[51] They're Weird, Rude, Confusing, And Clingy. Not To Mention They're Werewolves

“Time for toasts!” I said as I clinked my silverware to the glass. It’s kind of weird to have a wedding considering the couple was barely 21. We had wine, but they were limited according to Jasmine’s parents—who were supplying it, because at the time it was purchased/reserved for the wedding, Jasmine wasn’t 21 yet…well you get the point.

“I would like to present a toast to my best friend and good friend, Jasmine and Eli,” I began. “Every since high school, they’ve been going strong and even though a lot of guys have hurt Jasmine, I know that Eli won’t be one of them. But if that ever happens, you know I’ll hurt you, right Eli?”

“Nothing less than expected,” Eli laughed from his seat on the other side of Jasmine.

“I hope for the best. And I thank you, Jasmine, for not being a complete bridezilla while planning this wedding,” I concluded. The crowed clapped and laughed.

“I’d like to continue the reception with the newly wedded couple’s first dance,” I added. Jasmine and Eli stood and grabbed hands. They made their way to the dance floor and danced the craziest they could.

“Hello. I couldn’t help but notice your beauty from afar,” a familiar voice said from behind. “Can I have your hand in a dance?”

“Eh. You seem cute,” I complimented in a joke. I stood up and grabbed Torrance’s hand so we could start dancing.

“How does someone as gorgeous as you not have a date to this joyous day?” Torrance joked.

“Oh trust me; I do,” I said, seductively.

“Well where is he?”

“Oh. My boyfriend’s…around,” I answered.

“Well he’s stupid to leave you alone for one moment, or else someone else will snatch you up,” Torrance said.

“Hmm. Maybe he won’t mind if it’s you,” I figured before reaching up and pressing my lips to his.

“Man, my girlfriend’s gonna be pissed,” he complained. He locked his eyes to mine. “But you’re worth it.”

He leaned down to kiss me, but I leaned away.

“Cheating at a wedding. My, my Mr. Shaw,” I scolded in a nice voice. He lightly laughed. I felt his pocket start vibrating and he pulled out his phone.

“Sorry; I gotta answer this,” he said.

“Go,” I allowed. He left and jogged out of the ballroom to take his call.

“Yeah. I just got in,” a female voice said as I was in a stall. Wait…that voice was familiar… “Yup…okay…I’ll talk to you later. Bye.”

No. How is she here?! GAH. I waited until I heard footsteps walk away and the bathroom door close before I exited the stall. How is she here?! Why is she here?! I washed my hands and cautiously left the bathroom. My jaw dropped when I saw who was on the stage with the mic in hand.

“—so Eli and Jasmine. I hope you have an awesome life together and I’ll be a part of it as much as I can,” the speaker concluded as the crowd clapped.

I felt like I was choking on my own air. This is not possible…I turned to leave and Wes stopped me with apologetic eyes. He knew.

“I’m sorry. I meant to tell you the other night, but Torrance—”

“Whatever,” I interrupted. I left to go find Torrance outside and leave. But I couldn’t find him. Crap. I put my hands on my head and turned back to the receptions entrance and paused when I saw him. Once again, I was choking on air. I couldn’t say anything as he strode over to me. I avoided looking in his eyes and then suddenly he was closer than I thought he was, yet still kept walking.

“I missed you,” he rushed before connecting his lips with mine. I enjoyed it for a second, but then pushed him off of me. Holy Sh!t. I still looked away from his eyes as I took a step back. I looked to the side and saw Torrance as he rounded the corner after removing his phone from his ear. I started walking toward him.

“Hey,” he said, sort of confused.

“I think it’s time to go. Yes?” I rushed.

“What? You’re the maid of honor. Aren’t you running this whole thing?” he reminded, concerned at the thought that I wanted to leave.

“Right…” I mumbled. “Then let’s go.”

“Um—” he was cut off when I pulled him back into the reception.

“We didn’t finish our dance,” Torrance reminded, despite the awkwardness.

“Then let’s finish it,” I replied. We started spinning and dancing as I got my mind off of him. I glanced around to see the main four pack boys exiting.

And just like that, a new dramatic turn was taking place in my life…again.

***

“Hmm. I wonder if those superstitions about catching the bouquet are true,” I said as I admired Jasmine’s in my left hand as my right hand was laced with Torrance’s. Yeah. I caught the bouquet at random. Completely at random. I didn’t even attempt to catch it; it literally fell into my hands after bouncing off of eager women’s greedy hands.

“Maybe so,” Torrance sighed as I unlocked my door.

“Maybe not,” I countered with a sigh. I looked onto my balcony and saw lightning. It’s been a great weather-ed day, until night. Now it was raining hard and booming thunder. So of course I didn’t want Torrance driving home in the rain. So he could stay with me. He helped me unzip my dress so I could slip on pajamas and he did the same since some of his clothes were here.

Five minutes later, I was laying in his arms on my bed as it was pitch black and storming outside.

“I hope Eli and Jasmine have a nice honeymoon,” I sighed, tiredly.

“I bet they will,” Torrance laughed, suggestively. I lightly hit his chest.

“I meant at the fact of being newlyweds on vacation,” I clarified.

“Oh…well I meant how they’d have a nice time in bed—”

“You may actually be the most perverted virgin that I know,” I commented with a laugh. He shrugged.

“I’m okay with that.”

I scoffed playfully. A crack of lightning brightened the room and I jumped a little. Torrance’s engulf around me tightened, protectively. Midnight and my boyfriend was cuddling with me after my best friend’s wedding. Perfect…

And then it was ruined when my phone rang , piercing through the room’s silence.

“Hello?” I asked confused at the unknown number.

“Hey. I’m really sorry. I meant to say hi at the wedding, but I kinda—”

I hung up on her. Yes. I, Alicia Lindros, scoffed and hung up on Carina Cane.

“Who was that?” Torrance asked.

“No one,” I lied.

“Alright…”

See, this is what I liked about Torrance; he trusted me. Unless he was honestly concerned with my well-being, he never pressured me into answering any of his questions. I might actually have the best boyfriend in the world at this point.

Safe to say, I fell asleep in his arms, but knew I wouldn’t wake up in them because he informed me that he had to go to work tomorrow. He was an intern at New York Times. He was on his journey into becoming a full journalist. I fully supported him. So Sunday morning, I was prepared to be alone.

What I wasn’t prepared for was the horrific nightmare waking me at ten in the morning. I sat up in my bed and pushed my hair back judging by the window, it was still pouring rain and lightning. D4mn Riley. He’s entered back into my cranium during my sleep. I just keep picturing his fangs in my neck. It’s not so pleasant, especially when imagining the killing spree I go on after my “transformation”. First to die: Torrance.

“You know, they say that you’re the next to get married if you catch the bouquet,” I voice muttered, startling me so much that I hit my head on the wall behind the head of my bed. WTF!?

“You know, they say that if someone breaks into your house and you kill them within property, you can get away with self defense,” I responded. “What the h3ll are you doing here?”

I watched him carefully as he walked around my dorm and looked at everything in his path after admiring Jasmine’s bouquet. I stayed away from eye contact. It wasn’t very hard considering he wore khaki shorts and no shirt. His hair was drenched and short. I didn’t see how his face aged, but his body sure didn’t. It was as sculpted as before. Maybe more, if that was possible.

“You didn’t honestly think I’d miss my best friend’s wedding did you?” he asked, slightly turning to me.

“You didn’t honestly think I care did you? You’ve missed everything else since you left,” I retorted.

“I’m sorry,” he stated.

How fake.

“Get out,” I ordered.

“What?” he choked.

“Get. Out,” I repeated. “I don’t know why you’re here. The wedding’s over. You can go back to wherever you’ve been.”

It pained me to say it, but I had to.

“But I came back for you,” he whispered.

“Maybe I didn’t want you to come back…” I muttered, crossing my arms. “So leave.”

“Is this a joke?” he asked. “You’ve gotta be sh!tting me, Ali.”

“Don’t call me that,” I demanded. “Leave.”

“Did you forget?” he asked in a quieter voice, trying to figure all of this out.

“Unfortunately not…” I breathed. I heard him walk over.

“Alicia, look at me,” he said. I refused. “Look at me!”

I stayed put, looking at the blue and gray sheets on my bed. If I looked at him, I’d look in his eyes. I’d get lost. I’d…I’d fall back in love with him, even though I always have been. He’s been out of my life for nearly three years. I didn’t need him. I don’t think I ever did. Sure, the first moments without him sucked and hurt, but I lived. I didn’t wanna be hurt by him. Not again. Not ever again.

“Why the fu** are you mad at me like I did something?!” he yelled as if he was innocent.

“Cuz you did do something!” I shouted. “You left me. You left me and then came back and assumed I wanted to still be with you. You fu**ing kissed me and I didn’t even want that. That’s what you did.”

“I left you cuz I had to, okay? And I assumed you wanted to still be with me because you said you would be waiting for me. That’s why I fu**ing kissed you. It was the right thing to do. So don’t say you didn’t want me to when you’re the one that kissed me back,” he responded.

“I didn’t kiss you back, I pushed you away,” I corrected. “When I said I’d wait for you, I didn’t know it’d be for that long.”

“It didn’t matter how long it was, you’re supposed to wait,” he said.

“I was done waiting for you a year ago!”

It fell silent. I’m screwing all of this up…

“Oh,” he mumbled.

“Yeah. So you can turn right back around and leave again,” I shooed in a broken voice. Fu**.

“No,” he declined. Excuse me? “I’m not leaving again. Not without you. I’ll prove to you that I was worth the wait.”

“It won’t work,” I assured.

“You don’t know that. You don’t know—”

“I have a boyfriend,” I interrupted. He laughed.

“So? You think I can’t take out some guy? Be reasonable,” he replied.

“If you think taking him out of the picture will get you to like you again, you’re dead wrong. It’ll make me hate you more,” I notified. Hate…I remember all the times when I said I hated him, when I was lying. I could never truly hate him. It was impossible. I could say it a million times and my thoughts and feelings wouldn’t sway. Trust me; I’ve tried it.

Chase was quiet for a moment.

“Do you love him?” he asked. I don’t know. Maybe.

“Yes.”

“Bullsh!t,” he called.

“Get out,” I ordered. “Get out of my dorm and get out of my life.”

“You don’t mean that,” he was certain.

I didn’t respond for him and then he appeared right next to me, inches away. Please don’t kiss me.

“Look me in the eye and tell me you hate me,” he ordered.

“Look me in the eye and admit you’ve hurt me too much,” I demanded back as a refusal. He rose off of my bed and chuckled.

“Alicia, you just started a war,” he warned before doing his signature move by jumping out of my bedroom window like years ago.

War between who?

Me and him? He and Torrance? He didn’t even know him. And he had a pack to run. Not intrude on my life again. Thank God the pack was miles away.

“What the h3ll are you calling me for at ten in the morning?” Wes grunted over the phone.

“Tell your fu**ing Alpha to stay away from me and my boyfriend,” I ordered.

“What’d he do?” he asked lazily as if he was sleeping…eh. He probably was.

“It doesn’t matter what he did, I want him gone,” I said. “I don’t even want him here. He needs to go back from wherever he was.”

“This is his home. His pack is his home and family. You have no right to tell him to leave, Alicia. Stop being a baby and deal with it like a woman,” Wes scolded. Uh…I was speechless. “I’m sorry. I’m just not in the best mood right now. Chase pissed me off at the wedding and I’m not over it. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” I mumbled. “You’re right. This is his home.”

“No. His home isn’t bugging you and Torrance, no matter how much I don’t like him,” Wes corrected. “Fine. I’ll tell him to drop out and take care of the pack.”

“Drop out?” I asked.

“Yeah. He got into NYU. Didn’t he tell you?”

FML.

“I guess not…” Wes figured. “But you can’t honestly think he’ll leave you alone, do you? He told you he that when he came back, it’d be you he was coming for.”

“Well not when I have a fu**ing boyfriend!” I hissed.

“Break up with him,” he suggested. I stayed silent at his ridiculous request. “Hello…?”

“I am not breaking up with Torrance for someone that left me over three years ago,” I stated.

“Chase is gonna find a way around all of this,” Wes guessed.

“Over my dead body,” I scoffed.

“Don’t say that; he can’t and won’t kill you,” Wes assured. I know… “But Torrance on the other hand…”

“You tell him that if he so much as talks to Torrance in the wrong way, I’ll make his life a living h3ll,” I threatened. “That goes for you too.”

“Whatever; good luck with your boy problems,” he concluded. “Bye loser.”

“Love you too, dork,” I finished in a sarcastic and mocking way before hanging up.

***

I was on my computer when I heard the door open and Torrance’s arm over Chase’s shoulder. Torrance’s body weight was being supported by him as his right foot levitated from the ground. I rushed right over and didn’t hesitate from pulling Torrance’s drenched body away from Chase.

“What happened?!” I asked, setting him on my bed.

“I slipped on some stairs on campus and this nice guy, Jake…Chris…Chad—”

“Chase,” Chase and I corrected.

“Yeah. He helped me back here,” he finished. “Wait. You know each other?”

“Yeah.”

“Unfortunately,” I replied, shooting glares at Chase. He was up to something. I looked back to an injured Torrance. “What are you doing here? I thought you were going home?”

“I had some exciting news,” he beamed with his perfect white teeth, completely disregarding the relation between Chase and I. “I got promoted.”

“Promoted?” I asked.

“I am officially a journalist for the New York Times,” he smiled.

“Oh my gosh! Congrats,” I cheered before hugging him and staying on his lap. I pulled away, but he pecked my lips and I laughed.

“Anyways…” Chase said as he lingered at the door. Ugh. I still avoided his eyes. “I guess I should go…”

“I guess you should—”

“Nonsense,” Torrance interrupted. “You deserve some kind of praise. I mean, there could’ve been no one there. I can’t believe you were just walking in the rain…”

“Yeah…” he said. At least he was wearing a hoodie to make it seem believable… “It was no big deal. Anyone would’ve done it.”

“I doubt it,” Torrance commented. “Do you go here?”

“Yeah. Sophomore,” he answered as I started to nibble on my lip. Just like me…

“What’s your major?” Torrance asked.

“Undecided,” he answered. Just like me…

“Well it’s getting late. Chase, you should be getting to your dorm, or something of the sorts,” I concluded.

“I could help you find it,” Torrance offered. Curse his niceness.

“Nah. I don’t live in town. I live a couple hours away,” Chase informed.

“Oh. Well do you need a ride?” Torrance asked.

“I’m sure he has a nice…fast…sports car of his own, babe,” I said with clenched teeth.

“Actually, my car’s engine died when I got here,” Chase informed. Fu** you, Cane… “So a ride would be nice. Maybe my car will be good in a few days.”

“Oh alright,” Torrance shrugged. He slid me off his lap to stand and spin his keys.

“Cool. Thanks. I’m gonna go get a couple books from the book store and then I should be ready to go,” Chase said, pointing over his shoulder.

“I’ll meet you down there in say, about, five minutes?”

“Sure,” Chase concluded before leaving. I glared after him until Torrance cupped my chin and made me look up at him.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Oh nothing. I’m in the most cheerful mood in my life,” I said in the most depressed voice I could find.

“I’m trying to return his favor,” he said. “What’s the harm in that?”

“I can think of a few,” I mumbled.

He can probably and most likely eat you.

“We’ll talk about it when I get back,” he decided, dropping his hand.

“Don’t bother; I’ll probably be asleep,” I sighed.

“Fine. Then tomorrow,” he compromised.

“Night,” I said.

“Good night,” he said, kissing me briefly.

“Be careful,” I warned before he left.

What was Chase up to?

***

Chase’s POV

“So you’re with Alicia,” I started.

“Yep,” he smiled as he drove in the rain in his navy BMW. “Nine months.”

“Wow,” I commented. Nine months? Was she serious? She didn’t even last this long with Wes. Sure…April and I were the reason to that, but still; d4mn. I needed dirt on this guy. Alicia doesn’t just get with anyone. Something has to be wrong with him. I mean, he can’t be perfect.

“So she’s that good?” I asked

“Yeah. She’s great,” he smiled. Why do I think he means something other than her well-being?

“So no problems at all?”

“Nah. Except for a couple of her friends,” he shrugged. Wait.

“Her friends?” I asked.

“Yeah. Wes? Mason? Do you know them?” he asked.

“Yeah…”

“Mason just doesn’t like me and Wes really hates me,” he explained. Way to go guys…even though I’m sure it’s only because they know the truth about who Alicia should be with.

“Why?”

“I don’t know. Since day one he never liked me, but I can’t really do anything about the twerp since he’s Leese’s best friend.”

“Leese?” I asked.

“Alicia,” he clarified. I smirked a little bit.

“Yet another one of her nicknames,” I laughed.

“Yeah. She didn’t like Lili, so I came up with Leese,” he explained. “But Jasmine and Eli still call her Lili, even though she hates it.”

“She’s always hated it,” I said.

“So how long have you known her?” Torrance asked. I’m guessing she didn’t mention me. Of course she didn’t. Cuz she “stopped waiting” for me…

“Since Junior year of high school,” I answered. Just that year, just the first months in meeting her, I felt like I’d known her my whole life…And just as that, I wanted to continue to know her and learn about her for my whole life. But there was one thing in my way; Torrance.

“Hmm. So you do know Wes and them,” he noticed.

“Yeah. He’s my cousin, Eli’s my best friend, and Mason’s a family friend,” I admitted. Who cares? “How’d you meet Alicia?”

“Oh. She was gonna take a class that I had taken the previous year and she stumbled into my teacher’s room and it sparked from there,” he told. Heh. “She’s pretty fantastic.”

“I’ll say,” I mumbled.

“What?” he asked.

“Nothing,” I covered in a rush. “She’s fantastic now, but if you hurt her, she’ll get vicious.”

He laughed. Why was he laughing? I was serious.

“Last time I checked, Wes hurt her somehow in numerous ways and he got off scotch free,” he scoffed. “So free that they’re still best friends.”

“So when you two break up, you would still wanna be best friends with her?” I asked. He looked over to me. His blue eye glinted as we were at a stoplight.

“Who says we’ll break up?” he stated, seriously.

“Well it’s obvious. You’re just a fling for college,” I lied. Ehh. Hopefully.

“And after college we’ll still be together,” he insisted.

“You sure about that?” I asked.

“Positive,” he said before driving past the now green light.

She loved him. He loved her. They were serious.

Yet I still don’t care.

Alicia was mine. Literally. I don’t care if she’s married with five kids, but I’m claiming her some kind of way where she isn’t with some other man. No one deserved her; even this naïve rich boy that she was currently with. I am not even up to the standards she should have, but I’m still trying. I’m still persistent enough to keep trying. I needed to. I needed to be with her. More than one life depended on it.

If getting rid of her petty little boyfriend, Torrance, will do help, then so be it.

“Here you go,” he said as he pulled up to my old house.

“Thanks for the ride,” I fronted as I climbed out of his car.

“Thanks for helping me from falling,” he responded with a pearly white smile. Sh!t. Even his teeth were perfect.

“No problem. Thanks again.”

“Anytime,” he offered. “You can ask a friend of a friend for my number if you need a ride back to the school.”

“Oh. Nah. I’m sure I can get a ride,” I said even though I didn’t have classes on Monday.

“You know, I may dislike Wes, but you and I could actually be good friends,” he nodded.

“Of course,” I replied before standing up straight out of the car and shutting the door. I waved to him from the lawn as he drove off.

Keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer.
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A/N: Hehehe, he's baaaack (:<