Chapter 17

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Chapter 17


"Ok, so, how did we meet?"

My question is answered with blatant irritation in the form of a low groan. The sound of it is exaggerated over the phone, and I roll my eyes. I am almost certain, that on the other side of the line, Shay is doing the exact same thing.

"You're not taking this seriously." I snap, fighting to keep my voice a reasonable volume in the quiet of the small courtyard I've come to occupy in between classes. With Halloween right around the corner, daytime temperatures have started dropping, chasing most people indoors, seeking shelter. Other than myself, there are only a handful of brave souls willing to face the elements; bundled in scarves and insulated jackets, huddled near one another with cups of coffee that billow wisps of sweet steam into the air.

"Of course I'm not." Shay snaps right back. "That's the third time you've asked me that question in as many minutes."

"Because it's important!" I hiss, ignoring the curiously raised eyebrows of a couple that stray past my bench. As I've learned over the past two days, Shay is considerably less intimidating over the phone. It probably has something to do with the lack of her loitering over me, or some shit. Regardless, I've already started to take advantage of this fact. It's easier to be bold without physical proximity. And truthfully, Shay doesn't seem to mind. "Tonight is fucking Friday, Shay. Have you forgotten that you've agreed to attend a personalized inquisition with my friends?"

"No, Nikole, I haven't forgotten. You've made sure of that." A growl threatens to break from low in my throat at the not-so-thinly-veiled sarcasm that laces its' way through the werewolf's lilting accent. "Don't you have a class to get to or something?"

"I have another ten minutes. Just answer the damn question, please." I resist to urge the rub my temples, aggravated and more than a little stressed myself. There's a heartbeat of silence over the line, followed by an exasperated sigh.

"Fine." Shay relents, albeit begrudgingly. I'm slowly getting better and reading her; picking up on tells in the language of her body and the variations of tone in her voice. "We met after I found your wallet in a cab, purely by coincidence. I tracked you down to The Book Nook using your employee ID card to return it to you. We ended up grabbing lunch. A real fairy-tale romance."

There's a growing pressure behind my eyes, a sure sign of an impending headache should this maddening exchange last much longer. "Let me remind you, " I growl in a tight voice "that this is your fault. If you hadn't given Caroline the wrong idea about us, chances are, we wouldn't be in this fucking situation."

"Whatever, Rabbit. You just need to relax. You're starting to drawl when you swear, and cute as it is, I doubt it's any good for your blood pressure. "

"Shut it." I snarl, face flushing with color that has nothing to do with the brisk wind."My blood pressure is fine."

"Of course, dear." Shay mocks back. Once she hits a stride with the teasing, she's impossible to deal with. I'm starting to wish I had remembered to put a bottle of aspirin in my backpack.

"Can you just humor me? Look, I know my friends, and they're great, but they're also sort of like vultures. They're going to want to pick your bones, especially since I'm sure Caroline has told them what tonight is really about."

"Oh, and what is tonight all about?" There's a smirk behind her words. Shay knows damn well the answer to her own question. She just wants to hear me say it. Damn her. Cocky werewolf bitch.

"An appraisal. To see if you're quality goods or not." I seethe.

"You make it sound so sexy." Comes Shay's scornfully coy response.

"For the love of-" Unattractive blotches of red now decorate my throat in addition to my cheeks. I adjust the scarf around my neck to hide the evidence of my further embarrassment. "I'm trying to be serious here, Shay. Tonight needs to go well if you want to maintain this stupid fucking charade you've created. Fake-dating you is miserable enough without my friends hating you."

"Ouch, alright. Harsh...Why are you so certain your friends are going to hate me?"

"Probably because I do." I growl mordantly without thinking, and am met with a heavy silence on the other end of the phone. Shit. I'm trying to figure out a way to recover the situation when Shay speaks up in a surprisingly small voice.

"Do you really?" For a creature with over 200 years of life experience under her belt, Shay can be unpredictably self-conscious. Everything is a tentative balancing act between us, straddling a line between "ok" and "not ok".

"No, no." I sigh, raking fingers through my already disheveled hair. "I don't hate you, I'm just- I'm...I'm nervous, Shay. If this is gonna be a thing, this teacher-student whatever, between you and me, I don't want my friends to become an issue. They're good people and they make me happy. I don't want to lose them. "

There is another long silence, and for a moment I wonder if Shay has disconnected the call. Then, her voice reengages, steady and soft. "We've been on four dates, if you want to call them that. Our first was lunch, the day we met. I paid, even though you insisted that you should in order to thank me for returning your wallet. I said you could pay me back with a second date. So we went out to lunch again, and I introduced you to Marion. For our third date I brought you coffee while you were in between classes. You ended up skipping your afternoon class to spend time together, with me. Our fourth date was dinner, at your place. I brought over take out and we watched Blade Runner, one of your favorite films. You like sci-fi, terrible monster movies, procedural cop dramas, black comedies, and violent video games with too much gore. You're favorite color is purple, though grey is a close second, and you have two cats named Skeeter and Micky who you spend way too much money on. You're not at all picky with food, but if you had to choose one meal to eat for the rest of your life, it would be brisket and strawberry ice-cream in a waffle cone, never sugar. You're attending school to get your Masters in forensics, because ideally you want to work in a lab, possibly with the police force though you're still undecided. You're originally from Texas, and you received your bachelors from A&M; majoring in forensics, with a minor in sociology...Oh, and despite growing up in Texas, you only have an accent when you're angry, most notable when you curse."

I'm left stunned into silence, my mouth open and useless like a dying fish gasping for breath as it suddenly finds itself stranded on land. While it's true that Shay and I spent a good chunk of yesterday drilling each other on basic personal facts in order to pass as a tentative couple, I hadn't expected her to be quite so earnest in the endeavor, resulting in a well-versed, unwavering, exposition dump concerning all things me. When I fail to find my voice after several long seconds, Shay speaks up again.

"So, how did I do?" I can't tell if she's being factious or not, and my stomach churns with mild discomfort.

"Fine, you pass. Point taken. Sorry I'm being so neurotic. " I grumble, quieter now, though my cheeks are still a fair shade of pink.

"You're fine, Rabbit. You just need to relax...I know this is important and all, but I'm actually looking forward to tonight, you know? It's been too long since I last went dancing. Let's try and have some fun, yeah? This will be a good experience for you."

For some reason, Shay's attempt to console me makes me feel small inside, and I sigh, feeling foolish and so very naive. "Yeah, sure."

Shay chuckles gently, and I can almost see her shaking her head with a small smirk on her lips. "Alright, your enthusiasm needs some work...Just try and make it through class today, alright? I'm sure tonight will go smoothly. You may not believe me, but I can actually be quite charming."

Part of me does believe it, actually...not that I would ever admit it. Still, the playfulness creeping back into the she-wolf's voice brings a small smile to my face. "Uh huh, sure. Try not to be too charming, or my friends may wonder what you're doing with someone like me."

"What's that supposed to mean, someone like you?" Shay baits me, albeit good-naturedly.

I wave my free hand at nothing, motioning to the air as I speak. "You know; nerdy, neurotic, anti-social, moody me. I'm not exactly what most girls would consider a catch, even excluding the fact that I turn into a wolf once a month...talk about having a bitch of a cycle."

The she-wolf laughs, and the sound is rich, and warm, and honest. "Self-deprecation doesn't suit you, Rabbit." A pause, a heartbeat, then, "well, maybe it does, but we'll work on that." Shay snickers again, pleased with herself, and I roll my eyes for what must be the hundredth time since this conversation started.

"Whatever, as if you'll be any help with that." I scoff, but there's no bite to my voice. "Look, I need to go now. Class beckons, oh joy."

"Try and learn something, yeah?" Shay continues to jest.

"That's kind of the point." I jeer back. "Or, at least that's what I'm paying for."

"Then go get your money's worth. I won't have you blaming me if your grades start to slip."

"No promises." I smirk into the phone, then "bye Shay."

There's a small chuckle on the other end of the line. "Take care, Rabbit, I'll see you tonight."

I end the call with a small sigh and a shake of my head. Part of me is tired with this whole charade already, and it hadn't even really started yet. I mean honestly, what kind of ploy was this? Could something so cliché really be expected to work? Sadly, wracking my brain for alternatives proved fruitless, and it was a little late to back out now anyway...There just wasn't an easy solution to explaining Shay's new presence in my life, since the truth was an obvious impossibility.

"Fuck." I sigh again, embellished with a swear. I've developed a bad habit of using expletives when talking to Shay over the phone, much to her amusement. She's a headache on legs, to be sure, but...I'm almost afraid to admit that she might just be growing on me.

Slowly but surely, my curiosity was providing me with the courage I needed to test the boundaries between Shay and I. I was beginning to get a feel for our tentatively developed back and forth; Our dynamic strange as it was. Half-hearted bickering often dissolved into playfulness at some point, if I allowed it to. Furthermore, I had come to realize that fear was no longer a viable excuse to explain my discomfort, as Shay had proven herself to be mostly non-threatening. But that still didn't clarify just how I was supposed to feel about her.

In exchange for my own facts shared yesterday, over another night of take out (I had admonished Shay for paying for my meal again), the she-wolf had shared a few choice pieces of herself. Much of it was modified, of course, to create a realistic story but Shay handled this human persona with relaxed mastery, offering easy answers lacking in hesitation. However, some of what she told me was true. I had been sure of it. It was little things really, nothing important...just small, inconsequential facts. But Shay had firmly held my gaze whenever she told me these...Her favorite color was orange, like a sunset or a harvest moon. She enjoyed soccer, and photography and traveling and music. She also mentioned, mock-coy, that she was a lovely singer, but when I rolled my eyes she offered no assurances, so the jury was still out on that decision.

I learned that while the she-wolf liked all kinds of food, she often found herself craving Mexican. Especially around the full moon. To my great amusement, I also learned that Shay had no idea that Tex-Mex and authentic Mexican food were two very different things.

Shay lights up when speaking about something she holds passion for, and often gestures wildly with her hands when she becomes actively engaged in telling a story. It was strange how these small, insignificant pieces of information were starting to change my perspective of her. Slowly, it was becoming clear how multi-faceted a person she was; keenly intelligent with varied interests, fierce opinions, and sarcastic hints of humor that at times seemed infectious. A person, I realized dully. Not monster, not even a wolf...but a person. Shay was...yes...she was starting to grow on me...

Not unlike a cancer. I mused to myself as I arrived in my next class, smirking. Or fleas. Sometimes Shay was like and itch beneath my skin, some oddity of sensation that I couldn't quell. She had a distinctive crackle in her energy when she wasn't holding back, like a lightning charge to her aura. It was almost contagious, with symptoms like anxiety and excitement. It was infuriating, and terrifying, and enthralling all at once...and more than a little distracting.

The struggle to shift my mind away from Shay, to the lecture I was currently attending, was uncomfortably embarrassing. Even when I managed to focus, taking notes was an unimaginably horrible endeavor. At least I wasn't alone, as most of the class seemed to be in a similar state. No doubt, some of it stemmed from being a Friday in a week that had seen multiple exams for most students. There was a distinct lack of energy, and class participation was abysmally low, if not non-existent. Even the professor picks up on it towards the end of the class, and let us go early with a reminder to listen to the recorded lecture to be posted later this weekend.

There is an almost immediate shift in the student body the moment they are set free. At least a third of those in attendance make an almost mad dash to the door, like high school students escaping for summer vacation. Very mature, I chuckle to myself, lingering in my seat as I wait out the rush. Many of them are probably eager to blow off steam, by getting drunk, or even just goofing off at home. I personally long for the latter category, though my plans include the former.

Despite Shay's assurances that she's not worried about meeting my friends, half of me is convinced that tonight is going to be a shit show, for whatever reason. Something is bound to happen, right? It's not like a couple of fucking werewolves can go out and expect to have a normal night...that just seemed absurd. Or maybe it wasn't. Shay certainly didn't seem anxious or concerned. Maybe I was just being a twit, but everything about this situation just seemed so bizarrely surreal. Learning to be a werewolf now went hand in hand with introducing my would-be mentor as my quasi-girlfriend to my friends.

Fuck, all together it sounded really, really stupid. Unbelievably stupid...why the fuck was I doing this again? Oh yeah, because Shay and her fucking impulsive lack of creativity being all touchy-feely in front of Caroline. God Damn it. What a hole to be in...

Unfortunately it was my hole, and if I couldn't get out of it, I at least had to find a way to make it more comfortable. Maybe, somehow, this would actually make things better...though in all reality, I highly doubted it.

At least my drive home is uneventful. As per my usual routine, I sling my backpack into a chair, and collapse onto my couch as soon as I make it back to my apartment. The cats come to greet me, mewing for attention as always, and I love on them before I notice my phone vibrating with a call.

I groan, wanting a few moments alone to recharge, but answer anyway. It's Caroline calling, no doubt to talk about tonight.

"Hey." I try not to monotone, but I'm still feeling sluggish after that hellish lecture.

"Hey yourself." Caroline responds in good spirit. "Did you just get out of class?"

"Yeah." I sigh. "Just got home, actually. Prof got sick of being ignored so he sent us away in scorn."

Caroline laughs. "Hopefully his feelings wont still be hurt when I comes time to grade exams."

I cringe at the though. "Yeeeeeeeah, here's hoping."

"Have you decided what you're wearing tonight?"

Another cringe-worthy consideration. I knew the question was inevitable from the moment I picked up the call, and had been dreading it. Caroline was significantly more fashion conscious than I was.

"Um, fuck, I dunno. Probably those dark-grey jeans I have with that one cute belt and uh, just one of my nicer tops? Maybe the green one with the nice neckline?"

"No, no jeans!" Caroline shuts me down hard. " Knowing you, Nikole, Shay has never seen you outside of a pair of jeans and t-shirt. Maybe a hoodie." Sadly, She's not wrong..."Did you forget the mission tonight? Your job is to distract and disarm so the rest of us can drill Ms. Kerrigan for all her dirty secrets."

There's no holding back my groan. I had feared as much. "Caroline, please. Don't act like this is going to be an interrogation. This is awkward enough as it is, 'ya know?"

"We'll be subtle, don't worry." Caroline laughs. "Just chill, alright Texas? This'll be fun. We'll dance, we'll drink and make merry, and one of us might even get laid!"

"Good luck with that." I scoff, earning another laugh.

"Come on, are you telling me you haven't even thought about it? Sex with Shay, I mean." My friend pries, teasingly. "She's gorgeous by anyone's standards, and well, you have eyes and have been suffering through an extensive dry spell."

"Thanks for reminding me." I grumble. " And for your information, no. I haven't. Whatever this is between us, it's not sexual."

"But there's attraction, right?"

I flush, but answer honestly. "I guess, on my part at least. Like you said, I have eyes."

"Well," Caroline chirps, "after tonight that'll at least be mutual. The boss-lady is letting me off at 7, so Lily and I are gonna come over to pre-game and make you pretty, not that you need much help. Then I figured we'd just split a cab together, and have the boys meet us there."

"Do I have a choice?" I sigh.

"Not really." Caroline giggles. "But it'll be worth it, trust me. Anyway, I'll see you in a few hours! Try not to mope around too much."

"Bye Caroline." I chuckle, and disconnect the call with a roll of my eyes. At this rate, they're going to roll right out of my head.

Time passes quickly, and as promised, at 7 o'clock there's

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