I lost you around the bakery with that crowd.

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I don't see many skunks around the city, though,

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so I could spot you pretty easy. I don't know

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if it's weird to say, but I love your tail. So

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cool. Jade almost lost consciousness. Cool? She

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laughed. Most people look at it like it's a horror

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monster. He laughed lightly and grinned. Nah,

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you just got to rock it. You got this, Jade.

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No one in the city can stop you. Jade's face

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flushed. Anyway, I'll stop bothering you. I'm

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sure I'll see you in the park. If you lose your

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bracelet again, I got you. He said with a slight

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wink. Cedric ran off with a wave and a smile.

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Jade existed for a moment. Why? What just happened?

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For the first time in a long, long time, she

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felt unafraid. This has been Osmophobia. The

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story continues.