You Fight For All The Wrong Reasons

A friend in need is a friend indeed
A friend who bleeds is better.
My friend confessed she passed the test and we will never sever.

-Friend With Weed by Placebo

I quickly found my place again between Ryan and Christina.

“Oh, there you are!” Christina exclaimed, turning around to smile at me. “I was wondering where you were!”

I pretended to look like I had no clue what she was talking about. “I was here the whole time,” I said with a laugh.

“Oh,” Christina giggled. “Guess I wasn’t paying attention, then.”

Ryan tapped me on the shoulder. He pointed at Christina and flew his hand over his head and whistled.

“Hey!” Christina playfully punched him in the shoulder.

I inwardly sighed in relief. There was no shortage of luck tonight.

************************************************************************

I pushed Cam out of my mind as we ran back to Mitch’s house. I couldn’t wait to see the look on his face when we told him the news. If he had woken up yet, that is.

We were now all in human form, seeing that it would seem a bit suspicious for the Windsor’s neighbors to see a pack of wolves scrambling through their doorway. However, the rest of our actions were careless, open, and loud. It was hard to contain the excitement. The air was filled with cheers and exclamations. I was half-listening to Ashley as he told an animated reenactment of his encounter with one of the vampires. “And once he was down, another one came out from inside the vanity. He thought he had gotten me, but ha! I showed him!”

We were drunk with enthusiasm. Trey shushed us as we entered Mitch’s neighborhood, and we all had to work hard to stifle our delight.

We rapped at the little white door, and Dr. Kostick’s face appeared as the door opened. He took one look at our glowing faces and slowly smiled. “I’m guessing it went well?”

A frenzy of voices rose up as we poured into the house. As we shut and locked the door, Christina couldn’t hold in her exuberance any longer. She shrieked and jumped up to hug her father. The rest of the pack erupted into similar ecstasy. Dr. Kostick held up his hand and the noise softened. “Just to let you all know, Mitch woke up a few minutes after you left.” I gasped and smiled as similar smiles flooded the faces of those around me. “Although it is good news that he’s no longer in a coma, he isn’t doing very well. You all can see him later; he was exhausted before, and might be asleep.”

Murmurs circulated the room as we all began to fire questions of concern at Dr. Kostick.

Amidst all this, I grabbed Alicia’s hand. “Let’s go tell Mitch!”

She broke out into a smile and silently flew up the stairs alongside me. Christina and Ryan followed behind us.

“Mitch!” I sang from outside his door, forgetting completely about being quiet.

“Oh, just open it up,” Ryan said, twisting the doorknob.

Mitch was sound asleep beneath a mountain of blankets. “Aww,” I heard Alicia coo. “We shouldn’t wake him.”

“Oh, yes we should,” Christina said. “This is epic.”

In agreement with Christina, I bounced onto Mitch’s bed and shook him by the shoulders. “MITCH!!!” I yelled.

“Geez, you don’t need to let everyone within a ten-mile radius of you know you’re waking him up,” Ryan said, clapping his hands over his ears.

“He’s a sound sleeper,” I said matter-of-factly, as Mitch only stirred slightly.

“My God, how did he not hear that?” Christina exclaimed.

“Mitchell!!!” I yelled into his ear, giving him another shake.

This time, Mitch woke with a start. Startled, he shot up in bed, banging his head on the headboard. “Ouch,” I said apologetically. “Sorry.”

Mitch shook his head, rubbing the sore spot on the back of his head. “It’s okay.” Feverish green eyes peered out at me from behind golden-brown curls. “How did everything go?” he asked.

“We won!” we all said simultaneously. We looked at each other and laughed.

Mitch’s eyes widened with excitement. “Seriously?!”

I nodded, grinning from ear to ear.

“For real?”

“No, we’re just psyching you out,” Ryan said sarcastically. “Yeah, we won!”

A smile spilled out over Mitch’s face. Joy found its way out of me in the form of a laugh. That smile was what had been driving all of this.

He embraced me in a huge bear hug. “Group hug!” I heard Alicia call from the other side of the room, and a few seconds later, there were five werewolves on Mitch’s bed, unintentionally breaking each other’s rib cages.

“This is amazing,” Mitch said as the huddle broke up.

“Merry Christmas,” Christina said with a wink.

Mitch’s face brightened even more, if that were possible. “Oh, yeah! Christmas is just a few days away!”

“Well, we sure gave them a Christmas present they’ll never forget,” said Ryan, punching his fist into his open palm.

We all smiled in agreement. “So,” Mitch said, “how did it all go down? Was there lots of blood and guts?”

“None of us got hurt,” Alicia said.

“That’s good! But, like, how did you guys carry out the attack?”

“Oh! Well, uh, we burned down their little mansion. Audrey, Ryan, and Christina did, actually.”

Mitch’s mouth fell open, and slowly formed into a smile. “I like it.” Suddenly, his smile faltered. He looked at me. “Wait,” he said slowly. “You burned down your boyfriend’s house?”

I snapped back to reality. Tears welled up in my eyes. “Well…yeah. I suppose I did.”

“Oh, Audrey. I didn’t mean to make you cry. But…you’re done with Cam, I’m guessing?”

I shook my head as the tears streamed down my cheeks. “No.”

He looked at me sympathetically. “Audrey, you have got to choose a side.”

“But I love him so much!” I cried, flailing my arms, trying to paint a picture of how much I truly did love Cam, so that maybe they could see.

Mitch pulled me close. “Audrey, if you loved him “so much”, then you wouldn’t have gone and burned down his house.” He paused for a minute. “Am I right?”

“I guess so, but…”

“Ah! No buts!”

I smiled and unsuccessfully stifled a laugh. “No buts.”

Mitch cracked up.

Christina gawked at us. “Incredible! You two were just in the most serious conversation. You were in tears, and now you’re laughing at something only a kindergartener would find funny!”

“Just like the seventh planet from the sun!” Mitch whispered to me.

“Uranus!” I giggled.

“What’s that joke again? About Star Trek?” Mitch asked, a smile pulling on his lips, his eyes laughing.

“How is the Starship Enterprise like a piece of toilet paper?”

“I don’t know, how?”

“They both circle Uranus and wipe out the cling-ons!”

We both howled with laughter. “That one never gets old,” Mitch declared.

I shook my head. “Nope,” I said, still laughing.

“I think she’s in hysterics,” I heard Ryan murmur to Christina.

I frowned.

“In all seriousness, Audrey, Cam isn’t good for you. Before, I took the excuse that you guys really did love each other. That clearly isn’t the case anymore. If you really loved Cam, you wouldn’t have burned down his house. It’s plain and simple.”

I sat in silence. I knew he was right. Did I really love Cam as much as I thought I did? Had I just brainwashed myself?

“Cam isn’t what you’re looking for. You’re already betraying each other. Stay true to who you are. The Audrey I know is always true to herself. Is she still in there?”

“I hope so,” I said, tears still trickling down my face.

“Okay. Then I want you to go break up with Cam. Just cut all the ties. Settle all the problems nice and smoothly…just get it all over with.”

I nodded. “Okay.”

Mitch looked at me. “Really? Are you just saying that because I’m hooked up to this heart monitor, or because you really believe what I’m saying?”

“I really believe what you’re saying.”

“Now that’s the Audrey I know and love.”

“Oh, Mitch,” I threw my arms around him. “I don’t know how I got myself into this mess.”

“As long as you get yourself out, I don’t think it’s important.”

I nodded and wiped my tears away. “I’m through with Cam.” I laughed as I felt my heart grow lighter. “I am done with him! I am done with that Cameron Payne!”