Can't Love a Werewolf, Without Getting Fleas.

I woke up the next morning and felt my face go red. I had almost kissed Colton Sparks. I can’t get over it. Out of everyone at our school. All 2,000 students, he chooses me to go after?

I was beyond mortified. And the fact that he hadn’t said anything to me when he came to pick up Melony was worse, he just masked his face with his hoodie and left. How do you pretend something like that didn’t happen??

He had to have felt the electricity there; the spark between us.

GAH, what am I even talking about. I have Blake. I need to stop daydreaming about Mr. Tanned Skin Bad Boy.

Blake had so many questions for me yesterday I thought my head might pop open like a needle to a balloon. He was so upset that Colton was over here when he wasn’t. Going on about how I shouldn’t be left alone with him or some nonsense. Like what? He was a rapist? As if.

He would probably rape his reflection he was so full of himself, rather than raping me.

I rolled out of bed and tried my best to look good today. Straightening my normally wavy hair, applying eyeliner and mascara. Throwing together tight jeans and a low cut T-shirt.

But don’t you go and think I’m doing this for Colton Sparks. In his dreams! …I just felt like being sexy. That’s all.

Right?

I sighed, as I slung my bag over my shoulder and made my way down to breakfast. Which was a simple bowl of cereal.

“Shaylee, dear. I want to thank you for picking up your little sister yesterday.” My mom’s voice was gentle and tired.

“No problem Mom. I understand you guys are busy, it’s the least I can do. I’ll go get her whenever. I love seeing Lucy.” Or Colton.

I didn’t just think that.

“Oh, well alright. Just the rest of the week for as far as I know.”

“No problem Mom. No problem at all.” I smiled semi-wickedly to myself before stepping outside with an apple in hand ready for school.

Blake was leaning into Violet and Leslie’s car on my way to them.

They seemed completely bored and annoyed with what he was saying. I held in my laughter.

I hadn’t seen Blake since yesterday, and even then my parents came home soon after and we never got to talk about what happened earlier that day. Why he had just vanished right when I needed him the most.

Luckily Colton easily filled the void as the hero, but still.

“Bye girls!” Blake waved after them as they sped off.

“Where are they going?” I asked approaching Blake, watching as they high-tailed it down the street.

“I told them I’d give you a ride to school.” He beamed like he had won some imaginary battle between him and my friends.

“Ok.” Truths, I was glad he was. I had many unanswered questions.

His car still smelled new, like leather. I breathed a sigh, before continuing on with my questions.

“Where did Brooke and you go when… you know. I almost drowned?” I asked, all of a sudden feeling abandoned and used.

“Well, you see. Brooke and I have this weird gag reflex around blood. As soon as blood appears we throw up, and sometimes black out. It has a weird effect on us.”

I nodded, taking this in to consideration.

SOOO in other words if I want him to save my life in the near future… I have to make sure I’m not bleeding first.

Lovely.

“It’s ok I guess. I’m just glad Colton was there, ya know?” I looked at Blake in time to see his jaw tighten and his hands grip the steering wheel abnormally tight.

“I guess. You know I would have come in and saved you anyways, right Shaylee?”

I shrugged. “Yeah, I guess.”

The car stopped immediately and I almost flew into the dashboard.

Blake’s nostril’s flared and I thought I saw his eyes grow dark, almost taking on a red-ish, angry tent.

He turned to me, and grabbed my arm… painfully I might add.

“NEVER THINK I WON’T COME FOR YOU!” He practically shouted into my face, his cool breath making goose bumps rise on my arm. Like this itself, wasn’t making them appear anyways.

My face must have shown how frightened I was, because he sat back, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.

“Don’t ever think for a second I don’t care about you, ok Shaylee?” He waited as I slowly but surely nodded.

All I could think about was this strange side of Blake I had never seen in my life before.

As soon as I nodded my head, he took off back down the road.

We never spoke another word after that, until we got to school.

“Well, I’ll see you in Math then.” He smiled pleasantly at me, and it sent shivers running through me.

It reminded me of when Brooke smiled; it was forced and fake.

I pivoted on my heel, to walk to History but something started happening.

Memories.

Like an uncontrollable record in my head on repeat.

I stumbled into the locker as they flashed.

“Shaylee?” The younger version of me looked up into Blake’s soft blue eyes; melting like the ocean waves dead at sea.

“Yes B?” I giggled at him. His nickname always making me feel weird inside; bubbly.

“What if I told you we could be together forever? That you and me could always be like this; bestfriends.” His grin seemed to get bigger and wider the more he envisioned for us.

“That’d be awesome!” My smile grew as well, but an image that had itself lodged in my brain, made me hesitate.

Colton.

”Could Colty come with us?” It was an innocent enough question, but Blake’s eyes flashed red, just like they had this morning.

“Why do you like him so much? And NO He can’t come with us. He doesn’t deserve you, you know. You deserve to be with someone who will love you; someone like me Shaylee.”

I felt anger boil in my tiny body. “Colton does too love me! We’re best friends, and if he’s not going with me, then I’m not going with you!” I pouted, and before I knew it Blake had roared and grabbed me by the wrist, slinging me into a nearby tree. I felt something snap in my arm and I cried out in pain.

His body shook with anger, and I didn’t recognize him anymore. I started to cry and as I blinked, Blake was gone.

It was just me and my broken arm, crying on the forest floor.

I shuddered as I re-entered reality. I had groped my way to the bathroom and sunk to the floor.

I felt sickly and pale, and incredibly dizzy. Reality and memories mixing together tends to do that to you.

I felt sweat drip down my forehead and I wiped it away before leaning over the toilet and puking out a gorgeous mixture of milk, frosted flakes, and apple pieces.

Great.

The bell rang ahead of me—like my day could get any worse.

I groaned before I picked myself up and made my way to History.

Leslie immediately looked concerned, and asked me about it the first chance she got. I lied, knowing there’s no way I could explain what was happening to me, to her—hell, I couldn’t even explain it to myself!

I shook the fear off of me as I entered Calculus. Blake was cheery as he could be, like nothing had ever happened.

But little did he know, that I knew his dirty little secret.

I gulped, taking a seat next to him, trying to pretend as if everything was totally fine.

He raised an eyebrow at me and I just shrugged. “What?” I asked innocently, and he didn’t press the issue.

I was thankful.

Math was a good distraction. I think this is the only time I’d rather plot graphs and solve impossible equations than face the fact that my boyfriend had some serious anger issues.

“Ok. What’s up with you, you’ve been acting weird all morning.” Blake finally asked, sighing enthusiastically, while lying back in his seat to face me.

I held out my arm, and you could faintly see finger marks starting to form from where he had grabbed me this morning.

Bruises.

”Did I…?” Blake trailed off, sorrow taking over his features.

I looked away from him.

When I looked back his head was hung low in his hands. He looked like he was going to cry.

“Blake, really it’s fine. Don’t feel bad.” I begged. There was no way I was letting him feel this guilty.

“I’m sorry my anger got out of control. It won’t happen again.” I didn’t say ‘ok’ or nod this time. Simply because I didn’t know if I could believe him.

Instead, we both just returned back to our math books.

The bell rang and cut through the eerie silence. I was suddenly thankful that I had gym next.

*

I felt like the weight of the world had been lifted from me as I saw Less’s and Vi’s familiar faces in the girl’s locker room.

“How’d the ride with Blake go?” Violet asked, since I already clued Leslie in first period.

“Awkward.”

Awkward seemed to sum up everything that has happened thus far here in Texas.

She just laughed at me. “That’s Blake for ya!” I rolled my eyes.

“Is Colton here today?” They both gave me a weird stare before answering.

“Yeah… why?”

I blushed a little remembering yesterday.

“No reason.” But there was a whollee lot of reason.

My smile must have given my intentions away, because they both gave me a non-believing glance.

We all changed into our bathing suits, and I got a creepy déjà vu feeling of yesterday.

I took a glance down at my leg and made sure I was ok. Just freaking myself out.

The same smell of salt water and the beach filled my nose, though this place was much less flattering than the beach.

I slowly sunk myself into the water. The cold felt refreshing on my injured leg, the salt only stinging it slightly.

I grinned to myself as I looked up to see the coach perched on a lifeguard stand.

Nice to know he’s ready to save someone this time. Not like that could have helped yesterday or anything.

I scoffed. Figures, the whole school is afraid of Colton Sparks, and now so is the faculty.

Speaking of the devil….

Colton Sparks just walked in…. with the bimbo.

His arm around her waist.

I couldn’t stop myself. I watched, mouth hanging open; out of shock and disgust as he led her behind the bleachers, and started to tongue molesting her neck.

“Colton, STOP!” She screamed/giggled.

I felt like I was going to puke.

So that was it? I was just his afternoon ‘snack’ if you must. I was something yesterday, but I’m not today?

He didn’t even make eye contact with me the whole period.

“Boys suck.” Leslie said behind me.

I sneeree. “Ya think?”

She put a hand on my shoulder. “Colton’s just being stupid. He doesn’t realize how completely awesome you are. Don’t get all upset over bimbo over there. Even if she were to get in his pants, I doubt he thinks about her even a fraction of how much he thinks about you.”

“Yeah.” Violet soothed, laying her head on my shoulder and hugging me sideways, with her arms around my waste.

We all stood like that in the pool for a little bit.

“I bet when he bangs her, he secretly wishes it was you screaming out his name.”

I gapped at her in horror.

“Oh! Shaylee! YES!” She moaned and everyone around us gave us the most disturbed glance I have ever seen in my life.

“Violet!” I scolded, wanting to just sink underwater and never reappear. Then I stopped myself, and knocked on the closest wood possible. I didn’t need a repeat of yesterday…

*

I tried not think about Colton the rest of the period, but it felt like a disease in my mind; plaguing every corner of my brain.

My head pounded and I felt just…wrong. In pain. Not to mention my arms ached with the oncoming bruises.

I hadn’t seen him most of the time, and I just figured he was behind the bleachers. Not that I was going to go check my assumption and be scarred for life.

I ended up in Brooke’s grasp somehow, and she finally taught me to dive… strangely we got along fine. She wasn’t overbearingly annoying, and that’s when I decided the only thing her and I had in common was our passion for being active; for feeling alive.

That and the fact that I dated her brother…who by the way, I have yet to see this period. I mean on the contrary, I saw him when I first got here, but I was rather distracted by Miss Mariah Carey and Colton swapping siliva.

“Hey Coach?” I asked pleasantly, knowing by now I was on his list of ‘not so favorite students’.

Grmmph. Was his reply.

“May I use the restroom?”

“Whatever.”

I quirked an eyebrow and just left out in the hallway to head back toward the locker room.

All I had planned on doing was going to go pee, but that was before I heard voices arguing.

Those voice… why did they seem familiar?

I entered the boy’s locker room silently, and peeked behind the wall.

Blake and Colton were standing there arguing.

Hmm, maybe because they are familiar.

“You think you’re perfect for her don’t you? You think she’s going to come running back to you with her childhood fantasy of the tree house and running in the wild!??”

Blake’s voice echoed off the walls.

“I’m not hoping for anything. There are no bets that that is Shaylee, remember? You just think it’s her. Where’s your proof Cunningham?”

Blake’s mouth was dripping with some weird purple-red color. Barely noticeable, but I could tell.

Colton’s body was shaking rigidly, and his muscles spasmed as if to hold back something.

“You are SO ignorant Sparks! This is the real Shaylee!”

“If it weren’t, then why would I bother? You know I want no one but-.”

Before Blake could finish what he was saying Colton had him pinned against the locker and was growling almost like an animal. His jaws shook and snapped as if ready to bite him.

“I saw her die Blake. She was dead. So tell me, how did a simple human girl manage to resurrect herself from the dead??”

Blake shook with anger, but couldn’t loosen Colton’s death grip on him.

“Maybe it worked…maybe she’s not-.”

A snarl echoed the empty locker room, and it took me a moment to realize that it had come from Colton.

“DON’T YOU DARE GO THERE! SHE WILL NEVER BE THAT. EVER.”

A creepy laugh came from Blake. “She will be whether you like it or not.” He said it like it was destiny. Like it was the inevitable.

“I won’t let it happen. How can I? You couldn’t even spare to save her yesterday. How are you supposed to protect her forever??”

Blake’s eyes darkened at that.

A smirk made itself across Colton’s lips. Like he knew he had hit a weak spot.

“I thought you didn’t even believe it was really her?” Blake’s voice was dark, hidden, and strange.

“Look. I don’t know if it is or not, I have yet to have proof.” Colton paused, taking a deep breath. “But all I know is that I’m not letting what you did to Shaylee, happen to her. Whether she’s real or not.”

He put Blake down and turned to walk out. My eyes widened in the realization that he was coming this way. I scrambled over into the girls locker room close by and heaved a sigh of relief when Colton’s footsteps echoed away.

I slid down the wall, holding my knees. Everything spun. There voices playing themselves over and over repeatedly.

Tree house? Running in the wild? Me? Dying? Human? Blake’s forever?

The images from this morning seemed to grab on to what Colton had said, making me feel like they meant something.

Blake had asked me to be his bestfriend forever, wondering if I would accept…

'How are you supposed to protect her forever??'

And the way they spoke as if they themselves weren’t human.

I gulped.

What the HELL happened when I was little!!??