by Joe Fowler
As I listened to her tell the story, I watched the other wolves. I wasn’t sure what kind of impression this would make on them. Of course it was harder to judge their reactions since they were still wolves. Then I realized how she was playing me up to them. She was making me out to be the hero. No one had ever accused me of being anywhere near heroic before.
“What made you let him go?” Seth asked. I saw a gleam in his eye as he said it and knew he had a different reason for asking. I had grown used to this look from being around Keith.
“There was no point in killing him. He was beaten and wounded and just wanted to get away. I didn’t think he would be a danger to anyone anytime soon. Of course, if he had actually hurt Alicia, I don’t think I could have stopped myself.” It was then that I understood. Seth wanted the other wolves to see that not only was I not a danger to them, I was kindhearted and would defend them with my life.
Carl was the first to shake my hand and say a few words. The others started to take their human form and followed his lead. I felt so relieved. I had earned their trust and they were accepting me, different or not. I was a part of the pack now.
The rest of the night was spent playing tag and other games they taught me. The woods were filled with howls and laughter. I learned a lot more about my abilities and my limitations. About an hour before dawn Seth told me to head to his house. I had entirely forgotten about school.
Chapter 9
Anna and Alicia, who were both nurses, were working together to get me bandaged. They were careful to keep the bandages light, as bulky would draw attention. I had already taken a shower and was letting them tend my wounds in the living room. The rest of the pack had gone home.
“If these cuts start to itch, try your best not to scratch. You don’t want to reopen the cuts. Then you’ll be bloody and it will slow the healing.” Anna was pointing her finger like she was scolding me when she said that. It was funny.
I put my shirt on when they gave me the ok. I wasn’t nervous about school anymore. I still hated the visions but I knew I could deal with them. After last night, I felt like I could deal with anything.
“When will you have the chance to run again?” Alicia asked as she sat beside me.
“I don’t know. I still have to come up with excuses for my mom. For some reason she has been paying more attention lately.”
“Does she let you go out on dates?” She asked with a smile.
“Yes.” I saw it just before she kissed me. Not a vision, just realized she was going to.
“How about Wednesday night?” She was smiling up at me.
Instead of answering, I kissed her. Maybe I should say kissing her was my answer. She had the softest lips, I really didn’t want to stop. We were interrupted by Seth clearing his throat. Looking up, he was standing in the doorway to the dining room, smiling.
“So you two will be back Wednesday night?” Seth said as he sat in a chair.
“I sure hope so.” I looked back at Alicia and smiled before I continued, “Mom is pretty lenient with me. I don’t see her having a problem with it.”
“We might only have a few hours for the woods but it will be worth it.” She slid her hand into mine when she said it.
The three of us talked until it was time for me to go to school. Alicia and I exchanged phone numbers, with the promise that I would call her tonight. Seth walked me to my car telling me how happy he was that I was a part of his pack. As I drove away, I couldn’t hold back my smile. I had just had the greatest night of my life.
“Details. Now.” Keith had been waiting in his driveway. He wasn’t even in the car all the way when he said that.
“Where to start. I got there and…” I kept talking for the drive to school, the walk from the parking lot, homeroom, and through the day whenever we had the chance to talk. Keith took it all in with only a few interruptions when he needed more details. I finished the retelling with the kissing and upcoming date plans when we were headed to the car after school.
“Wow. I want to meet her. I have to make sure she is good enough for my best friend.” If he wanted to meet her, I didn’t mind.
“Sure. I’ll see what I can do.” I started the car and pulled away before continuing, “Mom didn’t call you did she? I was really hoping you wouldn’t have to lie because of me.”
“No, your mom didn’t, but I still had to work the truth for you a little. Sarah asked me for your number last night and I gave it to her but told her not to call. I told her you had something pretty serious going on last night and asked her to wait for today.”
“Did she say why?” I figured she wanted to talk about Crystal but had to ask anyway.
“She didn’t say why, but you know it has to do with Crystal. They are coming along just fine.” He said it but I was thinking it at the same time. “I just hope one of them will be brave enough to make the first move.”
“I’ve been warning Crystal not to move too fast. I want Sarah to really know what she wants before she is put in that position.” And since I usually defer to Keith’s wisdom, I asked, “Was that the right thing to do?”
“Absolutely. I just think Sarah is already there.”
“I sure hope so, because Crystal is bursting at the seams.” We were mostly quiet after I said that.
I dropped Keith off and headed home. I was conflicted about how I wanted Mom to act, tonight. Part of me wanted her to keep spending time with me, but with so much going on, it might be better if she didn’t. I would just make the best of it either way.
My little find a mom talent showed me she was in the living room watching TV. I grabbed a coke and went to say ‘hi’. She was watching ‘Titanic’ of all things. That had me worried since she hated those kind of movies.
“Hey Mom, I see you’re watching a horror movie.” That got a smile.
“I’m just trying to understand how people can like these kind of sappy love stories. Maybe it’s just me but if I pay for a movie I want action, comedy, or horror.” She looked at me and asked, “Am I wrong?”
“I agree with you. Love stories are fine if you are in them but watching other people fall in love doesn’t do you any good.” I said this easily enough but it felt wrong after I had said it. That had been the way I had always viewed romantic love story type movies. I guess it was the joy I was feeling over Crystal and Sarah finding each other that made it feel wrong. That was different though, I had a hand in helping them. I went back and forth over this in my head for the rest of the day.
“Exactly. Well, did you have a good time at Keith’s or did you actually study?” She said it with a smile figuring that we had goofed off.
“I learned some, but there was some frivolity, too.” A very true statement, just not the way she would take it.
“I guessed as much. Anyway, I have to leave in a little while. Some friends are planning a party and they want me to help. You will have the house to yourself tonight. Unless you have plans.” She looked at me as if she really were interested. Maybe she was.
“No plans for tonight but I have a date Wednesday night.”
“Crystal again?”
“Not this time. Her name is Alicia. I really like her a lot.” I was alarmed at how much.
“Tell me about her.” Another first, Mom was taking an interest in my love life. I wished more than ever that my mom had always been like this.
“She is tiny, but acts like she is a giant. Long blonde hair, blue eyes, and way too pretty to be with me.”
“She must not think so. Will I get to meet her sometime? I know the first date is too soon, but if you two are going to be a regular thing, then I want to meet her. I promise I will try not to embarrass you.” Mom said.
“I would love for you to meet her.” This was the truth. I finally had the mother I had always dreamed of. I wanted her to stay like this, even if it might be inconvenient from time to time. I almost felt bad that she was going somewhere tonight. Maybe we could have had another movie marathon or something.
&nb
sp; We did spend a little more time together before she left at about five thirty. I ate something then went up to my room to make my call to Alicia. Before I could make that call, my phone rang. It was Sarah.
“Hello?”
“Hi Josh, its Sarah. Do you have time to talk?” She sounded nervous.
“Sure. My night is free.” I was pretty sure we wouldn’t talk so long that I would be too late to call Alicia.
"This is going to be uncomfortable for me. I need you to promise me you won’t say anything to anyone, especially Keith.”
“I promise I won’t tell anyone. What’s so serious?” Of course I knew, but I had to play my part. I meant to keep my promise to her.
“I’ve been with Keith for years now. I always tried to act like I wanted sex and that it was him that was saying no. Truthfully, I am glad he wanted to wait. I needed that time to realize that, um, that, I wanted to be with girls. Meeting Crystal convinced me. I want to kiss her more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life.” Sarah confessed.
“I think that is wonderful, Sarah. Whether it’s a guy or a girl, for you to meet someone you really want to be with is the best thing I could want for you.” I said honestly.
“I really hoped you would say that! Now, you have to help me. I have no idea how to tell Keith. What if Crystal doesn’t feel the same way? What if my friends start to hate me?” She was a nervous wreck. It was understandable though. This would be a life changing thing for her.
“First, you shouldn’t give a rat’s ass what those airheaded friends of yours think. If they are real friends, then they will support you no matter what. Second, Keith is the most understanding person we know. I would bet money that he will hug you and wish you the best. Third, the only way you will know how Crystal feels is to talk to her about it. I can tell you that your chances with her are better than you think.” I was scared of betraying Crystal’s trust by saying too much, but I wanted Sarah to have the encouragement needed to go through with it. “I’ve known Crystal a lot longer than you have. I’ve never seen her so into anyone the way she is with you.”
“I’m about to cry. You just told me exactly what I needed to hear.” I could hear her sniffles and deep breaths. She was trying to get herself back under control. “Which one should I talk to first, Keith or Crystal?”
“Talk to Keith first. Technically you two are still together, so it would only be right to let him know your intentions.”
“Okay. You’re right, I need to talk to him first. Would it be bad if I do it over the phone? I’m scared I will chicken out if I have to wait.”
“If it was anyone other than Keith, then I would say do it in person. With Keith, you can tell him what you just told me about being scared you would chicken out. He will understand.”
“I am soooo nervous! I think I need to do this right now while I have the courage. Can I call you back?” She sounded terrified.
“Sarah, you better call me back. I want to be there for you, and hopefully Crystal, too. Either way it goes, call me.”
“Thank you, Josh. I’ll talk to you later.” Sarah hung up. Even though I had stacked the deck in her favor, I was still nervous for her.
“Hello?” It was good just to hear Alicia’s voice. I called her right after I hung up with Sarah, knowing I might not get the chance to call later.
“Hey Alicia, its Josh.” Wow, that sounded lame. If she didn’t have caller id then she would recognize my voice. Maybe I was just too nervous.
“Hey. How are your cuts? Does it still hurt?” She asked.
“Not as much. The itching has stopped, that’s a huge relief. How was your day?” I knew she was a nurse but had no clue about what her interests were.
“Boring. I was off today. I almost went back to the woods but decided to spend a day being human.” She made it sound like being human was a pain in the butt. “I mostly just sat around watching old movies.”
“I guess it is hard to get excited about a movie when you can turn into a wolf anytime you want. Something else I will have to get used to.”
“Yep. What about you? Is school as boring as it used to be?” She was laughing.
“Normally yes. Today, however, I am in the middle of a situation with friends. A girl is coming out of the closet. She needs to break up with my best friend who is a guy. She is hoping to start a relationship with a girl that I have been intimately involved with for the past few years. I just got off the phone with the girl and since she is calling my best friend to tell him, I know she will be calling me back soon. Not to mention that both my friend and my ex will be calling as well. So if we get interrupted you will know why.” I hoped she could follow all of that.
“Talk about having your hands full.” She was laughing, again. “How did you get in the middle of something like that?”
“Actually, I am kind of the instigator. I am the one who introduced the two girls hoping for this outcome.”
“Now I’m intrigued. Why would you do that? How did you know they might be gay?” She sounded interested. Those were questions to be answered in person, though.
“I will tell you the hows and the whys tomorrow night. It is really weird and I want to tell you in person.” I was dreading it, but she would need the truth.
“Does it have to do with your father? You and Seth acted like it was a huge deal.”
“Sort of. I spent most of the day thinking about when we kissed this morning. I am really hoping that it is the start of something really great. What I am going to tell you tomorrow, might make you change your mind about me. It is killing me, but you have the right to know the truth before it gets more serious.” My heart sank at the thought but it would be better to lose her early, before we got too close.
“I really like you. It would have to be pretty bad for me to not want to be with you.” I wondered how much bad she could take.
“Believe me, I hope this is something you can deal with. I just can’t say for sure if you will.” She sighed after I said that.
“It doesn’t sound like you are putting much trust in me.”
“Look, maybe we should just wait until I can tell you everything. I don’t want you to be mad at me.” She would have plenty of chances for that after I told her.
“I get off work at three o’clock tomorrow. I can meet you at Seth’s any time after that.” She sounded mad.
“How about five o’clock?” That would give me time to deal with mom or whatever else might come up.
“I’ll be there.” She hung up immediately. Yep, she was mad.
That didn’t go as well as I had hoped, but I was pretty sure she would understand my hesitation after she heard I had a demon father. I couldn’t really see how she would get over that fact easily. I moved to put the phone down but it rang before I could. Sarah.
“Hey, how did it go?” I asked even though I was pretty sure the Keith part was going to be easy.
“It was just like you said. Keith told me he understood and he hoped Crystal felt the same for me. I was so scared!” Sarah’s voice was shaking.
“That is wonderful, Sarah. I told you he would understand.”
“Now comes the really hard part. What if she hates me because of this?”
“I can’t imagine anyone hating you for any reason. Just try to be honest with her and tell her how you feel. When are you going to talk to her?” I asked.
“I know I want to do this in person. I am trying to decide between calling her to see if she can go out tonight, and telling her on the way to school.”
“Tough decision. I would go with asking her out tonight.” I wanted them together, besides there is no way Sarah would get a wink of sleep with this hanging in the balance.
“Ask her to go where though? What would sound good?”
“To tell you the truth, I would just tell her you needed to talk to her in person. Ask her if she can go out for a while. She will help with what to tell her mom, if anything needs to be told.” I thought that would work, anyway.
; “That sounds better than anything I thought of.” She sounded hopeful. “Ok, I’m going to call her. How late do you stay up?”
“I will stay awake until you call and tell me how it went.” I was exhausted having missed an entire night’s sleep, but I would be there for her.
“Thanks for all your help. I will call you later and tell you what happens. Bye.” She hung up. I tried to put my phone down again, and again it rang before I could. Keith.
“Hello?”
“Sarah’s going to tell Crystal tonight!” Keith was obviously thrilled.
“I know. Sarah just called me. I am so happy for them.” I was trying to be careful of what I said. I wanted to keep my promise to Sarah.
“That’s right I gave her your number. Has she been calling? What has she been saying?” I wasn’t expecting this from Keith. It wasn’t like him to pry like this.
“She made me promise not to say anything about what we talked about. You know I would tell you every detail if it was my choice.”
“Come on, I need to know what all you told her.” What got into Keith?
“Hey, it’s your fault. If you hadn’t been pressing me to be a better person all these years, then I would break my promise and tell you everything. Sorry, I can’t say anything.” I said this hoping he would get the point.
“Ok, ok. I give. I will see you in the morning.” Keith hung up. I sighed in relief and went to put my phone down. Guess what, it rang before I could. Crystal.
“Hello?”
“Hey, this is Crystal. Sarah just called and said she needed to talk to me. I know you’ve said not to pressure her, but I think I am going to tell her tonight.” Crystal’s voice was shaking. I had been scared it wouldn’t happen, now they are racing to be the one to tell the other.