embarrassed
son a second glance. I sighed.
“I was just chatting with Max and Mena
here.” I said pointedly.
She turned to my friends as if noticing
them for the first time. She looked down her nose at them as usual. “Of course,
well aren’t you two looking…sweet.” This was her typical insult to people who
were smarter, younger, or better looking than her. I always found it amusing
that to her, sweet really was an insult. Maybe it was because it was something
no one would ever think to call her.
“Thanks” Mena said brightly because she
knew how to play the game. Being a female werewolf wasn’t easy.
Max just shrugged, he didn’t have to
respond.
Will was growing more agitated by the
moment. To anyone else he looked calm but I knew him like I knew the back of my
hand and I noticed the tick in his jaw. As the silence grew he finally snapped.
That is to say, Will spoke up, which he hardly ever does. “Mom, Dad, why don’t
you guys head out back, now.”
“Great, I’m ready for a drink but then
again anyone would be after five minutes with your mother.” William Sr. said to
his son.
“Well isn’t that predictable?” Jackie
said to us. “But I’m glad we can agree on something , a drink is quite
necessary. Ta- ta , children” Will’s parents gave each
other smug, disgusted looks and walked away.
When his parents shut the door from the
back patio, we all took a collective sigh of relief. One of the worst things
about werewolf culture was its noticeable lack of divorce rate. It wasn’t
romantic and it wasn’t because they took their vows seriously. It was simply
unthinkable for werewolves to divorce. There’s a large process involved in
choosing a mate and to divorce would mean admitting to a major mistake. This
meant people like Will had to grow up listening to his parents fighting on
constant repeat.
Will looked to me but didn’t meet my
eyes as he asked “Wii?” Max, Mena, and I nodded in agreement and headed to the
den.
We decimated Max and Mena, and seeing
as they were technology geniuses, it wasn’t freaking easy. Eventually Logan and
his brother Brandon found us in the den, smelling of the ocean and surf board
wax.
Logan looked to the screen and back at us.
“Things never change man. Shouldn’t you be greeting your subjects, my lord?” he
bowed pitifully, his blond hair falling forward, and I chucked a pillow at him.
“Sit down and shut up. You can be on
Max and Mena’s team.” Logan frowned as his little brother laughed
and headed over to Will and myself. Brandon, Will and I fell into sync as we
always had. That is, until Annabella and Trent showed up.
Trent threw himself into a recliner as usual
and Annabella sat in the large gap between Will and me on the couch.
“Hey guys” She settled in, in her
delicate way, messing with her necklace just for something to do with all her
energy before she looked up and said “Will, Demi told me to tell you she’s
waiting for you downstairs.”
The room went silent but the message
was clear, Game Over.
Demi, the female Alpha, had been like a
sister to me my whole life. Now it was like I didn’t even know her. Growing up,
Will, Demi, and I were the sole children born to each of our families. Without
siblings, we played with each other. Things were never quite sibling-like
between them but Will never acted on it. Then when Will comes back home from Texas he finally gets the nerve to ask her
out. They’d been inseparable ever since. That would’ve been fine, great even if
Will hadn’t made it some weird choosing thing. Now he barely spoke to me but
had plenty of time for Demi.
Will placed his wiimote down on the
table, “See you guys at dinner.”
“Dude, whipped much?” this came from
Mena and it was true but any of us guys could’ve told her not to waste her
breath. Will didn’t even respond and left the room. “I was just kidding” Mena
said sadly.
“We know” Logan answered “He’s just loved her forever
and he