by Lexie Scott
“Would you really want to be with a guy that plan worked on? That means that he’s only interested in your body.”
“I know.” Her voice was so small. I wanted to give her a hug and tell her he was stupid and not worth her time, but we both knew that wasn’t true. Well, not the second half. He was stupid for not realizing what was right in front of him.
“How about we take this down like ten notches? What’s his favorite color?”
“Light blue,” she answered without having to think about it.
“Then let's try that. You don’t have to say you’re wearing it for him, but it will make him wonder.”
She worked her bottom lip between her teeth and finally agreed. I jumped up and went to her closet. She’d organized it by style, then color. Because, of course, she had. The rows of tailored pants, skirts, sweats, and tops were much more Hannah. I didn’t know where she found those outfits, but hopefully, she could return them and never think of this again.
Nothing jumped out at me at first, but I found a baby blue sundress with thin straps, a sweetheart neckline, and buttons down the front. I examined her shoe selection and found tan platform sandals.
It was still warm enough to wear summer clothes without being too cold, but it wouldn’t stay that way much longer. We needed to take advantage of that.
“Here.” I held up my selection and waited for her reaction.
She tucked her hair over her shoulder and studied the combination. “You don’t think it’s too boring?”
I shook my head and laid them on the bed. “I think it’s classy and sexy in an understated way. It will show off your curves without screaming in his face.”
Finally, a small grin appeared. “Okay. Thanks.”
“Good. Now that we have that cleared up, can we get lunch? I’m starving.”
“But what are you going to wear?” she started folding the rejected options and put them on the other bed. Huh. I hadn’t met her roommate, but the idea of her sharing a living space with someone so opposite piqued my curiosity. How did that work?
“I’ll figure it out later.” Like five minutes before we left.
Somehow, I was able to distract her for the rest of the day. We ate lunch with some of the guys. Sai and Theo were mysteriously absent, but I didn’t ask Malik or Carter about it. The last thing I needed was anyone else finding out about my crush on the shifter and hybrid. We spent the afternoon finishing homework in my room since Natasha was gone for once, and I read from the previous years’ textbooks while she flipped through magazines.
“Okay, can we start now?” she asked for the fifth time in the last thirty minutes.
I checked my watch and blew out a breath. I wanted to keep reading, but I told her she had to wait until six-thirty. It was six-thirty-three.
“Fine.” I closed the year-two history book. I knew most of the material already, but it was still good to make sure I hadn’t missed anything.
“Yay!” She sprang to her feet and rushed to my closet. “Do you have any ideas?”
I stood next to her and looked down at my white T-shirt, boyfriend jeans, and gray and white polka dot socks. “Is this not okay?”
She stared at me, and I willed myself not to crack. The struggle was so clear on her face. Whatever she wanted to say, she was using all her willpower to hold it back.
“Fine, I’ll change,” I relented, and she turned back to my clothes muttering under her breath.
“What’s your favorite feature?” She watched me in the mirror attached to the back of one of the closet doors.
I shrugged. “I don’t know.”
It wasn’t like I thought I was ugly, but I was self-aware enough to know I wasn’t conventionally pretty either. I lacked the feminine curves most of the girls my age had developed years before. My boobs were smarter than I was, they were A’s. At least, that was the joke I came up with to combat anyone who wanted to tease me about my underwhelming chest size. Oh, and the bubble butt that was so popular? I could do ten thousand squats a day and still my back would be as flat as my front. I was thin, but not in a way I wanted to flaunt. Muscle definition was another thing that evaded me. At least I was of average height, so I didn't stand out.
If it wasn’t for my red hair, I would have no problem blending into a crowd. I used to want to dye it brown to be like the other girls, but now I’m grateful I never did. It was something I got from my birth mom.
“Oh, come on, Saige. You’re beautiful. You have to have one thing you like showing off.”
She was wrong.
I tapped my fingertips on the side of my thighs. “I don’t think I’ve ever thought of that.”
She squinted and eyed me from head to toe and back again. “Obviously, your hair is amazing. All the money in the world couldn’t get you that much dimension.”
I smiled and fought the impulse to start braiding it.
“And your eyes are the closest I’ve ever seen to being true ocean blue like you’d see in the Caribbean.”
That was nice, too, but after meeting my grandpa and realizing they were his eyes, I no longer liked them quite so much.
“And you’ve got the runway model build. You would look good in anything.”
I stepped back. This was too much. “I appreciate the compliments, but––”
“But you don’t see yourself that way?” She spun to face me.
I shrugged. “Not really.”
“I get it. We’re teenagers. Our bodies are changing and awkward and everyone’s insecure, but focusing on one thing you like makes it a lot easier.”
“What’s your favorite?”
She sucked in a breath. “I used to be really self-conscious about my thick eyebrows. People would tease me all the time. Some people asked if I was a shifter that couldn’t change back into my human form. It was really mean, but then all of a sudden, they were in style and girls said they were jealous. As if they hadn’t tortured me for years.” She rolled her eyes. “But I get them from my dad, and I’m proud of them now.”
“So, you’re a brow girl?”
She smiled. “That and my clavicles.”
I burst out laughing, and she scowled.
“Your collarbones? That’s what you like?”
Her hand shot to the bottom of her neck. “Yes, okay. It’s hard for me to come up with positives about myself too. I happen to think I have very nice ones.”
“It’s true. You do. They’re very pronounced without looking weird.”
She held her head up a bit more. “Thank you.”
I thought about it again and finally came up with an answer. “If we can pick obscure body parts, then I really like my shoulder blades and ankles.”
Her eyes dropped, and she nodded before walking around to my back. “I can’t see them.”
I tugged off my shirt, leaving me in a cami, and wiggled my shoulders. “See, good ones, huh?”
“Yes, quite nice.” She giggled. “Let’s find something to show off those sexy ankles.”
Chapter 28
It took less than three minutes for her to go through every single item I owned and for me to convince her that it was, in fact, all I owned. At least, it was all I brought.
“Fine,” she huffed and tossed items out of the drawers until she pulled out a black racerback tank. “Wear this with those jeans since you have them cuffed.”
I did as I was told and pulled on my lavender converse before turning in a slow circle. “What do you think?”
“Pull your hair up, and it will be perfect.”
She went down to her room to change while I pulled my hair into a high ponytail and fluffed and tugged it a bit so it was messy. When she got back, she looked gorgeous in her dress with her hair parted in the middle and laying in a dark sheet down her back, leaving her clavicles for all to see and admire.
“Ready?” I asked, grabbing my phone and room key.
“Yeah.”
We took the stairs together, and I was surprised when we got outside
to see the sun already setting.
“Are we going to be too early?”
“No.” She pointed toward the forest on the other side of the tower. “They already started.”
I caught a glimpse of a fire and realized it was where the party was taking place. As we got closer, the bonfire came into view as well as about a hundred people.
“I thought the guys wanted it to be just us.”
She shrugged. “Word got out. It always does.”
Where were our friends? I scanned the area and smiled when I spotted Malik dancing with Travis, his non-crush. They looked adorable together, him in his tall, dark, and handsome glory contrasting with Travis’ pale skin and sandy brown hair.
The Sorcerer's Society kids were there, and I couldn’t help but watch as the brunette had her arms wrapped around two of the guys while a third offered her a chunk of a brownie. I wanted someone to feed me chocolate.
“There’s Daniel.” Hannah squeezed my hand, snapping me out of my creeping. I followed her line of sight to the far side where he stood with Carter and Sai.
“Go ask him to dance,” I prodded.
She shook her head, still frozen in place.
“Hannah, he’s one of your best friends. It’s not weird.”
She bit her lip, and I waited for her to gather her courage.
“Come on, if you do, I’ll talk to Sai.”
Her head snapped toward me. “You have to ask him to dance too.”
Shit. I totally walked into that. “What about Carter? I don’t want to leave him alone.”
“One of the girls will snatch him up. It never takes long.”
I could do this for her. She needed a push, and I could be brave.
“Fine.”
“Really?” Was that panic I heard?
I nodded, faking confidence I most definitely did not feel. “Come on.”
I took her hand and carved a path to the guys.
“Hey!” I called out when we were close enough for them to hear us over the music.
“There you guys are!” Sai smiled, and my stomach did a little somersault.
“Wow, you guys look great,” Daniel grinned, and his eyes lingered on Hannah.
“Thanks,” she said to the ground.
“Do you want to dance?” I asked Sai, ripping off the Band-Aid before I had a chance to change my mind.
His eyes widened a fraction, but he recovered quickly. “Yeah, yes.”
I turned and headed in that direction, leaving Hannah to live up to her end of the bargain. Sai fell into step next to me and pointed to Malik and Travis when we got close. “Let’s go by them.”
They smiled and greeted us when they saw us, and I realized with a flash of dread that I had no idea how to dance. With a guy. To party music. This wasn’t a slow song we could just sway back and forth to.
On the few occasions I went out with my friends, in the PD days, all the girls danced together, and the guys hung out around the edges of the room. It didn’t matter then if I looked like an idiot. I should move my hips and shoulders to the beat, but what about my hands? What did they do? Do I touch him?
He took the decision-making responsibility from me by taking my hands in his and doing little side steps in time with the music. Okay, so he wasn’t some secretly amazing dancer either. We could figure this out together.
“You look beautiful,” he said over the music. At least I was pretty sure that’s what he said. I was mostly relying on my mouth reading abilities.
“Thanks. You look good too.” I half-shouted back.
He grinned, and I took that as a good sign.
The music changed, and he placed my hands on his shoulders, then lowered his to my waist. I giggled, feeling completely out of my comfort zone. Why was I so awkward?
Hannah and Daniel were a few feet away, and I winked when she caught my eye. Her smile was brighter than the fire, and she looked like she knew what she was doing. I mirrored some of her moves, twisting my hips and slipping my fingers up into Sai’s hair.
His eyes heated as he looked down at me, and I nearly melted. He liked that? Good because I really liked it too. I stepped a bit closer, and he met me, closing the distance until we were nearly pressed into each other.
Oh, man. He smelled so good. Like pine and apples? It didn’t matter right now. I just wanted to stay here in this exact position forever.
“Mind if I cut in?” a deep voice came from behind me.
Sai’s eyes changed into a burning fire in an instant. “Yeah, actually I do.”
Theo glared at Sai, but when he settled his attention on me, his whole face lit up, exposing those dangerous dimples.
Shit. This wasn’t good.
“Hi, Theo.”
What was I supposed to do? I didn’t want to turn him down, but I didn’t want to blow off Sai either. Just as my anxiety was boiling over into full-blown panic, another guy joined our group.
“Can I talk to you for a second, Saige?” Niall looked bored as he glanced from Theo to Sai. “If the brutes don’t mind.”
Before they could start arguing, I agreed. “Yeah, I’ll be right back,” I told Sai, then smiled apologetically at Theo. “We can dance later.”
Niall was already walking into the dark, so I hurried after him. He leaned against a tree, facing away from me, so I slowed down until I was next to him. “What did you need to talk to me about?”
He smirked. “Nothing. You just looked like you were about to have a breakdown, so I decided to save you.”
“Save me?” I huffed. “Since when do you care?”
How his bright blue eyes managed to look so dark was a mystery I’d never solve. “I don’t. I just happen to enjoy pissing those two off.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Why? Why aren’t you friends with anyone?”
This was something I wanted to asked him since I first heard about him having friends and being nice once upon a time.
He glared back. “What are you talking about? I have friends.”
I crossed my arms. “Not from what I've seen.”
“Oh, since you’ve been here, what? Two weeks? You know everything?”
His Irish accent was out in full force, and I’d be a big ol’ liar if I said it wasn’t the sexiest thing in the world.
“I know a few things.” I refused to back down. He was probably used to people backing down but not me. There was something strange between us, and I was sick of ignoring it. “But I don’t know why you hate me.”
“I don’t hate you.” His voice was much softer now.
“Really? Cause it feels like you do.”
He looked into the darkness of the forest. “Nah, it takes too much energy to hate someone. I don’t care enough to do that.”
Okay. That was a slap in the face I hadn’t been prepared for.
“Awesome. Great talk.”
I started to turn away when he wrapped his hand around the back of my neck. I froze. He was so close. If I stood up on my tip toes and he dipped his head . . .
He leaned to the side and stared at my neck for a moment before the muscles in the corners of his jaw bulged from tension. In a flash, his hand was gone, and he was striding back to the party leaving me behind like I didn’t matter at all.
My heart was racing, and I sagged against a tree to keep from falling over. His touch was the most intense few seconds of my life. It felt like something big was about to happen, then he just disappeared.
What was wrong with him?
Or was it me?
It didn’t matter. He didn’t matter. He was a jerk. I had enough to worry about with Sai and Theo to care about that arrogant, sexy, stupid asshole.
Being around people now held no appeal. One interaction and I was exhausted, emotionally and mentally. I didn't want to deal with the duel between the guys either. Hannah would probably get mad at me later, but at least she had Daniel to hang out with. I just wanted to be alone.
I snuck along the edge of the party until I saw the tower through
the trees and was about to find the main path. I passed a few latecomers on their way to the danger zone. Hopefully, they would have a better time than I did.
The dorms were silent as I waited for the elevator to come. Everyone was off enjoying their Saturday night. Good for them.
I wasn’t bitter.
I wasn’t going to write a declaration that I was never going to another party.
Nope. I was just fine.
Natasha was still out, so I changed and climbed into bed. The familiar wish floated through my mind, not for the first or even hundredth time, that I had a way to block the nightmares and never have to worry about drifting into a much-needed slumber.
I lay as still as possible and went through a few meditation practices that helped me relax. By the end of my fourth round of deep breathing, I felt the tug of pleasant sleep and smiled before falling into the sensation.
When I opened my eyes, I wasn’t in my wildflower field. I looked up for my hawk but only saw trees. Everywhere. I was in the middle of a thick forest I didn’t recognize. It could be the area around the school, but I wasn’t sure.
This wasn’t right. Was something bad about to happen?
I turned around but couldn’t see anything except tree trunks, so I started running. The ground was soft, damp. There were so many scents. Too many to take in. Moss. Pine. Fir. Dirt. Something decaying.
Wait.
Why were the different smells in the earth so strong?
I stopped and looked around again. This was all off. Why was I so low? The lowest branches of the trees around me were several feet up. I could usually reach them. I glanced down and blinked.
My feet were gone.
The ankles I was so confident in were missing. Two small gray paws were in their place.
What the actual hell?
I glanced back and found a fluffy gray and white tail.
What kind of nightmare was this?
I gasped as I shot up in bed and looked around. I was in my room. Safe. I patted my chest and shoulders before throwing back the blanket to confirm that I did in fact have normal feet and no tail.
That was the strangest, most disconcerting sensation I’d ever had in one of my happy dreams. No hawk but no disaster either. What was it?
