Can't Love a Werewolf, Without Getting Fleas.

I was so lost in his eyes, that I didn’t even notice him lean in until his lips were a mere inch away from mine. My body went stiff suddenly. His hot breath whisked my face, and it felt like nothing else was around.

Suddenly the last bell rang through the empty gym, and I jumped in surprise.

My face flushed, and the heat traveled throughout my body like a wildfire. I hurriedly put my flip-flops on and ran out of the gym before the awkwardness set in. I didn’t turn around once to look at Colton. How could I?

I can’t believe that was the second time we almost kissed. What had gotten in to me?

Did that mean… did that mean I had feelings for Colton?

Hahahahhahah. Yeah sure….

Wait…do I?

“Shaylee!! Ready to go shopping?” Brooke’s light, peppy voice made it’s way to me. I already texted Leslie and Violet the address to pick up my sister. I felt guilty making them do it, but I had totally forgotten about it until after this morning, and there was no way I was asking Colton. HA!

Still stunned by my second encounter with him in… that way, I turned to face Brooke.

Who was of course accompanied by Annie and Rachel.

FML.

“Yeah.” I lied. I never liked to try on dresses that could never flatter someone like me. My mom never believed in getting things tailored to fit me. She says I grew like a weed; awkward, tall, and skinny.

Eh, that’s my stubborn family for ya.

“Follow me.” She said, as she passed me, making her way to her car. I shuddered at the last car ride I had with her.

That one hadn’t been very… appealing.

She stopped and turned around, furrowing her eyebrows while she examined me. “Why do you look so rosy?”

“Rosy?” I repeated in a weak voice. Damn him for having this effect on me.

“Yeah, you look like you just got exposed in your thong to the board of commissions.”

Whoaaaa buddddy. “What are thongs?” I asked.

“Shaylee…are you serious??” Brooke looked stunned as she unlocked her car.

I felt my face go red, even though it was probably already red to start with.

“Yes…”

“Lord, we have a lot of shopping to do.” Annie and Rachel nodded vigorously in the background.

I just whined, trailing behind them.

Bah-humbug!

*

They must have dragged me to a million different stores and shops. Of course, they found something for each of them within the first five stores. But no, we were going on twelve, TWELVE and yet they still hadn’t found something ‘perfect’ for me.

I really started to regret not going with Leslie and Violet. They just seemed like they could make anything work for me. They seem to make everything work for them, where as Brooke hunts down clothes to fit her body like it was poured onto her skin.

Yeah, because we’re going to find any clothes on the UNIVERSE that will do that for me.

“Go try these on.” Brooke instructed with an unbreakable smile. “I have faith in these.”

She’s said that to every one of them.

I tried them on regrettably. There was a dark red one; of course. In every one of the piles I’ve had, there had been a red one.

What was with them and red? They said it ‘accented’ my lips. Or whatever the heck that means.

I just nodded mutely. Like I could argue with the ‘queens’ of fashion.

There was a purple one, and I thought it was ok at least. They disapproved, like always. I tried on a blue one, it matched my skin-tone well, and I begged them to keep that one, simply going crazy from the amount of dresses I had tried on.

They put it in the ‘maybe’ pile.

I didn’t like anything else, so they gave me another pile.

Hoorah!

Please. Note. Sarcasm.

*

Orange, let me tell you, was NOT my color. Annie picked it out, go figure.

I stepped out of the dressing room to go find Annie and the rest of them to tell them that I didn’t want them ever bringing me another orange one. YUCK! It made me look like a pale pumpkin and if you’re wondering—not it’s not very flattering.

I paused as I rounded the corner.

“Why are you even trying so hard Brooke? Shaylee’s so ugly! So weak and pathetic! I’d be so much better for your brother. She’s so clueless, so stupid, so—agh!”

Annie was complaining about.. me? Whatta bitch! I’d like to give her my two-cents on what I thought about her. Hmmph! Stinking firecrotch.

No wonder she picked out and unflattering dress. Make me look stupid. Well guess what, that made me just want to find the perfect dress to prove her scrawny butt wrong!

I perked my hearing though, when Brooke answered. Annie sounded like she couldn’t breathe, and I peaked just over the wall to find Brooke pinning Annie up against the wall, her arm squishing the crook of her neck.

I gawked. WHOA! Someone eats her protein bars!

Her stomach rumbled to the point it sounded like she was growling at Annie, either that or she was really hungry.

“Look here. You have no say, no voice, no place to say anything about Shaylee, alright? My brother loves her. She is the one. If someone’s going to lead, it has to be her. He’s the important one. If he picked her, then it’s her all right? Stop being a sour bitch because he didn’t pick YOU. Besides, I think Shaylee is just fine, and if you don’t—then don’t speak.”

Brooke let Annie down as she collapsed to the ground. She coughed and heaved for air. Annie nodded in understanding when she was better, with a slight glare across her features.

A slow smile went to Brooke’s lips.

“We have much planned for her.”

Memories. Damn them all, I thought as they flooded my head.

Brooke.

We were sitting in her pink be-dazzled room when we were younger. Her blonde, straight hair fell to her hipbones and her blue eyes lit up with wonder.

I sat, a little out of place, but still blown away at the way Brooke was dressing me up; a red fluffy dress that rolled in ruffles to my silver-heeled feet.

“Here.” She all but sang as she settled a beautiful plastic crown, that looked like it was drenched with diamonds, all but the middle that had a single red ruby in it.

Wow, that looked real.

I smiled up at her, the crown almost fitting me perfectly. Like it was made for me.

“You’re a princess Shaylee.” She breathed, positioning herself so she faced me, taking in the crown and me.

I giggled as she grinned wide at me. “You are, you know.”

I blinked at her, still in a daze over my outfit. No one ever dressed me up like this; not even Colty.

COLTY! My little brain thought. He will be my prince!

“Are what?” I asked, absent from the actual question, still entranced with the mental image of a young, brown-haired Colton dancing with me in my dress across a ballroom.

“A princess.”

I flashed back. It was silent on the other side of the wall, and quickly, as I thought I had been caught, I rounded the corner with the unwanted dresses in my hands.

Brooke smiled genuinely up at me. “Hey.” She greeted. I felt guilty. All this time I thought I hated her…

And she had stuck up for me? Defended me against her own friend?

To think I’m the one scolding people for judging someone too quickly? Gosh.

“Hey, uhm. I don’t want orange at all. It looks really bad.”

Brooke frowned. “Alright then, no orange!” She turned to a bunch of workers that Brooke had hired to cater to her every ‘fashion need’, Rachel, and a smirking Annie.

Boy did I want to punch her lights out! Sure I wasn’t beautiful, but it’s not like I didn’t deserve Blake, I was a smart girl, I had plenty of other good qualities about me. At least I liked to think so.

“More red people! And… green. Yes, I would like some green.” Brooke said, after pausing to glance at me.

And so I made my way back to the dressing room, one of which was starting to feel more like a prison than a public room at a store in the mall.

Pink, Gray, Another Blue, Black, Red (of course.)

Nothing. I sighed, trying on the last dress. It actually caught my eye. It was similar to a red one I had tried on before, but not exactly the same. This one was strapless and had tiny diamonds trailing across it diagonally from the top, down to the right side of the waist, following toward the bottom. It was nice and tight, enough to hug my curves at the top, but frilled out at the bottom in a classy sort of way. And it was green, the exact color of my eyes. The resemblance was uncanny.

I… I think I actually liked it.

“Shaylee? You ok? This dress is taking you longer than the others. I thought you’d want to be out of it as much as the rest?” Brooke’s voice was a tad concerned, and curious.

I sighed, now it as all up to the ‘fashionistas’, or whatever the lingo is for Brooke’s kind to decide.

I stepped out with one eye squinted. Waiting for them to tear this dress to pieces like they had some of the others.

“I love it.” Brooke exclaimed. She just stared at the fabric laid upon me. “It’s the one. What do you guys think?” She asked, turning to Rachel and Annie.

Rachel smiled timidly, and held up a thumbs-up. Annie’s mouth dropped open and when she noticed me noticing, she clamped it shut before shrugging.

“It’s alright.” She sputtered. I held in my laughter.

“Then it’s settled, take it off, and we’ll go pay. I already bought your shoes, size 8 right?”

I nodded. How’d she?

“I stole your shoes while you were whining earlier. How’s silver to you?”

I momentarily thought back to my memory-flashback. What was with her and silver shoes?

The world may never know….no. This isn’t the center of a lollipop, I just didn’t feel like asking.

I’m such a dork.

“Silver’s fine.”

*

After we dropped Rachel and Annie of Brooke fidgeted in the car.

I ignored it at first, but she kept at it.

“Brooke… is there something you want to tell me?” I went out on a limb, and asked.

“Well, I wanted to wait till Annie and Rachel were gone, because I didn’t want to peer-pressure you. But after the dance Friday, there’s gonna be a party. It’s a bunch of our friends plus the coven; you know: Blake, Me, Annie, Richey, Fredrick, and Rachel.” She paused for my reaction.

In all my years of highschool, I never went to an after party. It never really interested me. What was the point? To see all your friends get drunk and act like they have no brain, and then watch till they induce themselves into unconsciousness? Yeah, sound like loads of fun.

“Please Shaylee?? It will be so much fun! There will be alcohol, and such, and we rented out a whole hotel floor, as well as the back lobby which is more like a convention room, for a whole night!”

I sighed. “I’ll think about it.” Was all I said.

Even though I felt the need to because I couldn’t help but feel guilty about judging Brooke, ignoring her, and being mean to her behind her back to Leslie and Vi.

I sound like the bad guy.

“Alright. Think about it. You have till after the dance. Blake can either bring you there or take you home. Bye!” Brooke shouted out the window once she dropped me off.

I felt bad having them pay for my dress but they deemed it ‘nonsense’ and paid anyways.

As I tried the dress on for my mom and she gushed over how pretty it was, and then gave me money to pay them back, because she never knew a dress could fit me so well.

Thanks?

But that didn’t really concern me, the only thoughts that buzzed around in my mind were: would Colton like it? Would he like that it was green? Will he find me attractive?

...But why?