Cursed

My hands gripped the wheel as I drove from my house to school with Shailey in tow. “Finn, you know, you’ve been really tense and strange.”

She reached over to stroke my hair. It was part of her motherly quirk. But I flinched away. My senses were already being driven crazy by the maddening scent of Kieran on my jacket. It was so strong that I was starting to get a headache. But I could feel myself starting to get used to it though. But that’s not really saying much right now seeing as how it went from intolerable to a headache.

“I’m fine,” I lied. How could I tell Shailey that I was being strongly attracted to Kieran, a male, who I only know a small bit about? Not to mention I’m a supernatural being and that he would probably never believe me that I’m actually a werewolf. Besides, like I’ve said a million other times about other things, it is not her business. I’ve always solved my own problems before I ever went to Shailey. I’ve never gone to her for anything and it’s not about to change.

My aunt’s words are ringing in my head every minute I wear the jacket that was riddled with Kieran’s strawberry scent. I wouldn’t accept that I was attracted to him on the basic levels of appearance, no matter how sharp my senses were.

“Jesus Finn, why are you so on edge? I’ve never seen you like this,” Shailey speculated. “I know you don’t like me that much, because you feel stuck with me because of our families, but you can tell me if something’s wrong.”

It’s not that I hate her, it’s just that I’ve never felt that I was part of this human world, nor the animal world. My parents told me that I would feel better about my surroundings once I was older and better understood my place in the world.

If I had a place in the world, that is.

It was scary that I might not be able to find a place for myself and that I’m making things a lot more complicated for myself by being attracted to a male. I mean, what would my parents say about it? They’d probably be mad. What if they threw me out?

Coming back out of my thoughts, I hit the brakes just as I caught a stop sign. My heart beating a thousand miles a minute as a semi zoomed across the street right in front of us, its horn blaring. Shailey screamed out next to me, almost louder than the semi.

Surprisingly, she took no shots at me for my horrendous driving…

…Until we got to school. And then she jumped onto Kieran and yelled, “Finn almost killed us!”

“What?” He chuckled as he looked at me.

I just walked away from them. And Shailey wonders why I avoid her.

*~*~*~*~*

“So, you almost killed yourself and Shailey?” Kieran asked in web design, leaning over so I could get an overpowering whiff of his scent.

“I was just distracted,” I nearly growled.

“But you guys are my only friends! If you guys die then I’ll have no friends!” He whined, playing off my near-death experience as a joke.

“I don’t think we’re quite friends,” I said.

“’Course we’re friends!” Kieran cried, putting an arm around my shoulders, smiling happily. His soft skin brushed across mine, drawing goose bumps to the surface of my arms and neck.

Thanks to the constant exposure to his scent on my jacket, it was much easier to stand being around him the whole class period.

I sighed and shrugged his arms off from around me and then turned back to my work on the computer.

“Can’t we be friends, Finn?” Kieran asked, a plea in his voice. There was something serious about his tone. Was he seriously questioning whether I would let him befriend me or not?

It’s not that I wouldn’t let him, he was just so very… distracting and… not really the type that I could see myself being friends with.

Not that I’ve actually had any friends to base this off of. I knew I could stand to give him a chance but it kind of scared me when he had this much pull over me because of my… “attraction” to him. And what if I couldn’t keep my other identity a secret from him? How did I would I know if I could trust him with that secret? I mean, if we became good friends, I would have to tell him sometime. Being a werewolf was a huge part of my life, anyways. I should never have to hide who I am from a friend.

Mom and Dad have a few friends they trusted enough to tell their secret to and they’d never told anyone. My parents were lucky; they were good at picking friends.

“Maybe…,” I answered.

*~*~*~*~*~*

“Just tell me what’s the matter!” Shailey suddenly belted out in the car as we were driving home.

“Christ Shailey! I’ve already told you a thousand times! Nothing!”

“Is it really nothing or just something you can’t tell me?”

“I’ve already told you, if it were something, it’d be none of your business anyways.”

“C’mon Finn!”

“No!” I yelled as I ground the car to a halt and threw it in park. “Drive the car to my house and walk home.”

I jumped out of the car and began running. I couldn’t handle her incessant questioning. Can’t she understand it’s none of her business?

I could feel my blood coursing faster through my veins. There was a burst of fur and the sound of bones popping to accustom my new shape. My jaw reshaped to fit more sharp teeth and I was dropped to all fours.

And I ran. It was all I need to clear my head and feel better about everything. It’s funny how nature can do that to you. Nature didn’t ask questions and nag like Shailey would. I was glad to be part of this world, even if I was branded as an outsider to it.

However, I was jolted back into reality when I found that I had come up to Kieran’s house as night fell. My ears twitched as I heard glass scrape against cement. I bounded over to where the noise had come from, afraid that maybe someone from Kieran’s family may have been injured or something.

I treaded lightly around the house to see Kieran dragging a trash bag across the driveway to his trash cans. He hit his toe against a decorative stone and yelped as he walked back.

“Are you alright Kieran,” an older man’s voice called out.

“It’s just the gnomes, Dad!”

I was pretty far away, at the edge of their property, where the belt of trees met the clearing of his yard. Since it was dark, I figured I didn’t need the forest to hide me too much, so I took a few steps closer.

But I was nearly blinded when a motion light switched on, revealing me as a wolf, rather than a shadow.

I saw Kieran’s eyes flick over to where I was and I saw instant fear screw up his face as he stumbled back. I looked at him for a moment longer as he scrambled to get up and dash back into the house.

My tail automatically lowered between my legs.

And just because of that reaction, I knew I had no place in his world.