by Angela Foxxe
“It was expected of us. I mean, football players and cheerleaders hang out together. It has always been that way since forever. I guess we weren’t going to reinvent the wheel.”
“It’s a shame; I think someone should,” John said.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, in high school, there are all these stupid rules that you’re supposed to follow, but no one ever stops to think about who made up these rules or who is going to be there to make sure that this class follows those social rules. But yet every year, a new group of kids automatically adheres to a rule book they had nothing to do with creating and they have no real need to go by. But somehow, they naturally gravitate toward it. Have you ever wondered why that is? And if it’s ever going to change?”
“Wow, this conversation is suddenly getting way too deep,” Heather said with a laugh. “I’m not sure why that is. But it must be some natural thing since it’s been going on forever. Although it would be interesting if some group of kids just decided to change it all. They could just chuck all society’s conventions and guidelines out the window.”
“That’s what I’m saying. You see, we could start this and point these kids on the right path. Maybe we could start a blog about it or a podcast. Maybe we could write a series of short eBooks on the subject—it could be revolutionary!”
Heather was almost rolling on the floor in hysterics after John’s idiotic rant. He loved it when he could make her laugh, and he would gladly listen to her laughter forever if need be. That sounded like a pretty good way to spend their lives.
“Have you taken some drugs or something tonight?” Heather asked.
“Why? You don’t think that is a great idea?” John asked.
“No. I think it’s a great idea, but I know kids today, and they would totally ignore everything you just said.”
“You’re probably right, “John said. “But our generation, our class, we would have listened if someone had told us what’s up.”
Heather feigned a serious expression on her face. “Oh, absolutely.”
John grabbed Heather’s hand and pulled her close to him as he whirled her around and away from the bench. She gasped in surprise and giggled as he pulled her inward; her face was now close to his. John peered into her sweet eyes, inhaling her intoxicating aroma. He wanted to lean in for the kiss right then, but something stopped him. He had no idea what. He had never felt this hesitant with a woman before, and he just could not wrap his head around why he was falling flat on the romance with this. He and Heather had a history. It wasn’t like he was just meeting some random woman for the first time.
Maybe that was what was holding him back: he was too close to Heather. Her rejection—if she gave him one—would hurt much worse simply because he had real feelings for her. He was also having a hard time grasping how he could feel so much for her when he hadn’t consciously thought about her in so long.
Or had he? Was it possible that he had just repressed the feelings and the memories so far down that he didn’t realize they were even there until he saw Heather again? He supposed that was most likely it. Those feelings had to be buried down deeply within him, and as he thought about this, he wondered how he had been able to just bury those feelings without any hesitation when he and Heather had parted ways years before.
John realized that he was staring at Heather and still holding her close. She was now getting an odd look on her face. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been holding her like that. He didn’t want to let her go. He needed her close to him. He needed her to be with him. But he couldn’t just spring that on her. He had to be careful.
He pulled back slowly with a smile, hopefully laughing off his playful gesture before he took her hand and they jogged down the hallway toward the gymnasium.
They burst through the doors of the gym just like he remembered doing so many times before. The ceiling was just as high as he remembered it, and instantly, a tidal wave of memories came pouring into his mind just then. He could see vividly as if he were still there, stepping back in time. He saw the pep rallies before the big football games, the endless days of PE class, watching cheerleaders practicing their routines when it was raining sometimes, the school dances, the prom. He remembered walking into the gym for the first time as a freshman. Everything had seemed so huge and so far above him. Now it just seemed like a distant memory of childhood. But that was the thing about childhood—the memories never really left you. Sometimes they just liked to play hide and seek, and it would take the simplest thing to get the memories going again and bring them out to the surface.
“It was right there,” Heather said.
“What?” John asked.
Heather was standing beside the basketball hoop. John remembered the first time he’d put a basketball through the hoop. It was a three-point shot that had sent the crowd in the stands into a frenzy. He could hardly believe that they had started to chant his name after he made his third three pointer that game. It was like something inside of him had just clicked, and he could feel how the ball was supposed to gently roll off his fingertips and glide through the air until it reached its destination, falling through the hoop with a beautiful swish.
He had been astonished to make the varsity team as a freshman, but he was already six-foot-one, and that was decently tall for a varsity basketball player. Plus, he was quick and agile. He had considered going hard for a basketball scholarship, but he was no way near good enough at basketball to ever have a chance of turning pro, so he continued to set his sights on football. That was really where his true talents lay.
But the way that Heather was standing, looking at him with that sexy grin on her face, almost naughty, he didn’t think that she was remembering quite the same thing that he was right then.
“This is where we had our first dance,” Heather said.
It all came back to him then. It was the Moonlight Dance that the school always had on the first Friday in October as a way to usher in autumn. It was always a lot of fun, but nothing compared to the experience of the first time he’d asked Heather to dance.
He could vividly recall how he had been standing beside the punch bowl with his buddies, watching her from across the room. She had been talking to some of her cheerleader friends, and he couldn’t believe that she didn’t have a date. It was probably because every guy in school was too scared to ask her out, just like he had been. Heather wasn’t just amazing because she was beautiful. She was amazing because she was just an awesome person. She was the kind of girl who could have you rolling on the floor laughing and then put you in a wrestling choke hold that you couldn’t get out of (not that you wanted to) a second later. She was the all-around fun, cool, smart, sassy, sweet girl, with the body and the face of a Victoria’s Secret model. She was the quintessential perfect girl.
And somehow on that fall night, John Wild had summoned the courage to go over and ask this angelic creature to dance.
His buddies had been teasing him mercilessly to go over and do it. They knew how he felt about her because he was unable to contain himself from gawking at her every time she was anywhere near them. Never mind that none of them had the guts to talk to her, but they pressured him into it constantly.
That night, he’d decided to do it. Not because of his buddies—John had never been one to give into peer pressure—but because something inside of him just clicked. He’d had enough of waiting. He was no longer in control of his actions. It was as if someone else was grabbing control of the wheel and controlling him, and before he realized what was happening, he was standing in front of Heather and he was asking her to dance.
She’d looked up at him a bit surprised, and for a moment he thought she was going to laugh at him. The realization of what he was doing came to him, and he’d suddenly felt very cold beneath his drenching sweat that he was breaking out into. It felt like he was waiting for hours for her answer.
Finally, she smiled at him and said yes as she held out her hand. They made their way to the d
ance floor and quickly locked into the music dancing with a slow song.
“I do remember,” John said.
Heather smiled and held out her hand for him.
John couldn’t believe the feeling of déjà vu that he was experiencing right then. He slowly strode over to her, feeling only just a bit more confident than he had that night and started to reach for her hand. But then he stopped himself.
“Wait. This has to be right,” John said as he pulled out his phone. After a moment of searching, he locked it in and watched Heather laugh as “The Reason” by Hoobastank began to play. That was the first song they’d ever danced to.
Now, the moment was perfect.
They didn’t speak at all as they danced to the music. John let Heather’s soft hands slide back and forth between his own as they moved to the music. The beat and the vibe transformed the entire gym into the dance from that day, even though they were alone. He could remember that it felt like they were alone then, too, as if they had been engulfed in some bubble like the little snow globes that Heather was so fond of and had been whisked away to some far off magical place that existed just for them.
“You’re better at this than I remember,” Heather said.
“Oh, was I bad before? I’ve always considered myself an expert dancer,” John retorted.
“You were good—don’t get me wrong—but you were nervous, especially the first dance.”
“How could you tell?”
“Your hands were sweaty,” Heather said.
John laughed. “I wasn’t that sweaty, was I?”
“Not too bad, but just enough to be adorable. The big jock scared by little old me,” Heather said.
“Well, your beauty was intimidating,” John replied. “It still is.”
“John Wild, are you flirting with me?” Heather asked, throwing a little country twang into her voice.
“What if I am?”
“Well, I think that’s just fine. But what else are you prepared to do?” Heather asked.
“Whatever is necessary,” John said.
He leaned in right then and inhaled deeply as he waited for his lips to touch hers. It had been so long since he had been here with this wonderful woman. How could he have just given up on this? How had he ever let her go? It was just a dumb mistake two kids in love didn’t know how to fix.
Her lips touched his, and the spark that erupted between them was intense beyond anything he had ever expected. He knew it would be the sweetest thing he’d ever tasted, but he didn’t know that it would take over his whole being and make him feel almost on the verge of tears. The tears that threatened to fall from his eyes were tears of absolute joy and heartache. The heartache was there because he was so heartbroken over the time he had missed. He had made a choice in his life, and he was really starting to feel that it was in fact the wrong choice. The meaning and purpose to his life that he’d sought out on the gridiron was really right in front of him in the heart of this woman.
But he couldn’t have known that then. He could not have understood the way that real adult feelings work at such a young age. He had to admit to himself that he barely understood this now. But he’d reached a point in his life that he was willing to relinquish control over his feelings and let himself be, let himself feel. The emotions hit his chest like a bomb blast of total pain and carnage that threatened to reduce him to a babbling ball of insecurities, but he was able to take a few deep breaths and hold on. He just closed his eyes and enjoyed the kiss.
As their lips finally parted, John couldn’t bring himself to say anything. He had a million sexy one liners that he’d gleamed from movies and from stupid locker room talk, most of which were probably not appropriate for this or were too cheesy to ever be uttered by any real person who hoped to make a good impression on somebody.
“Well, that was… nice,” Heather said with a giggle.
“Yeah, that was… nice,” John replied.
The two enjoyed a laugh as John pulled her close to him. He had so many things he wanted to say. He wanted to just look Heather deeply in the eyes and confess all of his desires and feelings to her, but he still didn’t know exactly how she felt. The attraction was there; the spark was there. The kiss had just proven that, but how far did it go with her? How deeply would she let it run with her? He still had to keep his true feelings to himself. It was agonizing, but there was no other way. Things were progressing nicely; it was his job to just let nature take its course and not rock the boat.
“Hey!”
The voice came from the other side of the gym. There was another set of doors that led to the hallway that rolled through the freshman wing. John could plainly see the flashlight’s beam splashing against the thick glass in the doors. It was the security guard. Their luck had run out.
“Oh, crap!” Heather said, unable to stifle the laughter.
John grabbed her hand, and the two of them ran out the other door just as the security guard burst through into the gymnasium.
“Hey! Stop!” the guard yelled, running behind them.
“Yeah, we will be doing that pronto,” John joked as he and Heather ran down the hallway and around the corner.
The doorway to freedom loomed in front of them as the security guard came closer and closer. John was impressed that this guy, who had to be fifty pounds overweight, was gaining on them. He wished that he could turn on the jets and run full speed, but he had Heather to think about. But she was dogging it on purpose. It was almost like she wanted to get caught. Heather had been on the track team in high school for a few years, and she had been good. But the coach had had it in for her for some reason, and Heather had eventually told her to eat shit. She’d not been allowed back on the track after that.
They hit the door hard, knocking it back. It banged against the brick of the school building with an impressive and explosive bang. John loved to hear sweet banging noises for some reason. It was the type of thing that always got him fired up. He let go of Heather’s hand right then as he ran to the driver’s side of the car and hopped in. Heather was in her seat within three seconds later, and John sped out of the lot.
In the rearview mirror, they could see the fat security guard huffing and puffing and making some rather obscene gestures to them as he struggled to get a look at the license plate. Fat chance in the dark when John didn’t turn on his lights until they were well out of sight.
“Wow, that was great!” Heather screamed as they peeled out on down the road.
“Yeah, that was interesting, “John said.
“John Wild, always trying to pretend to be unimpressed,” Heather teased.
“Who’s pretending?”
“Well, Mister, I can’t wait to see what you do next,” Heather said.
John glanced at her and smiled.
Oh, she was going to be surprised.
***
Heather’s dad was long asleep when they got back to her place, and everything seemed so quiet as John walked Heather to the doorstep. She stood on the porch, unlocked the door, and then walked inside, leaving the door open for John.
He was a bit surprised. He did not want to do anything to wake up her dad. He was ill and needed his rest, and John didn’t expect Heather to be inviting him in, but he slowly walked inside, gently shutting the door behind him.
He could feel the tingly nerves that he thought he’d outgrown years ago coming back up again. He tried to keep himself calm. He didn’t want to blow this, and he also had to remember that he was a werewolf who could be instigated to begin the shift if his nerves weren’t in check. Oh, yeah, there was that.
At times, he often forgot all about the shift. Even after all of these years and it being such a huge part of his life and who he now was. It shook him to the core to think that he could become careless and complacent with this thing. That could end up being the worst thing he ever did, for a variety of reasons. What if he hurt somebody? What if he hurt Heather?
He followed Heather through the living room, past
her dad’s bedroom, and into the kitchen. Heather grabbed a few beers from the fridge and handed one to John.
He popped the top off the bottle and took a big chug of it. He was now aware that he was dying of thirst. Running from out of shape high school security guards could do that to you. He laughed to himself at his thoughts. He really was a little jerk sometimes.
“So, when are you heading back?”
“Well, I was thinking of heading back tomorrow, but I’m actually toying with the idea of staying around for a while. I’d love to get in touch with the old gang and see what they’re up to. It’s been ages since I’ve really seen them all.”
“That would be very cool,” Heather said.
“Would that be okay with you? If I stuck around for a bit? You know how much I love to annoy you,” John said.
“Well, I do get tired of the little games you play, but you do also say nice stuff sometimes. So I don’t know. It’s kind of a toss-up. I think we just play it by ear for a bit and see how everything goes.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” John said.
Right then, their eyes met. It was like a weird pull that John couldn’t explain. It was almost gravitational in its urgency, pulling him closer to Heather. The image of her standing there, her clothes hugging her tight body snugly, the slightest bit of sweat glowing on her skin from their earlier encounter, the naughty look in her eyes—it all came together right then to create an irresistible urge within him. It was similar to the urge he felt on the full moon, but this was somewhat more primal. It was more urgent. He had to have her right now.
John stepped forward and wrapped his arm around Heather’s waist. He pulled her tightly to him and wrapped her lips against his. Her mouth was eager, waiting, wanting it. Her lust surprised him and encouraged him to proceed at a stronger pace.
The feelings coursing through his body were ten times stronger than the way he remembered feeling the first time they’d made love together. It had been both of their first times, and it was the most magical experience he had ever had. It was beyond anything that even his teenage imagination could have imagined.