Can't Love a Werewolf, Without Getting Fleas.

I didn’t know what today was. Tuesday wasn’t well known. You could have anything to eat on a Tuesday.

I sighed, thinking about track team.

Did I want to do it? I mean yeah, I like to run—moderately. I like hanging out with Blake, and Leslie, and Violet. But the rest?

Besides, what was up with Colton whispering to Leslie and Violet and them looking at me?

Cheesesticks with tomato sauce. Yummmy. (Note sarcasm.) The cheese sticks were cold and the tomato tasted off.

The soda was the same obviously. And I even bothered to get a fruit cup, hoping it wouldn’t taste as off as the cheesesticks.

“Follow me, make no sudden movements and queen freak-out won’t well…. Freak out.” Leslie stated as she dragged me across the cafeteria.

“What are you talking about?” I whispered, well aware this girl was out of her mind.

I was greeted at the table with a smiling Violet; nestled against a boy that I assumed was Luke.

“Yo, gang. This is Shaylee. She’s recently been captive by the Cunningham twins, because well, we don’t really know. But she’s going to take a break from them and sit with us.” Leslie paused with a smile.

Everyone looked up at me. I was greeted with ‘hey’s’ and ‘sucks for you’.

I blushed subconsciously, knowing Colton was looking up at me. His gaze made me somehow self-conscious. Lame, I know.

“Sit next to me. I hate sitting next to Brian. He burps all the time.” Leslie whispered in my ear and I stifled a laugh.

“Will do.”

“Hey Shaylee, remember me apologizing for that horrible cigarette smell in my car?” Violet spoke, eyeing the boy she was holding hands with.

I nodded, faintly remembering this morning as I picked up at cheesestick.

“Well you can thank this fellow.” He rolled his eyes.

“How do you know it was me and not Colton?” The boy with dark hair with blue tips argued.

Colton smokes cigarettes? Gross. I hope he knows his lungs are probably shriveled bags of ash and tar.

“Because you, you lazy bum totaled your car and I’ve been driving you around these past few months, and Colton has his bike.”

“Bike?” I questioned. Feeling the cheese stick to the roof of my mouth.

“Yeah. Bike, like vroom vroom; a motor bike.” Luke answered me.

“Cool.” I couldn’t help but notice another boy giving me a strange stare.

At first I just ignored it. But seeing as Colton was looking down at the table, and any sign of life was hidden behind his curtain of black hair, it was more obvious he had been staring for a long time.

Though neither Leslie or Violet seemed to notice. Brian came and sat down next to me, and I couldn’t help but notice it this time. The kid was still staring at me.

“Yes?” I finally asked, after many awkward eye-contacts.

He smiled at me, like he had been waiting for me to notice. “I’m Harrison.” He stated, holding out a hand.

I shook it briefly.

“Shaylee.”

“So we were told. So Shaylee, Texas doing you good so far?”

“Fine. I miss New York though.”

“Whoa! You lived in New York!?” Brian who had been semi-quiet, munching on his food spoke up.

“Yeah. Brooklyn.”

“Hott dog. How’s the city life, is it like that show with the four menopausal women?” My eye brows furrorwed in a ‘that’s-disturbing-information’ way.

“I think he means Sex and the City.” Leslie said to me, as if translating all that Brian says.

“OH!” I hit my hand on my forehead like it was obvious.

“No, no. It’s not that exciting. My parents are kind of strict, so most my nights were spent up watching horror movies with my best friends Karla and Michael till the late hours of the morning.”

“Always a good time.”

“Yeah, but I always had a great view outside our apartment window, and there was this really awesome vintage store down the street from me.”

“Total score!” Leslie said enthralled.

“Yeah. I miss them though. They were keepers.”

Leslie frowned. “I’m sorry dude.” Everyone had a sullen look on his or her face. I mean yeah, they had each other. They all seemed to get along really well, but where did I really belong? I was still the ‘new girl’.

“Well I’m glad you moved back here.” Violet cut in, before excusing herself to go grab a drink from the vending machine.

“Back? Did you live here before?” Harrison asked, oddly interested in what I was saying.

“Cause I would have remembered someone as hot as you.” I blushed maddingly red as both the other boys laughed and gave Harrison a high-five. His cheeks were slightly pink, but he was not as fazed as me by the sly comment.

“Well yeah. I was really little. Evidently everyone remember but me.”

“You don’t remember your childhood?” Harrison said, looking weary now.

Great. He thinks I’m insane.

“No, I don’t know why. I mean you guys don’t remember your childhood do you?” I said, with false hope. I already knew they did.

They all nodded ‘yes’s’.

The whole table went silent after that.

My mood fell downward. You could tell no one knew what to say to that. Hell, I didn’t know what to say to that.

Why was I such a freak?

If only Kara were here. She has already gotten use to me not really knowing who I was. Everything with my friends was better.

“Convenient.” Colton spoke. One word.

But that was enough to confuse me.

“Excuse me?” His knuckles were white as they gripped the table. He suddenly shot up from the table from the left side opposite of me and dashed out of the cafeteria.

I gulped. I looked to Leslie, and Violet as she approached the table once again.

They looked as dumbfounded as me.

“I’ll go get em’.” Brian said, shoving two cheesesticks into his mouth and running after him.

“What was that about?”

“Oh, nothing. Colton is constantly on his man period.” Leslie laughed nervously, but I could tell there was something more. Something she knew that she didn’t want to tell me, or didn’t want to say in front of everyone.

I sighed. Why is it that everyone seemed to be his friend except for me? Why wouldn’t he talk around me? Not that it mattered…

Ok. Maybe it did. BUT ONLY A LITTLE!…

*

I was determined. I was going to talk to Colton. How could I ever hang out with Leslie and Violet more, when I didn’t get along with him?

I was a little more than nervous when I walked into earth science. As usual people were taking their assigned seats, making the room loud as people yelled over one another to talk to their friends across the dang room.

I blinked at the noise and took my seat. No one was next to me.

I looked around the room, and noticed him talking to the teacher about something.

I got out a piece of paper for the bellwork, as the bell rang.

Colton walked sulkily over to sit down next to me. He seemed heavy as he plopped down in the seat and leaned back in his chair, until the chair hit the wall. He then laid his feet on top of the desk.

It’s now or never. “So… I take it you and the teacher don’t get along well?” I felt my heart quiver with his reply. I just wanted to be friends. Was that soooooo bad?

He shifted his head, to whip his hair to the side. I glanced back to make eye contact with brown. I gulped.

Alright… so plan numero uno. Don’t look him in the eye when talking to him.

He stayed silent. Great. Now I just feel like awkward babies are being born all around me.

“What were you talking about? I whispered as I put my name and date on my paper, and leaned back in my chair as well.

“How I want a seat change.” I felt like I was hit in the head with a soccer ball.

“Oh.”

“I’m going to get one.” He stated, like it was obvious.

….lovely. So just when I get the guts to talk to him, he moves seats.

“Well that’s too bad. You’re the only person I really know in this class and-.”

“You’re too talkative.” He interrupted me.

I scoffed to myself. WELL MAYBE IF YOU WEREN’T SO COLD AND JERKISH I WOULDN’T HAVE TO TALK TO YOU, YOU’D HAVE TALKED TO ME IN THE FIRST PLACE.

“Sorry.” I found myself saying. He just smirked in the corner of my eye. Like he was proud he had gotten me to admit it.

Jerk! Now, now Shaylee you don’t know him. Remember you made a promise to yourself you wouldn’t judge people before you got to know them?

I gulped. It was really hard not to judge him as a jerk when he was—as of right now—acting like one.

Don’t be like Brooke. Don’t judge.

I sighed. Ok. No judging.

It was quiet for almost the rest of class. I tried focusing on the lesson, but all my brain could do was think of things to say that wouldn’t be stupid or annoying to him.

But everything I thought of sounded stupid to me.

ME: So, you have a little sister?

HIM: How did you know?

ME: Oh, well I was running and creeped on you and saw you hugging a little girl

HIM: FREEEAAAAKKKK!

It. Was. Not. Working.

Finally, we had to do some book work and ‘work with our partners to find the answers’.

“So. You like science?” Was all I could put together without it ending tragically.

“No.” HIM AND HIS DAMN SHORT WORDS!

“Yeah, me neither.”

I flipped through my book, noticing he hadn’t touched his.

“You were really fast today.” I smiled up at him, still not making eye contact.

“I know.” Of course you did…

Jerk.

Now, now!

I mean hypothetically speaking… he could maybe possibly be a cocky jerk.

I couldn’t help but get mad. I was trying to be nice… but it looks like that only fuels his ego.

“You and Blake were like the same exact speed, it was weird.” I smirked down into my paper. If he truly was a cocky jerk, he wouldn’t like that I said that.

“Cunningham got lucky.” My smirk widened into a smile. Knew it.

I remember Blake, and couldn’t help but smile. Out of everyone I’ve met thus far, he is the only nice guy.

My heart panged. Was it weird that I wanted him here…?

I couldn’t help but notice how much more fun this class would be if Blake was here and Colton wasn’t.

I finished the bookwork just before the bell rang. Colton was out the door as soon as the speakers let out the annoying sound.

So much for trying… I thought as I gathered my things together and left the classroom.

I made my way down the hallway, my mind to wrapped up in itself to register anything.

So you can imagine how surprised I was when I was pulled into the girls bathroom.

Brooke was standing there with an expression I couldn’t quite place.

It was somewhere between fear and anger.

“Why were you sitting with those nasty dogs today at lunch?”

I almost laughed at her choice of words. Evidently cuss words were replaced by animal names.

“Well, I like Leslie and Violet. I thought it’d be cool to get to know them. I mean after all, they are on the track team.” I smiled at her.

She winced. “Don’t remind me.” She shuddered and started to pace the bathroom floor, her blonde hair flowing down her back.

“Look, Shaylee. I like you, I really do. You truly are my long lost best friend, so I say this out of love.”

Best friend? Now she really was getting ahead of herself. Does she not know I don’t remember anything from my past?

“Don’t hang around them. They’re going to hurt you. They stick to their little ‘pack’ and they ignore everyone else. They’re wild and untamed and unsafe to be around.”

I raised an eyebrow at her. She really didn’t like them…

“I’m serious. They are bad, bad news.”

I nodded. And she sighed, her breath shaking in her chest as if she were about to cry.

“I don’t want to be the bad guy, Shaylee. But please, I truly am looking out for you.”

I suddenly felt bad. She wasn’t an ice queen after all. Brooke was standing in front of me with tears welded up in her eyes.

I noticed that ever since I got here, all she’s wanted to do was be my friend.

My heart panged for her. Didn’t I know how that felt? Wasn’t I just complaining like five minutes ago, about how I just wanted to be Colton’s friend?

I sighed too. “Ok. I promise to be careful around them.”

Brooke smiled. “That’s all I can ask for.” She beamed, and then gave me a tight hug.

I laughed in to her blonde hair.

We walked out of the bathroom, only to be greeted by Blake.

“Why girls always go in pairs to the bathroom? I will never know.” I rolled my eyes up at him, and pretended to punch his arm.

“You need a ride Lees?” Brooke smiled at me, all traces of worry gone from her face now.

I blinked, knowing that was the first time she’s ever called me that.

“Actually, I was going to ask her to ride home with me.” Blake smiled down at me, and I myself couldn’t help but smile.

I’d never noticed the way his teeth rested so lightly on his lips. Or the way his hair reflected the florescent lights of the school hallways.

Everyone else was already clearing out of school, excited to leave for the day.

“Ugh. Fine. You keep her all to yourself, but one day I will have revenge.” Brooke said to her brother.

“Yeah, yeah. Get outta here Blondie.” She rolled her eyes.

“Catch you later Shaylee!” She smiled at me, and I smiled in return.

“Mi lady…” Blake said, motioning for me to walk in front of him.

Blake’s car smelled nice. It smelled like him, and for some reason that was reassuring.

“So… you didn’t sit with us at lunch today.” Blake started, smiling. He was always smiling around me.

“Gee, and I was thinking no one would notice.” I said jokingly.

He nudged my arm, and I turned from the window to look at him. His eyes were glazed over with an emotion—so sincere it kind of shocked me.

“Don’t say that… I will always notice you.”

I couldn’t hide the smile.

That was so sweet…

“It was horrible when you moved away. It broke my heart.”

My stomach flip-flopped inside me. “I’m sorry. I know I probably begged my parents to stay. It seems like I wouldn’t want to leave this place.”

I stated, and it seemed true. I got a weird vibe about this place, mostly good though.

“Yeah… something like that.” Blake trailed of laughing nervously.

I immediately felt bad. Had I wanted to leave?

I couldn’t imagine me hurting Blake like that. I wasn’t that kind of person.

But then again, I couldn’t remember what I was like.

“But in all seriousness Lees, those kids are bad news.”

I rolled my eyes. “Please, Blake. I’ve already been read the riot act by Brooke.”

He laughed at this. “It’s not funny.”

“Well… eh, it sort of is.” I pouted.

“O’common. I’m just saying be careful. I like you hanging around Brooke and all of us, because I know them; and although they might seem air-headish at times, or obnoxious. They mean well. And I know they wouldn’t hurt you.”

He paused. “Hurting you is the last thing I want to do, and I’m just worried that the ‘pack’ might be to rough with you or something… I don’t know. I’ve just been worried about it, you know?”

I nudged him softly. “That’s so sweet of you. Thank you. But I really don’t think Leslie or Violet mean any harm.”

He nodded. “I agree, but the others… I’m not so sure. Especially Colton. Be very guarded around him. I grew up with him, and I of all people know what he’s capable of, and it’s not pretty.”

I gulped.

He pulled up to my house. “Just promise me, Shaylee, for my own conscious. Don’t talk to him?”

His big puppy dog pout and sincere blue eyes must have been captivating, because I completely agreed.

His smile immediately brightened, just like his sister’s had.

I thanked him for the ride soon after and exited the car.

I walked in just in time to realize, I had to go to Leslie’s for our project!

I hit my forehead with my hand. I had completely forgotten.

“MOM!?” I yelled through the new house that I still wasn’t use to.

“In the office!” She replied.

I crossed the hardwood floors and went into the study/office.

Deep cherry wood desks lined the wall, with flat computer screens, and a nice pale brown rug in the middle of the room, followed my a quaint brown love seat.

She was typing away on the computer. “Do you think I borrow the car to go to a friend’s house for a school project?”

“Sure honey, they keys are on the kitched counter.”

“m’kay.” I stated, sliding across the floor with my socks on, grabbing the keys, and gathering my books together.

*

Leslie’s house was huge. She texted me her address earlier, and I was worried I wouldn’t be able to find it, but you couldn’t miss this house.

I rang the doorbell as the tiny Honda sat in the giant driveway.

Leslie opened the door, in a red cami and jean shorts.

She was so pretty, it wasn’t really fair.

“There you are! I made us nachos. Do you like nachos, please tell me you like nachos because they’re my favorite snack!” She beamed.

“Love em!” I smiled as I put my stuff down next to the door.

The house had a huge staircase and beautiful marble floors, along with elegant flower arrangements.

It smelled like roses in here.

“Alright, I’ll have someone bring them up and we can just get started.”

I hardly noticed a maid walk by.

“Clarissa? Could you bring up the nachos I made to my room pretty please?”

She nodded. “Yes miss Hounshell.”

Leslie Hounshell? It had a nice ring to it.

“Follow me track star.” She laughed, and I followed her up the long staircase.

It was carpeted upstairs, and had many rooms that I didn’t get a good look in.

Leslie’s room suited her. It was light pink with a bright white comforter, and fuzzy pink pillows, with a throw pillow that read ‘Princess’ in pink cursive and had a crown above the word.

“I put bean bags on the floor for us.”

I laughed at the two pink polkadotted bean bag chairs on the floor.

“Sounds good. Now… where’s your computer?” I asked, looking around.

She reached in a drawer and whipped out a MAC.

“Will this do?”

“Yes.”

“Ok. I’ll write then, and Shaylee you can look things up online, sound good?”

“Yes Ma’am.” I said, bringing up the internet.

“One thing though…” I smirked up at Leslie.

“Ya?”

“NACHOS!” I yelled as the maid came into the room with the cheesy flavored chips.

“WHOO! NOW IT’S OFFICIALLY A PARTY!” Leslie squealed, shoving some into her mouth.

*

This project was taking forever!

I completely regretted not doing it earlier.

“Hey Less?” I asked, and yeshh that is the nickname I have given her. Less & Vi.

“Pshaw?” She replied and I rolled my eyes.

“Will you do me a favor?”

“Shoot.”

“Exactly that. Shoot, me.”

She busted out laughing. “No can do.”

“Damnnit.” I sighed, rubbing my eyes. They stung from staring at a computer screen for and hour and a half.

“We’re almost done! Cheer up Shayles.”

I nodded. “I might need more nachos.”

“I will supply you with all the nachos in the world if we can get through this alive.”

We both laughed.

“I say we hang out another time, without having homework distract us.” She said, yawning.

“I agree.”

“Here’s the last bit of information we need for the rubric.” I stated, reading it off to her so she could write it down.

“HOORAYY!”

We both got up and stretched.

“Now we just need to print out some stuff and paste it.” I said, noticing how blank it was with words being the only thing staring back at you.

A loud ring echoed through the house. “Oh no! I totally forgot what time it was. That must be everyone.”

“Everyone?” I repeated her, confused.

“Yeah, the gang. They’re er… they’re here for a private meeting thing, sorry. I was hoping we’d be finished before now.”

I shrugged. “It’s ok. Blame it on the nachos.”

She chuckled. “Will do, be right back. Gotta answer the door.”

Her blonde hair whipped through the door way, and her footsteps clunked down the stairs.

I sighed, laying me head down on the rug.

I was tired. Running on the track today must have done it to me.

I heard voices coming up the stairs and immediately got self-conscious. I didn’t know if they wanted me there or not.

But they never reached her door. I peaked out the door and creeped against the wall.

I know spying is bad, but I’m not a cat; therefore curiosity can’t kill me. It’ll just bug the hell outta me.

I listened through the double doors that must have led to the study.

I could hear a voice talking.

“Alright. You know why I brought you all here. There’s a new pack roaming the edge of the deep woods, and I don’t want them thinking they can come in on our turf. Everybody will have to take shifts watching the den. I’ll take tonight’s, but we need to schedule someone for every night at least.”

It was Colton’s voice. At least I think… I’ve never heard him say more than a few words before.

I didn’t really understand what they were talking about, I mean ‘pack, den, turff’?

What?

I checked my watch. Leslie must have been in there.

I went back into her room, until I heard them come out of the room and go back down the stairs.

Less and Vi came back into the room.

“Hey chicka!” Violet chimed in, in a purple silky camisole and dark blue skinny jeans.

Her black hair looked like silk.

I was jealous. And after hours of studying, Leslie looked just short of gorgeous.

“You guys are too pretty, you know that? Why don’t you share some?” I stated and they laughed at me.

“We’re all going down for some snacks, you wanna come?” Leslie suggested wiggling her eyebrows as if to tempt me to join them.

“Only a little, then I gotta go home.” I stated, yawning once more.

I trailed the two girls down the stairs into a kitchen were a bunch of male voices could be heard.

We walked in, and I tried to walk in with a smile. I hope if I seemed innocent and friendly they wouldn’t really mind me being there.

“SHAYLEE!” Harrison said as he came up and engulfed me into a bear-hug.

I was a little stunned by his forwardness.

But I chuckled at him.

Brian high-fived me, and Luke said hey as Violet went to stand beside him.

The sound of breaking glass silenced the room.

I looked up to see Colton staring at me with such a disgusted look on his face that I literally cowered into the wall behind me.

“WHAT. IS. SHE. DOING. HERE!!!???” His yell echoed the kitchen’s floor and walls.

The broken glass-cup still at his feet.

I gulped.

Leslie thankfully broke the silence. “We had a project to do, so I invited her over. Got a problem with that?”

Everyone else was silent, staring between Leslie and Colton and I.

His body shook.

“Either she leaves,” he paused, pointing a finger at me. “or I leave.”

Leslie looked a little fazed, as shocked by him as I was I guess.

“This isn’t your house, and this isn’t the den Colton. Shaylee is welcomed here.”

I could feel my hands sweat with nervousness. My heart not only raced but it felt like it had fallen into my stomach.

I felt sick.

“FINE!” He shouted rushing past me; past all of us.

The front door opened with a click and was shut with a BOOM.

I gulped, feeling faint tears well up in my eyes.

How could someone hate someone without even knowing who he or she is? I questioned.

“I should go.” I said, taking a deep breath, and running to the front door.

“No, Shaylee please. Don’t feel like you have to leave because of Colton.”

Violet added to Less’s statement. “I agree. We all know he can be an asshole, it’s not knew—don’t get upset about it.”

I couldn’t shake this feeling of my heart floating around in the solid pit of sickness in my stomach.

“No. It’s late, I should be getting home.”

I wiped a few shaky tears away from my eyes on the drive home.

The roads were quiet, and the only thing you could hear was a mad howling from the distance.

****

SHAYLEE'S OUTFIT:

http://www.polyvore.com/shaylee_outift/set?id=18553685