Unlikely Allies (24 page)

"I'm going to kill, Car," I mumbled to
myself, setting down my full cup
.

"Talking to
yourself
is never a good sign," a voice said from beside me.

Startled, I turned and found myself facing yet another werewolf.

"Seriously, did you guys get a grou
p rate on costumes or something?
" I said, snippily, knowing I sounded like a bitch,
but I couldn't find the will to care. I was over the whole party scene.

"Nah, it was a joke. We
thought it would be funny to all show up as badass
wolves," he said, laughing good-
naturedly.

"Oh, I get it. We used to do stuff like that when we
were in second grade," I said
sweetly.

"Ouch, that's harsh, but I guess when you put it that way, it does seem pretty childish,
" he said, pulling off his mask
and tossing it to the side.

Static from the mask made every hair stand up straight across his head.

"Much better," I said, stifling a giggle.

"Damn, I make static look good," he said, glancing in the mirror on the wall behind me.

"Wow, I'm surprised you made it through the door with that ego of yours," I said.

"You don't like me much
,
do you?" he asked, sitting on the edge of the end table in front of me.

"I don't know you well enough to determine if I like you or not."

"We could change that," he said, dropping his voice down a notch.

"Seriously, that's the pick
-
up line you decide to go with?" I asked, shaking my head as I started to walk away.

"Hey
,
wait. I know I sounded like an ass there. It's just unsettling to talk to you."

"Really?"
I said, raising my eyebrows behind my mask.

"Yeah, Zorro was a hero to me when I was growing up
,
and I just never expected him to be so shapely."

I couldn't help laughing as I pulled off the cheap mask and tossed it to the side. "There, is that better?" I asked.

"Oh, damn, you're a girl?" he teased. "Can I get you a beer?"

"I was actually on my way out," I said, all my animosity gone.

"Just one?
As friends," he pleaded.

"Friends?"
I asked, raising my eyebrows.

"Yeah, you definitely have the
'
no vacancy
'
sign on. I figured you have a boyfriend that is either stupid enough to leave you alone at a party or doesn't go to school here, right?"

"No, he doesn't," I said, not bothering to correct him. "Okay, I'll have a beer, but can we drink it on the porc
h before my ears start bleeding?
"

"Sure, I'll grab a couple while you head outside."

"Okay," I said, making my way through the sea of bodies toward the door. Multiple hands grabbed at me on my way out, but I ducked away from each of them.

I was grateful to find the porch empty when I finally made my way out. I breathed in the cool crisp air, glad to be away from the smoky haze that had filled the buil
ding. I sat on the rustic
swing at the far end of the porch, enjoying the relative silence. I could still hear the music throbbing beyond the walls beside me, but the muted sounds were a relief.
While I waited for the "werewolf"
to join me, I contemplated Carol's words
from earlier. Maybe it was time for me to move on. Maybe meeting someone was my sign.

"I was worried you'd ditch me," werewolf boy said, exiting the building with two bottles of beer in each hand.

"I contemplated it, but I thought I remember reading somewhere that werewolves are super fast," I teased.

"Good call. I would've definitely sniffed you out," he said, setting the
unopened
bottles on the ground before sitting beside me. "By the way, I'm Brad," he said, holding out his hand.

"Kimberly," I said, taking his hand in mine. I was slightly disappointed that I felt nothing at his touch. His hands were smooth and cool from carrying the beers, and all I could think about was Mason's warm calloused hands that felt so right wrapped around mine.

"Freshman?"
Brad asked.

"Yeah, is it that obvious," y
ou?"

He laughed shrugging "
Junior
. So what do you think of UCLA?"

"I like
it, but I could do without my S
tatistics class," I said, grimacing.

"Who do you have?"

"Johnson,
" I said, making a face.

"Yeah, I heard he's a prick. I took stats last yea
r, but I had Wilson who has mad-
teaching skills. I can help you out if you want."

"That'd be great. I'm definitely going to need a little tutoring if I hope to pass the class."

"It's no problem. You pick the day and time and I'll be there. What's your major?"

"Um, I'm doing dual," I said, taking a deep swig of beer.
"Art and education."

"Sweet, so you want to be an art teacher?"

"Yeah, my dad runs a foster camp during the summer and I got to teach the art class before…" I said, letting my voice trail off.

"Before?" he asked, questioningly.

"Before I got hurt," I admitted.

"How did you get hurt?" he asked, sounding intrigued.

"It's kind of a long story," I said, wishing I had kept silent, but before I knew it I was spilling out all the sordid details of my disastrous summer. He listened attentively while I talked and I was embarrassed when I finally finished. My diarrhea of the mouth had been getting me in trouble for years. I couldn't believe I was sitting with someone I hardly knew letting it all hang out.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to unload all of that on you," I said, downing the rest of my second beer.

"Sounds intense," he said. "You're like a hero."

"No, I'm not," I scoffed. "I may have saved us, but I didn't save his leg."

"Because you're a medical doctor and you botched his treatment?" Brad said, finishing off the last of his beer.

"No, but I should have gone for help sooner."

"So, those doctors of his told you that if you would have left sooner they could have saved his leg?"

"Well
,
no," I hedged, getting his point. The guilt I had
been harboring for the last two-and-
half months shifted a little.

"Have you talked to him since you left? You know, to clear the air?" he asked, using his foot to make the swing move slightly.

"No, I was trying to give him space. Truthfully, I know I'm a dumbass waiting for him to show up, but what we shared in our mock cave seemed so real. Maybe everything was like the cave, nothing but a mockery," I said, waiting for the typical male response.

He surprised me by sighing loudly. "I'm going to want to kick myself later for saying this, but I'm sure he's probably feeling conflicted."

"What do you mean
'
conflicted
'
?"

"Well, no offense, but no dude wants his girl to do the saving, and by what you've said about him, I'm sure his pride took a major smack. Coupled with the fact that now he's a cripple. I'm sure he's hiding out, licking his wounds."

"Don't call him that," I said as anger welled through me at the derogatory comment.

"Look, I'm just stating how I'd feel. You may not think of him as a cripple, but that's how he's viewing himself."

"So, what are you saying?" I asked, surprised.

He sighed again. "I guess I'm saying give him time. The dude's gone through some serious shit."

I laughed self-
consciously at his words.

"What?" he asked, looking
puzzled.

"Nothing, I just think my radar must be off.
I thought I was going to have to dodge moves from you
,
and instead you're telling me I should give some other guy a chance," I said, shaking my head incredulously.

"Oh no, your radar isn't off, I'm just a sap. Believe
me,
I thought this porch interlude would be going an entirely different direction than me encouraging you to hook up with someone else."

I laughed. "Well, it's a new one for me, but I'll take it," I teased.

"Can I at least walk you home
,
or am I too much of a chump in your eyes to do that?" he teased with twinkling eyes.

"I guess," I teased back after pretending to contemplate it. "Let me text my friend to tell her. Even though, after the disappearing act she did tonight, she doesn't deserve it," I
said
, pulling out my phone so I could text the traitor.

"Okay, all set," I said a moment later, stowing my phone back into my handbag. "So, I'm guessing since you had a different agenda tonight, you
don't have a steady girlfriend?
" I asked as we strolled toward my dorm.

"No, my high school girlfriend and I broke it off last spring."

"Why?" I asked without any qualms of intruding.

"I guess we just grew apart. We had such high ho
pes when we decided to apply to
the s
ame college, against our parent
s
'
wishes, I might add. They all thought a little separation would have done both of us some good."

"Ugh, so she goes to school here too? That's got to hit the suckage scale."

He laughed. "Yeah, it wasn't fun at first, especially since she decided that my friend was more to her taste."

"What a whore," I said.

He laughed again. "Yea
h, I guess she is."

"It should be a law that you shouldn't be able to date your ex's best friend," I said, shooting him a sympathetic look.

"Ex-
best friend," he corrected me.

"See, that's what I mean. These things never end well for the friendship," I added.

"It sucked at the time since I caught them in the act. I guess our parents were right, we needed separation. She just took it literally," he said with bitterness creeping in.

"Aw, Brad, I'm sorry. You
deserve better than that whore,
"
I said, giving his hand a squeeze.

"Damn, the guy has to be a cripple," I heard him mutter under his breath as we approached my dorm room.

"What?" I asked, not sure I heard him right.

"Nothing, I'm just contemplating my morals if I hit on someo
ne who is gaga over someone who
got dealt a raw deal," he said wryly, winking at me to let me know he was joking.

"What can I say," I argued.

"I know," he mocked. "That's okay. I think it's allowable in this situation."

"Why all the insight?"
I asked, curiously.

"My twin brother Dan is paraplegic. He was
diving
off some rocks at the lake near my house when he slipped and smacked against the rock on his way down."

"Holy crap, I'm so sorry. When did it happen?"

"More than
two years ago. It was the day after we graduated high school. A bunch of us were blowing off steam, drinking and partying and stuff. Dan and I were arguing over Megan and me attending the same college. He wanted college to be about us since he claimed Megan and I had been tied at the hip since sophomore year. I was pissed, said some shit and wound up leaving the party. I got the call before I even pulled my car onto the road. He jumped off the rocks and wound up slipping just before he dove and hit the outcropping of rocks on his way down," he said quietly.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry," I said speechless.

"It was tough at first. They weren't sure if he would make it. But, he did and we've all spent the last few years adjusting to it. That's why I know what your guy is going through. I saw all these stages with Dan. The only difference is his girl didn't want him after the accident."

"What a whore," I said again, making him laugh.

"Is that the only insult you can think of?" he asked.

"Nah, but my friends and I decided freshman year it fits almost any situation when a girl has done you wrong, so we coined it our word. I guess I should pull out the thesaurus."

"No, I like it because it suits both situations perfectly."

"So, how does your brother feel about you off at college without him?" I asked, sitting on the steps of my dorm.

"Oh, h
e's here too. He had to take on
line classes freshman year, but I dragged his ass here
last year after he was done mo
ping around. We have an apartment right off campus."