“Oh my God!”
“You totally had me!”
“I was getting concerned.”
Then the two cornballs bumped beer bottles in cheer. “Bottoms up,” Trevor said, before taking a big swig of his beer. Jimmy followed suit.
Sebastian looked at the beer in his hand. Then he looked at me.
Of course, Trevor had a comment to share. “What? It’s just a beer, not moonshine.”
Sebastian asked, “What’s moonshine?”
Jimmy spit out his beer mid-swallow and proceeded to choke.
“Where did you find this guy?” Trevor handed me an open beer.
Nervous at the thought of how this night was going to go, I found myself guzzling half of it down. Trevor and Jimmy cheered. Sebastian took a sip of his beer, and his face puckered. “Oh, that’s awful!”
“Nectar of the Gods? Boy, what are you talking about?” Trevor said in dismay.
Sebastian lost to his first encounter with peer pressure and was already four beers in when we started playing Jenga, a game Sebastian found extremely entertaining. I only drank two beers because my wolf was a bit of a lightweight, as was I, and I decided to keep an eye on him. After another beer in the middle of another game of Jenga, Sebastian all of a sudden took a stumbling step away from the kitchen table and said words I will never forget.
“I must poop now.” He headed for the back door.
“Dude, where you going?” Trevor asked as Sebastian prepared to step outside.
“Sebastian, my bathroom is back here.” I pointed to the bottom-floor restroom.
Sebastian stopped and smiled. “Oh, yes, the bathroom.” He headed in that direction, stating, “Another new experience.” The bathroom door shut.
My eyes closed. Here we go.
“Are you sure about this one?” Jimmy toyed with me.
My eyes opened and rolled as I blew out air.
“She’s sure,” Trevor said. “Just watch her watch him.”
Jimmy playfully warned me. “T’s still suspicious.”
“Hound,” Trevor growled at him.
“Wait, what’s going on?” I asked.
Trevor took a deep, aggravated breath and then finally told me. “I know we’re done—that’s not why I’m here.” My hand gestured for him to continue. “But, I love you—”
My jaw dropped as my eyes went wide, stopping him.
“No! Not that kind of love—not my style. Listen, you’ve been my friend all my life. And even though you’re not with me anymore, that doesn’t mean I can just stop caring or worrying about you. You have fallen—really fallen, for someone I don’t know. No one knows. I just need to see you’re in good hands.”
“And then your boy does weird shit like—well, like, try to shit outside,” Jimmy added.
My shoulders fell. This was supposed to be a romantic night with Sebastian. Instead, it was turning into a wolf’s upset stomach from beer, and a Q and A with my ex and Jimmy.
Trevor’s eyes scanned my body language. He sounded remorseful. “Marlena, I’m not trying to put pressure on you.” He put his arms around me. “It’s just—”
I quickly pulled away. “No, don’t touch me. He doesn’t like it.”
When I realized what I had said and how it must have sounded, I tried to fix it, but my excuses fell on deaf ears. Trevor and Jimmy’s stances changed as they looked at each other with angered expressions. I quietly pleaded, “No, you’re misunderstanding me. I can’t explain this. Please trust me.”
When Trevor faced me, his outrage was evident. “Has he hurt you?”
This was getting worse. “What? NO. Far from it.”
Jimmy’s jaw was clenched shut, so he spoke through his teeth. “Then what is going on?”
I put my face in my hands. “I can’t tell you—”
“Marley.”
I opened my eyes in time to watch the horror of Sebastian looking violently ill. He was pale, stumbling, and his eyes looked half shut. He reached for the staircase but missed, falling to the ground.
“Sebastian!” I screamed and ran to him.
I rolled him over and pulled his upper body into my lap. Weak eyes looked to me with sorrow. “Marley, I’m so sorry, but… alcohol is poison. No one told me how bad it is for you. I’m so sorry.”
Trevor knelt at Sebastian’s feet. Jimmy hovered behind him. My hand kept touching Sebastian’s face. I couldn’t understand why he was apologizing to me when I was the one who did not warn him. In fairness, I didn’t know alcohol was poison to us—or a wolf—but that didn’t ease any of my guilt. “Are you going to be okay?”
His shaking hand reached out and touched my cheek. “Yes… but can’t stop.” His hand weakly fell to his chest as he looked at the boys. “D-don’t be mean to her… she had no choice… but to lie.” His eyes closed as his body went limp in my arms.
And then, Sebastian became Romy.
Chapter Twelve:
Uncomfortable Conversations and ‘Things’
Trevor jolted backward so fast that he knocked Jimmy onto his back. Trevor’s body—still wanting to get away from the wolf that had just appeared out of nowhere—crawled back and ended up sitting on Jimmy’s face.
“Get off me!” Jimmy yelled as he pushed Trevor from his unfortunate resting place.
Trevor slid off, never moving his eyes from what lay half in my lap on top of shredded jeans. Terrified tears rolled down my face. I touched Romy’s ribs and could feel him still breathing. It was like he was just resting—maybe even healing.
I glanced at the exasperated faces and pleaded, “Try to keep your minds open. Please. For me, try.”
Sitting on the floor, Trevor rested his elbows on his knees, hands covering his gaping mouth, probably trying to wrap his mind around what he was witnessing. Jimmy sat up and just stared in what seemed to be numb shock. I stayed silent. Nothing else needed to be said. Sebastian’s secret was out for the very first time.
Time seemed to stand still as pressure and worries compounded and weighed down on my shoulders. My two worlds collided every night when Romy became Sebastian, but it was done privately, safely. Now my two worlds were colliding in front of two young men who might not be able to handle the responsibility of keeping Romy safe.
Trevor looked pale when he spoke the first word. “Romy?”
I wiped my dripping tears off his beautiful fur. “Yes, Romy.”
“How?” Trevor asked with a quiet astonishment.
Shakily, I answered with truth. “I don’t know.”
More silence.
“No one knows, do they?” Jimmy asked, as if understanding my actions more clearly.
“Not a soul,” I whispered.
“H-has he always been able to… do this?” Trevor asked.
“No, not till he was eleven.”
Jimmy looked astonished. “Romy’s eleven now. Why does Sebastian look so much older?”
“I don’t know. He just went from wolf to man, right in front of me.”
Jimmy quickly asked, “In front of you? When? Where?”
“The night we couldn’t find him. He changed—”
“In the woods.” Jimmy still looked to be in shock. “That’s why I saw a man’s set of footprints and a struggle.”
I nodded in shame. I had lied to my friend.
“Wait—what tracks, Hound?” Trevor anxiously asked.
“Remember the next morning, when we searched for them both? That’s when I saw a man’s tracks. Romy changed after we carried him home.”
Trevor thought. “So we were right. Romy was purposely taking himself from home but not for being sick.”
“Yes,” I quietly confirmed.
“Did you know it was coming?” Jimmy asked.
; I was barely audible. “I figured it out.”
Trevor pointed to the unconscious Romy. “Is he going to be okay?”
My shoulders shook. “I don’t know.”
“Well, we can’t call nine-one-one for a wolf.” Jimmy stated the obvious. “So let’s just let him work the beer out of his system.”
With Romy in my lap, there were many questions from Trevor and Jimmy, but they were not running to the cops or government. They weren’t threatening to turn Romy over to the authorities. Trevor and Jimmy were being my… friends. My gratitude was shown in every answer I could offer. We spoke about how I met Romy and his parents and the heartache that came with the loss of Mother and Father Wolf. Trevor and Jimmy nodded, listening to how Romy became mine to guard and love. They were surprisingly moved when I spoke of how Sebastian viewed the world we took for granted.
“Marlena, this helps me so much,” Trevor told me, letting his head fall forward.
“How?”
He chuckled. “Now I know I’m not crazy to have been jealous of a dog.”
His chuckle eased some tension in my heart. “You won’t tell anyone?”
Jimmy sounded fearful. “They—whoever—would take him—would dissect him—”
My eyes closed as I began to rock, clutching Romy’s head to me. Trevor’s arm came around my shoulders. “We won’t tell. Look at me.” My eyes opened, and he said, “Marlena, that would kill you, and killing you would kill me.”
“And me.” Jimmy nodded.
Trevor slowly reached out, touching Romy’s fur. “But Marlena, you two are in over your heads.”
“You can say that again.” Jimmy also dared to touch Romy.
I watched their caring touches. “Besides the obvious, what do you mean?”
Trevor sat next to me, bewildered. “Why is he in our school?”
I started rocking again as guilt ripped through me. I cried out in despair, “He says he will follow me anywhere!”
“Jesus, he’s in love with her.” Jimmy grabbed his mouth as if this knowledge made our predicament even more problematic.
Trevor took hold of my face. “And you’re in love with him. He must stay hidden. Make him drop out.” I nodded as more tears ran down my face. I knew he was right. “Have your parents met… Sebastian?”
“Yes. I said he lived over by the orchards.”
“You need to let them in on this secret. Or you must fake a break-up or something. Marlena, people are going to figure out he has no parents—”
“’Cause there is no home by the apple orchards.” Jimmy pointed out another hole in my lie.
“What have I done?”
Trevor let me go and took a deep breath while looking at Romy. “You did what you thought was right, but Marlena, this is not a fantasy world where you can live in the public with him. Too many questions will come out of it.”
“Maybe she could move away with him after school?” Jimmy asked Trevor, trying to help me.
Trevor gestured at Romy. “Are you kidding me? Am I the only one staring at a wolf that was a human moments ago? Let’s forget what the government will do to him if they find out, but what about Marlena?”
Jimmy nodded. “Poke and prod her just for being near him.” Then his eyes sprang from their sockets as he pulled his hand from Romy. “Am I going to get prodded?”
“No one is getting prodded!” Trevor spit out. “That’s my point. I would be wary to show his human form anywhere outside this house. We must make sure this stays a secret.”
“We?” I asked, searching for a glimpse of hope.
Trevor leaned forward and kissed my forehead. “Yes, we.”
Still holding Romy, I leaned into Trevor’s chest, almost collapsing. His arms came around me. “Been alone in this for a long time?”
My body trembled as I released all the emotions I’d had to hide all this time.
Jimmy grabbed my hand. “Not alone anymore.”
I whispered my appreciation. “Thank you. Thank you.”
Jimmy started a fire in the fireplace because of the dropping temperature. Trevor grabbed blankets and pillows and made us a big bed on the floor. Then we moved Romy, who had yet to wake, so I could stay warm while holding him. The fire crackled in the silence while we stared at the flames. Heads on pillows as our heavy hearts rested.
“Marley?”
Trevor, Jimmy, and I began to stir. Arms tightened around my waist from behind. My body melted to Sebastian’s when I knew he was okay. Morning light shone through the windows, lifting the night’s emotional fog. I rolled to see my favorite being and touched his face. “You look so much better.”
“Is Mar-cakes holding a naked guy?”
Trevor answered, “Good thing her pops is out of town.”
Sebastian kissed me like he had missed me. “I think I just needed to heal.”
Once showered and refreshed, we all sat at the kitchen table and talked about the situation Sebastian and I had created. Sebastian and I answered more questions.
Jimmy was especially concerned when he learned about Romy not liking his scent on me. “You were gonna eat me?”
Sebastian laughed. “No. Bite. Didn’t want you touching her. Sorry, couldn’t help it.”
Jimmy sat back in his chair as if amazed he’d unknowingly escaped death.
Trevor’s words the night before and that morning confirmed how delusional I had been. When he explained to Sebastian what could happen to me if he and I were exposed, Sebastian growled. Jimmy scooted his chair away.
Who would ever have thought womanizing T would be the levelheaded one to take charge and help in such a dangerous time? “The way I see it, enjoy these few days alone with each other because it’s mandatory that any public affections are over. The break-up must take place ASAP. Hopefully, no one will ask too many questions. Jimmy and I will say we saw the break-up go down. That should help.”
Even though the break-up wasn’t real, it still made me sad. The reality of what Sebastian and I could never be crushed me. Trevor’s hand lifted my drooping chin. “Marlena, we’ll figure something out.”
Jimmy whispered to Trevor, “Dude, don’t touch her. He may bite you.” Then he stood, reaching into his pocket, and shocked me when he tossed two condoms on the table.
Trevor’s jaw dropped. “What are you doing? She’s a virgin.”
“Not after this weekend,” Jimmy comically stated.
My cheeks lit up with a shameful blush.
“Take them back, and stop embarrassing her,” Trevor demanded.
“What are they?” Sebastian innocently asked.
“Oh, boy,” uttered Jimmy.
My hand was crossing the table and grabbing the two condoms, which took me by complete surprise. Jimmy pointed to my full, retracting hand. “Told ya.”
“Marlena?” Trevor sounded cautious.
I couldn’t look at him while clutching the condoms in my lap. “Please don’t be disappointed in me, Trevor.”
“What? No. Who am I to judge? I-I just want to make sure you’re sure about this.”
“Sure about what?” asked Sebastian.
Jimmy shook his head at Sebastian then stated to Trevor, “We’re gonna have to show clueless how to use the condoms.”
Trevor looked grossed out. “I’m not showing him how to use them.”
Still standing, Jimmy shrugged. “Then grab a banana for a quick one-two lesson.”
Trevor raised his hands, begging Jimmy to stop. “Can you focus for a second?”
Jimmy leaned toward Trevor, his tone no longer joking. “I am. You’re the one in denial. She is head over heels for this dude, and we just told her she can’t be with him the way she wants to. You know it’s breaking her heart, so don’t be stupid! Mark my words,
they’re bang’n’ soon, and if she were to get pregnant, what do you think would happen to her when she delivers a wolf-boy in the hospital?”
“Reproduction? This is what this is all about?”
Jimmy didn’t stop setting Trevor straight. “She is our best friend! And alone!”
Sebastian quickly took my face in his hands. He looked so worried. “Is sex a bad thing? I thought you said we were going to enjoy ourselves experimenting while your parents were gone.”
“Boom, there it is.” Jimmy sat back down.
After reconnecting his unhinged jaw, Trevor stood up, said, “I’ll get the banana,” and threw two more condoms on my poor mother’s once innocent kitchen table.
Waiting for Trevor to return with the soon-to-be-abused fruit, Jimmy shrugged. “Then maybe someday, you guys can move to some remote forest and… and raise pups together or something.”
After a very embarrassing and detailed demonstration, Sebastian and I were now knowledgeable in the protection department. I stared at the exploited banana lying on the table and hoped Jimmy and Trevor were done, but it didn’t stop there. Jimmy and Trevor were concerned with it being my first time and took it upon themselves to educate us further, explaining to Sebastian the physics on how one thing is bigger than the other thing and he must take his time entering things. My cheeks were so red by this point, I was sure blood vessels were exploding under my skin. Sebastian? He loved learning anything and seemed especially attentive to this humiliating conversation.
Trevor and Jimmy said their goodbyes with lots of jokes and innuendoes, but that was not what made me smile so proudly.
“What?” Trevor asked me at the back door.
“You guys said you wouldn’t leave me alone in all this, and you didn’t. As embarrassing as it was to sit at the kitchen table during your… lessons, I’m thankful and proud to call Hound and T my dear, dear friends. I love you both.”
Trevor smiled sincerely and went to hug me, but stopped when he heard Jimmy fake a cough. Jimmy pretended to be looking at something very interesting on the floor while pointing to Sebastian, and mumble-singing, “Will bite you.”
My Wolf and me Page 12