by Amy Miles
“I was hoping I wouldn’t have to. I figured since I know that shop inside and out, I had an edge on him. Planned on tying him up with duct tape so tight that even morphing into werewolf, he couldn’t get away. Stuff him in the trunk, drop you off, then call Charles. If things got ugly, I would’ve killed him to keep you safe, but it’s not something I was looking forward to. And there’d still be a werewolf inquisition and I’d have to prove it was self-defense.”
I shuddered at the thought of Zack being jailed or worse for protecting me. “I’m glad it didn’t come to that.”
“Once William showed up, I knew Charles would follow,” Zack said. “I’d given Charles the heads up earlier and suggested he keep an eye on William, which guaranteed that if William showed, I’d have help.” “You had everything all figured out and you didn’t think maybe you should clue me in?”
Zack left the couch, then switched on a light and stood in front of me. “I didn’t want you to worry. At the same time, I didn’t want you getting your hopes up by thinking we were in the clear.”
“You think it’s over?” I asked.
“With Daniel, for now, yes.” He settled into the recliner. “But so long as I’m a werewolf under the king’s rule and you’re a potential slave, it will never be over for us.”
“You put such a positive spin on things.” I sighed and relaxed my shoulders.
“Sorry, I don’t mean to upset you, but you need to understand the situation.”
“Trust me, I’m fully aware of the situation.” Part of me wished I wasn’t. “But Charles was surprisingly nice. Maybe he’s not so bad.”
“He’s a werewolf and a scout, Autumn. You’re forgetting how creepy you thought he was. Besides, he wants the same thing William wants. The king’s best interest, not mine.”
“Your father was both those. Don’t forget that. Most important, you’re a werewolf. We’re not even supposed to get along and yet we do.”
“Don’t be so optimistic that you’re not prepared for the worst.” He pulled the lever and the footrest came out.
“Well, that’s something you don’t have to concern yourself with, because I am prepared for the worst,” I said softly, taking a deep breath. “Now that Daniel’s gone, you don’t need to protect me. I’ve got my car now, so that frees up your afternoons and weekends.”
Zack didn’t comment. Good. I didn’t want him to say something nice and give me false hope. I needed to cut him from my life as quickly and painlessly as possible. The sooner he left, the sooner the healing could begin. But I’d still see him at school and it would be excruciating. Monday seemed like a million years away though.
“Imagine how glad your mom will be when you go home tonight and tell her Daniel is no longer harassing me,” I said, my chest tightening at the thought of Zack not staying the night.
“Until I’m sure he’s gone, you’re not out of the woods. I’ll stay tonight. But tomorrow, you probably won’t need me anymore.”
Oh, but he was so wrong.
“In the morning, we’ll get your car fixed and you can drop me off.”
I’d forgotten about the car. “You don’t need to bother with that. I can take it in on Monday after school.”
Zack growled, low and deep. “Autumn, we’ll fix it tomorrow. I’m not taking any chances.”
“Fine.” I waved my hand in surrender and rose from the couch. “Goodnight.”
“Autumn,” he groaned.
A part of me hoped that at last, knowing that tomorrow we’d barely see each other, he’d finally realize what a mistake he was making by turning me away. “Yes?”
His mouth thinned to a straight line. “I need to morph tonight.”
“Right.” I turned away, my eyes misting. Stupid Autumn. “Sorry. Shouldn’t we stay in?”
“Yes.”
“Okay.” And like the night before, I closed the house up tight.
† † †
Sleep hadn’t come easy. In the morning, the sun filled the room and bright light shined through my eyelids. I turned over, hoping for a few more minutes of sleep. I didn’t want to face the hole in my heart and what my life had become. I wasn’t looking forward to anything in my future.
When I opened my eyes, I saw my bedroom door standing wide open, which meant Zack had checked on me during the night. I wondered if he was still downstairs. Would he be anxious to get away from me? Or would he be as happy to continue as friends?
He appeared in the doorway, his arms spread to embrace the doorframe as if it would fall any second. “Hey,” he said.
I tried to smile, but couldn’t make my mouth do that particular function. Hopefully, he’d think my odd facial expression was because I wasn’t fully awake yet. “You were in my room again.”
“Yeah, so? You’ve had a rough week. I was just checking on you.”
I squinted, thinking his week had been twice as stressful. “Well, I didn’t have to stick a nozzle in Daniel’s sockets to destroy his eyeballs. I think you win.”
“Yeah, I guess I do.” He didn’t smile, watching me another moment, then he disappeared.
I didn’t want him to leave without saying goodbye and didn’t know how much more time I had with him. So I jumped out of bed and threw on some clothes. After racing down the stairs, I searched the house for Zack. He had the fridge open and glanced over when I entered the kitchen.
“Up for an omelet?” I asked.
He grinned. “Always.”
I licked my lips, suddenly aware I hadn’t even checked myself out in a mirror. “I’ll be back in a couple minutes.”
When I was pretty sure my face and hair were no longer scary, I headed downstairs and something caught my eye. Zack’s duffle bag, box of books and other things waited by the front door. This was it. The end. I could swear there was an imaginary blanket over my face, suffocating me.
“After breakfast, we can go straight to the shop, then I’ll go home. You know, rather than breaking up our day.”
“Right.” I mustered up a smile from God knows where and headed to the fridge where I could hide in the omelet process. Ten minutes later, I called Zack for breakfast and set a plate in front of him.
He nodded, taking a bite of food and chewing. “Mm. This is good. I’m going to miss your weekend omelets.”
But would he miss me?
I rose to put the cheese and other items away, then grabbed a sponge to wipe the counters and wash the pans. By the time the kitchen was clean again, Zack’s food had vanished.
“You know…” He placed his plate in the dishwasher. “It’s silly to drag you to the shop with me. There will be nothing for you to do there anyway.” Seeing egg bits in the sink, he turned on the water and swished it around. “I’ll go by myself, then bring your car back as soon as I’m done.”
“Okay. Call me when you’re on your way back and I’ll have lunch waiting. It’s the least I can do.”
“Nah.” He shrugged. “No offense, but the vegetarian thing isn’t working for me.”
I knew he didn’t mean it as a subliminal message, that this vegetarian wasn’t working for him. Zack was too open and straightforward to hide behind cruel remarks under the guise of help or friendship. But his reminder hurt just the same. He had to go.
I tossed him the keys and forced a smiled. “Thanks so much for doing this.”
“No problem. I don’t think I’ll be gone more than an hour. If it ends up being complicated, I’ll let you know.”
I nodded and closed the door.
† † †
The first part of that hour after Zack left couldn’t have been better spent. What could be more awesome than worrying if your neighbors hear your gut wrenching cries of anguish and fearing that they’ll call the police for fear you were being attacked? Soaking your pillow and going through two boxes of tissues was reason to be grateful for being alive.
I reveled in that first glimpse of my face in the mirror — splotchy skin around swollen and bloodshot eyes.
; The last part of that hour was spent in reparations. I became the surgeon, painstakingly reconstructing my face after a gruesome accident and the artist, carefully layering the canvas.
Zack texted me when he was on his way to my house, saying he’d already stopped at home to drop off his belongings. Since all our business had been concluded, I hovered in the doorway and smiled as he handed me my keys.
“I’ll walk home. It’s a nice day.” His eyes darted away as he mashed his lips together. “As far as everyone else is concerned, Daniel’s still around, which is the reason we’ve given my family for me spending the night here. We have no idea how he’s going to handle his banishment and we’re probably not going to find out until Monday. So…”
“You have to sleep here tonight?” My stomach clenched at the thought of being subjected to Zack when he didn’t want me. At the same time, my heart soared at spending more time with him.
“No. My mom and Cara just need to think I’m sleeping here.”
“Oh.” I wasn’t sure what that meant, but it would be a bad idea to invite him in, even though I desperately wanted to. If he asked, the answer would be yes.
“I have a way around that,” he said.
Asking him to explain and engaging in further conversation would only stretch out my agony, so I kept my mouth shut. When I offered only a smile, I thought I saw a hint of sadness in his eyes. In a flash, it was gone and he smiled. “See you at school tomorrow.”
“Yeah. Thanks for everything.” My chest felt heavy as he walked away. “’Bye.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
I paused, my back against the closed door. There had to be a way to get through this heartache. Other people survived broken hearts. I could too.
Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out. Steadier, I grabbed my laptop. I needed an escape, something to take my mind off Zack and how he’d left me.
Scrolling through the movie thumbnails, I considered downloading a horror flick, but feared having nightmares again. That went double for anything with vampires or werewolves. That kind of thing was too real now. And I didn’t want anything depressing or stressful either, so that eliminated the dramas. The action flicks would remind me of Zack and how he saved me. The love stories would also remind me of him for obvious reasons.
I finished scanning the new releases and discovered there wasn’t anything that wouldn’t make me think of Zack. In the end, I picked a couple of my old favorites, the ones where I knew exactly what to expect — a sappy, happy ending.
I made some popcorn, soaked it in salt and hot butter, then flopped onto the sofa and started the first movie.
† † †
When I awoke hours later, I was still on the couch. I felt stiff from tossing and turning all night. What time was it? I fumbled for my cell and saw it was after four. All that time trying to escape thoughts of Zack and here I was again. What would I do to keep my mind off him now? I dashed up the stairs to my room, threw on some sweats and flew out the door. If I ran now, I could be back before the sun came up and maybe I could stay home tonight when I’d be more likely to run into Zack.
I’d missed my runs. It was nice to know I could live without them, but I was grateful to be free again. Morphing into a cheetah, I ran as fast as my long, furry legs could carry me.
When I returned home, I was just as emotional, but physically, I was less sluggish from my Zack hangover.
I killed the rest of the extra time getting ready. Since hitting new lows on the depression scale, it was more important than ever to do everything possible to feel better about myself. I wore a sundress and sandals, then took the time to curl my hair.
Sailing into the school lot, I realized by the lack of cars it was still too early. If I stayed, I’d see Zack arrive and perhaps accidentally run into him. On the other hand, not seeing Zack was the quickest way to get over him. Plus, I’d feel less pathetic.
Despite knowing I must avoid him to get over him, I scanned the lot one more time for the red Jeep. Disgusted with myself, I got out of the Mustang and saw the red Jeep drive into the lot. I leaned into my car pretending to dig into my backpack.
“Autumn!” Maya shouted. She stuck her head out of Zack’s Jeep window and waved to me.
I waited for them to park. As far away as she was, I could still hear what she said to Trevor.
“I’m going to talk to Autumn. I’ll see you in a couple minutes.”
He nodded and said something to Zack, but I didn’t listen in.
“Hey.” She sprinted to me, a little out of breath. “Did you hear about Daniel?”
I shook my head innocently. “No.”
“You’re not going to believe this. Apparently, he ran away over the weekend with his new love. He’s gone.”
“Ran away? Why couldn’t he stay here with this mystery girl?” A strange story, but not final enough to warrant a permanent disappearance. I waited for the rest of it.
Maya’s eyes widened. She looked like she was bursting with fascinating news. “Not a girl.”
“What?” My mouth gaped. “An older woman?”
“He met a dude. Supposedly, it’s the same guy he’d met when Jeff said he’d been dragged away by a wolf. Can you believe it?”
Actually, I could, except for the love part. I knew the male lover bit wasn’t Daniel’s idea. He most definitely liked girls. William must have thought it an amusing penalty for disobeying and humiliating him.
It was perfect.
“You know what homophobes his parents are,” Maya went on. “They’re so pompous about their money and knowing all the right people. Their reputation is more important than their own son. As soon as Daniel came out, they disowned him.”
“Wow. That sucks for Daniel,” I said. It was a brilliant plan since being disowned cut all ties, which would make life as a werewolf easier.
Maya giggled. “I guess we don’t have to worry about him stalking you anymore.”
Zack passed by, giving me a nod. I smiled, hoping it appeared genuine. It was the best I could manage.
“C’mon.” Maya motioned for me to go with her and the boys.
“I’ll see you at lunch. I have something I need to do.” Like hide my head in the sand, so I couldn’t do something pathetic like throw myself at Zack.
I made a beeline to the bathroom. As soon as the door swung shut, it opened again. Gina waltzed in, eyeing me coldly.
“You think you’ve won, don’t you?”
“Uh, I didn’t know there was a contest,” I said. “And it’s not like Daniel left you for me.”
She gave a forced laugh.
“And besides,” I rifled through my purse for my lipstick. “Zack and I aren’t together anymore.” I glanced at her briefly to see her eyes shooting daggers at me.
“You’re such a liar. You’ll do and say anything to hurt me and get what you want.” Apparently, she was almost as delusional as Daniel.
I applied the lip color, then rubbed my lips together as Gina’s face flushed and her eyes hardened. If she’d approached me without the attitude, I would’ve smiled and went about my business. “You might get my leftovers if you act quickly.” Dropping my makeup in my purse, I pushed past her.
It was masochistic of me to paint a bull’s-eye on Zack, when there was a chance he might go for it. If he hooked up with her though, I’d lose respect for him and getting over him might be easier. If it went the other way, witnessing him reject her was worth the risk and would make my day slightly less dreary. It was a win-win situation.
At lunch, I waved at Zack’s table from where I sat with John and Janine. Maya had tried to talk me into hanging with her and the boys, but Zack had come to my rescue, telling her it was healthy to socialize with other people now and then. Apparently, no one noticed Zack and I weren’t together. Or maybe he’d already told them something. I was dying to know.
Where did you sleep last night? I asked Zack from across the room.
He smiled. At home. Where else?
&nb
sp; But I thought you were supposed to be at my house, I said, focusing on my lunch.
Everyone had to think I was with you. I left and later snuck back into my room through the window.
Clever. I took a bite of my grilled cheese sandwich, grateful that with silent communication, I didn’t have to worry about talking with my mouth full. What did you tell Maya about us? I’m wondering why she’s not interrogating me.
I told her you missed your other friends. She was so wrapped up in the whole Daniel thing, she moved on.
Why not tell her the truth? I asked. That we’re not together.
I wasn’t sure if you’d want to deal with that yet. Good old Zack — always thinking of me. I wished he’d stop that. He made it so difficult to hate him.
Well, thanks. I returned to my meal, but saw Gina approach him in my peripheral vision. Maya didn’t even notice, too engrossed in Trevor.
I told myself not to listen in on Gina and Zack. But, unable to resist, I peeked at them from under my lashes and tuned out everyone else in the lunchroom.
“Hi, Zack.”
“Hey, Gina.” He gave her a friendly smile.
“I wondered if you wanted to go for coffee after school. We haven’t been working on our science project and it’s due soon.”
“Can’t today. I have a shift at the auto shop.”
“What about Friday night? We could hit a movie after.”
Zack turned away, frowning. “Well, I got to thinking. We should stick to working on it here after school. Except for our mandatory school project, I don’t want to associate with someone who betrayed her best friend by sleeping with her boyfriend.”
Gina’s mouth dropped open and her face turned bright red.
Zack took a bite of his burger and ignored her.
Ouch.
Through my guilt, I couldn’t help gloating. But damn him. Now he was even more appealing than before — if that was even possible. I’d never get over him.
Ever.
† † †
Later that afternoon, I zipped upstairs to my room to change into some ratty, old sweats and a faded T-shirt from eighth grade. To take my mind off Zack, I buried my brain in homework. But I finished too quickly and was alone again with my thoughts.